diff --git a/git/api/commit.go b/git/api/commit.go
index de2e02e66..76e493797 100644
--- a/git/api/commit.go
+++ b/git/api/commit.go
@@ -188,8 +188,10 @@ func (g *Git) listCommitSHAs(
 	}
 	output := &bytes.Buffer{}
 	err := cmd.Run(ctx, command.WithDir(repoPath), command.WithStdout(output))
-	if err != nil {
-		// TODO: handle error in case they don't have a common merge base!
+	if cErr := command.AsError(err); cErr != nil {
+		if cErr.IsExitCode(128) && cErr.IsAmbiguousArgErr() {
+			return nil, errors.NotFound("reference %q is ambiguous", ref)
+		}
 		return nil, processGitErrorf(err, "failed to trigger rev-list command")
 	}
 
@@ -563,7 +565,7 @@ func (g *Git) GetFullCommitID(
 	output := &bytes.Buffer{}
 	err := cmd.Run(ctx, command.WithDir(repoPath), command.WithStdout(output))
 	if err != nil {
-		if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "exit status 128") {
+		if command.AsError(err).IsExitCode(128) {
 			return sha.None, errors.NotFound("commit not found %s", shortID)
 		}
 		return sha.None, err
diff --git a/git/api/ref.go b/git/api/ref.go
index 8d0a0f015..a3a6f25f2 100644
--- a/git/api/ref.go
+++ b/git/api/ref.go
@@ -236,8 +236,8 @@ func (g *Git) GetRef(
 	)
 	output := &bytes.Buffer{}
 	err := cmd.Run(ctx, command.WithDir(repoPath), command.WithStdout(output))
-	if err != nil {
-		if command.AsError(err).IsExitCode(128) && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "not a valid ref") {
+	if cErr := command.AsError(err); cErr != nil {
+		if cErr.IsExitCode(128) && cErr.IsInvalidRefErr() {
 			return sha.None, errors.NotFound("reference %q not found", ref)
 		}
 		return sha.None, err
diff --git a/git/api/rev.go b/git/api/rev.go
index 4c2ac9810..3510446ce 100644
--- a/git/api/rev.go
+++ b/git/api/rev.go
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
-	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/harness/gitness/errors"
 	"github.com/harness/gitness/git/command"
@@ -33,7 +32,7 @@ func (g *Git) ResolveRev(ctx context.Context,
 	output := &bytes.Buffer{}
 	err := cmd.Run(ctx, command.WithDir(repoPath), command.WithStdout(output))
 	if err != nil {
-		if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "ambiguous argument") {
+		if command.AsError(err).IsAmbiguousArgErr() {
 			return sha.None, errors.InvalidArgument("could not resolve git revision: %s", rev)
 		}
 		return sha.None, fmt.Errorf("failed to resolve git revision: %w", err)
diff --git a/git/command/error.go b/git/command/error.go
index 44aa0db00..bb424af64 100644
--- a/git/command/error.go
+++ b/git/command/error.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"os/exec"
+	"strings"
 )
 
 var (
@@ -52,6 +53,14 @@ func (e *Error) IsExitCode(code int) bool {
 	return e.ExitCode() == code
 }
 
+func (e *Error) IsAmbiguousArgErr() bool {
+	return strings.Contains(e.Error(), "ambiguous argument")
+}
+
+func (e *Error) IsInvalidRefErr() bool {
+	return strings.Contains(e.Error(), "not a valid ref")
+}
+
 func (e *Error) Error() string {
 	if len(e.StdErr) != 0 {
 		return fmt.Sprintf("%s: %s", e.Err.Error(), e.StdErr)
diff --git a/git/hook/refupdate.go b/git/hook/refupdate.go
index ad6082c0f..65dd07f3a 100644
--- a/git/hook/refupdate.go
+++ b/git/hook/refupdate.go
@@ -290,8 +290,8 @@ func (u *RefUpdater) getRef(ctx context.Context) (sha.SHA, error) {
 	)
 	output := &bytes.Buffer{}
 	err := cmd.Run(ctx, command.WithDir(u.repoPath), command.WithStdout(output))
-	if err != nil {
-		if command.AsError(err).IsExitCode(128) && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "not a valid ref") {
+	if cErr := command.AsError(err); cErr != nil {
+		if cErr.IsExitCode(128) && cErr.IsInvalidRefErr() {
 			return sha.None, errors.NotFound("reference %q not found", u.ref)
 		}
 		return sha.None, err
diff --git a/git/push_remote.go b/git/push_remote.go
index 3dd72063f..23eabfc1f 100644
--- a/git/push_remote.go
+++ b/git/push_remote.go
@@ -48,14 +48,15 @@ func (s *Service) PushRemote(ctx context.Context, params *PushRemoteParams) erro
 	}
 
 	repoPath := getFullPathForRepo(s.reposRoot, params.RepoUID)
-	if ok, err := s.git.HasBranches(ctx, repoPath); ok {
-		if err != nil {
-			return errors.Internal(err, "push to repo failed")
-		}
+	isEmpty, err := s.git.HasBranches(ctx, repoPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return errors.Internal(err, "push to repo failed")
+	}
+	if isEmpty {
 		return errors.InvalidArgument("cannot push empty repo")
 	}
 
-	err := s.git.Push(ctx, repoPath, api.PushOptions{
+	err = s.git.Push(ctx, repoPath, api.PushOptions{
 		Remote: params.RemoteURL,
 		Force:  false,
 		Env:    nil,
diff --git a/git/sharedrepo/sharedrepo.go b/git/sharedrepo/sharedrepo.go
index 8b3d22252..333e4413c 100644
--- a/git/sharedrepo/sharedrepo.go
+++ b/git/sharedrepo/sharedrepo.go
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ func (r *SharedRepo) GetTreeSHA(
 		command.WithStdout(stdout),
 	)
 	if err != nil {
-		if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "ambiguous argument") {
+		if command.AsError(err).IsAmbiguousArgErr() {
 			return sha.None, errors.NotFound("could not resolve git revision %q", rev)
 		}
 		return sha.None, fmt.Errorf("failed to get tree sha: %w", err)