diff --git a/collects/meta/web/common/distribute.rkt b/collects/meta/web/common/distribute.rkt
index f23f53ce34..fdf2db3d17 100644
--- a/collects/meta/web/common/distribute.rkt
+++ b/collects/meta/web/common/distribute.rkt
@@ -9,9 +9,21 @@
   (unless (apply system* (force rsync-exe) args)
     (error 'distribute "errors when running: rsync with ~s" args)))
 
+(define (flatten-path path)
+  (define m (regexp-match #rx"^(.*?)/\\*(/.*|$)$" path))
+  (if m
+    (append-map
+     flatten-path
+     (sort (map (λ(p) (string-append
+                       (cadr m) "/" (path-element->string p) (caddr m)))
+                (directory-list (cadr m)))
+           string<?))
+    (list path)))
+
 (provide distribute)
+;; see "../config.rkt" for a description of the specs
 (define (distribute specs)
   (for ([s (in-list specs)])
-    (let ([srcs (cdr s)] [tgt (car s)])
+    (let ([srcs (append-map flatten-path (cdr s))] [tgt (car s)])
       (printf "  to ~a\n" tgt)
       (apply rsync "-aqz" "-e" "ssh" "--delete" `(,@srcs ,tgt)))))
diff --git a/collects/meta/web/config.rkt b/collects/meta/web/config.rkt
index 90a3d958bc..425d9d08b4 100644
--- a/collects/meta/web/config.rkt
+++ b/collects/meta/web/config.rkt
@@ -21,7 +21,9 @@
 (provide distributions)
 (define distributions
   (make-parameter
-   ;; Each is a "hostname:dest-path", and then a list of directories to
-   ;; put in that path.  (Warning: "dest" should not be a top-level
-   ;; directory that already exists.)
+   ;; Each is a "hostname:dest-path", and then a list of directories to put in
+   ;; that path.  Warning: distributed directories are replicated from the
+   ;; source, including removing material that is not distributed.  A directory
+   ;; can also have "*" parts which will be expanded recursively -- useful to
+   ;; avoid deletions in case a target directory has additional materials.
    '(["champlain:/www" "www" "download" "bugs" "lists" "drracket" "stubs"])))