diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index 224ff66c7b..a2fd42364f 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -739,102 +739,6 @@ long get_files_ref_lock_timeout_ms(void)
 	return timeout_ms;
 }
 
-static int write_pseudoref(const char *pseudoref, const struct object_id *oid,
-			   const struct object_id *old_oid, struct strbuf *err)
-{
-	const char *filename;
-	int fd;
-	struct lock_file lock = LOCK_INIT;
-	struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
-	int ret = -1;
-
-	if (!oid)
-		return 0;
-
-	strbuf_addf(&buf, "%s\n", oid_to_hex(oid));
-
-	filename = git_path("%s", pseudoref);
-	fd = hold_lock_file_for_update_timeout(&lock, filename, 0,
-					       get_files_ref_lock_timeout_ms());
-	if (fd < 0) {
-		strbuf_addf(err, _("could not open '%s' for writing: %s"),
-			    filename, strerror(errno));
-		goto done;
-	}
-
-	if (old_oid) {
-		struct object_id actual_old_oid;
-
-		if (read_ref(pseudoref, &actual_old_oid)) {
-			if (!is_null_oid(old_oid)) {
-				strbuf_addf(err, _("could not read ref '%s'"),
-					    pseudoref);
-				rollback_lock_file(&lock);
-				goto done;
-			}
-		} else if (is_null_oid(old_oid)) {
-			strbuf_addf(err, _("ref '%s' already exists"),
-				    pseudoref);
-			rollback_lock_file(&lock);
-			goto done;
-		} else if (!oideq(&actual_old_oid, old_oid)) {
-			strbuf_addf(err, _("unexpected object ID when writing '%s'"),
-				    pseudoref);
-			rollback_lock_file(&lock);
-			goto done;
-		}
-	}
-
-	if (write_in_full(fd, buf.buf, buf.len) < 0) {
-		strbuf_addf(err, _("could not write to '%s'"), filename);
-		rollback_lock_file(&lock);
-		goto done;
-	}
-
-	commit_lock_file(&lock);
-	ret = 0;
-done:
-	strbuf_release(&buf);
-	return ret;
-}
-
-static int delete_pseudoref(const char *pseudoref, const struct object_id *old_oid)
-{
-	const char *filename;
-
-	filename = git_path("%s", pseudoref);
-
-	if (old_oid && !is_null_oid(old_oid)) {
-		struct lock_file lock = LOCK_INIT;
-		int fd;
-		struct object_id actual_old_oid;
-
-		fd = hold_lock_file_for_update_timeout(
-				&lock, filename, 0,
-				get_files_ref_lock_timeout_ms());
-		if (fd < 0) {
-			error_errno(_("could not open '%s' for writing"),
-				    filename);
-			return -1;
-		}
-		if (read_ref(pseudoref, &actual_old_oid))
-			die(_("could not read ref '%s'"), pseudoref);
-		if (!oideq(&actual_old_oid, old_oid)) {
-			error(_("unexpected object ID when deleting '%s'"),
-			      pseudoref);
-			rollback_lock_file(&lock);
-			return -1;
-		}
-
-		unlink(filename);
-		rollback_lock_file(&lock);
-	} else {
-		unlink(filename);
-	}
-
-	return 0;
-}
-
 int refs_delete_ref(struct ref_store *refs, const char *msg,
 		    const char *refname,
 		    const struct object_id *old_oid,
@@ -843,11 +747,6 @@ int refs_delete_ref(struct ref_store *refs, const char *msg,
 	struct ref_transaction *transaction;
 	struct strbuf err = STRBUF_INIT;
 
-	if (ref_type(refname) == REF_TYPE_PSEUDOREF) {
-		assert(refs == get_main_ref_store(the_repository));
-		return delete_pseudoref(refname, old_oid);
-	}
-
 	transaction = ref_store_transaction_begin(refs, &err);
 	if (!transaction ||
 	    ref_transaction_delete(transaction, refname, old_oid,
@@ -1170,18 +1069,13 @@ int refs_update_ref(struct ref_store *refs, const char *msg,
 	struct strbuf err = STRBUF_INIT;
 	int ret = 0;
 
