diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/remote/options/RemoteOptions.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/remote/options/RemoteOptions.java
index 365cd9a1991467..3aa08cedd3b0d5 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/remote/options/RemoteOptions.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/remote/options/RemoteOptions.java
@@ -540,14 +540,15 @@ public RemoteOutputsStrategyConverter() {
 
   @Option(
       name = "experimental_remote_merkle_tree_cache_size",
-      defaultValue = "0",
+      defaultValue = "1000",
       documentationCategory = OptionDocumentationCategory.REMOTE,
       effectTags = {OptionEffectTag.UNKNOWN},
       help =
           "The number of Merkle trees to memoize to improve the remote cache hit checking speed. "
               + "Even though the cache is automatically pruned according to Java's handling of "
               + "soft references, out-of-memory errors can occur if set too high. If set to 0 "
-              + "(default), the cache size is unlimited.")
+              + " the cache size is unlimited. Optimal value varies depending on project's size. "
+              + "Default to 1000.")
   public long remoteMerkleTreeCacheSize;
 
   @Option(