diff --git a/Annex.hs b/Annex.hs
index af0ede1f4b..220f8ef3de 100644
--- a/Annex.hs
+++ b/Annex.hs
@@ -96,7 +96,8 @@ newtype Annex a = Annex { runAnnex :: ReaderT (MVar AnnexState) IO a }
 		MonadMask,
 		Fail.MonadFail,
 		Functor,
-		Applicative
+		Applicative,
+		Alternative
 	)
 
 -- internal state storage
diff --git a/Annex/Import.hs b/Annex/Import.hs
index 4b8ceceb0f..8d97db7e29 100644
--- a/Annex/Import.hs
+++ b/Annex/Import.hs
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
  -}
 
 module Annex.Import (
+	RemoteTrackingBranch(..),
+	mkRemoteTrackingBranch,
 	ImportTreeConfig(..),
 	ImportCommitConfig(..),
 	buildImportCommit,
@@ -14,7 +16,7 @@ module Annex.Import (
 
 import Annex.Common
 import Types.Import
-import Types.Remote (uuid)
+import qualified Types.Remote as Remote
 import Git.Types
 import Git.Tree
 import Git.Sha
@@ -27,6 +29,16 @@ import Annex.LockFile
 import Logs.Export
 import Database.Export
 
+newtype RemoteTrackingBranch = RemoteTrackingBranch
+	{ fromRemoteTrackingBranch :: Ref }
+	deriving (Show, Eq)
+
+{- Makes a remote tracking branch corresponding to a local branch. 
+ - Note that the local branch does not have to exist yet. -}
+mkRemoteTrackingBranch :: Remote -> Ref -> RemoteTrackingBranch
+mkRemoteTrackingBranch remote ref = RemoteTrackingBranch $
+	Git.Ref.underBase ("refs/remotes/" ++ Remote.name remote) ref
+
 {- Configures how to build an import tree. -}
 data ImportTreeConfig
 	= ImportTree
@@ -39,9 +51,8 @@ data ImportTreeConfig
 
 {- Configures how to build an import commit. -}
 data ImportCommitConfig = ImportCommitConfig
-	{ importCommitParentRef :: Maybe Ref
-	-- ^ Use the commit that the Ref points to as the parent of the
-	-- commit. The Ref may be a branch name.
+	{ importCommitParent :: Maybe Sha
+	-- ^ Commit to use as a parent of the import commit.
 	, importCommitMode :: Git.Branch.CommitMode
 	, importCommitMessage :: String
 	}
@@ -67,16 +78,13 @@ buildImportCommit
 	-> ImportTreeConfig
 	-> ImportCommitConfig
 	-> ImportableContents Key
-	-> Annex (Either String (Maybe Ref))
+	-> Annex (Maybe Ref)
 buildImportCommit remote importtreeconfig importcommitconfig importable =
-	case importCommitParentRef importcommitconfig of
+	case importCommitParent importcommitconfig of
 		Nothing -> go emptyTree Nothing
-		Just parentref -> inRepo (Git.Ref.sha parentref) >>= \case
-			Nothing -> return $
-				Left $ "Cannot find ref " ++ fromRef parentref
-			Just basecommit -> inRepo (Git.Ref.tree basecommit) >>= \case
-				Nothing -> go emptyTree Nothing
-				Just origtree -> go origtree (Just basecommit)
+		Just basecommit -> inRepo (Git.Ref.tree basecommit) >>= \case
+			Nothing -> go emptyTree Nothing
+			Just origtree -> go origtree (Just basecommit)
   where
 	basetree = case importtreeconfig of
 		ImportTree -> emptyTree
@@ -89,11 +97,11 @@ buildImportCommit remote importtreeconfig importcommitconfig importable =
 		imported@(History finaltree _) <-
 			buildImportTrees basetree subdir importable
 		mkcommits origtree basecommit imported >>= \case
-			Nothing -> return (Right Nothing)
+			Nothing -> return Nothing
 			Just finalcommit -> do
 				updateexportdb finaltree
 				updateexportlog finaltree
-				return (Right (Just finalcommit))
+				return (Just finalcommit)
 
 	mkcommits origtree basecommit (History importedtree hs) = do
 		parents <- catMaybes <$> mapM (mkcommits origtree basecommit) hs
@@ -111,8 +119,8 @@ buildImportCommit remote importtreeconfig importcommitconfig importable =
 				return (Just commit)
 
