2 files changed, 21 insertions, 2 deletions
diff --git a/source/cgit.c b/source/cgit.c
index 81f2b14..9ec7df1 100644
--- a/source/cgit.c
+++ b/source/cgit.c
@@ -213,7 +213,9 @@ static void print_repo(FILE *f, struct cgit_repo *repo)
 		fprintf(f, "repo.path=%s\n", repo->path);
 	if (repo->owner)
 		fprintf(f, "repo.owner=%s\n", repo->owner);
-	if (repo->desc)
+	// Written out, the placeholder would read back as a description of
+	// its own and describe the repository's pages.
+	if (repo->desc && repo->desc != cgit_default_repo_desc)
 		fprintf(f, "repo.desc=%s\n", repo->desc);
 	for_each_string_list_item(item, &repo->readme) {
 		if (item->util)
@@ -436,7 +438,7 @@ static void process_cached_repolist(const char *path)
 	struct strbuf key = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct strbuf cached_rc = STRBUF_INIT;
 	time_t age;
-	int devnull;
+	int devnull, first, i;
 
 	build_scan_key(&key, path);
 	strbuf_addf(&cached_rc, "%s/rc-%8lx", ctx.cfg.cache_root, cache_hash_str(key.buf));
@@ -450,7 +452,12 @@ static void process_cached_repolist(const char *path)
 		goto out;
 	}
 
+	first = cgit_repolist.count;
 	config_file_parse(cached_rc.buf, apply_config);
+	// The scan that wrote the list read each description file already, so
+	// a repository it left without one is not read again on every request.
+	for (i = first; i < cgit_repolist.count; i++)
+		cgit_repolist.repos[i].desc_read = 1;
 
 	// A negative ttl never expires, the same as for a cached page.
 	age = time(NULL) - st.st_mtime;
diff --git a/tests/t0003-cache.sh b/tests/t0003-cache.sh
index 0504c88..53a6d5b 100755
--- a/tests/t0003-cache.sh
+++ b/tests/t0003-cache.sh
@@ -455,6 +455,18 @@ test_expect_success 'a negative cache-scan-ttl never expires the list' '
 	! grep "^repo.url=kept$" "cache5/$scanned_rc"
 '
 
+# A repository the scan found without a description goes into the list
+# without one, so its pages do not describe themselves with the placeholder.
+test_expect_success 'a cached scan leaves the description placeholder out' '
+	rm -rf cache5 && mkdir cache5 &&
+	cgit_rc scanrc "url=" >/dev/null &&
+	! grep "^repo.desc=" cache5/rc-* &&
+	cgit_rc scanrc "url=" >tmp &&
+	grep "\[no description\]" tmp &&
+	cgit_rc scanrc "url=one/" >tmp &&
+	! grep "<meta name=.description." tmp
+'
+
 # A cache-size below zero turns the page cache off, and the scan with it, so
 # the cache directory stays empty.
 test_expect_success 'a negative cache-size leaves the scan uncached' '