diff --git a/contrib/fast-import/git-p4 b/contrib/fast-import/git-p4
index 4cd486eb3a..3cc6481378 100755
--- a/contrib/fast-import/git-p4
+++ b/contrib/fast-import/git-p4
@@ -828,9 +828,15 @@ class P4Sync(Command):
         self.changeRange = ""
         self.initialParent = ""
         self.previousDepotPath = ""
+        # importing into default remotes/p4/* layout?
+        defaultImport = False
 
         if len(self.branch) == 0:
-            self.branch = "p4"
+            if gitBranchExists("refs/heads/p4"):
+                self.branch = "p4"
+            else:
+                self.branch = "refs/remotes/p4/master"
+                defaultImport = True
 
         if len(args) == 0:
             if not gitBranchExists(self.branch) and gitBranchExists("origin"):
@@ -840,6 +846,8 @@ class P4Sync(Command):
                 if not branch.startswith("refs"):
                     branch = "refs/heads/" + branch
                 system("git update-ref %s origin" % branch)
+                if defaultImport:
+                    system("git symbolic-ref refs/remotes/p4/HEAD %s" % branch)
 
             [self.previousDepotPath, p4Change] = extractDepotPathAndChangeFromGitLog(extractLogMessageFromGitCommit(self.branch))
             if len(self.previousDepotPath) > 0 and len(p4Change) > 0:
diff --git a/contrib/fast-import/git-p4.txt b/contrib/fast-import/git-p4.txt
index ff0da9d0c8..32aeb0ac0b 100644
--- a/contrib/fast-import/git-p4.txt
+++ b/contrib/fast-import/git-p4.txt
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@ or
 
 This will create an empty git repository in a subdirectory called "project" (or
 "myproject" with the second command), import the head revision from the
-specified perforce path into a git "p4" branch, create a master branch off it
-and check it out. If you want the entire history (not just the head revision) then
-you can simply append a "@all" to the depot path:
+specified perforce path into a git "p4" branch (remotes/p4 actually), create a
+master branch off it and check it out. If you want the entire history (not just
+the head revision) then you can simply append a "@all" to the depot path:
 
   git-p4 clone //depot/project/main@all myproject