diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.http.server/src/org/eclipse/jgit/http/server/TextFileServlet.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.http.server/src/org/eclipse/jgit/http/server/TextFileServlet.java
index 5bf5546cf..650059bd3 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.http.server/src/org/eclipse/jgit/http/server/TextFileServlet.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.http.server/src/org/eclipse/jgit/http/server/TextFileServlet.java
@@ -80,6 +80,8 @@ public void doGet(final HttpServletRequest req,
 
 	private byte[] read(final HttpServletRequest req) throws IOException {
 		final File gitdir = getRepository(req).getDirectory();
+		if (gitdir == null)
+			throw new FileNotFoundException(fileName);
 		return IO.readFully(new File(gitdir, fileName));
 	}
 }
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.http.server/src/org/eclipse/jgit/http/server/resolver/FileResolver.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.http.server/src/org/eclipse/jgit/http/server/resolver/FileResolver.java
index cc062dbe8..296725b67 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.http.server/src/org/eclipse/jgit/http/server/resolver/FileResolver.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.http.server/src/org/eclipse/jgit/http/server/resolver/FileResolver.java
@@ -138,8 +138,10 @@ protected boolean isExportOk(HttpServletRequest req, String repositoryName,
 			Repository db) throws IOException {
 		if (isExportAll())
 			return true;
-		else
+		else if (db.getDirectory() != null)
 			return new File(db.getDirectory(), "git-daemon-export-ok").exists();
+		else
+			return false;
 	}
 
 	private static boolean isUnreasonableName(final String name) {
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/Glog.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/Glog.java
index 3dfd8ff62..ae11f6731 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/Glog.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/Glog.java
@@ -125,10 +125,12 @@ protected RevWalk createWalk() {
 	}
 
 	private String repoName() {
-		final File f = db.getDirectory();
-		String n = f.getName();
+		final File gitDir = db.getDirectory();
+		if (gitDir == null)
+			return db.toString();
+		String n = gitDir.getName();
 		if (Constants.DOT_GIT.equals(n))
-			n = f.getParentFile().getName();
+			n = gitDir.getParentFile().getName();
 		return n;
 	}
 }
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/api/CommitCommand.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/api/CommitCommand.java
index f12c94b33..1cf2fe669 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/api/CommitCommand.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/api/CommitCommand.java
@@ -171,17 +171,18 @@ public RevCommit call() throws NoHeadException, NoMessageException,
 					Result rc = ru.update();
 					switch (rc) {
 					case NEW:
-					case FAST_FORWARD:
+					case FAST_FORWARD: {
 						setCallable(false);
-						if (state == RepositoryState.MERGING_RESOLVED) {
+						File meta = repo.getDirectory();
+						if (state == RepositoryState.MERGING_RESOLVED
+								&& meta != null) {
 							// Commit was successful. Now delete the files
 							// used for merge commits
-							new File(repo.getDirectory(), Constants.MERGE_HEAD)
-									.delete();
-							new File(repo.getDirectory(), Constants.MERGE_MSG)
-									.delete();
+							new File(meta, Constants.MERGE_HEAD).delete();
+							new File(meta, Constants.MERGE_MSG).delete();
 						}
 						return revCommit;
+					}
 					case REJECTED:
 					case LOCK_FAILURE:
 						throw new ConcurrentRefUpdateException(
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/Repository.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/Repository.java
index 2d99f6587..6b91481d3 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/Repository.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/Repository.java
@@ -165,9 +165,7 @@ public void create() throws IOException {
 	 */
 	public abstract void create(boolean bare) throws IOException;
 
