diff --git a/Documentation/config-labels.txt b/Documentation/config-labels.txt
index b6184d7..9d3446e 100644
--- a/Documentation/config-labels.txt
+++ b/Documentation/config-labels.txt
@@ -293,9 +293,9 @@
 patch-set is uploaded that has the same list of files as the previous
 patch-set.
 
-Renames are considered the same file when computing whether new files
-were added or old files were deleted. Hence, if there are only renames,
-scores will still be copied over.
+Renames are considered different files when computing whether new files
+were added or old files were deleted. Hence, if there are renames, scores will
+*NOT* be copied over.
 
 Defaults to false.
 
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/ApprovalInference.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/ApprovalInference.java
index d77427a..04d874c 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/ApprovalInference.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/ApprovalInference.java
@@ -29,11 +29,12 @@
 import com.google.gerrit.entities.Patch.ChangeType;
 import com.google.gerrit.entities.PatchSet;
 import com.google.gerrit.entities.PatchSetApproval;
+import com.google.gerrit.entities.Project;
 import com.google.gerrit.exceptions.StorageException;
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.client.ChangeKind;
-import com.google.gerrit.extensions.client.DiffPreferencesInfo;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.change.ChangeKindCache;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.change.LabelNormalizer;
+import com.google.gerrit.server.git.GitRepositoryManager;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.logging.Metadata;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.logging.TraceContext;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.logging.TraceContext.TraceTimer;
@@ -46,10 +47,14 @@
 import com.google.gerrit.server.project.ProjectState;
 import com.google.inject.Inject;
 import com.google.inject.Singleton;
+import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Config;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectId;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Repository;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.revwalk.RevWalk;
 
 /**
@@ -68,17 +73,20 @@
   private final ChangeKindCache changeKindCache;
   private final LabelNormalizer labelNormalizer;
   private final PatchListCache patchListCache;
+  private final GitRepositoryManager repositoryManager;
 
   @Inject
   ApprovalInference(
       ProjectCache projectCache,
       ChangeKindCache changeKindCache,
       LabelNormalizer labelNormalizer,
-      PatchListCache patchListCache) {
+      PatchListCache patchListCache,
+      GitRepositoryManager repositoryManager) {
     this.projectCache = projectCache;
     this.changeKindCache = changeKindCache;
     this.labelNormalizer = labelNormalizer;
     this.patchListCache = patchListCache;
+    this.repositoryManager = repositoryManager;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -111,7 +119,8 @@
       PatchSet.Id psId,
       ChangeKind kind,
       LabelType type,
-      @Nullable PatchList patchList) {
+      @Nullable PatchList patchListCurrentPatchset,
+      @Nullable PatchList patchListPriorPatchset) {
     int n = psa.key().patchSetId().get();
     checkArgument(n != psId.get());
 
@@ -172,11 +181,7 @@
           project.getName());
       return true;
     } else if (type.isCopyAllScoresIfListOfFilesDidNotChange()
-        && patchList.getPatches().stream()
-            .noneMatch(
-                p ->
-                    p.getChangeType() == ChangeType.ADDED
-                        || p.getChangeType() == ChangeType.DELETED)) {
+        && didListOfFilesNotChange(patchListCurrentPatchset, patchListPriorPatchset)) {
       logger.atFine().log(
           "approval %d on label %s of patch set %d of change %d can be copied"
               + " to patch set %d because the label has set "
@@ -308,6 +313,20 @@
     }
   }
 
