diff --git a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/history/browser/LowLevelAccessImpl.java b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/history/browser/LowLevelAccessImpl.java
index 3e04c9d90eb2..3a0f2ed4b703 100644
--- a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/history/browser/LowLevelAccessImpl.java
+++ b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/history/browser/LowLevelAccessImpl.java
@@ -120,8 +120,8 @@ public class LowLevelAccessImpl implements LowLevelAccess {
     refs.setCurrent(current);
     if (current != null) {
       GitBranch tracked = current.tracked(myProject, myRoot);
-      String fullName = tracked.getFullName();
-      fullName = fullName.startsWith(GitBranch.REFS_REMOTES_PREFIX) ? fullName.substring(GitBranch.REFS_REMOTES_PREFIX.length()) : fullName;
+      String fullName = tracked == null ? null : tracked.getFullName();
+      fullName = fullName != null && fullName.startsWith(GitBranch.REFS_REMOTES_PREFIX) ? fullName.substring(GitBranch.REFS_REMOTES_PREFIX.length()) : fullName;
       refs.setTrackedRemote(fullName);
     }
     refs.setUsername(GitConfigUtil.getValue(myProject, myRoot, GitConfigUtil.USER_NAME));