diff --git a/builtin/clone.c b/builtin/clone.c
index a0841923cf..70f9450db4 100644
--- a/builtin/clone.c
+++ b/builtin/clone.c
@@ -1264,7 +1264,7 @@ int cmd_clone(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	if (!option_no_tags)
 		strvec_push(&ref_prefixes, "refs/tags/");
 
-	refs = transport_get_remote_refs(transport, &ref_prefixes);
+	refs = transport_get_remote_refs(transport, &ref_prefixes, NULL);
 
 	if (refs) {
 		int hash_algo = hash_algo_by_ptr(transport_get_hash_algo(transport));
diff --git a/builtin/fetch-pack.c b/builtin/fetch-pack.c
index 58b7c1fbdc..9f921dfab4 100644
--- a/builtin/fetch-pack.c
+++ b/builtin/fetch-pack.c
@@ -220,7 +220,8 @@ int cmd_fetch_pack(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	version = discover_version(&reader);
 	switch (version) {
 	case protocol_v2:
-		get_remote_refs(fd[1], &reader, &ref, 0, NULL, NULL, args.stateless_rpc);
+		get_remote_refs(fd[1], &reader, &ref, 0, NULL, NULL,
+				args.stateless_rpc, NULL);
 		break;
 	case protocol_v1:
 	case protocol_v0:
diff --git a/builtin/fetch.c b/builtin/fetch.c
index ecf8537605..a7ef59acfc 100644
--- a/builtin/fetch.c
+++ b/builtin/fetch.c
@@ -1393,7 +1393,7 @@ static int do_fetch(struct transport *transport,
 
 	if (must_list_refs) {
 		trace2_region_enter("fetch", "remote_refs", the_repository);
-		remote_refs = transport_get_remote_refs(transport, &ref_prefixes);
+		remote_refs = transport_get_remote_refs(transport, &ref_prefixes, NULL);
 		trace2_region_leave("fetch", "remote_refs", the_repository);
 	} else
 		remote_refs = NULL;
diff --git a/builtin/ls-remote.c b/builtin/ls-remote.c
index 092917eca2..4cf3f60b1b 100644
--- a/builtin/ls-remote.c
+++ b/builtin/ls-remote.c
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ int cmd_ls_remote(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	if (server_options.nr)
 		transport->server_options = &server_options;
 
-	ref = transport_get_remote_refs(transport, &ref_prefixes);
+	ref = transport_get_remote_refs(transport, &ref_prefixes, NULL);
 	if (ref) {
 		int hash_algo = hash_algo_by_ptr(transport_get_hash_algo(transport));
 		repo_set_hash_algo(the_repository, hash_algo);
diff --git a/builtin/remote.c b/builtin/remote.c
index d11a5589e4..9a547240ab 100644
--- a/builtin/remote.c
+++ b/builtin/remote.c
@@ -950,7 +950,7 @@ static int get_remote_ref_states(const char *name,
 	if (query) {
 		transport = transport_get(states->remote, states->remote->url_nr > 0 ?
 			states->remote->url[0] : NULL);
-		remote_refs = transport_get_remote_refs(transport, NULL);
+		remote_refs = transport_get_remote_refs(transport, NULL, NULL);
 		transport_disconnect(transport);
 
 		states->queried = 1;
diff --git a/connect.c b/connect.c
index 8b8f56cf6d..99d9052365 100644
--- a/connect.c
+++ b/connect.c
@@ -455,7 +455,8 @@ struct ref **get_remote_refs(int fd_out, struct packet_reader *reader,
 			     struct ref **list, int for_push,
 			     const struct strvec *ref_prefixes,
 			     const struct string_list *server_options,
-			     int stateless_rpc)
+			     int stateless_rpc,
+			     char **unborn_head_target)
 {
 	int i;
 	const char *hash_name;
@@ -496,6 +497,8 @@ struct ref **get_remote_refs(int fd_out, struct packet_reader *reader,
 
