diff --git a/project.py b/project.py
index b973085..7fd17ed 100644
--- a/project.py
+++ b/project.py
@@ -1101,12 +1101,14 @@
     gitcmd = GitCommand(self, cmd, bare=True)
     ret = gitcmd.Wait()
 
-  def _CreateRemoteBranch(self, branch, revid):
-    remote = self.GetRemote(self.remote.name)
+  def _CreateLocalMergeBranch(self, branch, revid):
+    if not branch and not ID_RE.match(revid):
+      return
+    ref = os.path.join(self.gitdir, branch)
+    if os.path.exists(ref): return
     try:
-      self.work_git.rev_parse(remote.ToLocal(branch))
+      self.work_git.rev_parse(branch)
     except GitError:
-      ref = os.path.join(self.gitdir, remote.ToLocal(branch))
       try:
         os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(ref))
       except OSError:
@@ -1482,6 +1484,9 @@
     branch.merge = branch_merge
     if not branch.merge.startswith('refs/') and not ID_RE.match(branch_merge):
       branch.merge = R_HEADS + branch_merge
+    '''make sure local merge branch exists'''
+    self._CreateLocalMergeBranch(branch.LocalMerge, self.revisionExpr)
+
     revid = self.GetRevisionId(all_refs)
 
     if head.startswith(R_HEADS):
@@ -1855,8 +1860,6 @@
 
       if is_sha1 or tag_name is not None:
         if self._CheckForSha1():
-          if self.upstream:          
-            self._CreateRemoteBranch(self.upstream, self.revisionExpr)
           return True
       if is_sha1 and not depth:
         # When syncing a specific commit and --depth is not set: