diff --git a/src/js/git/commands.js b/src/js/git/commands.js
index f059b96e..4817b3a9 100644
--- a/src/js/git/commands.js
+++ b/src/js/git/commands.js
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ var commandConfig = {
         source = firstArg;
         assertIsBranch(engine.origin, source);
         // get o/master locally if master is specified
-        destination = engine.origin.refs[source].getPrefixedID();
+        destination = engine.origin.resolveID(source).getPrefixedID();
       } else {
         // can't be detached
         if (engine.getDetachedHead()) {
diff --git a/src/js/git/index.js b/src/js/git/index.js
index 2f45a024..10b441f6 100644
--- a/src/js/git/index.js
+++ b/src/js/git/index.js
@@ -405,7 +405,7 @@ GitEngine.prototype.makeBranchIfNeeded = function(branchName) {
 };
 
 GitEngine.prototype.makeRemoteBranchForRemote = function(branchName) {
-  var target = this.origin.refs[branchName].get('target');
+  var target = this.origin.resolveID(branchName).get('target');
   var originTarget = this.findCommonAncestorWithRemote(
     target.get('id')
   );
@@ -1313,7 +1313,7 @@ GitEngine.prototype.fetchCore = function(sourceDestPairs, options) {
     // need to get the parents first. since we order by depth, we know
     // the dependencies are there already
     var parents = parentIDs.map(function(parentID) {
-      return this.refs[parentID];
+      return this.resolveID(parentID);
     }, this);
     return this.makeCommit(parents, id);
   }.bind(this);
@@ -1345,7 +1345,7 @@ GitEngine.prototype.fetchCore = function(sourceDestPairs, options) {
 
     chain = chain.then(function() {
       return this.animationFactory.playHighlightPromiseAnimation(
-        this.origin.refs[commitJSON.id],
+        this.origin.resolveID(commitJSON.id),
         localBranch
       );
     }.bind(this));
@@ -1361,7 +1361,7 @@ GitEngine.prototype.fetchCore = function(sourceDestPairs, options) {
   chain = chain.then(function() {
     // update all the destinations
     sourceDestPairs.forEach(function (pair) {
-      var ours = this.refs[pair.destination];
+      var ours = this.resolveID(pair.destination);
       var theirCommitID = this.origin.getCommitFromRef(pair.source).get('id');
       // by definition we just made the commit with this id,
       // so we can grab it now