diff --git a/tools/clientcmd/client_config.go b/tools/clientcmd/client_config.go
index 66331a7a..b8927f71 100644
--- a/tools/clientcmd/client_config.go
+++ b/tools/clientcmd/client_config.go
@@ -175,10 +175,6 @@ func (config *DirectClientConfig) ClientConfig() (*restclient.Config, error) {
 	// only try to read the auth information if we are secure
 	if restclient.IsConfigTransportTLS(*clientConfig) {
 		var err error
-
-		// mergo is a first write wins for map value and a last writing wins for interface values
-		// NOTE: This behavior changed with https://github.com/imdario/mergo/commit/d304790b2ed594794496464fadd89d2bb266600a.
-		//       Our mergo.Merge version is older than this change.
 		var persister restclient.AuthProviderConfigPersister
 		if config.configAccess != nil {
 			authInfoName, _ := config.getAuthInfoName()
@@ -188,13 +184,13 @@ func (config *DirectClientConfig) ClientConfig() (*restclient.Config, error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		mergo.Merge(clientConfig, userAuthPartialConfig)
+		mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(clientConfig, userAuthPartialConfig)
 
 		serverAuthPartialConfig, err := getServerIdentificationPartialConfig(configAuthInfo, configClusterInfo)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		mergo.Merge(clientConfig, serverAuthPartialConfig)
+		mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(clientConfig, serverAuthPartialConfig)
 	}
 
 	return clientConfig, nil
@@ -214,7 +210,7 @@ func getServerIdentificationPartialConfig(configAuthInfo clientcmdapi.AuthInfo,
 	configClientConfig.CAFile = configClusterInfo.CertificateAuthority
 	configClientConfig.CAData = configClusterInfo.CertificateAuthorityData
 	configClientConfig.Insecure = configClusterInfo.InsecureSkipTLSVerify
-	mergo.Merge(mergedConfig, configClientConfig)
+	mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(mergedConfig, configClientConfig)
 
 	return mergedConfig, nil
 }
@@ -279,8 +275,8 @@ func (config *DirectClientConfig) getUserIdentificationPartialConfig(configAuthI
 		promptedConfig := makeUserIdentificationConfig(*promptedAuthInfo)
 		previouslyMergedConfig := mergedConfig
 		mergedConfig = &restclient.Config{}
-		mergo.Merge(mergedConfig, promptedConfig)
-		mergo.Merge(mergedConfig, previouslyMergedConfig)
+		mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(mergedConfig, promptedConfig)
+		mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(mergedConfig, previouslyMergedConfig)
 		config.promptedCredentials.username = mergedConfig.Username
 		config.promptedCredentials.password = mergedConfig.Password
 	}
@@ -423,11 +419,11 @@ func (config *DirectClientConfig) getContext() (clientcmdapi.Context, error) {
 
 	mergedContext := clientcmdapi.NewContext()
 	if configContext, exists := contexts[contextName]; exists {
-		mergo.Merge(mergedContext, configContext)
+		mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(mergedContext, configContext)
 	} else if required {
 		return clientcmdapi.Context{}, fmt.Errorf("context %q does not exist", contextName)
 	}
-	mergo.Merge(mergedContext, config.overrides.Context)
+	mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(mergedContext, config.overrides.Context)
 
 	return *mergedContext, nil
 }
@@ -439,11 +435,11 @@ func (config *DirectClientConfig) getAuthInfo() (clientcmdapi.AuthInfo, error) {
 
 	mergedAuthInfo := clientcmdapi.NewAuthInfo()
 	if configAuthInfo, exists := authInfos[authInfoName]; exists {
-		mergo.Merge(mergedAuthInfo, configAuthInfo)
+		mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(mergedAuthInfo, configAuthInfo)
 	} else if required {
 		return clientcmdapi.AuthInfo{}, fmt.Errorf("auth info %q does not exist", authInfoName)
 	}
-	mergo.Merge(mergedAuthInfo, config.overrides.AuthInfo)
+	mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(mergedAuthInfo, config.overrides.AuthInfo)
 
