diff --git a/pkg/commands/git_commands/commit_loader.go b/pkg/commands/git_commands/commit_loader.go
index 22b92ea0a..ab13e6523 100644
--- a/pkg/commands/git_commands/commit_loader.go
+++ b/pkg/commands/git_commands/commit_loader.go
@@ -495,7 +495,8 @@ func (self *CommitLoader) commitFromPatch(content string) *models.Commit {
 func setCommitMergedStatuses(ancestor string, commits []*models.Commit) []*models.Commit {
 	passedAncestor := false
 	for i, commit := range commits {
-		if strings.HasPrefix(ancestor, commit.Sha) {
+		// some commits aren't really commits and don't have sha's, such as the update-ref todo
+		if commit.Sha != "" && strings.HasPrefix(ancestor, commit.Sha) {
 			passedAncestor = true
 		}
 		if commit.Status != models.StatusPushed && commit.Status != models.StatusUnpushed {
diff --git a/pkg/commands/git_commands/commit_loader_test.go b/pkg/commands/git_commands/commit_loader_test.go
index a281cb775..c3cfb0585 100644
--- a/pkg/commands/git_commands/commit_loader_test.go
+++ b/pkg/commands/git_commands/commit_loader_test.go
@@ -541,7 +541,7 @@ func TestCommitLoader_setCommitMergedStatuses(t *testing.T) {
 			expectedCommits: []*models.Commit{
 				{Sha: "12345", Name: "1", Action: models.ActionNone, Status: models.StatusUnpushed},
 				{Sha: "", Name: "", Action: todo.UpdateRef, Status: models.StatusNone},
-				{Sha: "abcde", Name: "3", Action: models.ActionNone, Status: models.StatusMerged}, // Wrong, expect Pushed
+				{Sha: "abcde", Name: "3", Action: models.ActionNone, Status: models.StatusPushed},
 			},
 		},
 	}