diff --git a/src/gitolite.pm b/src/gitolite.pm
index bf70db6..1a3bfb6 100644
--- a/src/gitolite.pm
+++ b/src/gitolite.pm
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ our $REPOPATT_PATT=qr(^\@?[0-9a-zA-Z[][\\^.$|()[\]*+?{}0-9a-zA-Z._\@/-]*$);
 our ($REPO_UMASK, $GL_WILDREPOS, $GL_PACKAGE_CONF, $GL_PACKAGE_HOOKS, $REPO_BASE, $GL_CONF_COMPILED, $GL_BIG_CONFIG);
 our %repos;
 our %groups;
+our %repo_config;
 our $data_version;
 our $current_data_version = '1.5';
 
@@ -129,24 +130,9 @@ sub collect_repo_patts
     for my $repo (`find . -type d -name "*.git"`) {
         chomp ($repo);
         $repo =~ s(\./(.*)\.git$)($1);
-        # if its non-wild that's all you need
-        if ($repos_p->{$repo}) {
-            $repo_patts{$repo} = $repo;
-        } else {
-            # otherwise it gets a wee bit complicated ;-)
-            chomp (my $creator = `cat $repo.git/gl-creater`);
-            for my $key (keys %$repos_p) {
-                my $key2 = $key;
-                # subst $creator in the copy with the creator name
-                $key2 =~ s/\$creator/$creator/g;
-                # match the new key against $repo
-                if ($repo =~ /^$key2$/) {
-                    # and if it matched you're done for this $repo
-                    $repo_patts{$repo} = $key;
-                    last;
-                }
-            }
-        }
+        # the key has to be in the list, since the repo physically exists
+        my($perm, $creator, $wild) = &repo_rights($repo);
+        $repo_patts{$repo} = $wild || $repo;
     }
 
     return %repo_patts;
@@ -290,9 +276,9 @@ sub get_set_desc
 
 sub setup_repo_configs
 {
-    my ($repo, $repo_patt, $repo_config_p) = @_;
+    my ($repo, $repo_config_p) = @_;
 
-    while ( my ($key, $value) = each(%{ $repo_config_p->{$repo_patt} }) ) {
+    while ( my ($key, $value) = each(%{ $repo_config_p->{$repo} }) ) {
         if ($value) {
             $value =~ s/^"(.*)"$/$1/;
             system("git", "config", $key, $value);
@@ -306,12 +292,13 @@ sub setup_repo_configs
 #       set/unset daemon access
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+# does not return anything; just touch/unlink the appropriate file
 my $export_ok = "git-daemon-export-ok";
 sub setup_daemon_access
 {
-    my ($repo, $allowed) = @_;
+    my $repo = shift;
 
-    if ($allowed) {
+    if (&can_read($repo, 'daemon')) {
         system("touch $export_ok");
     } else {
         unlink($export_ok);
@@ -322,13 +309,18 @@ sub setup_daemon_access
 #       set/unset gitweb access
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+# returns 1 if gitweb access has happened; this is to allow the caller to add
+# an entry to the projects.list file
 my $desc_file = "description";
 sub setup_gitweb_access
 # this also sets "owner" for gitweb, by the way
 {
-    my ($repo, $allowed, $desc, $owner) = @_;
+    my ($repo, $desc, $owner) = @_;
+    my $ret = 0;
 
-    if ($allowed) {
+    # passing in a descr implies 'R = gitweb'
+    if ($desc or &can_read($repo, 'gitweb')) {
+        $ret = 1;
         if ($desc) {
             open(DESC, ">", $desc_file);
             print DESC $desc . "\n";
@@ -351,6 +343,8 @@ sub setup_gitweb_access
     if (length($keys) == 0) {
         system("git config --remove-section gitweb 2>/dev/null");
     }
+
+    return $ret;
 }
 
