diff --git a/hgext/mq.py b/hgext/mq.py
--- a/hgext/mq.py
+++ b/hgext/mq.py
@@ -810,9 +810,9 @@ class queue:
             del wlock
 
     def pop(self, repo, patch=None, force=False, update=True, all=False):
-        def getfile(f, rev):
+        def getfile(f, rev, flags):
             t = repo.file(f).read(rev)
-            repo.wfile(f, "w").write(t)
+            repo.wwrite(f, t, flags)
 
         wlock = repo.wlock()
         try:
@@ -870,10 +870,9 @@ class queue:
                 if d:
                     raise util.Abort("deletions found between repo revs")
                 for f in m:
-                    getfile(f, mmap[f])
+                    getfile(f, mmap[f], mmap.flags(f))
                 for f in r:
-                    getfile(f, mmap[f])
-                    util.set_exec(repo.wjoin(f), mmap.execf(f))
+                    getfile(f, mmap[f], mmap.flags(f))
                 for f in m + r:
                     repo.dirstate.normal(f)
                 for f in a:
diff --git a/tests/test-mq-symlinks b/tests/test-mq-symlinks
new file mode 100755
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test-mq-symlinks
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+echo "[extensions]" >> $HGRCPATH
+echo "mq=" >> $HGRCPATH
+
+cat >> readlink.py <<EOF
+import errno, os, sys
+
+for f in sys.argv[1:]:
+    try:
+        print f, '->', os.readlink(f)
+    except OSError, err:
+        if err.errno != errno.EINVAL: raise
+        print f, 'not a symlink'
+EOF
+
+hg init
+hg qinit
+hg qnew base.patch
+echo a > a
+echo b > b
+hg add a b
+hg qrefresh
+python readlink.py a
+
+hg qnew symlink.patch
+rm a
+ln -s b a
+hg qrefresh --git
+python readlink.py a
+
+hg qpop
+hg qpush
+python readlink.py a
diff --git a/tests/test-mq-symlinks.out b/tests/test-mq-symlinks.out
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test-mq-symlinks.out
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+a -> a not a symlink
+a -> b
+Now at: base.patch
+applying symlink.patch
+Now at: symlink.patch
+a -> b