diff --git a/scripts/developer/git/setup-aliases b/scripts/developer/git/setup-aliases
index 5479ad0dd7ba0e6a620b8edb955bcc0feb1ea1a0..2d996582b0284debddf288a85708702053f53270 100755
--- a/scripts/developer/git/setup-aliases
+++ b/scripts/developer/git/setup-aliases
@@ -3,14 +3,13 @@
 echo "Setting up git aliases..."
 if ! which clang-format 2>1 1>/dev/null
 then
-  echo "ADIOS development requires clang-format to be available in your path."
-  exit 1
+  echo "Warning: ADIOS uses clang-format to enforce style guidelines but no"
+  echo "         clang-format binary was found in tyour path"
 fi
 
 if ! git config alias.clang-format "!scripts/developer/git/git-clang-format"
 then
   echo "Error adding clang-format alias"
-  exit 2
 fi
 
 exit 0
diff --git a/scripts/developer/git/setup-remotes b/scripts/developer/git/setup-remotes
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..6dc9e8605ee250da8025bc9b59b51343ae654a70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/developer/git/setup-remotes
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+echo "Checking github username..."
+GHUSER=$(git remote get-url origin | sed 's|.*[:/]\([^/]*\)/adios2.git|\1|')
+if [ -z "${GHUSER}" ]
+then
+  echo "  Warning: Unable to determine github username.  Are you sure you"
+  echo "  cloned your fork?"
+  exit 1
+fi
+echo "Using github user ${GHUSER}"
+
+echo "Adding upstream remote..."
+if git remote show upstream > /dev/null 2>&1
+then
+  echo "  Warning: upstream remote already exists; skipping"
+else
+  git remote add upstream https://github.com/ornladios/adios2.git
+fi
+git fetch --all -p
+
+echo "Reconfiguring local master branch to use upstream"
+git config branch.master.remote upstream
+git config branch.master.mergeOptions "--ff-only"
+git config merge.log 100
+
+exit 0
diff --git a/scripts/developer/setup.sh b/scripts/developer/setup.sh
index 27607008e8eb0a4ed5c0ead760070e8bad72c77b..dc4d903dff737599786068ccec19675b17df9d7c 100755
--- a/scripts/developer/setup.sh
+++ b/scripts/developer/setup.sh
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@ function test_cmd {
 
 cd "${BASH_SOURCE%/*}/../.."
 
+test_cmd scripts/developer/git/setup-remotes \
+  "Failed to setup upstream remotes " 2
+
 test_cmd scripts/developer/git/setup-aliases \
   "Failed to setup git aliases" 2