diff --git a/scripts/pgit.sh b/scripts/pgit.sh
index d6bf5cd0..f4d364ef 100644
--- a/scripts/pgit.sh
+++ b/scripts/pgit.sh
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ cmd_clone()
 	local jw_projects="/usr/bin/python3 $thisdir/jw-pkg.py"
 	local create_remote_user_repos=false
 	local long_opts="create-remote-user-repos"
-	local refspec=()
+	local refspec_arg refspec=()
 	long_opts="$long_opts,refspec:"
 	local login="$whoami"
 	[ "$remote_user" ] && login="$remote_user"
@@ -138,7 +138,8 @@ cmd_clone()
 			create_remote_user_repos=true
 			;;
 		--refspec)
-			refspec=(${2//:/ })
+			refspec_arg="$2"
+			refspec=(${refspec_arg//:/ })
 			shift
 			;;
 		*)
@@ -177,10 +178,15 @@ cmd_clone()
 		cur=`expr $cur + 1`
 		local pullurl=$remote_base/$fromuser$remote_subpath/$project_name
 		local pushurl=$remote_base/$login$remote_subpath/$project_name
-		local curref=""
 		fat_marker "Fetching project $project_name from user $fromuser"
 		local remotename="jw-$fromuser"
-		[ "$fromuser" = "$login" ] && remotename="origin"
+		if [ "$fromuser" = "$login" ]; then
+			remotename="origin"
+		fi
+		local curref=$(git -C $project_dir rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)
+		[ "$toref" = "current-branch" ] && toref=$curref
+		[ "$fromref" = "current-branch" ] && fromref=$curref
+		[ "$refspec_arg" != "$fromuser:$fromref:$toref" ] && log "Fetching $fromuser:$fromref:$toref ($refspec_arg)"
 		if [ -d $project_dir ]; then
 			run_git -C $project_dir remote | grep -q "^$remotename$" || {
 				run_git -C $project_dir remote add $remotename $pullurl