diff --git a/Annex/Drop.hs b/Annex/Drop.hs
index 2ad9c78d49..1a6af18586 100644
--- a/Annex/Drop.hs
+++ b/Annex/Drop.hs
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ type Reason = String
  - and numcopies settings.
  -
  - Skips trying to drop from remotes that are appendonly, since those drops
- - would presumably fail. Also skips dropping from exporttree remotes,
+ - would presumably fail. Also skips dropping from exporttree/importtree remotes,
  - which don't allow dropping individual keys.
  -
  - The UUIDs are ones where the content is believed to be present.
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ handleDropsFrom locs rs reason fromhere key afile si preverified runner = do
 		| uuid r `S.notMember` slocs = go fs rest n
 		| appendonly r = go fs rest n
 		| exportTree (config r) = go fs rest n
+		| importTree (config r) = go fs rest n
 		| checkcopies n (Just $ Remote.uuid r) =
 			dropr fs r n >>= go fs rest
 		| otherwise = pure n
diff --git a/Assistant/DaemonStatus.hs b/Assistant/DaemonStatus.hs
index 27b5a7242e..d7c5819951 100644
--- a/Assistant/DaemonStatus.hs
+++ b/Assistant/DaemonStatus.hs
@@ -56,7 +56,8 @@ calcSyncRemotes = do
 	let syncable = filter good rs
 	contentremotes <- filterM (not <$$> liftIO . getDynamicConfig . remoteAnnexIgnore . Remote.gitconfig) $
 		filter (\r -> Remote.uuid r /= NoUUID) syncable
-	let (exportremotes, dataremotes) = partition (exportTree . Remote.config) contentremotes
+	let (exportremotes, nonexportremotes) = partition (exportTree . Remote.config) contentremotes
+	let dataremotes = filter (not . importTree . Remote.config) nonexportremotes
 
 	return $ \dstatus -> dstatus
 		{ syncRemotes = syncable
diff --git a/Command/Sync.hs b/Command/Sync.hs
index 1f1afc9c13..59c5be2427 100644
--- a/Command/Sync.hs
+++ b/Command/Sync.hs
@@ -210,8 +210,9 @@ seek' o = do
 	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
+	let (exportremotes, nonexportremotes) = partition (exportTree . Remote.config) dataremotes
 	let importremotes = filter (importTree . Remote.config) dataremotes
+	let keyvalueremotes = partition (not . importTree . Remote.config) nonexportremotes
 
 	if cleanupOption o
 		then do
diff --git a/doc/todo/assistant_importtree.mdwn b/doc/todo/assistant_importtree.mdwn
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a8ee54d33b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/todo/assistant_importtree.mdwn
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+The assistant currently will export to exporttree=yes remotes, but it will
+not import from importtree=yes remotes.