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
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@
       $head_refs = $this->discoverStreamAncestry(
         new PhabricatorGitGraphStream($repository, $commit),
         $commit,
-        $publisher->shouldPublishRef($ref));
+        $publisher->isPermanentRef($ref));
 
       $this->didDiscoverRefs($head_refs);
 
@@ -507,9 +507,9 @@
   }
 
   /**
-   * Sort branches so we process permanent branches first. This makes the
-   * whole import process a little cheaper, since we can publish these commits
-   * the first time through rather than catching them in the refs step.
+   * Sort refs so we process permanent refs first. This makes the whole import
+   * process a little cheaper, since we can publish these commits the first
+   * time through rather than catching them in the refs step.
    *
    * @task internal
    *
@@ -523,7 +523,7 @@
     $head_refs = array();
     $tail_refs = array();
     foreach ($refs as $ref) {
-      if ($publisher->shouldPublishRef($ref)) {
+      if ($publisher->isPermanentRef($ref)) {
         $head_refs[] = $ref;
       } else {
         $tail_refs[] = $ref;
diff --git a/src/applications/repository/engine/PhabricatorRepositoryRefEngine.php b/src/applications/repository/engine/PhabricatorRepositoryRefEngine.php
--- a/src/applications/repository/engine/PhabricatorRepositoryRefEngine.php
+++ b/src/applications/repository/engine/PhabricatorRepositoryRefEngine.php
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@
       $this->setPermanentFlagOnCommits($this->permanentCommits);
     }
 
-    $save_cursors = $this->getCursorsForUpdate($all_cursors);
+    $save_cursors = $this->getCursorsForUpdate($repository, $all_cursors);
 
     if ($this->newPositions || $this->deadPositions || $save_cursors) {
       $repository->openTransaction();
@@ -121,17 +121,19 @@
     }
   }
 
-  private function getCursorsForUpdate(array $cursors) {
+  private function getCursorsForUpdate(
+    PhabricatorRepository $repository,
+    array $cursors) {
     assert_instances_of($cursors, 'PhabricatorRepositoryRefCursor');
 
+    $publisher = $repository->newPublisher();
+
     $results = array();
 
     foreach ($cursors as $cursor) {
-      $ref_type = $cursor->getRefType();
-      $ref_name = $cursor->getRefName();
-
-      $is_permanent = $this->isPermanentRef($ref_type, $ref_name);
+      $diffusion_ref = $cursor->newDiffusionRepositoryRef();
 
+      $is_permanent = $publisher->isPermanentRef($diffusion_ref);
       if ($is_permanent == $cursor->getIsPermanent()) {
         continue;
       }
@@ -259,6 +261,7 @@
     $ref_type,
     array $all_closing_heads) {
     $repository = $this->getRepository();
+    $publisher = $repository->newPublisher();
 
     // NOTE: Mercurial branches may have multiple branch heads; this logic
     // is complex primarily to account for that.
@@ -341,7 +344,8 @@
         $this->markPositionNew($new_position);
       }
 
-      if ($this->isPermanentRef($ref_type, $name)) {
+      $diffusion_ref = head($refs)->newDiffusionRepositoryRef();
+      if ($publisher->isPermanentRef($diffusion_ref)) {
 
         // See T13284. If this cursor was already marked as permanent, we
         // only need to publish the newly created ref positions. However, if
@@ -404,14 +408,6 @@
     }
   }
 
-  private function isPermanentRef($ref_type, $ref_name) {
-    if ($ref_type !== PhabricatorRepositoryRefCursor::TYPE_BRANCH) {
-      return false;
-    }
-
-    return $this->getRepository()->isBranchPermanentRef($ref_name);
-  }
-
   /**
    * Find all ancestors of a new closing branch head which are not ancestors
    * of any old closing branch head.
diff --git a/src/applications/repository/query/PhabricatorRepositoryPublisher.php b/src/applications/repository/query/PhabricatorRepositoryPublisher.php
--- a/src/applications/repository/query/PhabricatorRepositoryPublisher.php
+++ b/src/applications/repository/query/PhabricatorRepositoryPublisher.php
@@ -38,6 +38,10 @@
     return !$this->getCommitHoldReasons($commit);
   }
 
+  public function isPermanentRef(DiffusionRepositoryRef $ref) {
+    return !$this->getRefImpermanentReasons($ref);
+  }
+
 /* -(  Hold Reasons  )------------------------------------------------------- */
 
   public function getRepositoryHoldReasons() {
@@ -59,18 +63,8 @@
     $repository = $this->getRepository();
     $reasons = $this->getRepositoryHoldReasons();
 
-    if (!$ref->isBranch()) {
-      $reasons[] = self::HOLD_REF_NOT_BRANCH;
-    } else {
-      $branch_name = $ref->getShortName();
-
-      if (!$repository->shouldTrackBranch($branch_name)) {
-        $reasons[] = self::HOLD_UNTRACKED;
-      }
-
-      if (!$repository->isBranchPermanentRef($branch_name)) {
-        $reasons[] = self::HOLD_NOT_PERMANENT_REF;
-      }
+    foreach ($this->getRefImpermanentReasons($ref) as $reason) {
+      $reasons[] = $reason;
     }
 
     return $reasons;
@@ -89,4 +83,25 @@
     return $reasons;
   }
 
+  public function getRefImpermanentReasons(DiffusionRepositoryRef $ref) {
+    $repository = $this->getRepository();
+    $reasons = array();
+
+    if (!$ref->isBranch()) {
+      $reasons[] = self::HOLD_REF_NOT_BRANCH;
+    } else {
+      $branch_name = $ref->getShortName();
+
+      if (!$repository->shouldTrackBranch($branch_name)) {
+        $reasons[] = self::HOLD_UNTRACKED;
+      }
+
+      if (!$repository->isBranchPermanentRef($branch_name)) {
+        $reasons[] = self::HOLD_NOT_PERMANENT_REF;
+      }
+    }
+
+    return $reasons;
+  }
+
 }
diff --git a/src/applications/repository/storage/PhabricatorRepositoryRefCursor.php b/src/applications/repository/storage/PhabricatorRepositoryRefCursor.php
--- a/src/applications/repository/storage/PhabricatorRepositoryRefCursor.php
+++ b/src/applications/repository/storage/PhabricatorRepositoryRefCursor.php
@@ -88,6 +88,12 @@
     return mpull($this->getPositions(), 'getCommitIdentifier');
   }
 
+  public function newDiffusionRepositoryRef() {
+    return id(new DiffusionRepositoryRef())
+      ->setRefType($this->getRefType())
+      ->setShortName($this->getRefName());
+  }
+
 
 /* -(  PhabricatorPolicyInterface  )----------------------------------------- */