diff --git a/src/Tgstation.Server.Host/Components/Deployment/DreamMaker.cs b/src/Tgstation.Server.Host/Components/Deployment/DreamMaker.cs
index a100e1a3de..b9e01435b7 100644
--- a/src/Tgstation.Server.Host/Components/Deployment/DreamMaker.cs
+++ b/src/Tgstation.Server.Host/Components/Deployment/DreamMaker.cs
@@ -289,6 +289,7 @@ namespace Tgstation.Server.Host.Components.Deployment
 								};
 
 								logger.LogInformation(Repository.Repository.OriginTrackingErrorTemplate, repoSha);
+								databaseContext.RevisionInformations.Add(revInfo);
 								databaseContext.Instances.Attach(revInfo.Instance);
 								await databaseContext.Save(cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
 							}
diff --git a/src/Tgstation.Server.Host/Components/Instance.cs b/src/Tgstation.Server.Host/Components/Instance.cs
index d61bfa79e5..d8cf737f1d 100644
--- a/src/Tgstation.Server.Host/Components/Instance.cs
+++ b/src/Tgstation.Server.Host/Components/Instance.cs
@@ -308,27 +308,14 @@ namespace Tgstation.Server.Host.Components
 						cancellationToken)
 						.ConfigureAwait(false);
 
-					RevisionInformation currentRevInfo = null;
-
 					Task<RevisionInformation> LoadRevInfo() => databaseContext.RevisionInformations
-							.AsQueryable()
-							.Where(x => x.CommitSha == startSha && x.Instance.Id == metadata.Id)
-							.Include(x => x.ActiveTestMerges).ThenInclude(x => x.TestMerge)
-							.FirstOrDefaultAsync(cancellationToken);
+						.AsQueryable()
+						.Where(x => x.CommitSha == startSha && x.Instance.Id == metadata.Id)
+						.Include(x => x.ActiveTestMerges).ThenInclude(x => x.TestMerge)
+						.FirstOrDefaultAsync(cancellationToken);
 
+					RevisionInformation currentRevInfo = null;
 					var hasDbChanges = false;
-
-					// take appropriate auto update actions
-					var shouldSyncTracked = false;
-					var currentRevInfoTask = LoadRevInfo();
-
-					var result = await repo.MergeOrigin(
-						repositorySettings.CommitterName,
-						repositorySettings.CommitterEmail,
-						NextProgressReporter(),
-						cancellationToken)
-						.ConfigureAwait(false);
-
 					async Task UpdateRevInfo(string currentHead, bool onOrigin, IEnumerable<RevInfoTestMerge> updatedTestMerges)
 					{
 						if (currentRevInfo == null)
@@ -363,14 +350,25 @@ namespace Tgstation.Server.Host.Components
 						hasDbChanges = true;
 					}
 
+					// build current commit data if it's missing
+					await UpdateRevInfo(repo.Head, false, null).ConfigureAwait(false);
+
+					var result = await repo.MergeOrigin(
+						repositorySettings.CommitterName,
+						repositorySettings.CommitterEmail,
+						NextProgressReporter(),
+						cancellationToken)
+						.ConfigureAwait(false);
+
 					var preserveTestMerges = repositorySettings.AutoUpdatesKeepTestMerges.Value;
 					var remoteDeploymentManager = remoteDeploymentManagerFactory.CreateRemoteDeploymentManager(
 						metadata,
 						repo.RemoteGitProvider.Value);
+
+					// take appropriate auto update actions
+					var shouldSyncTracked = false;
 					if (result.HasValue)
 					{
-						currentRevInfo = await currentRevInfoTask.ConfigureAwait(false);
-
 						var updatedTestMerges = await remoteDeploymentManager.RemoveMergedTestMerges(
 							repo,
 							repositorySettings,
diff --git a/src/Tgstation.Server.Host/Components/Repository/Repository.cs b/src/Tgstation.Server.Host/Components/Repository/Repository.cs
index 0a5107bc62..a8a1903301 100644
--- a/src/Tgstation.Server.Host/Components/Repository/Repository.cs
+++ b/src/Tgstation.Server.Host/Components/Repository/Repository.cs
@@ -139,6 +139,9 @@ namespace Tgstation.Server.Host.Components.Repository
 		{
 			if (exception.Message == "too many redirects or authentication replays")
 				throw new JobException("Bad git credentials exchange!", exception);
+
+			if (exception.Message == ErrorCode.RepoCredentialsRequired.Describe())
+				throw new JobException(ErrorCode.RepoCredentialsRequired);
 		}
 
 		/// <summary>
@@ -963,8 +966,12 @@ namespace Tgstation.Server.Host.Components.Repository
 					// workaround for https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2/issues/3820
 					// kill off the modules/ folder in .git and try again
 					CheckBadCredentialsException(ex);
-					logger.LogWarning(ex, "Initial update of submodule {0} failed. Deleting .git submodule directory and re-attempting...", submodule.Name);
-					await ioMananger.DeleteDirectory($".git/modules/{submodule.Path}", cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+					logger.LogWarning(ex, "Initial update of submodule {0} failed. Deleting submodule directories and re-attempting...", submodule.Name);
+
+					await Task.WhenAll(
+						ioMananger.DeleteDirectory($".git/modules/{submodule.Path}", cancellationToken),
+						ioMananger.DeleteDirectory(submodule.Path, cancellationToken))
+						.ConfigureAwait(false);
 
 					logger.LogTrace("Second update attempt for submodule {0}...", submodule.Name);
 					try