diff --git a/Limit.hs b/Limit.hs
index 37353c33e3..7654842e16 100644
--- a/Limit.hs
+++ b/Limit.hs
@@ -120,7 +120,10 @@ addIn s = addLimit =<< mk
 
 {- Limit to content that is currently present on a uuid. -}
 limitPresent :: Maybe UUID -> MkLimit
-limitPresent u _ = Right $ const $ checkKey $ \key -> do
+limitPresent u _ = Right $ matchPresent u
+
+matchPresent :: Maybe UUID -> MatchFiles
+matchPresent u _ = checkKey $ \key -> do
 	hereu <- getUUID
 	if u == Just hereu || isNothing u
 		then inAnnex key
diff --git a/Logs/PreferredContent.hs b/Logs/PreferredContent.hs
index a0bb4ffda2..5580c062db 100644
--- a/Logs/PreferredContent.hs
+++ b/Logs/PreferredContent.hs
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ import Types.Remote (RemoteConfig)
 import Logs.Group
 import Logs.Remote
 import Types.StandardGroups
+import Limit
 
 {- Checks if a file is preferred content for the specified repository
  - (or the current repository if none is specified). -}
@@ -67,29 +68,45 @@ preferredContentMapLoad = do
 
 {- This intentionally never fails, even on unparsable expressions,
  - because the configuration is shared among repositories and newer
- - versions of git-annex may add new features. Instead, parse errors
- - result in a Matcher that will always succeed. -}
-makeMatcher :: GroupMap -> M.Map UUID RemoteConfig -> M.Map Group PreferredContentExpression -> UUID -> PreferredContentExpression -> FileMatcher
+ - versions of git-annex may add new features. -}
+makeMatcher
+	:: GroupMap
+	-> M.Map UUID RemoteConfig
+	-> M.Map Group PreferredContentExpression
+	-> UUID
+	-> PreferredContentExpression
+	-> FileMatcher
 makeMatcher groupmap configmap groupwantedmap u = go True True
   where
 	go expandstandard expandgroupwanted expr
 		| null (lefts tokens) = Utility.Matcher.generate $ rights tokens
-		| otherwise = matchAll
+		| otherwise = unknownMatcher u
 	  where
 		tokens = exprParser matchstandard matchgroupwanted groupmap configmap (Just u) expr
 		matchstandard
-			| expandstandard = maybe matchAll (go False False)
+			| expandstandard = maybe (unknownMatcher u) (go False False)
 				(standardPreferredContent <$> getStandardGroup mygroups)
-			| otherwise = matchAll
+			| otherwise = unknownMatcher u
 		matchgroupwanted
-			| expandgroupwanted = maybe matchAll (go True False)
+			| expandgroupwanted = maybe (unknownMatcher u) (go True False)
 				(groupwanted mygroups)
-			| otherwise = matchAll
+			| otherwise = unknownMatcher u
 		mygroups = fromMaybe S.empty (u `M.lookup` groupsByUUID groupmap)
 		groupwanted s = case M.elems $ M.filterWithKey (\k _ -> S.member k s) groupwantedmap of
 			[pc] -> Just pc
 			_ -> Nothing
 
+{- When a preferred content expression cannot be parsed, but is already
+ - in the log (eg, put there by a newer version of git-annex),
+ - the fallback behavior is to match only files that are currently present.
+ -
+ - This avoid unwanted/expensive changes to the content, until the problem
+ - is resolved. -}
+unknownMatcher :: UUID -> FileMatcher
+unknownMatcher u = Utility.Matcher.generate [present]
+  where
+	present = Utility.Matcher.Operation $ matchPresent (Just u)
+
 {- Checks if an expression can be parsed, if not returns Just error -}
 checkPreferredContentExpression :: PreferredContentExpression -> Maybe String
 checkPreferredContentExpression expr = case parsedToMatcher tokens of
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 7034eaaed3..d8f63f8d0e 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ git-annex (5.20140307) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
     field. Also the "lastchanged" field for the date of the last change
     to any of a file's metadata.
   * Windows: Fix some filename encoding bugs.
+  * Improve behavior when unable to parse a preferred content expression
+    (thanks, ion).
 
  -- Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>  Thu, 06 Mar 2014 16:17:01 -0400
 
diff --git a/doc/preferred_content.mdwn b/doc/preferred_content.mdwn
index e031498d5e..af76a0e7b4 100644
--- a/doc/preferred_content.mdwn
+++ b/doc/preferred_content.mdwn
@@ -149,9 +149,13 @@ group and make its preferred content be "groupwanted" will use it.
 It's important that all clones of a repository can understand one-another's
 preferred content expressions, especially when using the git-annex
 assistant. So using newly added keywords can cause a problem if
-an older version of git-annex is in use elsewhere. When an old version
-of git-annex sees a keyword it does not understand, it assumes that keyword
-will match *all* files.
+an older version of git-annex is in use elsewhere.
+
+Before git-annex version 5.20140320, when git-annex saw a keyword it
+did not understand, it defaulted to assuming *all* files were
+preferred content. From version 5.20140320, git-annex has a nicer fallback
+behavior: When it is unable to parse a preferred content expression,
+it assumes all files that are currently present are preferred content.
 
 Here are recent changes to preferred content expressions, and the version
 they were added in.