 	return *mergedAuthInfo, nil
 }
@@ -454,13 +450,13 @@ func (config *DirectClientConfig) getCluster() (clientcmdapi.Cluster, error) {
 	clusterInfoName, required := config.getClusterName()
 
 	mergedClusterInfo := clientcmdapi.NewCluster()
-	mergo.Merge(mergedClusterInfo, config.overrides.ClusterDefaults)
+	mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(mergedClusterInfo, config.overrides.ClusterDefaults)
 	if configClusterInfo, exists := clusterInfos[clusterInfoName]; exists {
-		mergo.Merge(mergedClusterInfo, configClusterInfo)
+		mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(mergedClusterInfo, configClusterInfo)
 	} else if required {
 		return clientcmdapi.Cluster{}, fmt.Errorf("cluster %q does not exist", clusterInfoName)
 	}
-	mergo.Merge(mergedClusterInfo, config.overrides.ClusterInfo)
+	mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(mergedClusterInfo, config.overrides.ClusterInfo)
 	// An override of --insecure-skip-tls-verify=true and no accompanying CA/CA data should clear already-set CA/CA data
 	// otherwise, a kubeconfig containing a CA reference would return an error that "CA and insecure-skip-tls-verify couldn't both be set"
 	caLen := len(config.overrides.ClusterInfo.CertificateAuthority)
diff --git a/tools/clientcmd/client_config_test.go b/tools/clientcmd/client_config_test.go
index a209da42..b2335f12 100644
--- a/tools/clientcmd/client_config_test.go
+++ b/tools/clientcmd/client_config_test.go
@@ -28,21 +28,23 @@ import (
 	clientcmdapi "k8s.io/client-go/tools/clientcmd/api"
 )
 
-func TestOldMergoLib(t *testing.T) {
+func TestMergoSemantics(t *testing.T) {
 	type T struct {
 		X string
 	}
 	dst := T{X: "one"}
 	src := T{X: "two"}
-	mergo.Merge(&dst, &src)
+	mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(&dst, &src)
 	if dst.X != "two" {
-		// mergo.Merge changed in an incompatible way with
+		// The mergo library has previously changed in a an incompatible way.
+		// example:
 		//
 		//   https://github.com/imdario/mergo/commit/d304790b2ed594794496464fadd89d2bb266600a
 		//
-		// We have to stay with the old version which still does eager
-		// copying from src to dst in structs.
-		t.Errorf("mergo.Merge library found with incompatible, new behavior")
+		// This test verifies that the semantics of the merge are what we expect.
+		// If they are not, the mergo library may have been updated and broken
+		// unexpectedly.
+		t.Errorf("mergo.MergeWithOverwrite did not provide expected output")
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/clientcmd/loader.go b/tools/clientcmd/loader.go
index 3442475e..6038c8d4 100644
--- a/tools/clientcmd/loader.go
+++ b/tools/clientcmd/loader.go
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ func (rules *ClientConfigLoadingRules) Load() (*clientcmdapi.Config, error) {
 	mapConfig := clientcmdapi.NewConfig()
 
 	for _, kubeconfig := range kubeconfigs {
-		mergo.Merge(mapConfig, kubeconfig)
+		mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(mapConfig, kubeconfig)
 	}
 
 	// merge all of the struct values in the reverse order so that priority is given correctly
@@ -219,14 +219,14 @@ func (rules *ClientConfigLoadingRules) Load() (*clientcmdapi.Config, error) {
 	nonMapConfig := clientcmdapi.NewConfig()
 	for i := len(kubeconfigs) - 1; i >= 0; i-- {
 		kubeconfig := kubeconfigs[i]
-		mergo.Merge(nonMapConfig, kubeconfig)
+		mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(nonMapConfig, kubeconfig)
 	}
 
 	// since values are overwritten, but maps values are not, we can merge the non-map config on top of the map config and
 	// get the values we expect.
 	config := clientcmdapi.NewConfig()
-	mergo.Merge(config, mapConfig)
-	mergo.Merge(config, nonMapConfig)
+	mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(config, mapConfig)
+	mergo.MergeWithOverwrite(config, nonMapConfig)
 
 	if rules.ResolvePaths() {
 		if err := ResolveLocalPaths(config); err != nil {