diff --git a/app/services/katello/pulp3/repository/apt.rb b/app/services/katello/pulp3/repository/apt.rb
index e2e723843c7..d8881ae79fd 100644
--- a/app/services/katello/pulp3/repository/apt.rb
+++ b/app/services/katello/pulp3/repository/apt.rb
@@ -36,7 +36,14 @@ def mirror_remote_options
             policy = repo.root.download_policy
           end
 
-          distributions = "#{repo.deb_releases}"
+          if Setting['deb_use_structured_proxy_sync']
+            distributions = "#{repo.deb_releases}"
+          elsif Setting['deb_use_simple_publish']
+            distributions = 'default'
+          else
+            fail("It cannot work to set both deb_use_structured_proxy_sync and deb_use_simple_publish to False! Please set at least one of them to True!")
+          end
+
           if Setting['deb_use_simple_publish'] and not distributions.split(' ').include? 'default'
             distributions.concat(' default')
           end
diff --git a/lib/katello/plugin.rb b/lib/katello/plugin.rb
index 6b75dfe9e55..a5b3da7f496 100644
--- a/lib/katello/plugin.rb
+++ b/lib/katello/plugin.rb
@@ -680,6 +680,12 @@ def katello_template_setting_values(name)
         default: false,
         full_name: N_('Use structured content for deb clients'),
         description: N_("If enabled, repo URL's for deb content hosts will be appended with structure information where available.")
+
+      setting 'deb_use_structured_proxy_sync',
+        type: :boolean,
+        default: false,
+        full_name: N_('Sync structured content for proxy syncs'),
+        description: N_("If enabled, any upstream distributions synced to the server will also be used for proxy syncs.")
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/lib/katello/tasks/enable_structured_content_for_deb.rake b/lib/katello/tasks/enable_structured_content_for_deb.rake
index 6a6fd44e04f..9490524607c 100644
--- a/lib/katello/tasks/enable_structured_content_for_deb.rake
+++ b/lib/katello/tasks/enable_structured_content_for_deb.rake
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ namespace :katello do
       puts "  foreman-rake katello:enable_structured_content_for_deb[true]"
       puts "  foreman-rake katello:enable_structured_content_for_deb[false]"
       puts "Note that use of structured content is currently set to '#{Setting['deb_use_structured_content']}'!"
+      puts "Note that after enabling structured content, you may need to resync your proxies!"
       exit 1
     end
 
@@ -15,8 +16,9 @@ namespace :katello do
     # Force deb_use_simple_publish to true, since we are not yet ready to drop simple publishing!
     Setting['deb_use_simple_publish'] = true
 
-    # Update deb_use_structured_content to the value requested by the user:
+    # Update deb_use_structured_content and deb_sue_structured_proxy_sync to the value requested by the user:
     Setting['deb_use_structured_content'] = deb_use_structured_content
+    Setting['deb_use_structured_proxy_sync'] = deb_use_structured_content
 
     # Ignore repositories where url is not set, since those are presumably empty or used for uploads!
     roots = Katello::RootRepository.deb_type.where.not(url: nil)