 	updateexportdb importedtree = 
-		withExclusiveLock (gitAnnexExportLock (uuid remote)) $ do
-			db <- openDb (uuid remote)
+		withExclusiveLock (gitAnnexExportLock (Remote.uuid remote)) $ do
+			db <- openDb (Remote.uuid remote)
 			prevtree <- liftIO $ fromMaybe emptyTree
 				<$> getExportTreeCurrent db
 			when (importedtree /= prevtree) $ do
@@ -122,8 +130,8 @@ buildImportCommit remote importtreeconfig importcommitconfig importable =
 				liftIO $ flushDbQueue db
 	
 	updateexportlog importedtree = do
-		old <- getExport (uuid remote)
-		recordExport (uuid remote) $ ExportChange
+		old <- getExport (Remote.uuid remote)
+		recordExport (Remote.uuid remote) $ ExportChange
 			{ oldTreeish = exportedTreeishes old
 			, newTreeish = importedtree
 			}
diff --git a/Command/Import.hs b/Command/Import.hs
index 1d9d5528a8..4ab239c068 100644
--- a/Command/Import.hs
+++ b/Command/Import.hs
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ import qualified Annex
 import qualified Command.Add
 import qualified Command.Reinject
 import qualified Types.Remote as Remote
+import qualified Git.Ref
+import qualified Git.Branch
 import Utility.CopyFile
 import Backend
 import Types.KeySource
@@ -28,6 +30,8 @@ import Utility.InodeCache
 import Logs.Location
 import Git.FilePath
 import Git.Types
+import Git.Branch
+import Types.Import
 
 cmd :: Command
 cmd = notBareRepo $
@@ -240,6 +244,29 @@ verifyExisting key destfile (yes, no) = do
 		(const yes) no
 
 startRemote :: Remote -> Branch -> Maybe TopFilePath -> CommandStart
-startRemote remote branch subdir = do
+startRemote remote branch msubdir = do
 	showStart' "import" (Just (Remote.name remote))
+	importtreeconfig <- case msubdir of
+		Nothing -> return ImportTree
+		Just subdir -> frombranch Git.Ref.tree >>= \case
+			Nothing -> giveup $ "Unable to find base tree for branch " ++ fromRef branch
+			Just tree -> pure $ ImportSubTree subdir tree
+	parentcommit <- frombranch Git.Ref.sha
+	let importcommitconfig = ImportCommitConfig parentcommit ManualCommit importmessage
+	-- TODO enumerate and download
+	let importable = ImportableContents [] []
+	importcommit <- buildImportCommit remote importtreeconfig importcommitconfig importable
+	-- Update the tracking branch. Done even when there is nothing new
+	-- to import, to make sure it exists.
+	inRepo $ Git.Branch.update importmessage (fromRemoteTrackingBranch tb) $
+		fromMaybe (giveup $ "Nothing to import and " ++ fromRef branch ++ " does not exist.") $
+			importcommit <|> parentcommit
 	next stop
+  where
+	importmessage = "import from " ++ Remote.name remote
+	tb = mkRemoteTrackingBranch remote branch
+	-- If the remote tracking branch already exists, get from it,
+	-- otherwise get from the branch.
+	frombranch a = inRepo (a (fromRemoteTrackingBranch tb)) >>= \case
+		Just v -> return (Just v)
+		Nothing -> inRepo (a branch)
diff --git a/doc/git-annex-import.mdwn b/doc/git-annex-import.mdwn
index 151b391c16..13dfcd9fa4 100644
--- a/doc/git-annex-import.mdwn
+++ b/doc/git-annex-import.mdwn
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ git-annex import - add files from a directory or special remote
 
 # SYNOPSIS
 
-git annex import `[path ...]` | git annex import branch[:subdir] --from remote
+git annex import `[path ...]` | git annex import --from remote branch[:subdir]
 
 # DESCRIPTION
 
diff --git a/doc/todo/import_tree.mdwn b/doc/todo/import_tree.mdwn
index ceb5d3a3f0..2efe2be11f 100644
--- a/doc/todo/import_tree.mdwn
+++ b/doc/todo/import_tree.mdwn
@@ -10,6 +10,17 @@ this.
 
 ## implementation notes
 
+* "git annex import master --from rmt" followed by "git annex import master:sub --from rmt"
+  first makes the tracking branch contain only what's in the remote,
+  and then grafts what's in the remote into a subdir. Is that the behavior
+  a user would expect, or would they instead expect that importing to a new
+  place starts the tracking branch over fresh on the contents of master?
+
+  Hmm, one way to look at it is that if there was a merge from
+  refs/remotes/rmt/master in between the two commands, and then after, the
+  result would be the same as if there was only a merge after. So the
+  current behavior seems to make sense.
+
 * Database.ContentIdentifier needs a way to update the database with
   information coming from the git-annex branch. This will allow multiple
   clones to import from the same remote, and share content identifier