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -409,6 +403,7 @@ sub parse_acl
         $repos{$dr}{DELETE_IS_D} = 1 if $repos{$r}{DELETE_IS_D};
         $repos{$dr}{CREATE_IS_C} = 1 if $repos{$r}{CREATE_IS_C};
         $repos{$dr}{NAME_LIMITS} = 1 if $repos{$r}{NAME_LIMITS};
+        $repo_config{$dr} = $repo_config{$r} if $repo_config{$r};
 
         for my $u ('@all', "$gl_user - wild", @user_plus) {
             my $du = $gl_user; $du = '@all' if $u eq '@all';
@@ -522,8 +517,6 @@ sub expand_wild
         $repo =~ s/^\.\///;
         $repo =~ s/\.git$//;
 
-        return if $last_repo eq $repo;      # a wee bit o' caching, though not yet needed
-
         # we get passed an actual repo name.  It may be a normal
         # (non-wildcard) repo, in which case it is assumed to exist.  If it's
         # a wildrepo, it may or may not exist.  If it doesn't exist, the "C"
@@ -582,6 +575,14 @@ sub cli_repo_rights {
     print "$perm $creator\n";
 }
 
+sub can_read {
+    my $repo = shift;
+    my $user = shift || $ENV{GL_USER};
+    local $ENV{GL_USER} = $user;
+    my ($perm, $creator, $wild) = &repo_rights($repo);
+    return $perm =~ /R/;
+}
+
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 #       setup the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/gl-auth-command b/src/gl-auth-command
index bd7737a..9a1e0dc 100755
--- a/src/gl-auth-command
+++ b/src/gl-auth-command
@@ -207,10 +207,9 @@ if ($perm =~ /C/) {
     # it was missing, and you have create perms
     wrap_chdir("$ENV{GL_REPO_BASE_ABS}");
     new_repo($repo, "$GL_ADMINDIR/hooks/common", $user);
-    &setup_repo_configs($repo, $ENV{GL_REPOPATT}, \%repo_config);
-    &setup_daemon_access($repo, $repos{$ENV{GL_REPOPATT}}{'R'}{'daemon'} || '');
-    &setup_gitweb_access($repo, $repos{$ENV{GL_REPOPATT}}{'R'}{'gitweb'} || '', '', '');
-    system("echo $repo.git >> $PROJECTS_LIST");
+    &setup_repo_configs($repo, \%repo_config);
+    &setup_daemon_access($repo);
+    system("echo $repo.git >> $PROJECTS_LIST") if &setup_gitweb_access($repo, '', '');
     wrap_chdir($ENV{HOME});
 }
 
diff --git a/src/gl-compile-conf b/src/gl-compile-conf
index 8926a91..0a93465 100755
--- a/src/gl-compile-conf
+++ b/src/gl-compile-conf
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ our $current_data_version;      # this comes from gitolite.pm
 my %user_list = ();
 
