diff --git a/Annex/Branch.hs b/Annex/Branch.hs
index 8501625898..c1f108f3c5 100644
--- a/Annex/Branch.hs
+++ b/Annex/Branch.hs
@@ -230,8 +230,7 @@ updateTo' pairs = do
 			else return $ "merging " ++
 				unwords (map Git.Ref.describe branches) ++ 
 				" into " ++ fromRef name
-		localtransitions <- parseTransitionsStrictly "local"
-			<$> getLocal transitionsLog
+		localtransitions <- getLocalTransitions
 		unless (null tomerge) $ do
 			showSideAction merge_desc
 			mapM_ checkBranchDifferences refs
@@ -634,6 +633,11 @@ stageJournal jl commitindex = withIndex $ withOtherTmp $ \tmpdir -> do
 		removeWhenExistsWith (R.removeLink) (toRawFilePath jlogf)
 	openjlog tmpdir = liftIO $ openTmpFileIn tmpdir "jlog"
 
+getLocalTransitions :: Annex Transitions
+getLocalTransitions = 
+	parseTransitionsStrictly "local"
+		<$> getLocal transitionsLog
+
 {- This is run after the refs have been merged into the index,
  - but before the result is committed to the branch.
  - (Which is why it's passed the contents of the local branches's
@@ -652,7 +656,7 @@ stageJournal jl commitindex = withIndex $ withOtherTmp $ \tmpdir -> do
  -}
 handleTransitions :: JournalLocked -> Transitions -> [Git.Ref] -> Annex Bool
 handleTransitions jl localts refs = do
-	m <- M.fromList <$> mapM getreftransition refs
+	m <- M.fromList <$> mapM getRefTransitions refs
 	let remotets = M.elems m
 	if all (localts ==) remotets
 		then return False
@@ -663,11 +667,6 @@ handleTransitions jl localts refs = do
 			performTransitionsLocked jl allts (localts /= allts) transitionedrefs
 			ignoreRefs untransitionedrefs
 			return True
-  where
-	getreftransition ref = do
-		ts <- parseTransitionsStrictly "remote"
-			<$> catFile ref transitionsLog
-		return (ref, ts)
 
 {- Performs the specified transitions on the contents of the index file,
  - commits it to the branch, or creates a new branch.
diff --git a/Logs/Transitions.hs b/Logs/Transitions.hs
index 07ee94dce9..ef89e4ac05 100644
--- a/Logs/Transitions.hs
+++ b/Logs/Transitions.hs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  - done that is listed in the remote branch by checking that the local
  - branch contains the same transition, with the same or newer start time.
  -
- - Copyright 2013-2019 Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>
+ - Copyright 2013-2021 Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>
  -
  - Licensed under the GNU AGPL version 3 or higher.
  -}
@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@ module Logs.Transitions where
 import Annex.Common
 import Annex.VectorClock
 import Logs.Line
+import qualified Git
+import Git.Types (fromRef)
+import Annex.CatFile
 
 import qualified Data.Set as S
 import Data.Either
@@ -100,3 +103,9 @@ knownTransitionList = nub . rights . map transition . S.elems
 recordTransitions :: (RawFilePath -> (L.ByteString -> Builder) -> Annex ()) -> Transitions -> Annex ()
 recordTransitions changer t = changer transitionsLog $
 	buildTransitions . S.union t . parseTransitionsStrictly "local"
+
+getRefTransitions :: Git.Ref -> Annex (Git.Ref, Transitions)
+getRefTransitions ref = do
+	ts <- parseTransitionsStrictly (fromRef ref)
+		<$> catFile ref transitionsLog
+	return (ref, ts)