-	/**
-	 * @return GIT_DIR
-	 */
+	/** @return local metadata directory; null if repository isn't local. */
 	public File getDirectory() {
 		return gitDir;
 	}
@@ -712,7 +710,13 @@ protected void doClose() {
 	public abstract void openPack(File pack, File idx) throws IOException;
 
 	public String toString() {
-		return "Repository[" + getDirectory() + "]";
+		String desc;
+		if (getDirectory() != null)
+			desc = getDirectory().getPath();
+		else
+			desc = getClass().getSimpleName() + "-"
+					+ System.identityHashCode(this);
+		return "Repository[" + desc + "]";
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -908,7 +912,7 @@ static byte[] gitInternalSlash(byte[] bytes) {
 	 * @return an important state
 	 */
 	public RepositoryState getRepositoryState() {
-		if (isBare())
+		if (isBare() || getDirectory() == null)
 			return RepositoryState.BARE;
 
 		// Pre Git-1.6 logic
@@ -1096,7 +1100,7 @@ public abstract ReflogReader getReflogReader(String refName)
 	 *             if the repository is "bare"
 	 */
 	public String readMergeCommitMsg() throws IOException {
-		if (isBare())
+		if (isBare() || getDirectory() == null)
 			throw new IllegalStateException(
 					JGitText.get().bareRepositoryNoWorkdirAndIndex);
 
@@ -1123,7 +1127,7 @@ public String readMergeCommitMsg() throws IOException {
 	 *             if the repository is "bare"
 	 */
 	public List<ObjectId> readMergeHeads() throws IOException {
-		if (isBare())
+		if (isBare() || getDirectory() == null)
 			throw new IllegalStateException(
 					JGitText.get().bareRepositoryNoWorkdirAndIndex);
 
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/RepositoryCache.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/RepositoryCache.java
index 2bea8fecf..39d734a32 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/RepositoryCache.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/RepositoryCache.java
@@ -120,7 +120,10 @@ public static Repository open(final Key location, final boolean mustExist)
 	 *            repository to register.
 	 */
 	public static void register(final Repository db) {
-		cache.registerRepository(FileKey.exact(db.getDirectory(), db.getFS()), db);
+		if (db.getDirectory() != null) {
+			FileKey key = FileKey.exact(db.getDirectory(), db.getFS());
+			cache.registerRepository(key, db);
+		}
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -133,7 +136,10 @@ public static void register(final Repository db) {
 	 *            repository to unregister.
 	 */
 	public static void close(final Repository db) {
-		cache.unregisterRepository(FileKey.exact(db.getDirectory(), db.getFS()));
+		if (db.getDirectory() != null) {
+			FileKey key = FileKey.exact(db.getDirectory(), db.getFS());
+			cache.unregisterRepository(key);
+		}
 	}
 
 	/** Unregister all repositories from the cache. */
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/FetchProcess.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/FetchProcess.java
index fc203f69c..27505bef6 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/FetchProcess.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/FetchProcess.java
@@ -271,8 +271,10 @@ private void removeFetchHeadRecord(final ObjectId want) {
 	}
 
 	private void updateFETCH_HEAD(final FetchResult result) throws IOException {
-		final LockFile lock = new LockFile(new File(transport.local
-				.getDirectory(), "FETCH_HEAD"));
+		File meta = transport.local.getDirectory();
+		if (meta == null)
+			return;
+		final LockFile lock = new LockFile(new File(meta, "FETCH_HEAD"));
 		try {
 			if (lock.lock()) {
 				final Writer w = new OutputStreamWriter(lock.getOutputStream());
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/RemoteRefUpdate.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/RemoteRefUpdate.java
index 1b17c9f0f..37e03fd62 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/RemoteRefUpdate.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/RemoteRefUpdate.java
@@ -357,6 +357,6 @@ public String toString() {
 				+ "..." + (newObjectId != null ? newObjectId.abbreviate(localDb).name() : "(null)")
 				+ (fastForward ? ", fastForward" : "")
 				+ ", srcRef=" + srcRef + (forceUpdate ? ", forceUpdate" : "") + ", message=" + (message != null ? "\""
-				+ message + "\"" : "null") + ", " + localDb.getDirectory() + "]";
+				+ message + "\"" : "null") + "]";
 	}
 }