diff --git a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/merge/GitMergeUtil.java b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/merge/GitMergeUtil.java
index 568102bb9e19..fd922b294bb4 100644
--- a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/merge/GitMergeUtil.java
+++ b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/merge/GitMergeUtil.java
@@ -184,8 +184,8 @@ public class GitMergeUtil {
 
   /**
    * @return true if merge is going on for the given git root, false if there is no merge operation in progress.
-   * @deprecated
    */
+  @Deprecated
   public static boolean isMergeInProgress(@NotNull VirtualFile root) {
     return getMergeHead(root) != null;
   }
diff --git a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/rebase/GitRebaseUtils.java b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/rebase/GitRebaseUtils.java
index b29d29424cef..6afa4b40bc0c 100644
--- a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/rebase/GitRebaseUtils.java
+++ b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/rebase/GitRebaseUtils.java
@@ -48,8 +48,8 @@ public class GitRebaseUtils {
    *
    * @param root the git root
    * @return true if the rebase directory presents in the root
-   * @deprecated
    */
+  @Deprecated
   public static boolean isRebaseInTheProgress(VirtualFile root) {
     return getRebaseDir(root) != null;
   }
diff --git a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/repo/GitRepository.java b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/repo/GitRepository.java
index 5b3c8e6f6973..a793d9e30a6c 100644
--- a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/repo/GitRepository.java
+++ b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/repo/GitRepository.java
@@ -174,11 +174,11 @@ public final class GitRepository implements Disposable {
     myProject = project;
     Disposer.register(parentDisposable, this);
     
-    myReader = new GitRepositoryReader(this);
-    
     myGitDir = myRootDir.findChild(".git");
     assert myGitDir != null : ".git directory wasn't found under " + rootDir.getPresentableUrl();
     
+    myReader = new GitRepositoryReader(VfsUtil.virtualToIoFile(myGitDir));
+    
     myUntrackedFilesHolder = new GitUntrackedFilesHolder(rootDir, project);
     Disposer.register(this, myUntrackedFilesHolder);
 
diff --git a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/repo/GitRepositoryReader.java b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/repo/GitRepositoryReader.java
index 2ac47ee239b1..79d1c52e8fe9 100644
--- a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/repo/GitRepositoryReader.java
+++ b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/repo/GitRepositoryReader.java
@@ -17,15 +17,12 @@ package git4idea.repo;
 
 import com.intellij.openapi.diagnostic.Logger;
 import com.intellij.openapi.util.io.FileUtil;
-import com.intellij.openapi.vfs.VfsUtil;
 import com.intellij.openapi.vfs.VirtualFile;
 import com.intellij.openapi.vfs.encoding.EncodingManager;
 import com.intellij.util.Processor;
 import com.intellij.vcsUtil.VcsUtil;
 import git4idea.GitBranch;
 import git4idea.branch.GitBranchesCollection;
-import git4idea.merge.GitMergeUtil;
-import git4idea.rebase.GitRebaseUtils;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.Nullable;
 
@@ -64,19 +61,17 @@ class GitRepositoryReader {
   private static final String REFS_REMOTES_PREFIX = "refs/remotes/";
   private static final int    IO_RETRIES        = 3; // number of retries before fail if an IOException happens during file read.
 
-  private final GitRepository myRepository;
   private final File          myGitDir;         // .git/
   private final File          myHeadFile;       // .git/HEAD
   private final File          myRefsHeadsDir;   // .git/refs/heads/
   private final File          myRefsRemotesDir; // .git/refs/remotes/
   private final File          myPackedRefsFile; // .git/packed-refs
 
-  GitRepositoryReader(@NotNull GitRepository repository) {
-    myRepository = repository;
-    myGitDir = new File(VfsUtil.virtualToIoFile(myRepository.getRoot()), ".git");
-    assertFileExists(myGitDir, ".git directory not found in " + myRepository.getRoot());
+  GitRepositoryReader(@NotNull File gitDir) {
+    myGitDir = gitDir;
+    assertFileExists(myGitDir, ".git directory not found in " + gitDir);
     myHeadFile = new File(myGitDir, "HEAD");
-    assertFileExists(myHeadFile, ".git/HEAD file not found in " + myRepository.getRoot());
+    assertFileExists(myHeadFile, ".git/HEAD file not found in " + gitDir);
     myRefsHeadsDir = new File(new File(myGitDir, "refs"), "heads");
     myRefsRemotesDir = new File(new File(myGitDir, "refs"), "remotes");
     myPackedRefsFile = new File(myGitDir, "packed-refs");
@@ -166,11 +161,17 @@ class GitRepositoryReader {
   }
   
   private boolean isMergeInProgress() {
-    return GitMergeUtil.isMergeInProgress(myRepository.getRoot());
+    File mergeHead = new File(myGitDir, "MERGE_HEAD");
+    return mergeHead.exists();
   }
 
   private boolean isRebaseInProgress() {
-    return GitRebaseUtils.isRebaseInTheProgress(myRepository.getRoot());
+    File f = new File(myGitDir, "rebase-apply");
+    if (f.exists()) {
+      return true;
+    }
+    f = new File(myGitDir, "rebase-merge");
+    return f.exists();
   }
 
   /**