diff --git a/eden/scm/edenscm/git.py b/eden/scm/edenscm/git.py
index 917513fb01cea..c8506956dc5b1 100644
--- a/eden/scm/edenscm/git.py
+++ b/eden/scm/edenscm/git.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 import bindings
 from edenscm import tracing
 
-from . import bookmarks as bookmod, error, identity, progress, util
+from . import bookmarks as bookmod, error, identity, progress, util, rcutil
 from .i18n import _
 from .node import bin, hex, nullid
 
@@ -153,6 +153,16 @@ def clone(ui, url, destpath=None, update=True, pullnames=None):
                     # If `git ls-remote --symref <url> HEAD` failed to yield a name,
                     # fall back to the using the names in the config.
                     pullnames = bookmod.selectivepullbookmarknames(repo)
+                default_publicheads = repo.ui.config('remotenames',
+                                     'publicheads').split(',') # ['remote/master', 'remote/main']
+                remote_publicheads = ['remote/' + path for path in pullnames]
+                all_publicheads = ','.join(sorted(set(default_publicheads + remote_publicheads)))
+
+                configfilename = repo.ui.identity.configrepofile()
+                rcutil.editconfig(repo.ui,
+                                  repo.localvfs.join(configfilename),
+                                  'remotenames', 'publicheads',
+                                  all_publicheads)
 
                 # Make sure we pull "update". If it looks like a hash, add to
                 # "nodes", otherwise to "names".
diff --git a/eden/scm/tests/test-git-clone-sets-publicheads.t b/eden/scm/tests/test-git-clone-sets-publicheads.t
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..bb32ed6eb97d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/eden/scm/tests/test-git-clone-sets-publicheads.t
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#chg-compatible
+#require git no-windows
+
+  $ . $TESTDIR/git.sh
+
+Prepare a git repo:
+
+  $ git init -q gitrepo
+  $ cd gitrepo
+  $ git config core.autocrlf false
+  $ echo 1 > alpha
+  $ git add alpha
+  $ git commit -q -malpha
+
+  $ git switch -c foo
+  Switched to a new branch 'foo'
+
+  $ echo 2 > beta
+  $ git add beta
+  $ git commit -q -mbeta
+
+Test git clone sets publicheads
+  $ hg clone --git "$TESTTMP/gitrepo" cloned
+  From $TESTTMP/gitrepo
+   * [new ref]         3f5848713286c67b8a71a450e98c7fa66787bde2 -> remote/foo
+  2 files updated, 0 files merged, 0 files removed, 0 files unresolved
+  $ cd cloned
+  $ hg config remotenames.publicheads
+  remote/foo,remote/main,remote/master
diff --git a/eden/scm/tests/test-git.t b/eden/scm/tests/test-git.t
index 745ba6c47a793..d235f1f7e3a55 100644
--- a/eden/scm/tests/test-git.t
+++ b/eden/scm/tests/test-git.t
@@ -260,6 +260,9 @@ Test clone with flags (--noupdate, --updaterev):
      remote/master             3f5848713286
   $ cd ..
 
+  # This test is VERY suspicious.  It's supposed to test `ls-remote` symref HEAD
+  # parsing, but it passes `--updaterev` that totally circumvents all the code
+  # it's supposed to test
   $ hg clone --git "$TESTTMP/gitrepo" -u foo cloned1
   From $TESTTMP/gitrepo
    * [new ref]         3f5848713286c67b8a71a450e98c7fa66787bde2 -> remote/master