diff --git a/Annex/StandardGroups.hs b/Annex/StandardGroups.hs
index e94185fbfa..7c47cc628c 100644
--- a/Annex/StandardGroups.hs
+++ b/Annex/StandardGroups.hs
@@ -7,11 +7,6 @@
 
 module Annex.StandardGroups where
 
-import Common.Annex
-import Logs.Group
-
-import qualified Data.Set as S
-
 data StandardGroup = ClientGroup | TransferGroup | ArchiveGroup | BackupGroup
 
 fromStandardGroup :: StandardGroup -> String
@@ -33,6 +28,3 @@ preferredContent ClientGroup = "exclude=*/archive/*"
 preferredContent TransferGroup = "not inallgroup=client and " ++ preferredContent ClientGroup
 preferredContent ArchiveGroup = "not copies=archive:1"
 preferredContent BackupGroup = "" -- all content is preferred
-
-setStandardGroup :: UUID -> StandardGroup -> Annex ()
-setStandardGroup u = groupSet u . S.singleton . fromStandardGroup
diff --git a/Assistant/WebApp/Configurators/Local.hs b/Assistant/WebApp/Configurators/Local.hs
index 796edc3eeb..e3ba914279 100644
--- a/Assistant/WebApp/Configurators/Local.hs
+++ b/Assistant/WebApp/Configurators/Local.hs
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import Utility.Network
 import Remote (prettyListUUIDs)
 import Annex.UUID
 import Annex.StandardGroups
+import Logs.PreferredContent
 
 import Yesod
 import Data.Text (Text)
diff --git a/Assistant/WebApp/Configurators/S3.hs b/Assistant/WebApp/Configurators/S3.hs
index 9ae5fbe520..3c6fc5d907 100644
--- a/Assistant/WebApp/Configurators/S3.hs
+++ b/Assistant/WebApp/Configurators/S3.hs
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import Logs.Remote
 import qualified Remote
 import Types.Remote (RemoteConfig)
 import Annex.StandardGroups
+import Logs.PreferredContent
 
 import Yesod
 import Data.Text (Text)
diff --git a/Assistant/WebApp/Configurators/Ssh.hs b/Assistant/WebApp/Configurators/Ssh.hs
index dafa69f263..d3a281b4b4 100644
--- a/Assistant/WebApp/Configurators/Ssh.hs
+++ b/Assistant/WebApp/Configurators/Ssh.hs
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import Utility.Yesod
 import Utility.Rsync (rsyncUrlIsShell)
 import Logs.Remote
 import Remote
+import Logs.PreferredContent
 import Annex.StandardGroups
 
 import Yesod
diff --git a/Logs/PreferredContent.hs b/Logs/PreferredContent.hs
index e31aa7baee..ed6dbb43e8 100644
--- a/Logs/PreferredContent.hs
+++ b/Logs/PreferredContent.hs
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ module Logs.PreferredContent (
 	preferredContentMap,
 	preferredContentMapRaw,
 	checkPreferredContentExpression,
+	setStandardGroup,
 ) where
 
 import qualified Data.Map as M
@@ -131,3 +132,12 @@ tokenizeMatcher :: String -> [String]
 tokenizeMatcher = filter (not . null ) . concatMap splitparens . words
 	where
 		splitparens = segmentDelim (`elem` "()")
+
+{- Puts a UUID in a standard group, and sets its preferred content to use
+ - the standard expression for that group, unless something is already set. -}
+setStandardGroup :: UUID -> StandardGroup -> Annex ()
+setStandardGroup u g = do
+	groupSet u $ S.singleton $ fromStandardGroup g
+	m <- preferredContentMap
+	unless (isJust $ M.lookup u m) $
+		preferredContentSet u "standard"
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 0fc4cda17c..c0352bb787 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 git-annex (3.20121010) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
 
   * Renamed --ingroup to --inallgroup.
+  * Standard groups changed to client, transfer, archive, and backup.
+    Each of these has its own standard preferred content setting.
 
  -- Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>  Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:59:25 -0400