diff --git a/Annex/SpecialRemote.hs b/Annex/SpecialRemote.hs
index 3a19bb4073..23db7f0720 100644
--- a/Annex/SpecialRemote.hs
+++ b/Annex/SpecialRemote.hs
@@ -33,12 +33,21 @@ findExisting name = do
 		. findByName name
 		<$> Logs.Remote.readRemoteLog
 
-newConfig :: RemoteName -> Maybe (Sameas UUID) -> RemoteConfig
-newConfig name Nothing = M.singleton nameField name
-newConfig name (Just (Sameas u)) = M.fromList
-	[ (sameasNameField, name)
-	, (sameasUUIDField, fromUUID u)
-	]
+newConfig
+	:: RemoteName
+	-> Maybe (Sameas UUID)
+	-> RemoteConfig
+	-- ^ configuration provided by the user
+	-> M.Map UUID RemoteConfig
+	-- ^ configuration of other special remotes, to inherit from
+	-- when sameas is used
+	-> RemoteConfig
+newConfig name sameas fromuser m = case sameas of
+	Nothing -> M.insert nameField name fromuser
+	Just (Sameas u) -> addSameasInherited m $ M.fromList
+		[ (sameasNameField, name)
+		, (sameasUUIDField, fromUUID u)
+		] `M.union` fromuser
 
 findByName :: RemoteName ->  M.Map UUID RemoteConfig -> [(UUID, RemoteConfig)]
 findByName n = filter (matching . snd) . M.toList
diff --git a/Annex/SpecialRemote/Config.hs b/Annex/SpecialRemote/Config.hs
index 921d7744b8..124addc0b2 100644
--- a/Annex/SpecialRemote/Config.hs
+++ b/Annex/SpecialRemote/Config.hs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ module Annex.SpecialRemote.Config where
 
 import Common
 import Types.Remote (RemoteConfigField, RemoteConfig)
+import Types.UUID
 
 import qualified Data.Map as M
 import qualified Data.Set as S
@@ -70,3 +71,24 @@ sameasInherits = S.fromList
 	-- (new-style chunking does not have that limitation)
 	, chunksizeField
 	]
+
+{- Each RemoteConfig that has a sameas-uuid inherits some fields
+ - from it. Such fields can only be set by inheritance; the RemoteConfig
+ - cannot provide values from them. -}
+addSameasInherited :: M.Map UUID RemoteConfig -> RemoteConfig -> RemoteConfig
+addSameasInherited m c = case toUUID <$> M.lookup sameasUUIDField c of
+	Nothing -> c
+	Just sameasuuid -> case M.lookup sameasuuid m of
+		Nothing -> c
+		Just parentc -> 
+			M.withoutKeys c sameasInherits			
+				`M.union`
+			M.restrictKeys parentc sameasInherits
+
+{- Remove any fields inherited from a sameas-uuid. When storing a
+ - RemoteConfig, those fields don't get stored, since they were already
+ - inherited. -}
+removeSameasInherited :: RemoteConfig -> RemoteConfig
+removeSameasInherited c = case M.lookup sameasUUIDField c of
+	Nothing -> c
+	Just _ -> M.restrictKeys c sameasInherits
diff --git a/Assistant/MakeRemote.hs b/Assistant/MakeRemote.hs
index a58ed212c4..03a2fa2dd0 100644
--- a/Assistant/MakeRemote.hs
+++ b/Assistant/MakeRemote.hs
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ makeRsyncRemote name location = makeRemote name location $ const $ void $
 	go =<< Annex.SpecialRemote.findExisting name
   where
 	go Nothing = setupSpecialRemote name Rsync.remote config Nothing
-		(Nothing, R.Init, Annex.SpecialRemote.newConfig name Nothing)
+		(Nothing, R.Init, Annex.SpecialRemote.newConfig name Nothing mempty mempty)
 	go (Just (u, c)) = setupSpecialRemote name Rsync.remote config Nothing
 		(Just u, R.Enable c, c)
 	config = M.fromList
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ initSpecialRemote name remotetype mcreds config = go 0
 		let fullname = if n == 0  then name else name ++ show n
 		Annex.SpecialRemote.findExisting fullname >>= \case
 			Nothing -> setupSpecialRemote fullname remotetype config mcreds
-				(Nothing, R.Init, Annex.SpecialRemote.newConfig fullname Nothing)
+				(Nothing, R.Init, Annex.SpecialRemote.newConfig fullname Nothing mempty mempty)
 			Just _ -> go (n + 1)
 
 {- Enables an existing special remote. -}
diff --git a/Command/InitRemote.hs b/Command/InitRemote.hs
index 04873b5f39..aa5c07883a 100644
--- a/Command/InitRemote.hs
+++ b/Command/InitRemote.hs
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import qualified Remote
 import qualified Logs.Remote
 import qualified Types.Remote as R
 import Logs.UUID
+import Logs.Remote
 import Types.GitConfig
 
 cmd :: Command
@@ -57,14 +58,14 @@ start o (name:ws) = ifM (isJust <$> findExisting name)
 					(pure Nothing)
 					(Just . Sameas <$$> getParsed)
 					(sameas o) 
-				let c = newConfig name sameasuuid
-				t <- either giveup return (findType config)
+				c <- newConfig name sameasuuid
+					(Logs.Remote.keyValToConfig ws)
+					<$> readRemoteLog
+				t <- either giveup return (findType c)
 				starting "initremote" (ActionItemOther (Just name)) $
-					perform t name $ M.union config c
+					perform t name c
 			)
 	)
-  where
-	config = Logs.Remote.keyValToConfig ws
 
 perform :: RemoteType -> String -> R.RemoteConfig -> CommandPerform
 perform t name c = do
diff --git a/Logs/Remote.hs b/Logs/Remote.hs
index c99df1bab9..2b767c2f4a 100644
--- a/Logs/Remote.hs
+++ b/Logs/Remote.hs
@@ -40,32 +40,11 @@ configSet u cfg = do
 
 {- Map of remotes by uuid containing key/value config maps. -}
 readRemoteLog :: Annex (M.Map UUID RemoteConfig)
-readRemoteLog = addSameasInherited 
+readRemoteLog = (\m -> M.map (addSameasInherited m) m)
 	. simpleMap
 	. parseLogOld remoteConfigParser
 	<$> Annex.Branch.get remoteLog
 
-{- Each RemoteConfig that has a sameas-uuid inherits some fields
- - from it. Such fields can only be set by inheritance; the RemoteConfig
- - cannot provide values from them. -}
-addSameasInherited :: M.Map UUID RemoteConfig -> M.Map UUID RemoteConfig
-addSameasInherited m = M.map go m
-  where
-	go c = case toUUID <$> M.lookup sameasUUIDField c of
-		Nothing -> c
-		Just sameasuuid -> case M.lookup sameasuuid m of
-			Nothing -> c
-			Just parentc -> 
-				M.withoutKeys c sameasInherits			
-					`M.union`
-				M.restrictKeys parentc sameasInherits
-
-{- Remove any fields inherited from a sameas-uuid. -}
-removeSameasInherited :: RemoteConfig -> RemoteConfig
-removeSameasInherited c = case M.lookup sameasUUIDField c of
-	Nothing -> c
-	Just _ -> M.restrictKeys c sameasInherits
-
 remoteConfigParser :: A.Parser RemoteConfig
 remoteConfigParser = keyValToConfig . words . decodeBS <$> A.takeByteString