diff --git a/src/__phutil_library_map__.php b/src/__phutil_library_map__.php
--- a/src/__phutil_library_map__.php
+++ b/src/__phutil_library_map__.php
@@ -104,6 +104,8 @@
     'ArcanistCommentStyleXHPASTLinterRuleTestCase' => 'lint/linter/xhpast/rules/__tests__/ArcanistCommentStyleXHPASTLinterRuleTestCase.php',
     'ArcanistCommitRef' => 'ref/ArcanistCommitRef.php',
     'ArcanistCommitRefInspector' => 'inspector/ArcanistCommitRefInspector.php',
+    'ArcanistCommitSymbolRef' => 'ref/commitsymbol/ArcanistCommitSymbolRef.php',
+    'ArcanistCommitSymbolRefInspector' => 'ref/commitsymbol/ArcanistCommitSymbolRefInspector.php',
     'ArcanistCommitUpstreamHardpointQuery' => 'query/ArcanistCommitUpstreamHardpointQuery.php',
     'ArcanistCommitWorkflow' => 'workflow/ArcanistCommitWorkflow.php',
     'ArcanistCompilerLintRenderer' => 'lint/renderer/ArcanistCompilerLintRenderer.php',
@@ -206,6 +208,7 @@
     'ArcanistGetConfigWorkflow' => 'workflow/ArcanistGetConfigWorkflow.php',
     'ArcanistGitAPI' => 'repository/api/ArcanistGitAPI.php',
     'ArcanistGitCommitMessageHardpointQuery' => 'query/ArcanistGitCommitMessageHardpointQuery.php',
+    'ArcanistGitCommitSymbolCommitHardpointQuery' => 'ref/commitsymbol/ArcanistGitCommitSymbolCommitHardpointQuery.php',
     'ArcanistGitLandEngine' => 'land/ArcanistGitLandEngine.php',
     'ArcanistGitUpstreamPath' => 'repository/api/ArcanistGitUpstreamPath.php',
     'ArcanistGitWorkingCopy' => 'workingcopy/ArcanistGitWorkingCopy.php',
@@ -1066,6 +1069,8 @@
     'ArcanistCommentStyleXHPASTLinterRuleTestCase' => 'ArcanistXHPASTLinterRuleTestCase',
     'ArcanistCommitRef' => 'ArcanistRef',
     'ArcanistCommitRefInspector' => 'ArcanistRefInspector',
+    'ArcanistCommitSymbolRef' => 'ArcanistRef',
+    'ArcanistCommitSymbolRefInspector' => 'ArcanistRefInspector',
     'ArcanistCommitUpstreamHardpointQuery' => 'ArcanistWorkflowHardpointQuery',
     'ArcanistCommitWorkflow' => 'ArcanistWorkflow',
     'ArcanistCompilerLintRenderer' => 'ArcanistLintRenderer',
@@ -1168,6 +1173,7 @@
     'ArcanistGetConfigWorkflow' => 'ArcanistWorkflow',
     'ArcanistGitAPI' => 'ArcanistRepositoryAPI',
     'ArcanistGitCommitMessageHardpointQuery' => 'ArcanistWorkflowGitHardpointQuery',
+    'ArcanistGitCommitSymbolCommitHardpointQuery' => 'ArcanistWorkflowGitHardpointQuery',
     'ArcanistGitLandEngine' => 'ArcanistLandEngine',
     'ArcanistGitUpstreamPath' => 'Phobject',
     'ArcanistGitWorkingCopy' => 'ArcanistWorkingCopy',
diff --git a/src/ref/commitsymbol/ArcanistCommitSymbolRef.php b/src/ref/commitsymbol/ArcanistCommitSymbolRef.php
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ref/commitsymbol/ArcanistCommitSymbolRef.php
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+<?php
+
+final class ArcanistCommitSymbolRef
+  extends ArcanistRef {
+
+  private $symbol;
+
+  const HARDPOINT_COMMIT = 'ref.commit-symbol';
+
+  public function getRefDisplayName() {
+    return pht('Commit Symbol "%s"', $this->getSymbol());
+  }
+
+  protected function newHardpoints() {
+    return array(
+      $this->newHardpoint(self::HARDPOINT_COMMIT),
+    );
+  }
+
+  public function setSymbol($symbol) {
+    $this->symbol = $symbol;
+    return $this;
+  }
+
+  public function getSymbol() {
+    return $this->symbol;
+  }
+
+  public function attachCommit(ArcanistCommitRef $commit) {
+    return $this->attachHardpoint(self::HARDPOINT_COMMIT, $commit);
+  }
+
+  public function getCommit() {
+    return $this->getHardpoint(self::HARDPOINT_COMMIT);
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/src/ref/commitsymbol/ArcanistCommitSymbolRefInspector.php b/src/ref/commitsymbol/ArcanistCommitSymbolRefInspector.php
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ref/commitsymbol/ArcanistCommitSymbolRefInspector.php
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+<?php
+
+final class ArcanistCommitSymbolRefInspector
+  extends ArcanistRefInspector {
+
+  public function getInspectFunctionName() {
+    return 'symbol';
+  }
+
+  public function newInspectRef(array $argv) {
+    if (count($argv) !== 1) {
+      throw new PhutilArgumentUsageException(
+        pht(
+          'Expected exactly one argument to "symbol(...)" with a '.
