diff --git a/conf/example.gitolite.rc b/conf/example.gitolite.rc
index d800357..29272dc 100644
--- a/conf/example.gitolite.rc
+++ b/conf/example.gitolite.rc
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ $REPO_UMASK = 0077;
 $GL_BIG_CONFIG = 0;
 $GL_NO_DAEMON_NO_GITWEB = 0;
 # $GL_NICE_VALUE = 0;
+# $BIG_INFO_CAP = 20;
 
 # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # VARIABLES WITH A SECURITY IMPACT.  READ DOCS BEFORE CHANGING THESE!
diff --git a/doc/gitolite.rc.mkd b/doc/gitolite.rc.mkd
index 47fcd50..180535c 100644
--- a/doc/gitolite.rc.mkd
+++ b/doc/gitolite.rc.mkd
@@ -86,6 +86,10 @@ things happen if you change them.
     Please do NOT set it if your bits/resource.h does not define PRIO_PROCESS
     is 0.  For Linux this is true...
 
+  * `$BIG_INFO_CAP`, number, default 20
+
+    See [using patterns to limit output][limit] for details.
+
 <a name="_variables_with_a_security_impact"></a>
 
 ### variables with a security impact
@@ -366,3 +370,4 @@ of `ADC_CMD_ARGS_PATT`), please be sure you know what you're doing.
 [mob]: http://sitaramc.github.com/gitolite/doc/mob-branches.html
 [smart]: http://sitaramc.github.com/gitolite/doc/http-backend.html
 [dwr]: http://sitaramc.github.com/gitolite/doc/3-faq-tips-etc.html#_disabling_write_access_to_take_backups
+[limit]: http://sitaramc.github.com/gitolite/doc/report-output.html#_using_patterns_to_limit_output
diff --git a/doc/report-output.mkd b/doc/report-output.mkd
index a876b61..4f91579 100644
--- a/doc/report-output.mkd
+++ b/doc/report-output.mkd
@@ -98,7 +98,10 @@ Here are a couple of samples with optional patterns:
 
 In "big-config" mode (i.e., when `GL_BIG_CONFIG` is set) the pattern is
 **mandatory**.  You can try and cheat the system by passing in a "." but
-gitolite truncates the output after 20 results to prevent a DOS.
+gitolite truncates the output after 20 results to prevent a DOS.  (This limit
+can be changed; see `$BIG_INFO_CAP` in [doc/gitolite.rc.mkd][rcdoc]).
+
+[rcdoc]: http://sitaramc.github.com/gitolite/doc/gitolite.rc.html
 
 The pattern is also mandatory when an admin wants to find out what access some
 *other* user has, which you may have guessed from the syntax in the "usage"
@@ -141,3 +144,6 @@ account extra permissions enabled by the `setperms` command (see
 doc/wildcard-repositories.mkd).  It shows you the "creator" of the repo as
 an additional column, defaulting to `<gitolite>` if it was not a wildcard
 repo.
+
+The limit of number of repos shown in big-config mode (20, by default)
+described earlier applies to the "expand" command also.
diff --git a/src/gitolite.pm b/src/gitolite.pm
index 9d636bd..1f75a35 100644
--- a/src/gitolite.pm
+++ b/src/gitolite.pm
@@ -524,8 +524,8 @@ sub report_basic
     my $count = 0;
     for my $r (sort keys %repos) {
         next unless $r =~ /$repo/i;
-        # if $GL_BIG_CONFIG is on, limit the number of output lines to 20
-        next if $GL_BIG_CONFIG and $count++ >= 20;
+        # if $GL_BIG_CONFIG is on, limit the number of output lines
+        next if $GL_BIG_CONFIG and $count++ >= $BIG_INFO_CAP;
         if ($r =~ $REPONAME_PATT and $r !~ /\bCREAT[EO]R\b/) {
             parse_acl($r, "NOBODY");
         } else {
@@ -541,7 +541,7 @@ sub report_basic
         $perm .= perm_code( $repos{$r}{W}{'@all'}, $repos{'@all'}{W}{$user}, $repos{$r}{W}{$user}, 'W');
         print "$perm\t$r\r\n" if $perm =~ /\S/;
     }
-    print "only 20 out of $count candidate repos examined\r\nplease use a partial reponame or regex pattern to limit output\r\n" if $GL_BIG_CONFIG and $count > 20;
+    print "only $BIG_INFO_CAP out of $count candidate repos examined\r\nplease use a partial reponame or regex pattern to limit output\r\n" if $GL_BIG_CONFIG and $count > $BIG_INFO_CAP;
     print "$GL_SITE_INFO\n" if $GL_SITE_INFO;
 }
 
@@ -570,13 +570,13 @@ sub expand_wild
         $actual_repo =~ s/\.git$//;
         # actual_repo has to match the pattern being expanded
         next unless $actual_repo =~ /$repo/i;
-        next if $GL_BIG_CONFIG and $count++ >= 20;
+        next if $GL_BIG_CONFIG and $count++ >= $BIG_INFO_CAP;
 
         my($perm, $creator, $wild) = repo_rights($actual_repo);
         next unless $perm =~ /\S/;
         print "$perm\t$creator\t$actual_repo\n";
     }
-    print "only 20 out of $count candidate repos examined\nplease use a partial reponame or regex pattern to limit output\n" if $GL_BIG_CONFIG and $count > 20;
+    print "only $BIG_INFO_CAP out of $count candidate repos examined\nplease use a partial reponame or regex pattern to limit output\n" if $GL_BIG_CONFIG and $count > $BIG_INFO_CAP;
     print "$GL_SITE_INFO\n" if $GL_SITE_INFO;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/gitolite_rc.pm b/src/gitolite_rc.pm
index cb7e674..f4bdd37 100644
--- a/src/gitolite_rc.pm
+++ b/src/gitolite_rc.pm
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ use Exporter 'import';
     $R_COMMANDS $W_COMMANDS
     $REPONAME_PATT $USERNAME_PATT $REPOPATT_PATT
     $ADC_CMD_ARGS_PATT
+    $BIG_INFO_CAP
     $current_data_version
 
     $ADMIN_POST_UPDATE_CHAINS_TO $ENV $GITOLITE_BASE $GITOLITE_PATH $GIT_PATH
@@ -50,6 +51,9 @@ $REPOPATT_PATT=qr(^\@?[0-9a-zA-Z[][\\^.$|()[\]*+?{}0-9a-zA-Z._\@/-]*$);
 # ADC commands and arguments must match this pattern
 $ADC_CMD_ARGS_PATT=qr(^[0-9a-zA-Z._\@/+:-]*$);
 
+# maximum number of output lines from info under GL_BIG_CONFIG
+$BIG_INFO_CAP = 20;
+
 # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 #       bring in the rc vars and allow querying them
 # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------