diff --git a/scripts/setup/machine-setup/machine-setup.sh b/scripts/setup/machine-setup/machine-setup.sh
index f6a8282d..f2cf852f 100755
--- a/scripts/setup/machine-setup/machine-setup.sh
+++ b/scripts/setup/machine-setup/machine-setup.sh
@@ -1281,12 +1281,14 @@ if ! skip; then
   GIT_NAME_NOW="$(git_get user.name)"
   GIT_EMAIL_NOW="$(git_get user.email)"
   GIT_BRANCH_NOW="$(git_get init.defaultBranch)"
+  GIT_REBASE_NOW="$(git_get pull.rebase)"
 
   GIT_DO=true
   if git_has_identity; then
     echo "     name:           ${GIT_NAME_NOW:-not set}"
     echo "     email:          ${GIT_EMAIL_NOW:-not set}"
     echo "     default branch: ${GIT_BRANCH_NOW:-not set (git uses master)}"
+    echo "     git pull:       ${GIT_REBASE_NOW:+rebase}${GIT_REBASE_NOW:-not set — git asks every time branches diverge}"
     echo ""
     # Default no. There is already a working identity, and the common case for
     # re-running this script is everything except this.
@@ -1311,6 +1313,16 @@ if ! skip; then
     echo "     name:           ${GIT_NAME}"
     echo "     email:          ${GIT_EMAIL}"
     echo "     default branch: ${GIT_BRANCH}"
+    echo "     git pull:       rebase"
+    echo ""
+    echo "     pull.rebase replays your local commits on top of what was fetched"
+    echo "     instead of adding a merge commit that records nothing. Without it,"
+    echo "     git stops on the first divergence and refuses to pull until told"
+    echo "     which to do."
+    echo ""
+    echo "     core.editor is deliberately not set here. Git falls back to \$EDITOR,"
+    echo "     which the shell section sets — so crontab, visudo and git all follow"
+    echo "     one preference instead of two that can drift apart."
     if confirm "Proceed?"; then
       # Checked, not assumed. These run as another account and can fail for
       # reasons that have nothing to do with the values — which is exactly what
@@ -1319,10 +1331,11 @@ if ! skip; then
       git_set user.name "$GIT_NAME" || GIT_OK=false
       git_set user.email "$GIT_EMAIL" || GIT_OK=false
       git_set init.defaultBranch "$GIT_BRANCH" || GIT_OK=false
+      git_set pull.rebase true || GIT_OK=false
 
       if $GIT_OK && [[ "$(git_get user.name)" == "$GIT_NAME" ]]; then
         ok "written to ${USER_HOME}/.gitconfig"
-        SUMMARY+=("Git: ${GIT_NAME} <${GIT_EMAIL}>, default branch ${GIT_BRANCH}")
+        SUMMARY+=("Git: ${GIT_NAME} <${GIT_EMAIL}>, default branch ${GIT_BRANCH}, pull rebases")
       else
         warn "could not write the git config for ${USERNAME}"
         ERRORS+=("Git: writing ${USER_HOME}/.gitconfig failed")