diff --git a/doc/source/user/config.rst b/doc/source/user/config.rst
index 76f73c3..4a9a99e 100644
--- a/doc/source/user/config.rst
+++ b/doc/source/user/config.rst
@@ -34,13 +34,12 @@
 
 When Zuul starts, it examines all of the git repositories which are
 specified by the system administrator in :ref:`tenant-config` and searches
-for files in the root of each repository.  In the case of a
-*config-project*, Zuul looks for a file named `zuul.yaml`.  In the
-case of an *untrusted-project*, Zuul looks first for `zuul.yaml` and
-if that is not found, `.zuul.yaml` (with a leading dot).  In the case
-of an *untrusted-project*, the configuration from every branch is
-included, however, in the case of a *config-project*, only the
-`master` branch is examined.
+for files in the root of each repository. Zuul looks first for a file named
+`zuul.yaml` or a directory named `zuul.d`, and if they are not found,
+`.zuul.yaml` or `.zuul.d` (with a leading dot). In the case of an
+*untrusted-project*, the configuration from every branch is included,
+however, in the case of a *config-project*, only the `master` branch is
+examined.
 
 When a change is proposed to one of these files in an
 *untrusted-project*, the configuration proposed in the change is
@@ -64,6 +63,16 @@
 YAML-formatted and are structured as a series of items, each of which
 is described below.
 
+In the case of a `zuul.d` directory, Zuul recurses the directory and extends
+the configuration using all the .yaml files in the sorted path order.
+For example, to keep job's variants in a separate file, it needs to be loaded
+after the main entries, for example using number prefixes in file's names::
+
+* zuul.d/pipelines.yaml
+* zuul.d/projects.yaml
+* zuul.d/01_jobs.yaml
+* zuul.d/02_jobs-variants.yaml
+
 .. _pipeline:
 
 Pipeline
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/common-config/.zuul.d/jobs.yaml b/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/common-config/.zuul.d/jobs.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..20056ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/common-config/.zuul.d/jobs.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+- job:
+    name: trusted-.zuul.d-jobs
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/common-config/.zuul.yaml b/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/common-config/.zuul.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..da2bc1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/common-config/.zuul.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+- job:
+    name: trusted-.zuul.yaml-job
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/common-config/zuul.d/jobs.yaml b/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/common-config/zuul.d/jobs.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5a92f43
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/common-config/zuul.d/jobs.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+- job:
+    name: trusted-zuul.d-jobs
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/common-config/zuul.yaml b/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/common-config/zuul.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..792fc8f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/common-config/zuul.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+- job:
+    name: trusted-zuul.yaml-job
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/org_project/.zuul.yaml b/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/org_project/.zuul.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dc1ff45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/org_project/.zuul.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+- job:
+    name: untrusted-.zuul.yaml-job
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/org_project/zuul.yaml b/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/org_project/zuul.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cc63564
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/git/org_project/zuul.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+- job:
+    name: untrusted-zuul.yaml-job
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/main.yaml b/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/main.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..208e274
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/config/conflict-config/main.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+- tenant:
+    name: tenant-one
+    source:
+      gerrit:
+        config-projects:
+          - common-config
+        untrusted-projects:
+          - org/project
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_configloader.py b/tests/unit/test_configloader.py
index 573ccbf..d08c6a1 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_configloader.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_configloader.py
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@
 # License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
 # under the License.
 
+import fixtures
+import logging
 import textwrap
 
 from tests.base import ZuulTestCase
@@ -245,3 +247,39 @@
         # project1-project2-integration test removed, only want project-test1
         self.assertHistory([
             dict(name='project-test1', result='SUCCESS', changes='1,1')])
+
+    def test_config_path_conflict(self):
+        def add_file(project, path):
+            new_file = textwrap.dedent(
+                """
+                - job:
+                    name: test-job
+                """
+            )
+            file_dict = {path: new_file}
+            A = self.fake_gerrit.addFakeChange(project, 'master', 'A',
+                                               files=file_dict)
+            self.fake_gerrit.addEvent(A.getPatchsetCreatedEvent(1))
+            self.waitUntilSettled()
+
+        log_fixture = self.useFixture(
+            fixtures.FakeLogger(level=logging.WARNING))
+
+        log_fixture._output.truncate(0)
+        add_file("common-config", "zuul.yaml")
+        self.assertIn("Multiple configuration", log_fixture.output)
+
+        log_fixture._output.truncate(0)
+        add_file("org/project1", ".zuul.yaml")
+        self.assertIn("Multiple configuration", log_fixture.output)
+
+
+class TestConfigConflict(ZuulTestCase):
+    tenant_config_file = 'config/conflict-config/main.yaml'
+
+    def test_conflict_config(self):
+        tenant = self.sched.abide.tenants.get('tenant-one')
+        jobs = sorted(tenant.layout.jobs.keys())
+        self.assertEquals(
+            ['noop', 'trusted-zuul.yaml-job', 'untrusted-zuul.yaml-job'],
+            jobs)
diff --git a/zuul/configloader.py b/zuul/configloader.py
index f8e2d15..6dc3274 100644
--- a/zuul/configloader.py
+++ b/zuul/configloader.py
@@ -1213,7 +1213,7 @@
                                    (job, job.files))
             loaded = False
             files = sorted(job.files.keys())
-            for conf_root in ['zuul.yaml', '.zuul.yaml', 'zuul.d', '.zuul.d']:
+            for conf_root in ['zuul.yaml', 'zuul.d', '.zuul.yaml', '.zuul.d']:
                 for fn in files:
                     fn_root = fn.split('/')[0]
                     if fn_root != conf_root or not job.files.get(fn):
@@ -1416,8 +1416,7 @@
                     fns1.append(fn)
                 if fn.startswith(".zuul.d/"):
                     fns2.append(fn)
-
-            fns = ['zuul.yaml', '.zuul.yaml'] + sorted(fns1) + sorted(fns2)
+            fns = ["zuul.yaml"] + sorted(fns1) + [".zuul.yaml"] + sorted(fns2)
             incdata = None
             loaded = None
             for fn in fns: