diff --git a/manifest_xml.py b/manifest_xml.py
index 9189eec4..44538690 100644
--- a/manifest_xml.py
+++ b/manifest_xml.py
@@ -498,6 +498,12 @@ class XmlManifest(object):
             "project %s path cannot be absolute in %s" % \
             (name, self.manifestFile)
 
+    rebase = node.getAttribute('rebase')
+    if not rebase:
+      rebase = True
+    else:
+      rebase = rebase.lower() in ("yes", "true", "1")
+
     if self.IsMirror:
       relpath = None
       worktree = None
@@ -513,7 +519,8 @@ class XmlManifest(object):
                       worktree = worktree,
                       relpath = path,
                       revisionExpr = revisionExpr,
-                      revisionId = None)
+                      revisionId = None,
+                      rebase = rebase)
 
     for n in node.childNodes:
       if n.nodeName == 'copyfile':
diff --git a/project.py b/project.py
index f1a931c6..60fa510a 100644
--- a/project.py
+++ b/project.py
@@ -503,7 +503,8 @@ class Project(object):
                worktree,
                relpath,
                revisionExpr,
-               revisionId):
+               revisionId,
+               rebase = True):
     self.manifest = manifest
     self.name = name
     self.remote = remote
@@ -522,6 +523,8 @@ class Project(object):
     else:
       self.revisionId = revisionId
 
+    self.rebase = rebase
+
     self.snapshots = {}
     self.copyfiles = []
     self.config = GitConfig.ForRepository(
@@ -1096,7 +1099,7 @@ class Project(object):
     branch.merge = self.revisionExpr
     branch.Save()
 
-    if cnt_mine > 0:
+    if cnt_mine > 0 and self.rebase:
       def _dorebase():
         self._Rebase(upstream = '%s^1' % last_mine, onto = revid)
         self._CopyFiles()