diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/RefWriter.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/RefWriter.java
index 6b0c7b3a9..f2738245d 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/RefWriter.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/RefWriter.java
@@ -86,8 +86,13 @@ public abstract class RefWriter {
 			this.refs = RefComparator.sort(refs.values());
 	}
 
-	RefWriter(RefList<Ref> list) {
-		this.refs = list.asList();
+	/**
+	 * @param refs
+	 *            the complete set of references. This should have been computed
+	 *            by applying updates to the advertised refs already discovered.
+	 */
+	public RefWriter(RefList<Ref> refs) {
+		this.refs = refs.asList();
 	}
 
 	/**