diff --git a/bin/git-pull-request b/bin/git-pull-request
index 9872880..a011314 100755
--- a/bin/git-pull-request
+++ b/bin/git-pull-request
@@ -41,16 +41,22 @@ test -z "$user" && abort "git config user.email required"
 # branch
 
 branch=${1-$(git symbolic-ref HEAD | sed 's/refs\/heads\///')}
+remote=$(git config branch."$branch".remote)
+if [ -z "$remote" ]; then
+    echo 'no upstream found, push to origin as default'
+    remote="origin"
+fi
+[ "$remote" == "." ] && abort "the upstream should be a remote branch."
 
 # make sure it's pushed
 
-git push origin "$branch" || abort "failed to push $branch"
+git push "$remote" "$branch" || abort "failed to push $branch"
 
-origin=$(git config remote.origin.url)
-if [[ $origin == git@* ]]; then
-    project=${origin##*:}
+remote_url=$(git config remote."$remote".url)
+if [[ "$remote_url" == git@* ]]; then
+    project=${remote_url##*:}
 else
-    project=${origin#https://*/}
+    project=${remote_url#https://*/}
 fi
 project=${project%.git}
 
diff --git a/bin/git-rename-branch b/bin/git-rename-branch
index 0ea2a66..b0a0769 100755
--- a/bin/git-rename-branch
+++ b/bin/git-rename-branch
@@ -1,11 +1,17 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
 
 # Assert there is at least one branch provided
 test -z $1 && echo "new branch name required." 1>&2 && exit 1
 
 new_branch="$1"
 old_branch="${2-$(git symbolic-ref --short -q HEAD)}"
+remote=$(git config branch."$old_branch".remote)
 
 git branch -m "$old_branch" "$new_branch"
-git push origin :"$old_branch"
-git push --set-upstream origin "$new_branch"
+# check if the branch is tracking a remote branch
+if [[ -n "$remote" && "$remote" != "." ]]
+then
+    git push "$remote" :"$old_branch"
+    git push --set-upstream "$remote" "$new_branch"
+fi