diff --git a/doc/man/man5/slapd.access.5 b/doc/man/man5/slapd.access.5
index 168780aa03..ab76f6de59 100644
--- a/doc/man/man5/slapd.access.5
+++ b/doc/man/man5/slapd.access.5
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ It can have the forms
 	dn[.<dnstyle>[,<modifier>]]=<DN>
 	dnattr=<attrname>
 	group[/<objectclass>[/<attrname>]]
-		[.<style>]=<group>
+		[.<groupstyle>]=<group>
 	peername[.<peernamestyle>]=<peername>
 	sockname[.<style>]=<sockname>
 	domain[.<domainstyle>[,<modifier>]]=<domain>
@@ -203,6 +203,7 @@ with
 .LP
 .nf
 	<dnstyle>={{exact|base}|regex|sub(tree)|one(level)|children}
+	<groupstyle>={exact|expand}
 	<style>={exact|regex}
 	<peernamestyle>={exact|regex|ip|path}
 	<domainstyle>={exact|regex|sub(tree)}
@@ -286,16 +287,12 @@ define the objectClass and the member attributeType of the group entry.
 The optional style qualifier
 .B <style>
 can be
-.BR regex ,
+.BR expand ,
 which means that
 .B <group>
 will be expanded as a replacement string (but not as a regular expression)
 according to regex (7), and
-.B base
-or
-.B exact
-(an alias of
-.BR base ),
+.BR exact ,
 which means that exact match will be used.
 .LP
 For static groups, the specified attributeType must have
@@ -307,7 +304,7 @@ be a subtype of the
 .B labeledURI
 attributeType. Only LDAP URIs of the form
 .B ldap:///<base>??<scope>?<filter>
-will be evaluated in a dynamic group.
+will be evaluated in a dynamic group, by searching the local server only.
 .LP
 The statements
 .BR peername=<peername> ,
diff --git a/servers/slapd/acl.c b/servers/slapd/acl.c
index e73d5d2cfd..452cb732f0 100644
--- a/servers/slapd/acl.c
+++ b/servers/slapd/acl.c
@@ -1193,7 +1193,7 @@ dn_match_cleanup:;
 			 * the values in the attribute group
 			 */
 			/* see if asker is listed in dnattr */
-			if ( b->a_group_style == ACL_STYLE_REGEX ) {
+			if ( b->a_group_style == ACL_STYLE_EXPAND ) {
 				char buf[ACL_BUF_SIZE];
 				bv.bv_len = sizeof(buf) - 1;
 				bv.bv_val = buf; 
diff --git a/servers/slapd/aclparse.c b/servers/slapd/aclparse.c
index 93f173611b..fa704fa325 100644
--- a/servers/slapd/aclparse.c
+++ b/servers/slapd/aclparse.c
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
 
 static char *style_strings[] = {
 	"regex",
+	"expand",
 	"base",
 	"one",
 	"subtree",
@@ -427,6 +428,9 @@ parse_acl(
 				} else if ( strcasecmp( style, "regex" ) == 0 ) {
 					sty = ACL_STYLE_REGEX;
 
+				} else if ( strcasecmp( style, "expand" ) == 0 ) {
+					sty = ACL_STYLE_EXPAND;
+
 				} else if ( strcasecmp( style, "ip" ) == 0 ) {
 					sty = ACL_STYLE_IP;
 
@@ -448,9 +452,39 @@ parse_acl(
 				if ( style_modifier &&
 					strcasecmp( style_modifier, "expand" ) == 0 )
 				{
-					expand = 1;
+					switch ( sty ) {
+					case ACL_STYLE_REGEX:
+						fprintf( stderr, "%s: line %d: "
+							"\"regex\" style implies "
+							"\"expand\" modifier (ignored)\n",
+							fname, lineno );
+						break;
+
+					case ACL_STYLE_EXPAND:
+						fprintf( stderr, "%s: line %d: "
+							"\"expand\" style used "
+							"in conjunction with "
+							"\"expand\" modifier (ignored)\n",
+							fname, lineno );
+						break;
+
+					default:
+						expand = 1;
+						break;
+					}
 				}
 
+				if ( ( sty == ACL_STYLE_EXPAND || expand )
+						&& ( a->acl_dn_pat.bv_len && a->acl_dn_style != ACL_STYLE_REGEX) ) 
+				{
+					fprintf( stderr, "%s: line %d: "
+						"\"expand\" style or modifier used "
+						"in conjunction with "
+						"a non-regex <what> clause\n",
+						fname, lineno );
+				}
+
+
 				if ( strcasecmp( argv[i], "*" ) == 0 ) {
 					bv.bv_val = ch_strdup( "*" );
 					bv.bv_len = 1;
@@ -608,10 +642,26 @@ parse_acl(
 					char *name = NULL;
 					char *value = NULL;
 
-					if (sty != ACL_STYLE_REGEX && sty != ACL_STYLE_BASE) {
+					switch ( sty ) {
+					case ACL_STYLE_REGEX:
+						/* legacy */
+						fprintf( stderr, "%s: line %d: "
+							"deprecated group style \"regex\"; "
+							"use \"expand\" instead\n",
+							fname, lineno, style );
+						sty = ACL_STYLE_EXPAND;
+						break;
+
+					case ACL_STYLE_EXPAND:
+					case ACL_STYLE_BASE:
+						/* legal */
+						break;
+
+					default:
+						/* unhandled */
 						fprintf( stderr, "%s: line %d: "
 							"inappropriate style \"%s\" in by clause\n",
-						    fname, lineno, style );
+							fname, lineno, style );
 						acl_usage();
 					}
 
@@ -640,7 +690,7 @@ parse_acl(
 					}
 
 					b->a_group_style = sty;
-					if (sty == ACL_STYLE_REGEX) {
+					if (sty == ACL_STYLE_EXPAND) {
 						acl_regex_normalized_dn( right, &bv );
 						if ( !ber_bvccmp( &bv, '*' ) ) {
 							regtest(fname, lineno, bv.bv_val);
diff --git a/servers/slapd/slap.h b/servers/slapd/slap.h
index ab7497b968..202cc068ee 100644
--- a/servers/slapd/slap.h
+++ b/servers/slapd/slap.h
@@ -1078,6 +1078,7 @@ typedef enum slap_control_e {
 
 typedef enum slap_style_e {
 	ACL_STYLE_REGEX = 0,
+	ACL_STYLE_EXPAND,
 	ACL_STYLE_BASE,
 	ACL_STYLE_ONE,
 	ACL_STYLE_SUBTREE,