lib/PublicInbox/WwwListing.pm | 14 +++++++++++---
 t/www_listing.t               |  7 ++++++-

diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/WwwListing.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/WwwListing.pm
index e052bbffa938ec04f0946c09b109b7df903855e3..1d4029f047ed35a738ed7c75854d374f23ba93c2 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/WwwListing.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/WwwListing.pm
@@ -138,8 +138,8 @@ 	return if $?; # empty, uninitialized git repo
 	$dig->hexdigest;
 }
 
-sub manifest_add ($$;$) {
-	my ($manifest, $ibx, $epoch) = @_;
+sub manifest_add ($$;$$) {
+	my ($manifest, $ibx, $epoch, $default_desc) = @_;
 	my $url_path = "/$ibx->{name}";
 	my $git_dir = $ibx->{mainrepo};
 	if (defined $epoch) {
@@ -154,6 +154,13 @@ 	chomp(my $owner = $git->qx('config', 'gitweb.owner'));
 	chomp(my $desc = try_cat("$git_dir/description"));
 	$owner = undef if $owner eq '';
 	$desc = 'Unnamed repository' if $desc eq '';
+
+	# templates/hooks--update.sample and git-multimail in git.git
+	# only match "Unnamed repository", not the full contents of
+	# templates/this--description in git.git
+	if ($desc =~ /\AUnnamed repository/) {
+		$desc = "$default_desc [epoch $epoch]" if defined($epoch);
+	}
 
 	my $reference;
 	chomp(my $alt = try_cat("$git_dir/objects/info/alternates"));
@@ -191,8 +198,9 @@
 	my $manifest = { -abs2urlpath => {}, -mtime => 0 };
 	for my $ibx (@$list) {
 		if (defined(my $max = $ibx->max_git_epoch)) {
+			my $desc = $ibx->description;
 			for my $epoch (0..$max) {
-				manifest_add($manifest, $ibx, $epoch);
+				manifest_add($manifest, $ibx, $epoch, $desc);
 			}
 		} else {
 			manifest_add($manifest, $ibx);
diff --git a/t/www_listing.t b/t/www_listing.t
index d82a4a4a581345425d06a03bdfbc786a8c44c2c5..e5b797db7f9582c954702ac69d008fa4c453ae8a 100644
--- a/t/www_listing.t
+++ b/t/www_listing.t
@@ -55,7 +55,12 @@ 	is(HTTP::Date::time2str($bare->{modified}),
 		$res->{headers}->{'last-modified'},
 		'modified field and Last-Modified header match');
 
-	ok($manifest->{'/v2/git/0.git'}, 'v2 epoch appeared');
+	ok(my $v2epoch0 = $manifest->{'/v2/git/0.git'}, 'v2 epoch 0 appeared');
+	like($v2epoch0->{description}, qr/ \[epoch 0\]\z/,
+		'epoch 0 in description');
+	ok(my $v2epoch1 = $manifest->{'/v2/git/1.git'}, 'v2 epoch 1 appeared');
+	like($v2epoch1->{description}, qr/ \[epoch 1\]\z/,
+		'epoch 1 in description');
 }
 
 my $pid;