diff --git a/src/repository/api/ArcanistGitAPI.php b/src/repository/api/ArcanistGitAPI.php
index 38865f8e..34113f45 100644
--- a/src/repository/api/ArcanistGitAPI.php
+++ b/src/repository/api/ArcanistGitAPI.php
@@ -338,8 +338,10 @@ final class ArcanistGitAPI extends ArcanistRepositoryAPI {
     // But that may fail if you're not on a branch.
     list($stdout) = $this->execxLocal('branch --no-color');
 
+    // Assume that any branch beginning with '(' means 'no branch', or whatever
+    // 'no branch' is in the current locale.
     $matches = null;
-    if (preg_match('/^\* (.+)$/m', $stdout, $matches)) {
+    if (preg_match('/^\* ([^\(].*)$/m', $stdout, $matches)) {
       return $matches[1];
     }
     return null;
diff --git a/src/workflow/ArcanistPatchWorkflow.php b/src/workflow/ArcanistPatchWorkflow.php
index 6d2e2dfd..c0896250 100644
--- a/src/workflow/ArcanistPatchWorkflow.php
+++ b/src/workflow/ArcanistPatchWorkflow.php
@@ -471,8 +471,16 @@ EOTEXT
     $repository_api = $this->getRepositoryAPI();
 
     $has_base_revision = $this->hasBaseRevision($bundle);
-    if ($this->canBranch() && ($this->shouldBranch() || $has_base_revision)) {
+    if ($this->shouldCommit() &&
+        $this->canBranch() &&
+        ($this->shouldBranch() || $has_base_revision)) {
+
       $original_branch = $repository_api->getBranchName();
+      // If we weren't on a branch, then record the ref we'll return to
+      // instead.
+      if ($original_branch === null) {
+        $original_branch = $repository_api->getCanonicalRevisionName('HEAD');
+      }
       $new_branch = $this->createBranch($bundle, $has_base_revision);
     }
 
@@ -724,7 +732,8 @@ EOTEXT
         $verb = 'applied';
       }
 
-      if ($this->canBranch() && !$this->shouldBranch() && $has_base_revision) {
+      if ($this->shouldCommit() && $this->canBranch() &&
+          !$this->shouldBranch() && $has_base_revision) {
         $repository_api->execxLocal('checkout %s', $original_branch);
         $ex = null;
         try {