diff --git a/swh/loader/cvs/cvsclient.py b/swh/loader/cvs/cvsclient.py
--- a/swh/loader/cvs/cvsclient.py
+++ b/swh/loader/cvs/cvsclient.py
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 """
 
 import os.path
-import re
 import socket
 import subprocess
 import tempfile
@@ -86,9 +85,6 @@
     pass
 
 
-_re_kb_opt = re.compile(rb"\/-kb\/")
-
-
 class CVSClient:
     def connect_pserver(self, hostname, port, auth):
         if port is None:
@@ -310,7 +306,18 @@
         fp.seek(0)
         return self._parse_rlog_response(fp)
 
-    def checkout(self, path, rev, dest_dir):
+    def checkout(self, path, rev, dest_dir, expand_keywords):
+        """
+        Download a file revision from the cvs server and store
+        the file's contents in a temporary file. If expand_keywords is
+        set then ask the server to expand RCS keywords in file content.
+
+        From the server's point of view this function behaves much
+        like 'cvs update -r rev path'. The server is unaware that
+        we do not actually maintain a CVS working copy. Because of
+        this it sends more information than we need. We simply skip
+        responses that are of no interest to us.
+        """
         skip_line = False
         expect_modeline = False
         expect_bytecount = False
@@ -325,14 +332,20 @@
             delete=True,
             prefix="cvsclient-checkout-%s-r%s-" % (filename, rev),
         )
+        if expand_keywords:
+            # use server-side per-file default expansion rules
+            karg = ""
+        else:
+            # force binary file mode
+            karg = "Argument -kb\n"
         # TODO: cvs <= 1.10 servers expect to be given every Directory along the path.
         self.conn_write_str(
             "Directory %s\n%s\n"
             "Global_option -q\n"
             "Argument -r%s\n"
-            "Argument -kb\n"
+            "%s"
             "Argument --\nArgument %s\nco \n"
-            % (self.cvs_module_name, self.cvs_module_name, rev, path)
+            % (self.cvs_module_name, self.cvs_module_name, rev, karg, path)
         )
         while True:
             if have_bytecount:
@@ -385,7 +398,7 @@
             ):
                 skip_line = True
                 continue
-            elif response[0:1] == b"/" and _re_kb_opt.search(response):
+            elif response[0:1] == b"/":
                 expect_modeline = True
                 continue
             elif expect_modeline and response[0:2] == b"u=":
diff --git a/swh/loader/cvs/loader.py b/swh/loader/cvs/loader.py
--- a/swh/loader/cvs/loader.py
+++ b/swh/loader/cvs/loader.py
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@
             dirname = os.path.dirname(wtpath)
             os.makedirs(dirname, exist_ok=True)
             self.log.debug("checkout to %s\n" % wtpath)
-            fp = cvsclient.checkout(f.path, f.rev, dirname)
+            fp = cvsclient.checkout(f.path, f.rev, dirname, expand_keywords=True)
             os.rename(fp.name, wtpath)
             try:
                 fp.close()
diff --git a/swh/loader/cvs/tests/data/greek-repository4.tgz b/swh/loader/cvs/tests/data/greek-repository4.tgz
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
GIT binary patch
literal 0
Hc$@<O00001

literal 0
Hc$@<O00001

diff --git a/swh/loader/cvs/tests/test_loader.py b/swh/loader/cvs/tests/test_loader.py
--- a/swh/loader/cvs/tests/test_loader.py
+++ b/swh/loader/cvs/tests/test_loader.py
@@ -320,3 +320,91 @@
     }
 
     check_snapshot(GREEK_SNAPSHOT3, loader.storage)
+
+
+GREEK_SNAPSHOT4 = Snapshot(
+    id=hash_to_bytes("11673e2766654bd5fafb5119b418794230d48d6b"),
+    branches={
+        b"HEAD": SnapshotBranch(
+            target=hash_to_bytes("fe4a926d49d2af76e0025a8ba0b4ed159aec6829"),
+            target_type=TargetType.REVISION,
+        )
+    },
+)
+
+
+def test_loader_cvs_visit_expand_id_keyword(swh_storage, datadir, tmp_path):
+    """Visit to CVS repository with file with an RCS Id keyword"""
+    archive_name = "greek-repository4"
+    extracted_name = "greek-repository"
+    archive_path = os.path.join(datadir, f"{archive_name}.tgz")
+    repo_url = prepare_repository_from_archive(archive_path, extracted_name, tmp_path)
+    repo_url += "/greek-tree"  # CVS module name
+
+    loader = CvsLoader(
+        swh_storage, repo_url, cvsroot_path=os.path.join(tmp_path, extracted_name)
+    )
+
+    assert loader.load() == {"status": "eventful"}
+
+    assert_last_visit_matches(
+        loader.storage,
+        repo_url,
+        status="full",
+        type="cvs",
+        snapshot=GREEK_SNAPSHOT4.id,
+    )
+
+    stats = get_stats(loader.storage)
+    assert stats == {
+        "content": 9,
+        "directory": 22,
+        "origin": 1,
+        "origin_visit": 1,
+        "release": 0,
+        "revision": 8,
+        "skipped_content": 0,
+        "snapshot": 8,
+    }
+
+    check_snapshot(GREEK_SNAPSHOT4, loader.storage)
+
+
+def test_loader_cvs_visit_pserver_expand_id_keyword(swh_storage, datadir, tmp_path):
+    """Visit to CVS pserver with file with an RCS Id keyword"""
+    archive_name = "greek-repository4"
+    extracted_name = "greek-repository"
+    archive_path = os.path.join(datadir, f"{archive_name}.tgz")
+    repo_url = prepare_repository_from_archive(archive_path, extracted_name, tmp_path)
+    repo_url += "/greek-tree"  # CVS module name
+
+    # Ask our cvsclient to connect via the 'cvs server' command
+    repo_url = f"fake://{repo_url[7:]}"
+
+    loader = CvsLoader(
+        swh_storage, repo_url, cvsroot_path=os.path.join(tmp_path, extracted_name)
+    )
+
+    assert loader.load() == {"status": "eventful"}
+
+    assert_last_visit_matches(
+        loader.storage,
+        repo_url,
+        status="full",
+        type="cvs",
+        snapshot=GREEK_SNAPSHOT4.id,
+    )
+
+    stats = get_stats(loader.storage)
+    assert stats == {
+        "content": 9,
+        "directory": 22,
+        "origin": 1,
+        "origin_visit": 1,
+        "release": 0,
+        "revision": 8,
+        "skipped_content": 0,
+        "snapshot": 8,
+    }
+
+    check_snapshot(GREEK_SNAPSHOT4, loader.storage)