diff --git a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/branch/GitBranchWorker.java b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/branch/GitBranchWorker.java
index 2d6676b941be..d33261eeb2ac 100644
--- a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/branch/GitBranchWorker.java
+++ b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/branch/GitBranchWorker.java
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ public final class GitBranchWorker {
   public void createNewTag(@NotNull final String name, @NotNull final String reference, @NotNull final List<GitRepository> repositories) {
     for (GitRepository repository : repositories) {
       myGit.createNewTag(repository, name, null, reference);
-      repository.getRepositoryFiles().refresh(false);
+      repository.getRepositoryFiles().refresh();
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/repo/GitRepositoryFiles.java b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/repo/GitRepositoryFiles.java
index 017d47c2889c..0b7d62f4b6de 100644
--- a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/repo/GitRepositoryFiles.java
+++ b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/repo/GitRepositoryFiles.java
@@ -308,8 +308,24 @@ public class GitRepositoryFiles {
     return path.equals(myExcludePath);
   }
 
-  public void refresh(boolean async) {
-    VfsUtil.markDirtyAndRefresh(async, true, false, myMainDir, myWorktreeDir);
+  /**
+   * Refresh all .git repository files asynchronously and recursively.
+   *
+   * @see #refreshNonTrackedData() if you need the "main" data (branches, HEAD, etc.) to be updated synchronously.
+   */
+  public void refresh() {
+    VfsUtil.markDirtyAndRefresh(true, true, false, myMainDir, myWorktreeDir);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Refresh that part of .git repository files, which is not covered by {@link GitRepository#update()}, e.g. the {@code refs/tags/} dir.
+   *
+   * The call to this method should be probably be done together with a call to update(): thus all information will be updated,
+   * but some of it will be updated synchronously, the rest - asynchronously.
+   */
+  public void refreshNonTrackedData() {
+    VirtualFile tagsDir = LocalFileSystem.getInstance().refreshAndFindFileByPath(myRefsTagsPath);
+    VfsUtil.markDirtyAndRefresh(true, true, false, tagsDir);
   }
 
   @NotNull
diff --git a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/ui/GitTagDialog.java b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/ui/GitTagDialog.java
index 441f3b5216d6..2572a7704b41 100644
--- a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/ui/GitTagDialog.java
+++ b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/ui/GitTagDialog.java
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ public class GitTagDialog extends DialogWrapper {
 
       GitRepository repository = GitUtil.getRepositoryManager(myProject).getRepositoryForRoot(getGitRoot());
       if (repository != null) {
-        repository.getRepositoryFiles().refresh(true);
+        repository.getRepositoryFiles().refresh();
       }
       else {
         LOG.error("No repository registered for root: " + getGitRoot());
diff --git a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/update/GitFetcher.java b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/update/GitFetcher.java
index 131cfbdbbc24..a684f760c4a0 100644
--- a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/update/GitFetcher.java
+++ b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/update/GitFetcher.java
@@ -81,7 +81,8 @@ public class GitFetcher {
   public GitFetchResult fetch(@NotNull GitRepository repository) {
     // TODO need to have a fair compound result here
     GitFetchResult fetchResult = myFetchAll ? fetchAll(repository) : fetchCurrentRemote(repository);
-    repository.getRepositoryFiles().refresh(false);
+    repository.update();
+    repository.getRepositoryFiles().refreshNonTrackedData();
     return fetchResult;
   }