diff --git a/app/models/remote_mirror.rb b/app/models/remote_mirror.rb
index 1e5c93cd9139b74a9e42bd22d4b7c280e4b366d5..0334d63dd369057a0902a652c9ffdcffd74546c0 100644
--- a/app/models/remote_mirror.rb
+++ b/app/models/remote_mirror.rb
@@ -117,6 +117,8 @@ def update_repository(options)
       end
     end
 
+    options[:keep_divergent_refs] = keep_divergent_refs?
+
     Gitlab::Git::RemoteMirror.new(
       project.repository.raw,
       remote_name,
diff --git a/lib/gitlab/git/remote_mirror.rb b/lib/gitlab/git/remote_mirror.rb
index df3cd422527d671e2bbc1929fb799a6fd8a8a43a..d9f51a7e84446bdd2aa293f0d6260bcd9a1c62f2 100644
--- a/lib/gitlab/git/remote_mirror.rb
+++ b/lib/gitlab/git/remote_mirror.rb
@@ -5,14 +5,15 @@ module Git
     class RemoteMirror
       include Gitlab::Git::WrapsGitalyErrors
 
-      attr_reader :repository, :ref_name, :only_branches_matching, :ssh_key, :known_hosts
+      attr_reader :repository, :ref_name, :only_branches_matching, :ssh_key, :known_hosts, :keep_divergent_refs
 
-      def initialize(repository, ref_name, only_branches_matching: [], ssh_key: nil, known_hosts: nil)
+      def initialize(repository, ref_name, only_branches_matching: [], ssh_key: nil, known_hosts: nil, keep_divergent_refs: false)
         @repository = repository
         @ref_name = ref_name
         @only_branches_matching = only_branches_matching
         @ssh_key = ssh_key
         @known_hosts = known_hosts
+        @keep_divergent_refs = keep_divergent_refs
       end
 
       def update
@@ -21,7 +22,8 @@ def update
             ref_name,
             only_branches_matching,
             ssh_key: ssh_key,
-            known_hosts: known_hosts
+            known_hosts: known_hosts,
+            keep_divergent_refs: keep_divergent_refs
           )
         end
       end
diff --git a/lib/gitlab/gitaly_client/remote_service.rb b/lib/gitlab/gitaly_client/remote_service.rb
index 2405f3be197a852b98fd87a59e2139199a2b486d..4566c59bbe0ed28cac07a01a5bfe384bf92120d7 100644
--- a/lib/gitlab/gitaly_client/remote_service.rb
+++ b/lib/gitlab/gitaly_client/remote_service.rb
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ def find_remote_root_ref(remote_name)
         encode_utf8(response.ref)
       end
 
-      def update_remote_mirror(ref_name, only_branches_matching, ssh_key: nil, known_hosts: nil)
+      def update_remote_mirror(ref_name, only_branches_matching, ssh_key: nil, known_hosts: nil, keep_divergent_refs: false)
         req_enum = Enumerator.new do |y|
           first_request = Gitaly::UpdateRemoteMirrorRequest.new(
             repository: @gitaly_repo,
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ def update_remote_mirror(ref_name, only_branches_matching, ssh_key: nil, known_h
 
           first_request.ssh_key = ssh_key if ssh_key.present?
           first_request.known_hosts = known_hosts if known_hosts.present?
+          first_request.keep_divergent_refs = keep_divergent_refs
 
           y.yield(first_request)
 
diff --git a/spec/lib/gitlab/git/remote_mirror_spec.rb b/spec/lib/gitlab/git/remote_mirror_spec.rb
index 9744562b51bb613383d53f2c7fce1d139fcd8c1a..edef91b8bc6a7ccbbb3186ca8d5f2f596cdc1a68 100644
--- a/spec/lib/gitlab/git/remote_mirror_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/gitlab/git/remote_mirror_spec.rb
@@ -7,14 +7,14 @@
     let(:project) { create(:project, :repository) }
     let(:repository) { project.repository }
     let(:ref_name) { 'foo' }
-    let(:options) { { only_branches_matching: ['master'], ssh_key: 'KEY', known_hosts: 'KNOWN HOSTS' } }
+    let(:options) { { only_branches_matching: ['master'], ssh_key: 'KEY', known_hosts: 'KNOWN HOSTS', keep_divergent_refs: true } }
 
     subject(:remote_mirror) { described_class.new(repository, ref_name, **options) }
 
     it 'delegates to the Gitaly client' do
       expect(repository.gitaly_remote_client)
         .to receive(:update_remote_mirror)
-        .with(ref_name, ['master'], ssh_key: 'KEY', known_hosts: 'KNOWN HOSTS')
+        .with(ref_name, ['master'], ssh_key: 'KEY', known_hosts: 'KNOWN HOSTS', keep_divergent_refs: true)
 
       remote_mirror.update
     end
diff --git a/spec/lib/gitlab/gitaly_client/remote_service_spec.rb b/spec/lib/gitlab/gitaly_client/remote_service_spec.rb
index 2658414d9b02cd920fd01875c37cb8a72e7e92b0..2bddec739fc478e210ddde3f5427dc9242cf0efb 100644
--- a/spec/lib/gitlab/gitaly_client/remote_service_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/gitlab/gitaly_client/remote_service_spec.rb
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@
         .with(kind_of(Enumerator), kind_of(Hash))
         .and_return(double(:update_remote_mirror_response))
 
-      client.update_remote_mirror(ref_name, only_branches_matching, ssh_key: ssh_key, known_hosts: known_hosts)
+      client.update_remote_mirror(ref_name, only_branches_matching, ssh_key: ssh_key, known_hosts: known_hosts, keep_divergent_refs: true)
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/spec/models/remote_mirror_spec.rb b/spec/models/remote_mirror_spec.rb
index f5e718e0e099128b95a411ed894667c6f9921d57..15b162ae87a8b8677bfd1c0e134fd819bd0ed087 100644
--- a/spec/models/remote_mirror_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/remote_mirror_spec.rb
@@ -142,6 +142,26 @@
     end
   end
 
+  describe '#update_repository' do
+    let(:git_remote_mirror) { spy }
+
+    before do
+      stub_const('Gitlab::Git::RemoteMirror', git_remote_mirror)
+    end
+
+    it 'includes the `keep_divergent_refs` setting' do
+      mirror = build_stubbed(:remote_mirror, keep_divergent_refs: true)
+
+      mirror.update_repository({})
+
+      expect(git_remote_mirror).to have_received(:new).with(
+        anything,
+        mirror.remote_name,
+        hash_including(keep_divergent_refs: true)
+      )
+    end
+  end
+
   describe '#safe_url' do
     context 'when URL contains credentials' do
       it 'masks the credentials' do