diff --git a/Documentation/git-pull.txt b/Documentation/git-pull.txt
index 21b50aff77..5c3fb67c01 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-pull.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-pull.txt
@@ -38,20 +38,6 @@ as set by linkgit:git-branch[1] `--track`.
 Assume the following history exists and the current branch is
 "`master`":
 
-------------
-	  A---B---C master on origin
-	 /
-    D---E master
-------------
-
-Then `git pull` will merge in a fast-forward way up to the new master.
-
-------------
-    D---E---A---B---C master, origin/master
-------------
-
-However, a non-fast-forward case looks very different.
-
 ------------
 	  A---B---C master on origin
 	 /
@@ -60,9 +46,6 @@ However, a non-fast-forward case looks very different.
 	origin/master in your repository
 ------------
 
-By default `git pull` will warn about these situations, however, most likely
-you would want to force a merge, which you can do with `git pull --merge`.
-
 Then "`git pull`" will fetch and replay the changes from the remote
 `master` branch since it diverged from the local `master` (i.e., `E`)
 until its current commit (`C`) on top of `master` and record the
@@ -148,11 +131,8 @@ It rewrites history, which does not bode well when you
 published that history already.  Do *not* use this option
 unless you have read linkgit:git-rebase[1] carefully.
 
--m::
---merge::
-	Force a merge.
-+
-Previously this was --no-rebase, but that usage has been deprecated.
+--no-rebase::
+	Override earlier --rebase.
 
 Options related to fetching
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
diff --git a/builtin/pull.c b/builtin/pull.c
index 118fbdeb62..9a7caf3a3e 100644
--- a/builtin/pull.c
+++ b/builtin/pull.c
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@
 #include "commit-reach.h"
 #include "sequencer.h"
 
+static int default_mode;
+
 /**
  * Parses the value of --rebase. If value is a false value, returns
  * REBASE_FALSE. If value is a true value, returns REBASE_TRUE. If value is
@@ -74,7 +76,7 @@ static char *opt_progress;
 static int recurse_submodules = RECURSE_SUBMODULES_DEFAULT;
 
 /* Options passed to git-merge or git-rebase */
-static enum rebase_type opt_rebase;
+static enum rebase_type opt_rebase = -1;
 static char *opt_diffstat;
 static char *opt_log;
 static char *opt_signoff;
@@ -126,11 +128,9 @@ static struct option pull_options[] = {
 	/* Options passed to git-merge or git-rebase */
 	OPT_GROUP(N_("Options related to merging")),
 	OPT_CALLBACK_F('r', "rebase", &opt_rebase,
-		"(false|true|merges|preserve|interactive)",
-		N_("incorporate changes by rebasing rather than merging"),
-		PARSE_OPT_OPTARG, parse_opt_rebase),
-	OPT_SET_INT('m', "merge", &opt_rebase,
-		N_("incorporate changes by merging"), REBASE_FALSE),
+	  "(false|true|merges|preserve|interactive)",
+	  N_("incorporate changes by rebasing rather than merging"),
+	  PARSE_OPT_OPTARG, parse_opt_rebase),
 	OPT_PASSTHRU('n', NULL, &opt_diffstat, NULL,
 		N_("do not show a diffstat at the end of the merge"),
 		PARSE_OPT_NOARG | PARSE_OPT_NONEG),
@@ -346,7 +346,9 @@ static enum rebase_type config_get_rebase(void)
 	if (!git_config_get_value("pull.rebase", &value))
 		return parse_config_rebase("pull.rebase", value, 1);
 
-	return REBASE_DEFAULT;
+	default_mode = 1;
+
+	return REBASE_FALSE;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -441,7 +443,7 @@ static void NORETURN die_no_merge_candidates(const char *repo, const char **refs
 	const char *remote = curr_branch ? curr_branch->remote_name : NULL;
 
 	if (*refspecs) {
-		if (opt_rebase >= REBASE_TRUE)
+		if (opt_rebase)
 			fprintf_ln(stderr, _("There is no candidate for rebasing against among the refs that you just fetched."));
 		else
 			fprintf_ln(stderr, _("There are no candidates for merging among the refs that you just fetched."));
@@ -454,7 +456,7 @@ static void NORETURN die_no_merge_candidates(const char *repo, const char **refs
 			repo);
 	} else if (!curr_branch) {
 		fprintf_ln(stderr, _("You are not currently on a branch."));
-		if (opt_rebase >= REBASE_TRUE)
+		if (opt_rebase)
 			fprintf_ln(stderr, _("Please specify which branch you want to rebase against."));
 		else
 			fprintf_ln(stderr, _("Please specify which branch you want to merge with."));
@@ -469,7 +471,7 @@ static void NORETURN die_no_merge_candidates(const char *repo, const char **refs
 			remote_name = _("<remote>");
 
 		fprintf_ln(stderr, _("There is no tracking information for the current branch."));
-		if (opt_rebase >= REBASE_TRUE)
+		if (opt_rebase)
 			fprintf_ln(stderr, _("Please specify which branch you want to rebase against."));
 		else
 			fprintf_ln(stderr, _("Please specify which branch you want to merge with."));
@@ -931,11 +933,9 @@ int cmd_pull(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	struct oid_array merge_heads = OID_ARRAY_INIT;
 	struct object_id orig_head, curr_head;
 	struct object_id rebase_fork_point;
+	int autostash;
 	int can_ff;
 
