diff --git a/builtin-checkout.c b/builtin-checkout.c
index 0d19835a6b..5291f72a37 100644
--- a/builtin-checkout.c
+++ b/builtin-checkout.c
@@ -291,71 +291,6 @@ static int merge_working_tree(struct checkout_opts *opts,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-/*
- * We really should allow cb_data... Yuck
- */
-static const char *branch_name;
-static int branch_name_len;
-static char *found_remote;
-static char *found_merge;
-static int read_branch_config(const char *var, const char *value)
-{
-	const char *name;
-	if (prefixcmp(var, "branch."))
-		return 0; /* not ours */
-	name = var + strlen("branch.");
-	if (strncmp(name, branch_name, branch_name_len) ||
-	    name[branch_name_len] != '.')
-		return 0; /* not ours either */
-	if (!strcmp(name + branch_name_len, ".remote")) {
-		/*
-		 * Yeah, I know Christian's clean-up should
-		 * be used here, but the topic is based on an
-		 * older fork point.
-		 */
-		if (!value)
-			return error("'%s' not string", var);
-		found_remote = xstrdup(value);
-		return 0;
-	}
-	if (!strcmp(name + branch_name_len, ".merge")) {
-		if (!value)
-			return error("'%s' not string", var);
-		found_merge = xstrdup(value);
-		return 0;
-	}
-	return 0; /* not ours */
-}
-
-static int find_build_base(const char *ours, char **base)
-{
-	struct remote *remote;
-	struct refspec spec;
-
-	*base = NULL;
-
-	branch_name = ours + strlen("refs/heads/");
-	branch_name_len = strlen(branch_name);
-	found_remote = NULL;
-	found_merge = NULL;
-	git_config(read_branch_config);
-
-	if (!found_remote || !found_merge) {
-	cleanup:
-		free(found_remote);
-		free(found_merge);
-		return 0;
-	}
-
-	remote = remote_get(found_remote);
-	memset(&spec, 0, sizeof(spec));
-	spec.src = found_merge;
-	if (remote_find_tracking(remote, &spec))
-		goto cleanup;
-	*base = spec.dst;
-	return 1;
-}
-
 static void adjust_to_tracking(struct branch_info *new, struct checkout_opts *opts)
 {
 	/*
@@ -369,15 +304,16 @@ static void adjust_to_tracking(struct branch_info *new, struct checkout_opts *op
 	const char *msgfmt;
 	char symmetric[84];
 	int show_log;
+	struct branch *branch = branch_get(NULL);
 
-	if (!resolve_ref(new->path, sha1, 1, NULL))
-		return;
-	ours = lookup_commit(sha1);
-
-	if (!find_build_base(new->path, &base))
+	if (!branch || !branch->merge)
 		return;
 
-	sprintf(symmetric, "%s", sha1_to_hex(sha1));
+	base = branch->merge[0]->dst;
+
+	ours = new->commit;
+
+	sprintf(symmetric, "%s", sha1_to_hex(ours->object.sha1));
 
 	/*
 	 * Ok, it is tracking base; is it ahead of us?
@@ -466,7 +402,7 @@ static void update_refs_for_switch(struct checkout_opts *opts,
 	}
 	remove_branch_state();
 	strbuf_release(&msg);
-	if (new->path)
+	if (new->path || !strcmp(new->name, "HEAD"))
 		adjust_to_tracking(new, opts);
 }