diff --git a/mercurial/configitems.py b/mercurial/configitems.py
--- a/mercurial/configitems.py
+++ b/mercurial/configitems.py
@@ -172,12 +172,12 @@
 coreconfigitem('experimental', 'clientcompressionengines',
     default=list,
 )
+coreconfigitem('experimental', 'copytrace',
+    default='on',
+)
 coreconfigitem('experimental', 'crecordtest',
     default=None,
 )
-coreconfigitem('experimental', 'disablecopytrace',
-    default=False,
-)
 coreconfigitem('experimental', 'editortmpinhg',
     default=False,
 )
diff --git a/mercurial/copies.py b/mercurial/copies.py
--- a/mercurial/copies.py
+++ b/mercurial/copies.py
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@
     return cm
 
 def _backwardrenames(a, b):
-    if a._repo.ui.configbool('experimental', 'disablecopytrace'):
+    if a._repo.ui.config('experimental', 'copytrace') == 'off':
         return {}
 
     # Even though we're not taking copies into account, 1:n rename situations
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@
     # Copy trace disabling is explicitly below the node == p1 logic above
     # because the logic above is required for a simple copy to be kept across a
     # rebase.
-    if repo.ui.configbool('experimental', 'disablecopytrace'):
+    if repo.ui.config('experimental', 'copytrace') == 'off':
         return {}, {}, {}, {}, {}
 
     # In certain scenarios (e.g. graft, update or rebase), base can be
@@ -728,8 +728,8 @@
     '''
     exclude = {}
     if (skiprev is not None and
-        not repo.ui.configbool('experimental', 'disablecopytrace')):
-        # disablecopytrace skips this line, but not the entire function because
+        repo.ui.config('experimental', 'copytrace') != 'off'):
+        # copytrace='off' skips this line, but not the entire function because
         # the line below is O(size of the repo) during a rebase, while the rest
         # of the function is much faster (and is required for carrying copy
         # metadata across the rebase anyway).
diff --git a/tests/test-copy-move-merge.t b/tests/test-copy-move-merge.t
--- a/tests/test-copy-move-merge.t
+++ b/tests/test-copy-move-merge.t
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@
   2 files updated, 0 files merged, 0 files removed, 0 files unresolved
   saved backup bundle to $TESTTMP/t/.hg/strip-backup/550bd84c0cd3-fc575957-backup.hg (glob)
   $ hg up -qC 2
-  $ hg rebase --keep -d 1 -b 2 --config extensions.rebase= --config experimental.disablecopytrace=True --config ui.interactive=True << EOF
+  $ hg rebase --keep -d 1 -b 2 --config extensions.rebase= --config experimental.copytrace=off --config ui.interactive=True << EOF
   > c
   > EOF
   rebasing 2:add3f11052fa "other" (tip)
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@
   |
   o  0 add a
   
-  $ hg rebase -d . -b 2 --config extensions.rebase= --config experimental.disablecopytrace=True
+  $ hg rebase -d . -b 2 --config extensions.rebase= --config experimental.copytrace=off
   rebasing 2:6adcf8c12e7d "copy b->x"
   saved backup bundle to $TESTTMP/copydisable/.hg/strip-backup/6adcf8c12e7d-ce4b3e75-rebase.hg (glob)
   $ hg up -q 3
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@
   |/
   o  0 add a
   
-  $ hg rebase -d 2 -s 3 --config extensions.rebase= --config experimental.disablecopytrace=True
+  $ hg rebase -d 2 -s 3 --config extensions.rebase= --config experimental.copytrace=off
   rebasing 3:47e1a9e6273b "copy a->b (2)" (tip)
   saved backup bundle to $TESTTMP/copydisable3/.hg/strip-backup/47e1a9e6273b-2d099c59-rebase.hg (glob)