-	opt_ff = xstrdup_or_null(config_get_ff());
-	opt_rebase = config_get_rebase();
-
 	if (!getenv("GIT_REFLOG_ACTION"))
 		set_reflog_message(argc, argv);
 
@@ -952,6 +952,12 @@ int cmd_pull(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 
 	parse_repo_refspecs(argc, argv, &repo, &refspecs);
 
+	if (!opt_ff)
+		opt_ff = xstrdup_or_null(config_get_ff());
+
+	if (opt_rebase < 0)
+		opt_rebase = config_get_rebase();
+
 	if (read_cache_unmerged())
 		die_resolve_conflict("pull");
 
@@ -961,8 +967,8 @@ int cmd_pull(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	if (get_oid("HEAD", &orig_head))
 		oidclr(&orig_head);
 
-	if (opt_rebase >= REBASE_TRUE) {
-		int autostash = config_autostash;
+	autostash = config_autostash;
+	if (opt_rebase) {
 		if (opt_autostash != -1)
 			autostash = opt_autostash;
 
@@ -1021,28 +1027,29 @@ int cmd_pull(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			die(_("Cannot merge multiple branches into empty head."));
 		return pull_into_void(merge_heads.oid, &curr_head);
 	}
-	if (opt_rebase >= REBASE_TRUE && merge_heads.nr > 1)
+	if (opt_rebase && merge_heads.nr > 1)
 		die(_("Cannot rebase onto multiple branches."));
 
 	can_ff = get_can_ff(&orig_head, &merge_heads.oid[0]);
 
-	if (!opt_rebase && !can_ff && opt_verbosity >= 0 && (!opt_ff || !strcmp(opt_ff, "--ff"))) {
-		advise(_("Pulling without specifying how to reconcile divergent branches is discouraged;\n"
-			"you need to specify if you want a merge, or a rebase.\n"
-			"You can squelch this message by running one of the following commands:\n"
-			"\n"
-			"  git config pull.rebase false  # merge (the default strategy)\n"
-			"  git config pull.rebase true   # rebase\n"
-			"  git config pull.ff only       # fast-forward only\n"
-			"\n"
-			"You can replace \"git config\" with \"git config --global\" to set a default\n"
-			"preference for all repositories.\n"
-			"If unsure, run \"git pull --merge\".\n"
-			"Read \"git pull --help\" for more information."));
+	if (default_mode && !can_ff && opt_verbosity >= 0 && !opt_ff) {
+		advise(_("Pulling without specifying how to reconcile divergent branches is\n"
+			 "discouraged. You can squelch this message by running one of the following\n"
+			 "commands sometime before your next pull:\n"
+			 "\n"
+			 "  git config pull.rebase false  # merge (the default strategy)\n"
+			 "  git config pull.rebase true   # rebase\n"
+			 "  git config pull.ff only       # fast-forward only\n"
+			 "\n"
+			 "You can replace \"git config\" with \"git config --global\" to set a default\n"
+			 "preference for all repositories. You can also pass --rebase, --no-rebase,\n"
+			 "or --ff-only on the command line to override the configured default per\n"
+			 "invocation.\n"));
 	}
 
-	if (opt_rebase >= REBASE_TRUE) {
+	if (opt_rebase) {
 		int ret = 0;
+		int ran_ff = 0;
 
 		struct object_id newbase;
 		struct object_id upstream;
@@ -1053,15 +1060,16 @@ int cmd_pull(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		     recurse_submodules == RECURSE_SUBMODULES_ON_DEMAND) &&
 		    submodule_touches_in_range(the_repository, &upstream, &curr_head))
 			die(_("cannot rebase with locally recorded submodule modifications"));
-
-		if (can_ff) {
-			/* we can fast-forward this without invoking rebase */
-			free(opt_ff);
-			opt_ff = xstrdup_or_null("--ff-only");
-			ret = run_merge();
-		} else {
-			ret = run_rebase(&newbase, &upstream);
+		if (!autostash) {
+			if (can_ff) {
+				/* we can fast-forward this without invoking rebase */
+				opt_ff = "--ff-only";
+				ran_ff = 1;
+				ret = run_merge();
+			}
 		}
+		if (!ran_ff)
+			ret = run_rebase(&newbase, &upstream);
 
 		if (!ret && (recurse_submodules == RECURSE_SUBMODULES_ON ||
 			     recurse_submodules == RECURSE_SUBMODULES_ON_DEMAND))
diff --git a/rebase.h b/rebase.h
index 34d4acfd74..cc723d4748 100644
--- a/rebase.h
+++ b/rebase.h
@@ -3,8 +3,7 @@
 
 enum rebase_type {
 	REBASE_INVALID = -1,
-	REBASE_DEFAULT = 0,
-	REBASE_FALSE,
+	REBASE_FALSE = 0,
 	REBASE_TRUE,
 	REBASE_PRESERVE,
 	REBASE_MERGES,
diff --git a/t/t5521-pull-options.sh b/t/t5521-pull-options.sh
index 1a4fe2583a..db1a381cd9 100755
--- a/t/t5521-pull-options.sh
+++ b/t/t5521-pull-options.sh
@@ -11,10 +11,10 @@ test_expect_success 'setup' '
 	 git commit -m one)
 '
 
