diff --git a/Assistant/DaemonStatus.hs b/Assistant/DaemonStatus.hs
index 4f3c2effb0..27b5a7242e 100644
--- a/Assistant/DaemonStatus.hs
+++ b/Assistant/DaemonStatus.hs
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ calcSyncRemotes = do
 
 	return $ \dstatus -> dstatus
 		{ syncRemotes = syncable
-		, syncGitRemotes = filter Remote.gitSyncableRemote syncable
+		, syncGitRemotes = filter (Remote.gitSyncableRemoteType . Remote.remotetype) syncable
 		, syncDataRemotes = dataremotes
 		, exportRemotes = exportremotes
 		, downloadRemotes = contentremotes
diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index 19c175852b..f577afa4e5 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@ git-annex (7.20200220) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
 
   * Bugfix: export --tracking (a deprecated option) set 
     annex-annex-tracking-branch, instead of annex-tracking-branch.
+  * initremote, enableremote: Set remote.name.skipFetchAll when
+    the remote cannot be fetched from by git, so git fetch --all
+    will not try to use it.
 
  -- Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>  Wed, 19 Feb 2020 12:48:58 -0400
 
diff --git a/Command/EnableRemote.hs b/Command/EnableRemote.hs
index 976c180fdd..ab8999c36b 100644
--- a/Command/EnableRemote.hs
+++ b/Command/EnableRemote.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {- git-annex command
  -
- - Copyright 2013-2019 Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>
+ - Copyright 2013-2020 Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>
  -
  - Licensed under the GNU AGPL version 3 or higher.
  -}
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import Config
 import Config.DynamicConfig
 import Types.GitConfig
 import Types.ProposedAccepted
+import Git.Config
 
 import qualified Data.Map as M
 
@@ -86,10 +87,10 @@ startSpecialRemote name config (Just (u, c, mcu)) =
 performSpecialRemote :: RemoteType -> UUID -> R.RemoteConfig -> R.RemoteConfig -> RemoteGitConfig -> Maybe (SpecialRemote.ConfigFrom UUID) -> CommandPerform
 performSpecialRemote t u oldc c gc mcu = do
 	(c', u') <- R.setup t (R.Enable oldc) (Just u) Nothing c gc
-	next $ cleanupSpecialRemote u' c' mcu
+	next $ cleanupSpecialRemote t u' c' mcu
 
-cleanupSpecialRemote :: UUID -> R.RemoteConfig -> Maybe (SpecialRemote.ConfigFrom UUID) -> CommandCleanup
-cleanupSpecialRemote u c mcu = do
+cleanupSpecialRemote :: RemoteType -> UUID -> R.RemoteConfig -> Maybe (SpecialRemote.ConfigFrom UUID) -> CommandCleanup
+cleanupSpecialRemote t u c mcu = do
 	case mcu of
 		Nothing -> 
 			Logs.Remote.configSet u c
@@ -101,6 +102,8 @@ cleanupSpecialRemote u c mcu = do
 		Just r -> do
 			repo <- R.getRepo r
 			setRemoteIgnore repo False
+	unless (Remote.gitSyncableRemoteType t) $
+		setConfig (remoteConfig c "skipFetchAll") (boolConfig True)
 	return True
 
 unknownNameError :: String -> Annex a
diff --git a/Command/InitRemote.hs b/Command/InitRemote.hs
index d954c033d7..c7b65c040c 100644
--- a/Command/InitRemote.hs
+++ b/Command/InitRemote.hs
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import Logs.Remote
 import Types.GitConfig
 import Types.ProposedAccepted
 import Config
+import Git.Config
 
 cmd :: Command
 cmd = command "initremote" SectionSetup
@@ -87,7 +88,7 @@ perform t name c o = do
 	dummycfg <- liftIO dummyRemoteGitConfig
 	let c' = M.delete uuidField c
 	(c'', u) <- R.setup t R.Init (sameasu <|> uuidfromuser) Nothing c' dummycfg
-	next $ cleanup u name c'' o
+	next $ cleanup t u name c'' o
   where
 	uuidfromuser = case fromProposedAccepted <$> M.lookup uuidField c of
 		Just s
@@ -99,8 +100,8 @@ perform t name c o = do
 uuidField :: R.RemoteConfigField
 uuidField = Accepted "uuid"
 
-cleanup :: UUID -> String -> R.RemoteConfig -> InitRemoteOptions -> CommandCleanup
-cleanup u name c o = do
+cleanup :: RemoteType -> UUID -> String -> R.RemoteConfig -> InitRemoteOptions -> CommandCleanup
+cleanup t u name c o = do
 	case sameas o of
 		Nothing -> do
 			describeUUID u (toUUIDDesc name)
@@ -109,6 +110,8 @@ cleanup u name c o = do
 			cu <- liftIO genUUID
 			setConfig (remoteAnnexConfig c "config-uuid") (fromUUID cu)
 			Logs.Remote.configSet cu c
+	unless (Remote.gitSyncableRemoteType t) $
+		setConfig (remoteConfig c "skipFetchAll") (boolConfig True)
 	return True
 
 describeOtherParamsFor :: RemoteConfig -> RemoteType -> CommandPerform
diff --git a/Command/Sync.hs b/Command/Sync.hs
index 2e6d4760f4..fe6f72c7dc 100644
--- a/Command/Sync.hs
+++ b/Command/Sync.hs
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ seek' o = do
 	let withbranch a = a =<< getCurrentBranch
 
 	remotes <- syncRemotes (syncWith o)
-	let gitremotes = filter Remote.gitSyncableRemote remotes
+	let gitremotes = filter (Remote.gitSyncableRemoteType . Remote.remotetype) remotes
 	dataremotes <- filter (\r -> Remote.uuid r /= NoUUID)
 		<$> filterM (not <$$> liftIO . getDynamicConfig . remoteAnnexIgnore . Remote.gitconfig) remotes
 	let (exportremotes, keyvalueremotes) = partition (exportTree . Remote.config) dataremotes
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ syncRemotes' ps available =
 	listed = concat <$> mapM Remote.byNameOrGroup ps
 	
 	good r
-		| Remote.gitSyncableRemote r =
+		| Remote.gitSyncableRemoteType (Remote.remotetype r) =
 			Remote.Git.repoAvail =<< Remote.getRepo r
 		| otherwise = return True
 	
diff --git a/Remote.hs b/Remote.hs
index 7066204c48..a1a07f95dc 100644
--- a/Remote.hs
+++ b/Remote.hs
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ module Remote (
 	remoteTypes,
 	remoteList,
 	remoteList',
-	gitSyncableRemote,
+	gitSyncableRemoteType,
 	remoteMap,
 	remoteMap',
 	uuidDescriptions,
diff --git a/Remote/List.hs b/Remote/List.hs
index 4619df6345..82869b9aa8 100644
--- a/Remote/List.hs
+++ b/Remote/List.hs
@@ -128,8 +128,8 @@ updateRemote remote = do
 		| otherwise = return r
 
 {- Checks if a remote is syncable using git. -}
-gitSyncableRemote :: Remote -> Bool
-gitSyncableRemote r = remotetype r `elem`
+gitSyncableRemoteType :: RemoteType -> Bool
+gitSyncableRemoteType t = t `elem`
 	[ Remote.Git.remote
 	, Remote.GCrypt.remote
 	, Remote.P2P.remote