diff --git a/plugins/history/gitg-history-navigation.vala b/plugins/history/gitg-history-navigation.vala
index f477ce31..b5429d4c 100644
--- a/plugins/history/gitg-history-navigation.vala
+++ b/plugins/history/gitg-history-navigation.vala
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ namespace GitgHistory
 	{
 		public GitgExt.Application? application { owned get; construct; }
 
+		public signal void ref_activated(Gitg.Ref r);
+
 		public Navigation(GitgExt.Application app)
 		{
 			Object(application: app);
@@ -99,15 +101,19 @@ namespace GitgHistory
 
 			foreach (var item in branches)
 			{
+				var it = item;
+
 				if (head != null && item.get_id().equal(head.get_id()))
 				{
 					model.append_default(item.parsed_name.shortname,
 					                     "object-select-symbolic",
-					                     null);
+					                     (nc) => ref_activated(it));
 				}
 				else
 				{
-					model.append(item.parsed_name.shortname, null, null);
+					model.append(item.parsed_name.shortname,
+					             null,
+					             (nc) => ref_activated(it));
 				}
 			}
 
@@ -122,7 +128,11 @@ namespace GitgHistory
 
 				foreach (var rref in remotes.lookup(rname))
 				{
-					model.append(rref.parsed_name.remote_branch, null, null);
+					var it = rref;
+
+					model.append(rref.parsed_name.remote_branch,
+					             null,
+					             (nc) => ref_activated(it));
 				}
 
 				model.end_header();
@@ -135,7 +145,11 @@ namespace GitgHistory
 
 			foreach (var item in tags)
 			{
-				model.append(item.parsed_name.shortname, null, null);
+				var it = item;
+
+				model.append(item.parsed_name.shortname,
+				             null,
+				             (nc) => ref_activated(it));
 			}
 		}
 
diff --git a/plugins/history/gitg-history.vala b/plugins/history/gitg-history.vala
index 850c1c9c..10b0d2b3 100644
--- a/plugins/history/gitg-history.vala
+++ b/plugins/history/gitg-history.vala
@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ namespace GitgHistory
 	// Do this to pull in config.h before glib.h (for gettext...)
 	private const string version = Gitg.Config.VERSION;
 
+	/* The main history view. This view shows the equivalent of git log, but
+	 * in a nice way with lanes, merges, ref labels etc.
+	 */
 	public class View : Object, GitgExt.View
 	{
 		public GitgExt.Application? application { owned get; construct; }
@@ -39,6 +42,7 @@ namespace GitgHistory
 		construct
 		{
 			d_model = new GitgGtk.CommitModel(application.repository);
+
 			application.bind_property("repository", d_model, "repository", BindingFlags.DEFAULT);
 		}
 
@@ -75,8 +79,13 @@ namespace GitgHistory
 		{
 			owned get
 			{
+				// Create the sidebar navigation for the history. This navigation
+				// will show branches, remotes and tags which can be used to
+				// filter the history
 				var ret = new Navigation(application);
 
+				ret.ref_activated.connect(on_ref_activated);
+
 				return ret;
 			}
 		}
@@ -86,6 +95,11 @@ namespace GitgHistory
 			return application.repository != null && action == GitgExt.ViewAction.HISTORY;
 		}
 
+		private void on_ref_activated(Gitg.Ref r)
+		{
+			update_walker(r);
+		}
+
 		private void build_ui()
 		{
 			var ret = from_builder("view-history.ui", {"scrolled_window_commit_list", "commit_list_view"});
@@ -93,7 +107,6 @@ namespace GitgHistory
 			d_view = ret["commit_list_view"] as Gtk.TreeView;
 			d_view.model = d_model;
 
-			update_walker(null);
 			d_main = ret["scrolled_window_commit_list"] as Gtk.Widget;
 		}