-	if (ref_type(refname) == REF_TYPE_PSEUDOREF) {
-		assert(refs == get_main_ref_store(the_repository));
-		ret = write_pseudoref(refname, new_oid, old_oid, &err);
-	} else {
-		t = ref_store_transaction_begin(refs, &err);
-		if (!t ||
-		    ref_transaction_update(t, refname, new_oid, old_oid,
-					   flags, msg, &err) ||
-		    ref_transaction_commit(t, &err)) {
-			ret = 1;
-			ref_transaction_free(t);
-		}
+	t = ref_store_transaction_begin(refs, &err);
+	if (!t ||
+	    ref_transaction_update(t, refname, new_oid, old_oid, flags, msg,
+				   &err) ||
+	    ref_transaction_commit(t, &err)) {
+		ret = 1;
+		ref_transaction_free(t);
 	}
 	if (ret) {
 		const char *str = _("update_ref failed for ref '%s': %s");
diff --git a/refs/files-backend.c b/refs/files-backend.c
index 6516c7bc8c..9951c2e403 100644
--- a/refs/files-backend.c
+++ b/refs/files-backend.c
@@ -1228,7 +1228,6 @@ static int files_delete_refs(struct ref_store *ref_store, const char *msg,
 
 	for (i = 0; i < refnames->nr; i++) {
 		const char *refname = refnames->items[i].string;
-
 		if (refs_delete_ref(&refs->base, msg, refname, NULL, flags))
 			result |= error(_("could not remove reference %s"), refname);
 	}
@@ -2436,7 +2435,9 @@ static int lock_ref_for_update(struct files_ref_store *refs,
 	update->backend_data = lock;
 
 	if (update->type & REF_ISSYMREF) {
-		if (update->flags & REF_NO_DEREF) {
+		if (update->flags & REF_NO_DEREF ||
+		    (ref_type(update->refname) == REF_TYPE_PSEUDOREF &&
+		     strcmp(update->refname, "HEAD"))) {
 			/*
 			 * We won't be reading the referent as part of
 			 * the transaction, so we have to read it here
@@ -2782,8 +2783,10 @@ static int files_transaction_finish(struct ref_store *ref_store,
 		struct ref_update *update = transaction->updates[i];
 		struct ref_lock *lock = update->backend_data;
 
-		if (update->flags & REF_NEEDS_COMMIT ||
-		    update->flags & REF_LOG_ONLY) {
+		if ((ref_type(lock->ref_name) != REF_TYPE_PSEUDOREF ||
+		     !strcmp(lock->ref_name, "HEAD")) &&
+		    (update->flags & REF_NEEDS_COMMIT ||
+		     update->flags & REF_LOG_ONLY)) {
 			if (files_log_ref_write(refs,
 						lock->ref_name,
 						&lock->old_oid,
diff --git a/t/t1400-update-ref.sh b/t/t1400-update-ref.sh
index 27171f8261..6b8030e8fe 100755
--- a/t/t1400-update-ref.sh
+++ b/t/t1400-update-ref.sh
@@ -476,7 +476,7 @@ test_expect_success 'git cat-file blob master@{2005-05-26 23:42}:F (expect OTHER
 test_expect_success 'given old value for missing pseudoref, do not create' '
 	test_must_fail git update-ref PSEUDOREF $A $B 2>err &&
 	test_path_is_missing .git/PSEUDOREF &&
-	test_i18ngrep "could not read ref" err
+	test_i18ngrep "unable to resolve reference" err
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'create pseudoref' '
@@ -497,7 +497,7 @@ test_expect_success 'overwrite pseudoref with correct old value' '
 test_expect_success 'do not overwrite pseudoref with wrong old value' '
 	test_must_fail git update-ref PSEUDOREF $D $E 2>err &&
 	test $C = $(cat .git/PSEUDOREF) &&
-	test_i18ngrep "unexpected object ID" err
+	test_i18ngrep "cannot lock ref.*expected" err
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'delete pseudoref' '
@@ -509,7 +509,7 @@ test_expect_success 'do not delete pseudoref with wrong old value' '
 	git update-ref PSEUDOREF $A &&
 	test_must_fail git update-ref -d PSEUDOREF $B 2>err &&
 	test $A = $(cat .git/PSEUDOREF) &&
-	test_i18ngrep "unexpected object ID" err
+	test_i18ngrep "cannot lock ref.*expected" err
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'delete pseudoref with correct old value' '
