diff --git a/Annex/View.hs b/Annex/View.hs
index eb3254e8ed..d407ce4c97 100644
--- a/Annex/View.hs
+++ b/Annex/View.hs
@@ -244,7 +244,8 @@ narrowView = applyView' fileViewReuse
  - Look up the metadata of annexed files, and generate any FileViews,
  - and stage them.
  -
- - Currently only works in indirect mode.
+ - Currently only works in indirect mode. Must be run from top of
+ - repository.
  -}
 applyView' :: MkFileView -> View -> Annex Git.Branch
 applyView' mkfileview view = do
diff --git a/Command/VAdd.hs b/Command/VAdd.hs
index a79e912152..e766f39393 100644
--- a/Command/VAdd.hs
+++ b/Command/VAdd.hs
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ module Command.VAdd where
 
 import Common.Annex
 import Command
-import Types.View
 import Annex.View
 import Logs.View
 import Command.View (paramView, parseViewParam, checkoutViewBranch)
@@ -33,15 +32,11 @@ start params = do
 			Unchanged -> do
 				showNote "unchanged"
 				next $ next $ return True
+			Narrowing -> next $ next $
+				checkoutViewBranch view' narrowView
 			Widening -> error "Widening view to match more files is not currently supported."
-			Narrowing -> next $ perform view'
 
 	calc v c [] = (v, c)
 	calc v c (p:ps) =
 		let (v', c') = uncurry (refineView v) (parseViewParam p)
 		in calc v' (max c c') ps
-
-perform :: View -> CommandPerform
-perform view = do
-	branch <- narrowView view
-	next $ checkoutViewBranch view branch
diff --git a/Command/VCycle.hs b/Command/VCycle.hs
index c32ce2eb15..c1bee30b6e 100644
--- a/Command/VCycle.hs
+++ b/Command/VCycle.hs
@@ -32,14 +32,9 @@ start = go =<< currentView
 			then do
 				showNote "unchanged"
 				next $ next $ return True
-			else next $ perform v'
+			else next $ next $ checkoutViewBranch v' narrowView
 
 	vcycle rest (c:cs)
 		| multiValue (viewFilter c) = rest ++ cs ++ [c]
 		| otherwise = vcycle (c:rest) cs
 	vcycle rest c = rest ++ c
-
-perform :: View -> CommandPerform
-perform view = do
-	branch <- narrowView view
-	next $ checkoutViewBranch view branch
diff --git a/Command/VPop.hs b/Command/VPop.hs
index 03905b751a..52c2b7f0cd 100644
--- a/Command/VPop.hs
+++ b/Command/VPop.hs
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ start = go =<< currentView
 			<$> recentViews
 		case vs of
 			(_v:oldv:_) -> next $ next $ 
-				checkoutViewBranch oldv (branchView oldv)
+				checkoutViewBranch oldv (return . branchView)
 			_ -> next $ next $
 				inRepo $ Git.Command.runBool
 					[ Param "checkout"
diff --git a/Command/View.hs b/Command/View.hs
index 4e642e50f2..9e1b981a7e 100644
--- a/Command/View.hs
+++ b/Command/View.hs
@@ -40,8 +40,7 @@ start params = do
 perform :: View -> CommandPerform
 perform view = do
 	showSideAction "searching"
-	branch <- applyView view
-	next $ checkoutViewBranch view branch
+	next $ checkoutViewBranch view applyView
 
 paramView :: String
 paramView = paramPair (paramRepeating "FIELD=VALUE") (paramRepeating "TAG")
@@ -63,20 +62,25 @@ mkView params = do
 	viewbranch = fromMaybe (error "not on any branch!")
 		<$> inRepo Git.Branch.current
 
-checkoutViewBranch :: View -> Git.Branch -> CommandCleanup
-checkoutViewBranch view branch = do
+checkoutViewBranch :: View -> (View -> Annex Git.Branch) -> CommandCleanup
+checkoutViewBranch view mkbranch = do
+	oldcwd <- liftIO getCurrentDirectory
+
+	{- Change to top of repository before creating view branch. -}
+	liftIO . setCurrentDirectory =<< fromRepo Git.repoPath
+	branch <- mkbranch view
+	
 	ok <- inRepo $ Git.Command.runBool
 		[ Param "checkout"
 		, Param (show $ Git.Ref.base branch)
 		]
 	when ok $ do
 		setView view
-		top <- fromRepo Git.repoPath
-		cwd <- liftIO getCurrentDirectory
 		{- A git repo can easily have empty directories in it,
 		 - and this pollutes the view, so remove them. -}
-		liftIO $ removeemptydirs top
-		unlessM (liftIO $ doesDirectoryExist cwd) $
+		liftIO $ removeemptydirs "."
+		unlessM (liftIO $ doesDirectoryExist oldcwd) $ do
+			top <- fromRepo Git.repoPath
 			showLongNote (cwdmissing top)
 	return ok
   where