 	/* Process response from server */
 	while (packet_reader_read(reader) == PACKET_READ_NORMAL) {
+		if (unborn_head_target)
+			BUG("NEEDSWORK: provide unborn HEAD target to caller while reading refs");
 		if (!process_ref_v2(reader, &list))
 			die(_("invalid ls-refs response: %s"), reader->line);
 	}
diff --git a/remote.h b/remote.h
index 3211abdf05..967f2178d8 100644
--- a/remote.h
+++ b/remote.h
@@ -198,7 +198,8 @@ struct ref **get_remote_refs(int fd_out, struct packet_reader *reader,
 			     struct ref **list, int for_push,
 			     const struct strvec *ref_prefixes,
 			     const struct string_list *server_options,
-			     int stateless_rpc);
+			     int stateless_rpc,
+			     char **unborn_head_target);
 
 int resolve_remote_symref(struct ref *ref, struct ref *list);
 
diff --git a/transport-helper.c b/transport-helper.c
index 5f6e0b3bd8..5d97eba935 100644
--- a/transport-helper.c
+++ b/transport-helper.c
@@ -1162,13 +1162,16 @@ static int has_attribute(const char *attrs, const char *attr)
 }
 
 static struct ref *get_refs_list(struct transport *transport, int for_push,
-				 const struct strvec *ref_prefixes)
+				 const struct strvec *ref_prefixes,
+				 char **unborn_head_target)
 {
 	get_helper(transport);
 
 	if (process_connect(transport, for_push)) {
 		do_take_over(transport);
-		return transport->vtable->get_refs_list(transport, for_push, ref_prefixes);
+		return transport->vtable->get_refs_list(transport, for_push,
+							ref_prefixes,
+							unborn_head_target);
 	}
 
 	return get_refs_list_using_list(transport, for_push);
diff --git a/transport-internal.h b/transport-internal.h
index 27c9daffc4..5037f6197d 100644
--- a/transport-internal.h
+++ b/transport-internal.h
@@ -18,19 +18,16 @@ struct transport_vtable {
 	 * the transport to try to share connections, for_push is a
 	 * hint as to whether the ultimate operation is a push or a fetch.
 	 *
-	 * If communicating using protocol v2 a list of prefixes can be
-	 * provided to be sent to the server to enable it to limit the ref
-	 * advertisement.  Since ref filtering is done on the server's end, and
-	 * only when using protocol v2, this list will be ignored when not
-	 * using protocol v2 meaning this function can return refs which don't
-	 * match the provided ref_prefixes.
-	 *
 	 * If the transport is able to determine the remote hash for
 	 * the ref without a huge amount of effort, it should store it
 	 * in the ref's old_sha1 field; otherwise it should be all 0.
+	 *
+	 * See transport_get_remote_refs() for information on ref_prefixes and
+	 * unborn_head_target.
 	 **/
 	struct ref *(*get_refs_list)(struct transport *transport, int for_push,
-				     const struct strvec *ref_prefixes);
+				     const struct strvec *ref_prefixes,
+				     char **unborn_head_target);
 
 	/**
 	 * Fetch the objects for the given refs. Note that this gets
diff --git a/transport.c b/transport.c
index 679a35e7c1..396a601d78 100644
--- a/transport.c
+++ b/transport.c
@@ -127,7 +127,8 @@ struct bundle_transport_data {
 
 static struct ref *get_refs_from_bundle(struct transport *transport,
 					int for_push,
-					const struct strvec *ref_prefixes)
+					const struct strvec *ref_prefixes,
+					char **unborn_head_target)
 {
 	struct bundle_transport_data *data = transport->data;
 	struct ref *result = NULL;
@@ -163,7 +164,7 @@ static int fetch_refs_from_bundle(struct transport *transport,
 	int ret;
 
