diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.http.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/http/test/HttpClientTests.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.http.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/http/test/HttpClientTests.java
index b686d160b..6fb130231 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.http.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/http/test/HttpClientTests.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.http.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/http/test/HttpClientTests.java
@@ -376,4 +376,20 @@ public class HttpClientTests extends HttpTestCase {
 			t.close();
 		}
 	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testListRemoteWithoutLocalRepository() throws Exception {
+		Transport t = Transport.open(smartAuthNoneURI);
+		try {
+			FetchConnection c = t.openFetch();
+			try {
+				Ref head = c.getRef(Constants.HEAD);
+				assertNotNull(head);
+			} finally {
+				c.close();
+			}
+		} finally {
+			t.close();
+		}
+	}
 }
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/BasePackFetchConnection.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/BasePackFetchConnection.java
index 1b13d0ba2..7a30d251a 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/BasePackFetchConnection.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/BasePackFetchConnection.java
@@ -239,21 +239,33 @@ public abstract class BasePackFetchConnection extends BasePackConnection
 	public BasePackFetchConnection(final PackTransport packTransport) {
 		super(packTransport);
 
-		final FetchConfig cfg = local.getConfig().get(FetchConfig.KEY);
+		if (local != null) {
+			final FetchConfig cfg = local.getConfig().get(FetchConfig.KEY);
+			allowOfsDelta = cfg.allowOfsDelta;
+		} else {
+			allowOfsDelta = true;
+		}
 		includeTags = transport.getTagOpt() != TagOpt.NO_TAGS;
 		thinPack = transport.isFetchThin();
-		allowOfsDelta = cfg.allowOfsDelta;
-
-		walk = new RevWalk(local);
-		reachableCommits = new RevCommitList<RevCommit>();
-		REACHABLE = walk.newFlag("REACHABLE"); //$NON-NLS-1$
-		COMMON = walk.newFlag("COMMON"); //$NON-NLS-1$
-		STATE = walk.newFlag("STATE"); //$NON-NLS-1$
-		ADVERTISED = walk.newFlag("ADVERTISED"); //$NON-NLS-1$
-
-		walk.carry(COMMON);
-		walk.carry(REACHABLE);
-		walk.carry(ADVERTISED);
+
+		if (local != null) {
+			walk = new RevWalk(local);
+			reachableCommits = new RevCommitList<RevCommit>();
+			REACHABLE = walk.newFlag("REACHABLE"); //$NON-NLS-1$
+			COMMON = walk.newFlag("COMMON"); //$NON-NLS-1$
+			STATE = walk.newFlag("STATE"); //$NON-NLS-1$
+			ADVERTISED = walk.newFlag("ADVERTISED"); //$NON-NLS-1$
+
+			walk.carry(COMMON);
+			walk.carry(REACHABLE);
+			walk.carry(ADVERTISED);
+		} else {
+			walk = null;
+			REACHABLE = null;
+			COMMON = null;
+			STATE = null;
+			ADVERTISED = null;
+		}
 	}
 
 	private static class FetchConfig {
@@ -357,7 +369,8 @@ public abstract class BasePackFetchConnection extends BasePackConnection
 
 	@Override
 	public void close() {
-		walk.release();
+		if (walk != null)
+			walk.release();
 		super.close();
 	}
 
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/Transport.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/Transport.java
index 3c196109d..dd04ce50c 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/Transport.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/transport/Transport.java
@@ -559,6 +559,9 @@ public abstract class Transport {
 
 	/**
 	 * Open a new transport with no local repository.
+	 * <p>
+	 * Note that the resulting transport instance can not be used for fetching
+	 * or pushing, but only for reading remote refs.
 	 *
 	 * @param uri
 	 * @return new Transport instance
@@ -1238,6 +1241,9 @@ public abstract class Transport {
 
 	/**
 	 * Begins a new connection for fetching from the remote repository.
+	 * <p>
+	 * If the transport has no local repository, the fetch connection can only
+	 * be used for reading remote refs.
 	 *
 	 * @return a fresh connection to fetch from the remote repository.
 	 * @throws NotSupportedException