diff --git a/spec/create.js b/spec/create.js
index 4e9fa7d0..147f393d 100644
--- a/spec/create.js
+++ b/spec/create.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 var TreeCompare = require('../src/js/git/treeCompare').TreeCompare;
 var HeadlessGit = require('../src/js/git/headless').HeadlessGit;
 
+var fs = require('fs');
 prompt = require('prompt');
 
 prompt.start();
diff --git a/spec/remote.spec.js b/spec/remote.spec.js
index c9270a3a..03f5ffc4 100644
--- a/spec/remote.spec.js
+++ b/spec/remote.spec.js
@@ -283,5 +283,19 @@ describe('Git Remotes', function() {
     );
   });
 
+  it('correctly resolves source during git fetch with params', function() {
+    expectTreeAsync(
+      'git clone; git push master:foo; git fakeTeamwork foo 2; git fetch origin foo^:blah',
+      '{"branches":{"master":{"target":"C1","id":"master","remoteTrackingBranchID":"o/master"},"o/master":{"target":"C1","id":"o/master","remoteTrackingBranchID":null},"o/foo":{"target":"C1","id":"o/foo","remoteTrackingBranchID":null},"blah":{"target":"C2","id":"blah","remoteTrackingBranchID":null}},"commits":{"C0":{"parents":[],"id":"C0","rootCommit":true},"C1":{"parents":["C0"],"id":"C1"},"C2":{"parents":["C1"],"id":"C2"}},"HEAD":{"target":"master","id":"HEAD"},"originTree":{"branches":{"master":{"target":"C1","id":"master","remoteTrackingBranchID":null},"foo":{"target":"C3","id":"foo","remoteTrackingBranchID":null}},"commits":{"C0":{"parents":[],"id":"C0","rootCommit":true},"C1":{"parents":["C0"],"id":"C1"},"C2":{"parents":["C1"],"id":"C2"},"C3":{"parents":["C2"],"id":"C3"}},"HEAD":{"target":"foo","id":"HEAD"}}}'
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('correctly makes a new branch during fetch despite nothing to download', function() {
+    expectTreeAsync(
+      'git clone; git push master:foo',
+      '{"branches":{"master":{"target":"C1","id":"master","remoteTrackingBranchID":"o/master"},"o/master":{"target":"C1","id":"o/master","remoteTrackingBranchID":null},"o/foo":{"target":"C1","id":"o/foo","remoteTrackingBranchID":null}},"commits":{"C0":{"parents":[],"id":"C0","rootCommit":true},"C1":{"parents":["C0"],"id":"C1"}},"HEAD":{"target":"master","id":"HEAD"},"originTree":{"branches":{"master":{"target":"C1","id":"master","remoteTrackingBranchID":null},"foo":{"target":"C1","id":"foo","remoteTrackingBranchID":null}},"commits":{"C0":{"parents":[],"id":"C0","rootCommit":true},"C1":{"parents":["C0"],"id":"C1"}},"HEAD":{"target":"master","id":"HEAD"}}}'
+    );
+  });
+
 });
 
diff --git a/src/js/git/index.js b/src/js/git/index.js
index dbab5892..9832421d 100644
--- a/src/js/git/index.js
+++ b/src/js/git/index.js
@@ -1135,17 +1135,13 @@ GitEngine.prototype.fetchCore = function(sourceDestPairs, options) {
   commitsToMake = this.getUniqueObjects(commitsToMake);
   commitsToMake = this.descendSortDepth(commitsToMake);
 
-  if (commitsToMake.length === 0) {
-    this.command.addWarning(intl.str(
-      'git-error-origin-fetch-uptodate'
-    ));
-    // no fetch needed...
-    var d = Q.defer();
-    return {
-      deferred: d,
-      chain: d.promise
-    };
-  }
+  // now here is the tricky part -- the difference between local master
+  // and remote master might be commits C2, C3, and C4, but we
+  // might already have those commits. In this case, we dont need to
+  // make them, so filter these out
+  commitsToMake = _.filter(commitsToMake, function(commitJSON) {
+    return !this.refs[commitJSON.id];
+  }, this);
 
   var makeCommit = _.bind(function(id, parentIDs) {
     // need to get the parents first. since we order by depth, we know