+          'commit symbol.'));
+    }
+
+    return id(new ArcanistCommitSymbolRef())
+      ->setSymbol($argv[0]);
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/src/ref/commitsymbol/ArcanistGitCommitSymbolCommitHardpointQuery.php b/src/ref/commitsymbol/ArcanistGitCommitSymbolCommitHardpointQuery.php
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/ref/commitsymbol/ArcanistGitCommitSymbolCommitHardpointQuery.php
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+<?php
+
+final class ArcanistGitCommitSymbolCommitHardpointQuery
+  extends ArcanistWorkflowGitHardpointQuery {
+
+  public function getHardpoints() {
+    return array(
+      ArcanistCommitSymbolRef::HARDPOINT_COMMIT,
+    );
+  }
+
+  protected function canLoadRef(ArcanistRef $ref) {
+    return ($ref instanceof ArcanistCommitSymbolRef);
+  }
+
+  public function loadHardpoint(array $refs, $hardpoint) {
+    $symbol_map = array();
+    foreach ($refs as $key => $ref) {
+      $symbol_map[$key] = $ref->getSymbol();
+    }
+
+    $symbol_set = array_fuse($symbol_map);
+    foreach ($symbol_set as $symbol) {
+      $this->validateSymbol($symbol);
+    }
+
+    $api = $this->getRepositoryAPI();
+
+    $symbol_list = implode("\n", $symbol_set);
+
+    $future = $api->newFuture('cat-file --batch-check --')
+      ->write($symbol_list);
+
+    list($stdout) = (yield $this->yieldFuture($future));
+
+    $lines = phutil_split_lines($stdout, $retain_endings = false);
+
+    if (count($lines) !== count($symbol_set)) {
+      throw new Exception(
+        pht(
+          'Execution of "git cat-file --batch-check" emitted an unexpected '.
+          'number of lines, expected %s but got %s.',
+          phutil_count($symbol_set),
+          phutil_count($lines)));
+    }
+
+    $hash_map = array();
+
+    $pairs = array_combine($symbol_set, $lines);
+    foreach ($pairs as $symbol => $line) {
+      $parts = explode(' ', $line, 3);
+
+      if (count($parts) < 2) {
+        throw new Exception(
+          pht(
+            'Execution of "git cat-file --batch-check" emitted an '.
+            'unexpected line ("%s").',
+            $line));
+      }
+
+      list($hash, $type) = $parts;
+
+      // NOTE: For now, symbols which map to tags (which, in turn, map to
+      // commits) are ignored here.
+
+      if ($type !== 'commit') {
+        $hash_map[$symbol] = null;
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      $hash_map[$symbol] = $hash;
+    }
+
+    $results = array();
+    foreach ($symbol_map as $key => $symbol) {
+      $results[$key] = $hash_map[$symbol];
+    }
+
+    yield $this->yieldMap($results);
+  }
+
+  private function validateSymbol($symbol) {
+    if (strpos($symbol, "\n") !== false) {
+      throw new Exception(
+        pht(
+          'Commit symbol "%s" contains a newline. This is not a valid '.
+          'character in a Git commit symbol.',
+          addcslashes($symbol, "\\\n")));
+    }
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/src/repository/api/ArcanistRepositoryAPI.php b/src/repository/api/ArcanistRepositoryAPI.php
--- a/src/repository/api/ArcanistRepositoryAPI.php
+++ b/src/repository/api/ArcanistRepositoryAPI.php
@@ -673,6 +673,36 @@
     return new ArcanistBranchRef();
   }
 
+  final public function getCurrentCommitRef() {
+    $commit_hash = $this->newCurrentCommitHash();
+    return $this->newCommitRef()
+      ->setCommitHash($commit_hash);
+  }
+
+  protected function newCurrentCommitRef() {
+    $commit_hash = $this->newCurrentCommitHash();
+    return $this->newCommitRefForSymbol($commit_hash);
+  }
+
+  protected function newCommitRefForSymbol() {
+    throw new ArcanistCapabilityNotSupportedException($this);
+  }
+
+  protected function newCurrentCommitHash() {
+    throw new ArcanistCapabilityNotSupportedException($this);
+  }
+
+  final public function getCurrentWorkingCopyStateRef() {
+    return $this->newCurrentWorkingCopyStateRef();
+  }
+
+  protected function newCurrentWorkingCopyStateRef() {
+    $commit_ref = $this->getCurrentCommitRef();
+
+    return id(new ArcanistWorkingCopyStateRef())
+      ->setCommitRef($commit_ref);
+  }
+
   final public function newFuture($pattern /* , ... */) {
     $args = func_get_args();
     return $this->buildLocalFuture($args)