+  private static boolean didListOfFilesNotChange(PatchList oldPatchList, PatchList newPatchList) {
+    Map<String, ChangeType> fileToChangeTypePs1 = getFileToChangeType(oldPatchList);
+    Map<String, ChangeType> fileToChangeTypePs2 = getFileToChangeType(newPatchList);
+    return fileToChangeTypePs1.equals(fileToChangeTypePs2);
+  }
+
+  private static Map<String, ChangeType> getFileToChangeType(PatchList ps) {
+    return ps.getPatches().stream()
+        .collect(
+            Collectors.toMap(
+                f -> f.getNewName() != null ? f.getNewName() : f.getOldName(),
+                f -> f.getChangeType()));
+  }
+
   private Collection<PatchSetApproval> getForPatchSetWithoutNormalization(
       ChangeNotes notes,
       ProjectState project,
@@ -368,7 +387,8 @@
     logger.atFine().log(
         "change kind for patch set %d of change %d against prior patch set %s is %s",
         ps.id().get(), ps.id().changeId().get(), priorPatchSet.getValue().id().changeId(), kind);
-    PatchList patchList = null;
+    PatchList patchListCurrentPatchset = null;
+    PatchList patchListPriorPatchset = null;
     LabelTypes labelTypes = project.getLabelTypes();
     for (PatchSetApproval psa : priorApprovals) {
       if (resultByUser.contains(psa.label(), psa.accountId())) {
@@ -376,10 +396,14 @@
       }
       LabelType type = labelTypes.byLabel(psa.labelId());
       // Only compute patchList if there is a relevant label, since this is expensive.
-      if (patchList == null && type != null && type.isCopyAllScoresIfListOfFilesDidNotChange()) {
-        patchList = getPatchList(project, ps, priorPatchSet);
+      if (patchListCurrentPatchset == null
+          && type != null
+          && type.isCopyAllScoresIfListOfFilesDidNotChange()) {
+        patchListCurrentPatchset = getPatchList(project, ps);
+        patchListPriorPatchset = getPatchList(project, priorPatchSet.getValue());
       }
-      if (!canCopy(project, psa, ps.id(), kind, type, patchList)) {
+      if (!canCopy(
+          project, psa, ps.id(), kind, type, patchListCurrentPatchset, patchListPriorPatchset)) {
         continue;
       }
       resultByUser.put(psa.label(), psa.accountId(), psa.copyWithPatchSet(ps.id()));
@@ -388,16 +412,18 @@
   }
 
   /**
-   * Gets the {@link PatchList} between the two latest patch-sets. Can be used to compute difference
-   * in files between those two patch-sets .
+   * Gets the {@link PatchList} between a patch-set and the base. Can be used to compute difference
+   * in files between two patch-sets by using both {@link PatchList}s of those 2 patch-sets.
    */
-  private PatchList getPatchList(
-      ProjectState project, PatchSet ps, Map.Entry<PatchSet.Id, PatchSet> priorPatchSet) {
+  private PatchList getPatchList(ProjectState project, PatchSet ps) {
+    // Compare against the base:
+    // * For merge commits the comparison is done against the 1st parent, which is the destination
+    //   branch.
+    // * For non-merge commits the comparison is done against the only parent, or an empty base if
+    //   no parent exists.
     PatchListKey key =
-        PatchListKey.againstCommit(
-            priorPatchSet.getValue().commitId(),
-            ps.commitId(),
-            DiffPreferencesInfo.Whitespace.IGNORE_NONE);
+        PatchListKey.againstBase(
+            ps.commitId(), getParentCount(project.getNameKey(), ps.commitId()));
     try {
       return patchListCache.get(key, project.getNameKey());
     } catch (PatchListNotAvailableException ex) {
@@ -408,4 +434,13 @@
           ex);
     }
   }
+
+  private int getParentCount(Project.NameKey project, ObjectId objectId) {
+    try (Repository repo = repositoryManager.openRepository(project);
+        RevWalk revWalk = new RevWalk(repo)) {
+      return revWalk.parseCommit(objectId).getParentCount();
+    } catch (IOException ex) {
+      throw new StorageException(ex);
+    }
+  }
 }
diff --git a/javatests/com/google/gerrit/acceptance/api/change/StickyApprovalsIT.java b/javatests/com/google/gerrit/acceptance/api/change/StickyApprovalsIT.java
index 5c59129..4e47bb1 100644
--- a/javatests/com/google/gerrit/acceptance/api/change/StickyApprovalsIT.java
+++ b/javatests/com/google/gerrit/acceptance/api/change/StickyApprovalsIT.java
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 import com.google.gerrit.acceptance.NoHttpd;
 import com.google.gerrit.acceptance.PushOneCommit;
 import com.google.gerrit.acceptance.TestAccount;
+import com.google.gerrit.acceptance.TestProjectInput;
 import com.google.gerrit.acceptance.testsuite.change.ChangeOperations;
 import com.google.gerrit.acceptance.testsuite.project.ProjectOperations;
 import com.google.gerrit.acceptance.testsuite.request.RequestScopeOperations;
@@ -360,6 +361,46 @@
   }
 
