diff --git a/conf/example.gitolite.rc b/conf/example.gitolite.rc
index d7b18d8..24e52a5 100644
--- a/conf/example.gitolite.rc
+++ b/conf/example.gitolite.rc
@@ -189,6 +189,16 @@ $SVNSERVE = "";
 
 $GL_WILDREPOS = 0;
 
+# --------------------------------------
+# DEFAULT WILDCARD PERMISSIONS
+
+# If set, this value will be used as the default user-level permission rule of
+# new wildcard repositories. The user can change this value with the setperms command
+# as desired after repository creation; it is only a default. Note that @all can be
+# used here but is special; no other groups can be used in user-level permissions.
+
+# $GL_WILDREPOS_DEFPERMS = 'R = @all';
+
 # --------------------------------------
 # HOOK CHAINING
 
diff --git a/contrib/adc/fork b/contrib/adc/fork
index b61f415..3baab01 100755
--- a/contrib/adc/fork
+++ b/contrib/adc/fork
@@ -13,8 +13,14 @@ get_rights_and_owner $to
 
 # clone $from to $to
 git clone --bare -l $GL_REPO_BASE_ABS/$from.git $GL_REPO_BASE_ABS/$to.git
+[ $? -ne 0 ] && exit 1
 
 # fix up creator, and hooks
 cd $GL_REPO_BASE_ABS/$to.git
 echo $GL_USER > gl-creater
 cp -R $GL_REPO_BASE_ABS/$from.git/hooks/* $GL_REPO_BASE_ABS/$to.git/hooks
+
+if [ -n "$GL_WILDREPOS_DEFPERMS" ]; then
+  echo "$GL_WILDREPOS_DEFPERMS" > gl-perms
+fi
+
diff --git a/src/gl-auth-command b/src/gl-auth-command
index 8ca43d9..a161dca 100755
--- a/src/gl-auth-command
+++ b/src/gl-auth-command
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ use warnings;
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 # these are set by the "rc" file
-our ($GL_LOGT, $GL_CONF_COMPILED, $REPO_BASE, $GIT_PATH, $REPO_UMASK, $GL_ADMINDIR, $RSYNC_BASE, $HTPASSWD_FILE, $GL_WILDREPOS, $GL_ADC_PATH, $SVNSERVE);
+our ($GL_LOGT, $GL_CONF_COMPILED, $REPO_BASE, $GIT_PATH, $REPO_UMASK, $GL_ADMINDIR, $RSYNC_BASE, $HTPASSWD_FILE, $GL_WILDREPOS, $GL_WILDREPOS_DEFPERMS, $GL_ADC_PATH, $SVNSERVE);
 # and these are set by gitolite.pm
 our ($R_COMMANDS, $W_COMMANDS, $REPONAME_PATT, $REPOPATT_PATT);
 our %repos;
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ $ENV{GL_BINDIR} = $bindir;
 # add a custom path for git binaries, if specified
 $ENV{PATH} .= ":$GIT_PATH" if $GIT_PATH;
 
+# set default permission of wildcard repositories
+$ENV{GL_WILDREPOS_DEFPERMS} = $GL_WILDREPOS_DEFPERMS if $GL_WILDREPOS_DEFPERMS;
+
 # set the umask before creating any files
 umask($REPO_UMASK);