diff --git a/sha1_name.c b/sha1_name.c
index 1005f45d75..506e0c92ee 100644
--- a/sha1_name.c
+++ b/sha1_name.c
@@ -1061,35 +1061,36 @@ static void set_shortened_ref(struct strbuf *buf, const char *ref)
 	free(s);
 }
 
-static const char *get_upstream_branch(const char *branch_buf, int len)
-{
-	char *branch = xstrndup(branch_buf, len);
-	struct branch *upstream = branch_get(*branch ? branch : NULL);
-	struct strbuf err = STRBUF_INIT;
-	const char *ret;
-
-	free(branch);
-
-	ret = branch_get_upstream(upstream, &err);
-	if (!ret)
-		die("%s", err.buf);
-
-	return ret;
-}
-
-static int interpret_upstream_mark(const char *name, int namelen,
-				   int at, struct strbuf *buf)
+static int interpret_branch_mark(const char *name, int namelen,
+				 int at, struct strbuf *buf,
+				 int (*get_mark)(const char *, int),
+				 const char *(*get_data)(struct branch *,
+							 struct strbuf *))
 {
 	int len;
+	struct branch *branch;
+	struct strbuf err = STRBUF_INIT;
+	const char *value;
 
-	len = upstream_mark(name + at, namelen - at);
+	len = get_mark(name + at, namelen - at);
 	if (!len)
 		return -1;
 
 	if (memchr(name, ':', at))
 		return -1;
 
-	set_shortened_ref(buf, get_upstream_branch(name, at));
+	if (at) {
+		char *name_str = xmemdupz(name, at);
+		branch = branch_get(name_str);
+		free(name_str);
+	} else
+		branch = branch_get(NULL);
+
+	value = get_data(branch, &err);
+	if (!value)
+		die("%s", err.buf);
+
+	set_shortened_ref(buf, value);
 	return len + at;
 }
 
@@ -1140,7 +1141,8 @@ int interpret_branch_name(const char *name, int namelen, struct strbuf *buf)
 		if (len > 0)
 			return reinterpret(name, namelen, len, buf);
 
-		len = interpret_upstream_mark(name, namelen, at - name, buf);
+		len = interpret_branch_mark(name, namelen, at - name, buf,
+					    upstream_mark, branch_get_upstream);
 		if (len > 0)
 			return len;
 	}