diff --git a/kallithea/model/db.py b/kallithea/model/db.py
--- a/kallithea/model/db.py
+++ b/kallithea/model/db.py
@@ -1651,34 +1651,35 @@ class Permission(Base, BaseModel):
     PERMS = [
         ('hg.admin', _('Kallithea Administrator')),
 
-        ('repository.none', _('Repository no access')),
-        ('repository.read', _('Repository read access')),
-        ('repository.write', _('Repository write access')),
-        ('repository.admin', _('Repository admin access')),
-
-        ('group.none', _('Repository group no access')),
-        ('group.read', _('Repository group read access')),
-        ('group.write', _('Repository group write access')),
-        ('group.admin', _('Repository group admin access')),
-
-        ('usergroup.none', _('User group no access')),
-        ('usergroup.read', _('User group read access')),
-        ('usergroup.write', _('User group write access')),
-        ('usergroup.admin', _('User group admin access')),
-
-        ('hg.repogroup.create.false', _('Repository Group creation disabled')),
-        ('hg.repogroup.create.true', _('Repository Group creation enabled')),
-
-        ('hg.usergroup.create.false', _('User Group creation disabled')),
-        ('hg.usergroup.create.true', _('User Group creation enabled')),
-
-        ('hg.create.none', _('Repository creation disabled')),
-        ('hg.create.repository', _('Repository creation enabled')),
+        ('repository.none', _('Default user has no access to new Repositories')),
+        ('repository.read', _('Default user has read access to new Repositories')),
+        ('repository.write', _('Default user has write access to new Repositories')),
+        ('repository.admin', _('Default user has admin access to new Repositories')),
+
+        ('group.none', _('Default user has no access to new Repository Groups')),
+        ('group.read', _('Default user has read access to new Repository Groups')),
+        ('group.write', _('Default user has write access to new Repository Groups')),
+        ('group.admin', _('Default user has admin access to new Repository Groups')),
+
+        ('usergroup.none', _('Default user has no access to new User Groups')),
+        ('usergroup.read', _('Default user has read access to new User Groups')),
+        ('usergroup.write', _('Default user has write access to new User Groups')),
+        ('usergroup.admin', _('Default user has admin access to new User Groups')),
+
+        ('hg.repogroup.create.false', _('Only admins can create Repository Groups')),
+        ('hg.repogroup.create.true', _('Non-admins can create Repository Groups')),
+
+        ('hg.usergroup.create.false', _('Only admins can create User Groups')),
+        ('hg.usergroup.create.true', _('Non-admins can create User Groups')),
+
+        ('hg.create.none', _('Only admins can create top level Repositories')),
+        ('hg.create.repository', _('Non-admins can create top level Repositories')),
+
         ('hg.create.write_on_repogroup.true', _('Repository creation enabled with write permission to a repository group')),
         ('hg.create.write_on_repogroup.false', _('Repository creation disabled with write permission to a repository group')),
 
-        ('hg.fork.none', _('Repository forking disabled')),
-        ('hg.fork.repository', _('Repository forking enabled')),
+        ('hg.fork.none', _('Only admins can fork repositories')),
+        ('hg.fork.repository', _('Non-admins can can fork repositories')),
 
         ('hg.register.none', _('Registration disabled')),
         ('hg.register.manual_activate', _('User Registration with manual account activation')),
@@ -1686,7 +1687,6 @@ class Permission(Base, BaseModel):
 
         ('hg.extern_activate.manual', _('Manual activation of external account')),
         ('hg.extern_activate.auto', _('Automatic activation of external account')),
-
     ]
 
     #definition of system default permissions for DEFAULT user
diff --git a/kallithea/templates/admin/permissions/permissions_globals.html b/kallithea/templates/admin/permissions/permissions_globals.html
--- a/kallithea/templates/admin/permissions/permissions_globals.html
+++ b/kallithea/templates/admin/permissions/permissions_globals.html
@@ -19,12 +19,12 @@ ${h.form(url('admin_permissions'), metho
                 </div>
                 <div class="select">
                     ${h.select('default_repo_perm','',c.repo_perms_choices)}
-
                     ${h.checkbox('overwrite_default_repo','true')}
                     <label for="overwrite_default_repo">
                     <span class="tooltip"
                     title="${h.tooltip(_('All default permissions on each repository will be reset to chosen permission, note that all custom default permission on repositories will be lost'))}">
-                    ${_('Overwrite existing settings')}</span> </label>
+                    ${_('Apply to all existing repositories')}</span> </label>
+                    <span class="help-block">${_('Permissions for the Default user on new repositories.')}</span>
                 </div>
             </div>
             <div class="field">
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ ${h.form(url('admin_permissions'), metho
                     <label for="overwrite_default_group">
                     <span class="tooltip"
                     title="${h.tooltip(_('All default permissions on each repository group will be reset to chosen permission, note that all custom default permission on repository groups will be lost'))}">
-                    ${_('Overwrite existing settings')}</span> </label>
-
+                    ${_('Apply to all existing repository groups')}</span> </label>
+                    <span class="help-block">${_('Permissions for the Default user on new repository groups.')}</span>
                 </div>
             </div>
             <div class="field">
@@ -51,16 +51,18 @@ ${h.form(url('admin_permissions'), metho
                     <label for="overwrite_default_user_group">
                     <span class="tooltip"
                     title="${h.tooltip(_('All default permissions on each user group will be reset to chosen permission, note that all custom default permission on repository groups will be lost'))}">
-                    ${_('Overwrite existing settings')}</span> </label>
-
+                    ${_('Apply to all existing user groups')}</span></label>
+                    <span class="help-block">${_('Permissions for the Default user on new user groups.')}</span>
                 </div>
             </div>
              <div class="field">
                 <div class="label">
-                    <label for="default_repo_create">${_('Repository creation')}:</label>
+                    <label for="default_repo_create">${_('Top level repository creation')}:</label>
                 </div>
                 <div class="select">
                     ${h.select('default_repo_create','',c.repo_create_choices)}
+                    <span class="help-block">${_('Enable this to allow non-admins to create repositories at the top level.')}</span>
+                    <span class="help-block">${_('Note: This will also give all users API access to create repositories everywhere. That might change in future versions.')}</span>
                 </div>
              </div>
             <div class="field">
@@ -69,7 +71,7 @@ ${h.form(url('admin_permissions'), metho
                 </div>
                 <div class="select">
                     ${h.select('create_on_write','',c.repo_create_on_write_choices)}
-                    <span class="help-block">${_('Write permission to a repository group allows creating repositories inside that group.')}</span>
+                    <span class="help-block">${_('With this, write permission to a repository group allows creating repositories inside that group. Without this, group write permissions mean nothing.')}</span>
                 </div>
             </div>
              <div class="field">
@@ -78,6 +80,7 @@ ${h.form(url('admin_permissions'), metho
                 </div>
                 <div class="select">
                     ${h.select('default_user_group_create','',c.user_group_create_choices)}
+                    <span class="help-block">${_('Enable this to allow non-admins to create user groups.')}</span>
                 </div>
              </div>
              <div class="field">
@@ -86,6 +89,7 @@ ${h.form(url('admin_permissions'), metho
                 </div>
                 <div class="select">
                     ${h.select('default_fork','',c.fork_choices)}
+                    <span class="help-block">${_('Enable this to allow non-admins to fork repositories.')}</span>
                 </div>
              </div>
              <div class="field">