 	if (!data->get_refs_from_bundle_called)
-		get_refs_from_bundle(transport, 0, NULL);
+		get_refs_from_bundle(transport, 0, NULL, NULL);
 	ret = unbundle(the_repository, &data->header, data->fd,
 			   transport->progress ? BUNDLE_VERBOSE : 0);
 	transport->hash_algo = data->header.hash_algo;
@@ -281,7 +282,7 @@ static void die_if_server_options(struct transport *transport)
  */
 static struct ref *handshake(struct transport *transport, int for_push,
 			     const struct strvec *ref_prefixes,
-			     int must_list_refs)
+			     int must_list_refs, char **unborn_head_target)
 {
 	struct git_transport_data *data = transport->data;
 	struct ref *refs = NULL;
@@ -305,7 +306,8 @@ static struct ref *handshake(struct transport *transport, int for_push,
 			get_remote_refs(data->fd[1], &reader, &refs, for_push,
 					ref_prefixes,
 					transport->server_options,
-					transport->stateless_rpc);
+					transport->stateless_rpc,
+					unborn_head_target);
 		break;
 	case protocol_v1:
 	case protocol_v0:
@@ -334,9 +336,11 @@ static struct ref *handshake(struct transport *transport, int for_push,
 }
 
 static struct ref *get_refs_via_connect(struct transport *transport, int for_push,
-					const struct strvec *ref_prefixes)
+					const struct strvec *ref_prefixes,
+					char **unborn_head_target)
 {
-	return handshake(transport, for_push, ref_prefixes, 1);
+	return handshake(transport, for_push, ref_prefixes, 1,
+			 unborn_head_target);
 }
 
 static int fetch_refs_via_pack(struct transport *transport,
@@ -380,7 +384,7 @@ static int fetch_refs_via_pack(struct transport *transport,
 				break;
 			}
 		}
-		refs_tmp = handshake(transport, 0, NULL, must_list_refs);
+		refs_tmp = handshake(transport, 0, NULL, must_list_refs, NULL);
 	}
 
 	if (data->version == protocol_unknown_version)
@@ -775,7 +779,7 @@ static int git_transport_push(struct transport *transport, struct ref *remote_re
 		return -1;
 
 	if (!data->got_remote_heads)
-		get_refs_via_connect(transport, 1, NULL);
+		get_refs_via_connect(transport, 1, NULL, NULL);
 
 	memset(&args, 0, sizeof(args));
 	args.send_mirror = !!(flags & TRANSPORT_PUSH_MIRROR);
@@ -1261,7 +1265,8 @@ int transport_push(struct repository *r,
 
 		trace2_region_enter("transport_push", "get_refs_list", r);
 		remote_refs = transport->vtable->get_refs_list(transport, 1,
-							       &ref_prefixes);
+							       &ref_prefixes,
+							       NULL);
 		trace2_region_leave("transport_push", "get_refs_list", r);
 
 		strvec_clear(&ref_prefixes);
@@ -1380,12 +1385,14 @@ int transport_push(struct repository *r,
 }
 
 const struct ref *transport_get_remote_refs(struct transport *transport,
-					    const struct strvec *ref_prefixes)
+					    const struct strvec *ref_prefixes,
+					    char **unborn_head_target)
 {
 	if (!transport->got_remote_refs) {
 		transport->remote_refs =
 			transport->vtable->get_refs_list(transport, 0,
-							 ref_prefixes);
+							 ref_prefixes,
+							 unborn_head_target);
 		transport->got_remote_refs = 1;
 	}
 
diff --git a/transport.h b/transport.h
index 24558c027d..65de0c9c00 100644
--- a/transport.h
+++ b/transport.h
@@ -241,9 +241,14 @@ int transport_push(struct repository *repo,
  * advertisement.  Since ref filtering is done on the server's end (and only
  * when using protocol v2), this can return refs which don't match the provided
  * ref_prefixes.
+ *
+ * If unborn_head_target is not NULL, and the remote reports HEAD as pointing
+ * to an unborn branch, this function stores the unborn branch in
+ * unborn_head_target. It should be freed by the caller.
  */
 const struct ref *transport_get_remote_refs(struct transport *transport,
-					    const struct strvec *ref_prefixes);
+					    const struct strvec *ref_prefixes,
+					    char **unborn_head_target);
 
 /*
  * Fetch the hash algorithm used by a remote.