-test_expect_success 'git pull -q' '
+test_expect_success 'git pull -q --no-rebase' '
 	mkdir clonedq &&
 	(cd clonedq && git init &&
-	git pull -q "../parent" >out 2>err &&
+	git pull -q --no-rebase "../parent" >out 2>err &&
 	test_must_be_empty err &&
 	test_must_be_empty out)
 '
@@ -30,10 +30,10 @@ test_expect_success 'git pull -q --rebase' '
 	test_must_be_empty out)
 '
 
-test_expect_success 'git pull' '
+test_expect_success 'git pull --no-rebase' '
 	mkdir cloned &&
 	(cd cloned && git init &&
-	git pull "../parent" >out 2>err &&
+	git pull --no-rebase "../parent" >out 2>err &&
 	test -s err &&
 	test_must_be_empty out)
 '
@@ -46,10 +46,10 @@ test_expect_success 'git pull --rebase' '
 	test_must_be_empty out)
 '
 
-test_expect_success 'git pull -v' '
+test_expect_success 'git pull -v --no-rebase' '
 	mkdir clonedv &&
 	(cd clonedv && git init &&
-	git pull -v "../parent" >out 2>err &&
+	git pull -v --no-rebase "../parent" >out 2>err &&
 	test -s err &&
 	test_must_be_empty out)
 '
@@ -62,25 +62,25 @@ test_expect_success 'git pull -v --rebase' '
 	test_must_be_empty out)
 '
 
-test_expect_success 'git pull -v -q' '
+test_expect_success 'git pull -v -q --no-rebase' '
 	mkdir clonedvq &&
 	(cd clonedvq && git init &&
-	git pull -v -q "../parent" >out 2>err &&
+	git pull -v -q --no-rebase "../parent" >out 2>err &&
 	test_must_be_empty out &&
 	test_must_be_empty err)
 '
 
-test_expect_success 'git pull -q -v' '
+test_expect_success 'git pull -q -v --no-rebase' '
 	mkdir clonedqv &&
 	(cd clonedqv && git init &&
-	git pull -q -v "../parent" >out 2>err &&
+	git pull -q -v --no-rebase "../parent" >out 2>err &&
 	test_must_be_empty out &&
 	test -s err)
 '
 test_expect_success 'git pull --cleanup errors early on invalid argument' '
 	mkdir clonedcleanup &&
 	(cd clonedcleanup && git init &&
-	test_must_fail git pull --cleanup invalid "../parent" >out 2>err &&
+	test_must_fail git pull --no-rebase --cleanup invalid "../parent" >out 2>err &&
 	test_must_be_empty out &&
 	test -s err)
 '
diff --git a/t/t7601-merge-pull-config.sh b/t/t7601-merge-pull-config.sh
index 8a6aae564a..6b4adab8b1 100755
--- a/t/t7601-merge-pull-config.sh
+++ b/t/t7601-merge-pull-config.sh
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ test_expect_success 'pull.rebase not set' '
 	test_decode_color <err >decoded &&
 	test_i18ngrep "<YELLOW>hint: " decoded &&
 	test_i18ngrep "Pulling without specifying how to reconcile" decoded
+
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'pull.rebase not set (fast-forward)' '
@@ -45,7 +46,7 @@ test_expect_success 'pull.rebase not set and pull.ff=true' '
 	git reset --hard c2 &&
 	test_config pull.ff true &&
 	git pull . c1 2>err &&
-	test_i18ngrep "Pulling without specifying how to reconcile" err
+	test_i18ngrep ! "Pulling without specifying how to reconcile" err
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'pull.rebase not set and pull.ff=false' '
@@ -68,16 +69,16 @@ test_expect_success 'pull.rebase not set and --rebase given' '
 	test_i18ngrep ! "Pulling without specifying how to reconcile" err
 '
 
-test_expect_success 'pull.rebase not set and --merge given' '
+test_expect_success 'pull.rebase not set and --no-rebase given' '
 	git reset --hard c2 &&
-	git pull --merge . c1 2>err &&
+	git pull --no-rebase . c1 2>err &&
 	test_i18ngrep ! "Pulling without specifying how to reconcile" err
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'pull.rebase not set and --ff given' '
 	git reset --hard c2 &&
 	git pull --ff . c1 2>err &&
-	test_i18ngrep "Pulling without specifying how to reconcile" err
+	test_i18ngrep ! "Pulling without specifying how to reconcile" err
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'pull.rebase not set and --no-ff given' '
