diff --git a/git-send-email.perl b/git-send-email.perl
index 91607c5878..6885dfa1b9 100755
--- a/git-send-email.perl
+++ b/git-send-email.perl
@@ -337,8 +337,16 @@ sub read_config {
 	}
 
 	foreach my $setting (keys %config_path_settings) {
-		my $target = $config_path_settings{$setting}->[0];
-		$$target = Git::config_path(@repo, "$prefix.$setting") unless (defined $$target);
+		my $target = $config_path_settings{$setting};
+		if (ref($target) eq "ARRAY") {
+			unless (@$target) {
+				my @values = Git::config_path(@repo, "$prefix.$setting");
+				@$target = @values if (@values && defined $values[0]);
+			}
+		}
+		else {
+			$$target = Git::config_path(@repo, "$prefix.$setting") unless (defined $$target);
+		}
 	}
 
 	foreach my $setting (keys %config_settings) {
diff --git a/t/t9001-send-email.sh b/t/t9001-send-email.sh
index 579ddb7572..87b4acc9a6 100755
--- a/t/t9001-send-email.sh
+++ b/t/t9001-send-email.sh
@@ -1168,4 +1168,32 @@ test_expect_success $PREREQ '--force sends cover letter template anyway' '
 	test -n "$(ls msgtxt*)"
 '
 
+test_expect_success $PREREQ 'sendemail.aliasfiletype=mailrc' '
+	clean_fake_sendmail &&
+	echo "alias sbd  somebody@example.org" >.mailrc &&
+	git config --replace-all sendemail.aliasesfile "$(pwd)/.mailrc" &&
+	git config sendemail.aliasfiletype mailrc &&
+	git send-email \
+	  --from="Example <nobody@example.com>" \
+	  --to=sbd \
+	  --smtp-server="$(pwd)/fake.sendmail" \
+	  outdir/0001-*.patch \
+	  2>errors >out &&
+	grep "^!somebody@example\.org!$" commandline1
+'
+
+test_expect_success $PREREQ 'sendemail.aliasfile=~/.mailrc' '
+	clean_fake_sendmail &&
+	echo "alias sbd  someone@example.org" >~/.mailrc &&
+	git config --replace-all sendemail.aliasesfile "~/.mailrc" &&
+	git config sendemail.aliasfiletype mailrc &&
+	git send-email \
+	  --from="Example <nobody@example.com>" \
+	  --to=sbd \
+	  --smtp-server="$(pwd)/fake.sendmail" \
+	  outdir/0001-*.patch \
+	  2>errors >out &&
+	grep "^!someone@example\.org!$" commandline1
+'
+
 test_done