diff --git a/pkg/gui/controllers/helpers/repos_helper.go b/pkg/gui/controllers/helpers/repos_helper.go
index d22230fd9..d12238f33 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/controllers/helpers/repos_helper.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/controllers/helpers/repos_helper.go
@@ -88,7 +88,16 @@ func gitDirOfRepo(repoPath string) (string, bool) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", false
 	}
-	return strings.CutPrefix(strings.TrimSpace(string(content)), "gitdir: ")
+	gitDir, ok := strings.CutPrefix(strings.TrimSpace(string(content)), "gitdir: ")
+	if !ok {
+		return "", false
+	}
+	// A relative name is relative to the repo. Git writes one for a submodule,
+	// and for a worktree created with --relative-paths.
+	if !filepath.IsAbs(gitDir) {
+		gitDir = filepath.Join(repoPath, gitDir)
+	}
+	return gitDir, true
 }
 
 // readHeadInfo reads the HEAD file of the repo at repoPath to find out what it
diff --git a/pkg/gui/controllers/helpers/repos_helper_test.go b/pkg/gui/controllers/helpers/repos_helper_test.go
index 55e0508bd..5b6f5bb4b 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/controllers/helpers/repos_helper_test.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/controllers/helpers/repos_helper_test.go
@@ -52,13 +52,9 @@ func TestReadHeadInfo(t *testing.T) {
 				"repo/.git/worktrees/wt/HEAD": "ref: refs/heads/mybranch\n",
 				"wt/.git":                     "gitdir: ../repo/.git/worktrees/wt\n",
 			},
-			/* EXPECTED:
 			repoPath:   "wt",
 			expected:   headInfo{branch: "mybranch"},
 			expectedOk: true,
-			ACTUAL: */
-			repoPath:   "wt",
-			expectedOk: false,
 		},
 		{
 			name: "submodule, whose .git file always names the git dir relatively",
@@ -66,13 +62,9 @@ func TestReadHeadInfo(t *testing.T) {
 				"repo/.git/modules/sub/HEAD": "ref: refs/heads/mybranch\n",
 				"repo/sub/.git":              "gitdir: ../.git/modules/sub\n",
 			},
-			/* EXPECTED:
 			repoPath:   "repo/sub",
 			expected:   headInfo{branch: "mybranch"},
 			expectedOk: true,
-			ACTUAL: */
-			repoPath:   "repo/sub",
-			expectedOk: false,
 		},
 		{
 			name:       "directory without a .git entry",
diff --git a/pkg/integration/tests/misc/recent_repos_branch_column.go b/pkg/integration/tests/misc/recent_repos_branch_column.go
index 9c0257edb..3460d9bea 100644
--- a/pkg/integration/tests/misc/recent_repos_branch_column.go
+++ b/pkg/integration/tests/misc/recent_repos_branch_column.go
@@ -38,10 +38,7 @@ var RecentReposBranchColumn = NewIntegrationTest(NewIntegrationTestArgs{
 			Lines(
 				Contains("on-branch").Contains("master").IsSelected(),
 				Contains("detached").MatchesRegexp(`HEAD detached at [0-9a-f]{8}`),
-				/* EXPECTED:
 				Contains("sub").MatchesRegexp(`HEAD detached at [0-9a-f]{8}`),
-				ACTUAL: */
-				Contains("sub").Contains("Branch unknown"),
 				Contains("Cancel"),
 			).
 			Cancel()