 # repo configurations
-my %repo_config = ();
+our %repo_config = ();
 
 # gitweb descriptions and owners; plain text, keyed by "$repo.git"
 my %desc = ();
@@ -311,7 +311,15 @@ sub parse_conf_file
             for my $repo (@repos)       # each repo in the current stanza
             {
                 $repo_config{$repo}{$key} = $value;
-                print STDERR "$WARN git config set for $repo but \$GL_GITCONFIG_WILD not set\n" unless $repo =~ $REPONAME_PATT or $GL_GITCONFIG_WILD;
+                # no problem if it's a plain repo (non-pattern, non-groupname)
+                # OR wild configs are allowed
+                unless ( ($repo =~ $REPONAME_PATT and $repo !~ /^@/) or $GL_GITCONFIG_WILD) {
+                    my @r = ($repo);                                        # single wildpatt
+                    @r = sort keys %{ $groups{$repo} } if $groups{$repo};   # or a group; get its members
+                    do {
+                        print STDERR "$WARN git config set for $_ but \$GL_GITCONFIG_WILD not set\n" unless $_ =~ $REPONAME_PATT
+                    } for @r;
+                }
             }
         }
         # include
@@ -389,7 +397,12 @@ $dumped_data .= Data::Dumper->Dump([\%repo_config], [qw(*repo_config)]) if %repo
 # much...
 $dumped_data =~ s/'(?=[^']*\$(?:creator|readers|writers|gl_user))~?(.*?)'/"$1"/g;
 print $compiled_fh $dumped_data;
-print $compiled_fh Data::Dumper->Dump([\%groups], [qw(*groups)]) if $GL_BIG_CONFIG and %groups;
+if ($GL_BIG_CONFIG and %groups) {
+    $dumped_data = Data::Dumper->Dump([\%groups], [qw(*groups)]);
+    $dumped_data =~ s/\bCREAT[EO]R\b/\$creator/g;
+    $dumped_data =~ s/'(?=[^']*\$(?:creator|readers|writers|gl_user))~?(.*?)'/"$1"/g;
+    print $compiled_fh $dumped_data;
+}
 close $compiled_fh or die "$ABRT close compiled-conf failed: $!\n";
 rename "$GL_CONF_COMPILED.new", "$GL_CONF_COMPILED";
 
@@ -504,23 +517,12 @@ my %projlist = ();
 # for each real repo (and remember this will be empty, thus skipping all this,
 # if $GL_NO_DAEMON_NO_GITWEB is on!)
 for my $repo (keys %repo_patts) {
-    my $repo_patt = $repo_patts{$repo};     # if non-wild, $repo_patt will be eq $repo anyway
+    my $repo_patt = $repo_patts{$repo};
 
     wrap_chdir("$ENV{GL_REPO_BASE_ABS}/$repo.git");
 
-    # git config
-    if ($repo_patt eq $repo or $GL_GITCONFIG_WILD) {
-        # erm, what that means is that it's either a non-wild repo being
-        # config'd or a wild one but gitconfig is allowed on wilds.
-        # XXX do we really need GL_GITCONFIG_WILD now?  It was meant to be
-        # only an efficiency thing, but that was before this whole revamp;
-        # we already trawl through $REPO_BASE exactly once now anyway!
-        # ...need to think about this
-        &setup_repo_configs($repo, $repo_patt, \%repo_config) if $repo_config{$repo_patt};
-    }
-
     # daemon is easy
-    &setup_daemon_access($repo, $repos{$repo_patt}{'R'}{'daemon'} || '');
+    &setup_daemon_access($repo);
 
     # gitweb is a little more complicated.  Here're some notes:
     # - "setup_gitweb_access" also sets "owner", despite the name
@@ -532,12 +534,16 @@ for my $repo (keys %repo_patts) {
     #   into the "repo foo" section; they're essentialy independent.
     #   Anyway, I believe it doesn't make sense to have all wild repos
     #   (for some pattern) to have the same description and owner.
-    if ($repos{$repo_patt}{'R'}{'gitweb'} or $desc{"$repo.git"}) {
-        $projlist{"$repo.git"} = 1;
-        &setup_gitweb_access($repo, 1, $desc{"$repo.git"} || '', $owner{"$repo.git"} || '');
-    } else {
-        &setup_gitweb_access($repo, 0, '', '');
-    }
+    $projlist{"$repo.git"} = 1 if &setup_gitweb_access($repo, $desc{"$repo.git"} || '', $owner{"$repo.git"} || '');
+
+    # git config
+    # implementation note: this must happen *after* one of the previous 2
+    # calls (setup daemon or gitweb).  The reason is that they call
+    # "can_read", which eventually calls parse_acl with the right "creator"
+    # set for the *current* repo, which in turn stores translated values fr
+    # $creator in the repo_config hash, which, (phew!) is needed for a match
+    # that eventually gets you a valid $repo_config{} below
+    &setup_repo_configs($repo, \%repo_config) if $repo_config{$repo};
 }
 
 # write out the project list