   @Test
+  public void notStickyWithCopyAllScoresIfListOfFilesDidNotChangeWhenFileAlreadyExists()
+      throws Exception {
+    try (ProjectConfigUpdate u = updateProject(project)) {
+      u.getConfig()
+          .updateLabelType(
+              LabelId.CODE_REVIEW, b -> b.setCopyAllScoresIfListOfFilesDidNotChange(true));
+      u.save();
+    }
+
+    // create "existing file" and submit it.
+    String existingFile = "existing file";
+    Change.Id prep =
+        changeOperations
+            .newChange()
+            .project(project)
+            .file(existingFile)
+            .content("content")
+            .create();
+    vote(admin, prep.toString(), 2, 1);
+    gApi.changes().id(prep.get()).current().submit();
+
+    Change.Id changeId = changeOperations.newChange().project(project).create();
+    vote(admin, changeId.toString(), 2, 1);
+    vote(user, changeId.toString(), -2, -1);
+
+    changeOperations
+        .change(changeId)
+        .newPatchset()
+        .file(existingFile)
+        .content("new content")
+        .create();
+    ChangeInfo c = detailedChange(changeId.toString());
+
+    // no votes are copied since the list of files changed ("existing file" was added to the
+    // change).
+    assertVotes(c, admin, 0, 0);
+    assertVotes(c, user, 0, 0);
+  }
+
+  @Test
   public void notStickyWithCopyAllScoresIfListOfFilesDidNotChangeWhenFileIsDeleted()
       throws Exception {
     try (ProjectConfigUpdate u = updateProject(project)) {
@@ -405,7 +446,32 @@
   }
 
   @Test
-  public void stickyWithCopyAllScoresIfListOfFilesDidNotChangeWhenFileIsRenamed() throws Exception {
+  @TestProjectInput(createEmptyCommit = false)
+  public void stickyWithCopyAllScoresIfListOfFilesDidNotChangeWhenFileIsModifiedAsInitialCommit()
+      throws Exception {
+    try (ProjectConfigUpdate u = updateProject(project)) {
+      u.getConfig()
+          .updateLabelType(
+              LabelId.CODE_REVIEW, b -> b.setCopyAllScoresIfListOfFilesDidNotChange(true));
+      u.save();
+    }
+    Change.Id changeId =
+        changeOperations.newChange().project(project).file("file").content("content").create();
+    vote(admin, changeId.toString(), 2, 1);
+    vote(user, changeId.toString(), -2, -1);
+
+    changeOperations.change(changeId).newPatchset().file("file").content("new content").create();
+    ChangeInfo c = detailedChange(changeId.toString());
+
+    // only code review votes are copied since copyAllScoresIfListOfFilesDidNotChange is
+    // configured for that label, and list of files didn't change.
+    assertVotes(c, admin, 2, 0);
+    assertVotes(c, user, -2, 0);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void notStickyWithCopyAllScoresIfListOfFilesDidNotChangeWhenFileIsRenamed()
+      throws Exception {
     try (ProjectConfigUpdate u = updateProject(project)) {
       u.getConfig()
           .updateLabelType(
@@ -420,10 +486,9 @@
     changeOperations.change(changeId).newPatchset().file("file").renameTo("new_file").create();
     ChangeInfo c = detailedChange(changeId.toString());
 
-    // only code review votes are copied since copyAllScoresIfListOfFilesDidNotChange is
-    // configured for that label, and list of files didn't change (rename is still the same file).
-    assertVotes(c, admin, 2, 0);
-    assertVotes(c, user, -2, 0);
+    // no votes are copied since the list of files changed (rename).
+    assertVotes(c, admin, 0, 0);
+    assertVotes(c, user, 0, 0);
   }
 
   @Test