diff --git a/src/applications/repository/engine/PhabricatorRepositoryDiscoveryEngine.php b/src/applications/repository/engine/PhabricatorRepositoryDiscoveryEngine.php
--- a/src/applications/repository/engine/PhabricatorRepositoryDiscoveryEngine.php
+++ b/src/applications/repository/engine/PhabricatorRepositoryDiscoveryEngine.php
@@ -459,13 +459,6 @@
       return true;
     }
 
-    if ($this->repairMode) {
-      // In repair mode, rediscover the entire repository, ignoring the
-      // database state. We can hit the local cache above, but if we miss it
-      // stop the script from going to the database cache.
-      return false;
-    }
-
     $this->fillCommitCache(array($identifier));
 
     return isset($this->commitCache[$identifier]);
@@ -476,6 +469,13 @@
       return;
     }
 
+    if ($this->repairMode) {
+      // In repair mode, rediscover the entire repository, ignoring the
+      // database state. The engine still maintains a local cache (the
+      // "Working Set") but we just give up before looking in the database.
+      return;
+    }
+
     $max_size = self::MAX_COMMIT_CACHE_SIZE;
 
     // If we're filling more identifiers than would fit in the cache, ignore
diff --git a/src/applications/repository/management/PhabricatorRepositoryManagementDiscoverWorkflow.php b/src/applications/repository/management/PhabricatorRepositoryManagementDiscoverWorkflow.php
--- a/src/applications/repository/management/PhabricatorRepositoryManagementDiscoverWorkflow.php
+++ b/src/applications/repository/management/PhabricatorRepositoryManagementDiscoverWorkflow.php
@@ -7,21 +7,22 @@
     $this
       ->setName('discover')
       ->setExamples('**discover** [__options__] __repository__ ...')
-      ->setSynopsis(pht('Discover __repository__.'))
+      ->setSynopsis(pht('Discover commits in __repository__.'))
       ->setArguments(
         array(
           array(
-            'name'        => 'verbose',
-            'help'        => pht('Show additional debugging information.'),
+            'name' => 'verbose',
+            'help' => pht('Show additional debugging information.'),
           ),
           array(
-            'name'        => 'repair',
-            'help'        => pht(
-              'Repair a repository with gaps in commit history.'),
+            'name' => 'repair',
+            'help' => pht(
+              'Discover all commits, even if they are ancestors of known '.
+              'commits. This can repair gaps in repository history.'),
           ),
           array(
-            'name'        => 'repos',
-            'wildcard'    => true,
+            'name' => 'repos',
+            'wildcard' => true,
           ),
         ));
   }