diff --git a/Assistant/Threads/Merger.hs b/Assistant/Threads/Merger.hs
index c79566349d..6e19218d98 100644
--- a/Assistant/Threads/Merger.hs
+++ b/Assistant/Threads/Merger.hs
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ mergeBranch = Git.Merge.mergeNonInteractive . Command.Sync.syncBranch
  - when a push fails, which can happen due to a remote not having pushed
  - changes to us. That could be because it doesn't have us as a remote, or
  - because the assistant is not running there, or other reasons. -}
-manualPull :: Git.Ref -> [Remote] -> Annex ()
+manualPull :: (Maybe Git.Ref) -> [Remote] -> Annex ()
 manualPull currentbranch remotes = do
 	forM_ remotes $ \r ->
 		inRepo $ Git.Command.runBool "fetch" [Param $ Remote.name r]
diff --git a/Assistant/Threads/MountWatcher.hs b/Assistant/Threads/MountWatcher.hs
index ca359a268c..18dfca42ca 100644
--- a/Assistant/Threads/MountWatcher.hs
+++ b/Assistant/Threads/MountWatcher.hs
@@ -161,18 +161,21 @@ handleMount st dstatus scanremotes dir = do
 	debug thisThread ["detected mount of", dir]
 	rs <- remotesUnder st dstatus dir
 	unless (null rs) $ do
-		go rs =<< runThreadState st (inRepo Git.Branch.current)
+		let nonspecial = filter (Git.repoIsLocal . Remote.repo) rs
+		unless (null nonspecial) $ do
+			void $ alertWhile dstatus (syncMountAlert dir nonspecial) $ do
+				debug thisThread ["syncing with", show rs]
+				sync nonspecial =<< runThreadState st (inRepo Git.Branch.current)
+			addScanRemotes scanremotes nonspecial
 	where
-		go _ Nothing = noop
-		go rs (Just branch) = do
-			let nonspecial = filter (Git.repoIsLocal . Remote.repo) rs
-			unless (null nonspecial) $
-				void $ alertWhile dstatus (syncMountAlert dir nonspecial) $ do
-					debug thisThread ["syncing with", show nonspecial]
-					runThreadState st $ manualPull branch nonspecial
-					now <- getCurrentTime	
-					pushToRemotes thisThread now st Nothing nonspecial
-			addScanRemotes scanremotes rs
+		sync rs (Just branch) = do
+			runThreadState st $ manualPull (Just branch) rs
+			now <- getCurrentTime	
+			pushToRemotes thisThread now st Nothing rs
+		{- No local branch exists yet, but we can try pulling. -}
+		sync rs Nothing = do
+			runThreadState st $ manualPull Nothing rs
+			return True
 
 {- Finds remotes located underneath the mount point.
  -
diff --git a/Assistant/Threads/Pusher.hs b/Assistant/Threads/Pusher.hs
index 5e110b77d9..4753e355ad 100644
--- a/Assistant/Threads/Pusher.hs
+++ b/Assistant/Threads/Pusher.hs
@@ -118,5 +118,5 @@ pushToRemotes threadname now st mpushmap remotes = do
 
 		retry branch g rs = do
 			debug threadname [ "trying manual pull to resolve failed pushes" ]
-			runThreadState st $ manualPull branch rs
+			runThreadState st $ manualPull (Just branch) rs
 			go False (Just branch) g rs
diff --git a/Command/Sync.hs b/Command/Sync.hs
index 7bf3048de4..ab29c82b66 100644
--- a/Command/Sync.hs
+++ b/Command/Sync.hs
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ pullRemote remote branch = do
 	next $ do
 		showOutput
 		stopUnless fetch $
-			next $ mergeRemote remote branch
+			next $ mergeRemote remote (Just branch)
 	where
 		fetch = inRepo $ Git.Command.runBool "fetch"
 			[Param $ Remote.name remote]
@@ -132,11 +132,17 @@ pullRemote remote branch = do
  - Which to merge from? Well, the master has whatever latest changes
  - were committed, while the synced/master may have changes that some
  - other remote synced to this remote. So, merge them both. -}
-mergeRemote :: Remote -> Git.Ref -> CommandCleanup
-mergeRemote remote branch = all id <$> (mapM merge =<< tomerge)
+mergeRemote :: Remote -> (Maybe Git.Ref) -> CommandCleanup
+mergeRemote remote b = case b of
+	Nothing -> do
+		branch <- inRepo Git.Branch.currentUnsafe
+		all id <$> (mapM merge $ branchlist branch)
+	Just _ -> all id <$> (mapM merge =<< tomerge (branchlist b))
 	where
 		merge = mergeFrom . remoteBranch remote
-		tomerge = filterM (changed remote) [branch, syncBranch branch]
+		tomerge branches = filterM (changed remote) branches
+		branchlist Nothing = []
+		branchlist (Just branch) = [branch, syncBranch branch]
 
 pushRemote :: Remote -> Git.Ref -> CommandStart
 pushRemote remote branch = go =<< needpush
diff --git a/Git/Branch.hs b/Git/Branch.hs
index 098aa1a1a2..f73ae5e2a3 100644
--- a/Git/Branch.hs
+++ b/Git/Branch.hs
@@ -23,13 +23,23 @@ import Git.Command
  -}
 current :: Repo -> IO (Maybe Git.Ref)
 current r = do
-	branch <- firstLine <$> pipeRead [Param "symbolic-ref", Param "HEAD"] r
-	if null branch
-		then return Nothing
-		else ifM (null <$> pipeRead [Param "show-ref", Param branch] r)
-			( return Nothing
-			, return $ Just $ Git.Ref branch
-			)
+	v <- currentUnsafe r
+	case v of
+		Nothing -> return Nothing
+		Just branch -> 
+			ifM (null <$> pipeRead [Param "show-ref", Param $ show branch] r)
+				( return Nothing
+				, return v
+				)
+
+{- The current branch, which may not really exist yet. -}
+currentUnsafe :: Repo -> IO (Maybe Git.Ref)
+currentUnsafe r = parse . firstLine
+	<$> pipeRead [Param "symbolic-ref", Param "HEAD"] r
+	where
+		parse l
+			| null l = Nothing
+			| otherwise = Just $ Git.Ref l
 
 {- Checks if the second branch has any commits not present on the first
  - branch. -}