diff --git a/src/git.rs b/src/git.rs
index 56777df..b30279e 100644
--- a/src/git.rs
+++ b/src/git.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@ use std::{
     process::{Command, Output},
 };
 
-use log::trace;
+use log::{trace, warn};
+use regex::bytes::Regex;
 
 #[derive(Debug)]
 pub enum Error {
@@ -62,6 +63,45 @@ fn run(mut command: Command) -> Result<Output, Error> {
     }
 }
 
+pub fn init_bare(path: &Path) -> Result<(), Error> {
+    let mut command = Command::new("git");
+    command.arg("init").arg("--bare").arg("--").arg(path);
+    run(command)?;
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+pub fn fetch_head(path: &Path, url: &str) -> Result<(), Error> {
+    let mut command = Command::new("git");
+    command
+        .arg("-C")
+        .arg(path)
+        .arg("ls-remote")
+        .arg("--symref")
+        .arg("--")
+        .arg(url)
+        .arg("HEAD"); // Includes other refs like refs/foo/HEAD
+    let output = run(command)?;
+
+    let regex = Regex::new(r"(?m)^ref: (refs/\S+)\s+HEAD$").unwrap();
+    let Some(captures) = regex.captures(&output.stdout) else {
+        warn!("Did not find HEAD of {url}");
+        return Ok(());
+    };
+    let head = String::from_utf8_lossy(captures.get(1).unwrap().as_bytes());
+
+    let mut command = Command::new("git");
+    command
+        .arg("-C")
+        .arg(path)
+        .arg("symbolic-ref")
+        .arg("--")
+        .arg("HEAD")
+        .arg(&head as &str);
+    run(command)?;
+
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 pub fn fetch(path: &Path, url: &str, refspecs: &[String]) -> Result<(), Error> {
     let mut command = Command::new("git");
     command
diff --git a/src/server.rs b/src/server.rs
index 2d68dfa..8fae60b 100644
--- a/src/server.rs
+++ b/src/server.rs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ use std::{
     time::Duration,
 };
 
+use anyhow::anyhow;
 use axum::extract::FromRef;
 use gix::ThreadSafeRepository;
 use log::{debug, info};
@@ -18,10 +19,54 @@ use sqlx::{
 };
 use tokio::select;
 
-use crate::{args::ServerCommand, config::ServerConfig, somehow};
+use crate::{args::ServerCommand, config::ServerConfig, git, somehow};
 
 use self::workers::Workers;
 
+fn open_repo(
+    path: &Path,
+    url: &Option<String>,
+    refspecs: &[String],
+) -> somehow::Result<ThreadSafeRepository> {
+    if path.exists() {
+        info!("Opening repo at {}", path.display());
+        Ok(ThreadSafeRepository::open(path)?)
+    } else if let Some(url) = url {
+        info!(
+            "No repo found at {} but a fetch url is configured",
+            path.display()
+        );
+
+        info!("Creating bare repo");
+        git::init_bare(path)?;
+
+        info!("Fetching HEAD from {url}");
+        git::fetch_head(path, url)?;
+
+        info!("Fetching refs for the first time (this may take a while)");
+        git::fetch(path, url, refspecs)?;
+
+        Ok(ThreadSafeRepository::open(path)?)
+    } else {
+        Err(somehow::Error(anyhow!(
+            "Failed to open repo: No repo found at {} and no fetch url is configured",
+            path.display()
+        )))
+    }
+}
+
+fn open_bench_repo(path: &Path) -> somehow::Result<ThreadSafeRepository> {
+    if path.exists() {
+        info!("Opening bench repo at {}", path.display());
+        Ok(ThreadSafeRepository::open(path)?)
+    } else {
+        Err(somehow::Error(anyhow!(
+            "Failed to open bench repo: No repo found at {}",
+            path.display()
+        )))
+    }
+}
+
 async fn open_db(path: &Path) -> sqlx::Result<SqlitePool> {
     let options = SqliteConnectOptions::new()
         // https://www.sqlite.org/pragma.html#pragma_journal_mode
@@ -77,16 +122,14 @@ impl Server {
         command: ServerCommand,
     ) -> somehow::Result<Self> {
         let repo = if let Some(path) = command.repo.as_ref() {
-            info!("Opening repo at {}", path.display());
-            let repo = ThreadSafeRepository::open(path)?;
+            let repo = open_repo(path, &config.repo_fetch_url, &config.repo_fetch_refspecs)?;
             Some(Repo(Arc::new(repo)))
         } else {
             None
         };
 
         let bench_repo = if let Some(path) = command.bench_repo.as_ref() {
-            info!("Opening bench repo at {}", path.display());
-            let repo = ThreadSafeRepository::open(path)?;
+            let repo = open_bench_repo(path)?;
             Some(BenchRepo(Arc::new(repo)))
         } else {
             None