diff --git a/pkg/gui/background.go b/pkg/gui/background.go
index 1e2db853f..d39dfd84c 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/background.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/background.go
@@ -232,9 +232,14 @@ func (self *BackgroundRoutineMgr) goEvery(interval time.Duration, stop, retrigge
 }
 
 func (self *BackgroundRoutineMgr) backgroundFetch() (err error) {
+	// Captured before the fetch, not after: the fetch is a network call during
+	// which the user may switch repos, and the post-fetch refresh needs to be
+	// able to tell (see PostFetchRefresh).
+	fetchGeneration := self.gui.c.State().GetRepoGeneration()
+
 	err = self.gui.git.Sync.FetchBackground()
 
-	return self.gui.helpers.BranchesHelper.PostFetchRefresh(err, true)
+	return self.gui.helpers.BranchesHelper.PostFetchRefresh(err, true, fetchGeneration)
 }
 
 func (self *BackgroundRoutineMgr) triggerImmediateFetch() {
diff --git a/pkg/gui/controllers/files_controller.go b/pkg/gui/controllers/files_controller.go
index bf73d4c8b..656da1bf5 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/controllers/files_controller.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/controllers/files_controller.go
@@ -1527,6 +1527,7 @@ func (self *FilesController) onClickMain(opts gocui.ViewMouseBindingOpts) error
 }
 
 func (self *FilesController) fetch() error {
+	fetchGeneration := self.c.State().GetRepoGeneration()
 	return self.c.WithWaitingStatus(self.c.Tr.FetchingStatus, func(task gocui.Task) error {
 		self.c.LogAction("Fetch")
 		err := self.c.Git().Sync.Fetch(task)
@@ -1535,7 +1536,7 @@ func (self *FilesController) fetch() error {
 			return errors.New(self.c.Tr.PassUnameWrong)
 		}
 
-		return self.c.Helpers().BranchesHelper.PostFetchRefresh(err, false)
+		return self.c.Helpers().BranchesHelper.PostFetchRefresh(err, false, fetchGeneration)
 	})
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/gui/controllers/helpers/branches_helper.go b/pkg/gui/controllers/helpers/branches_helper.go
index 83735d87d..e87edb460 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/controllers/helpers/branches_helper.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/controllers/helpers/branches_helper.go
@@ -392,7 +392,11 @@ func (self *BranchesHelper) deleteRemoteBranches(remoteBranches []*models.Remote
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (self *BranchesHelper) PostFetchRefresh(fetchErr error, background bool) error {
+// fetchGeneration must be the repo generation from when the fetch started,
+// captured by the caller before running the fetch: the background fetch
+// doesn't block repo switching and is a network call, so the window in which
+// the user can switch repos spans the whole fetch, not just this refresh.
+func (self *BranchesHelper) PostFetchRefresh(fetchErr error, background bool, fetchGeneration int) error {
 	scope := []types.RefreshableView{
 		types.BRANCHES, types.COMMITS, types.REMOTES, types.TAGS, types.PULL_REQUESTS,
 	}
@@ -410,6 +414,12 @@ func (self *BranchesHelper) PostFetchRefresh(fetchErr error, background bool) er
 			if fetchErr != nil {
 				return nil
 			}
+			// Then callbacks are not generation-guarded, so check explicitly:
+			// if the repo was switched since the fetch started, don't forward
+			// this repo's branches on the strength of another repo's fetch.
+			if self.c.State().GetRepoGeneration() != fetchGeneration {
+				return nil
+			}
 			err := self.AutoForwardBranches(background)
 			if background && err != nil {
 				// The background poller discards this return value, so surface