diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7c55157ebac9d7..7e3fe88a438d3d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ for examples and highlights.
 To install spack and your first package, make sure you have Python.
 Then:
 
-    $ git clone https://github.com/spack/spack.git
+    $ git clone -c feature.manyFiles=true https://github.com/spack/spack.git
     $ cd spack/bin
     $ ./spack install zlib
 
diff --git a/lib/spack/docs/getting_started.rst b/lib/spack/docs/getting_started.rst
index c1585a0fb465c3..ba5b93a56762ca 100644
--- a/lib/spack/docs/getting_started.rst
+++ b/lib/spack/docs/getting_started.rst
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ Getting Spack is easy.  You can clone it from the `github repository
 
 .. code-block:: console
 
-   $ git clone https://github.com/spack/spack.git
+   $ git clone -c feature.manyFiles=true https://github.com/spack/spack.git
 
 This will create a directory called ``spack``.
 
diff --git a/lib/spack/docs/index.rst b/lib/spack/docs/index.rst
index fb9c669c1297f4..dcebcdfb3348bf 100644
--- a/lib/spack/docs/index.rst
+++ b/lib/spack/docs/index.rst
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ package:
 
 .. code-block:: console
 
-   $ git clone https://github.com/spack/spack.git
+   $ git clone -c feature.manyFiles=true https://github.com/spack/spack.git
    $ cd spack/bin
    $ ./spack install libelf