diff --git a/pkg/config/repo.go b/pkg/config/repo.go
index 4ee8cc05a..92c9d1b80 100644
--- a/pkg/config/repo.go
+++ b/pkg/config/repo.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/yaml"
 
 	"opendev.org/airship/airshipctl/pkg/errors"
+	"opendev.org/airship/airshipctl/pkg/log"
 )
 
 // Constants for possible repo authentication types
@@ -123,7 +124,7 @@ func (repo *Repository) String() string {
 
 // Validate check possible values for repository and
 // returns Error when incorrect value is given
-// retruns nill when there are no errors
+// returns nil when there are no errors
 func (repo *Repository) Validate() error {
 	if repo.URLString == "" {
 		return ErrRepoSpecRequiresURL{}
@@ -141,6 +142,8 @@ func (repo *Repository) Validate() error {
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
+	} else {
+		log.Debugf("Checkout options not defined, cloning from master")
 	}
 
 	return nil
@@ -171,14 +174,15 @@ func (repo *Repository) ToCheckoutOptions(force bool) *git.CheckoutOptions {
 	co := &git.CheckoutOptions{
 		Force: force,
 	}
-	switch {
-	case repo.CheckoutOptions == nil:
-	case repo.CheckoutOptions.Branch != "":
-		co.Branch = plumbing.NewBranchReferenceName(repo.CheckoutOptions.Branch)
-	case repo.CheckoutOptions.Tag != "":
-		co.Branch = plumbing.NewTagReferenceName(repo.CheckoutOptions.Tag)
-	case repo.CheckoutOptions.CommitHash != "":
-		co.Hash = plumbing.NewHash(repo.CheckoutOptions.CommitHash)
+	if repo.CheckoutOptions != nil {
+		switch {
+		case repo.CheckoutOptions.Branch != "":
+			co.Branch = plumbing.NewBranchReferenceName(repo.CheckoutOptions.Branch)
+		case repo.CheckoutOptions.Tag != "":
+			co.Branch = plumbing.NewTagReferenceName(repo.CheckoutOptions.Tag)
+		case repo.CheckoutOptions.CommitHash != "":
+			co.Hash = plumbing.NewHash(repo.CheckoutOptions.CommitHash)
+		}
 	}
 	return co
 }
@@ -187,10 +191,19 @@ func (repo *Repository) ToCheckoutOptions(force bool) *git.CheckoutOptions {
 // authentication and URL set
 // CloneOptions describes how a clone should be performed
 func (repo *Repository) ToCloneOptions(auth transport.AuthMethod) *git.CloneOptions {
-	return &git.CloneOptions{
+	cl := &git.CloneOptions{
 		Auth: auth,
 		URL:  repo.URLString,
 	}
+	if repo.CheckoutOptions != nil {
+		switch {
+		case repo.CheckoutOptions.Branch != "":
+			cl.ReferenceName = plumbing.NewBranchReferenceName(repo.CheckoutOptions.Branch)
+		case repo.CheckoutOptions.Tag != "":
+			cl.ReferenceName = plumbing.NewTagReferenceName(repo.CheckoutOptions.Tag)
+		}
+	}
+	return cl
 }
 
 // ToFetchOptions returns an instance of git.FetchOptions for given authentication
diff --git a/pkg/config/repo_test.go b/pkg/config/repo_test.go
index 29939ff3c..a82eaa0f2 100644
--- a/pkg/config/repo_test.go
+++ b/pkg/config/repo_test.go
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ const (
 	toAuthTestName           = "ToAuth"
 	toAuthNilTestName        = "ToAuthNil"
 	ToFetchOptionsTestName   = "ToFetchOptions"
+	ToCloneOptionsTestName   = "ToCloneOptions"
 	toAuthNilError           = "toAuthNilError"
 	URLTestName              = "URLTest"
 	StringTestData           = `test-data:
@@ -147,6 +148,11 @@ var (
 			dataMapEntry: []string{"no-auth"},
 			expectedNil:  false,
 		},
+		ToCloneOptionsTestName: {
+			expectError:  false,
+			dataMapEntry: []string{"http-basic-auth", "ssh-key-auth", "no-auth", "empty-checkout"},
+			expectedNil:  false,
+		},
 		URLTestName: {
 			expectError:  false,
 			expectedNil:  false,
@@ -253,12 +259,18 @@ func TestToCloneOptions(t *testing.T) {
 	err := yaml.Unmarshal([]byte(StringTestData), data)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
-	testCase := TestCaseMap[ToFetchOptionsTestName]
+	testCase := TestCaseMap[ToCloneOptionsTestName]
 
 	for _, name := range testCase.dataMapEntry {
 		repo := data.TestData[name]
 		require.NotNil(t, repo)
-		assert.NotNil(t, repo.ToCloneOptions(nil))
+		cl := repo.ToCloneOptions(nil)
+		if testCase.expectedNil {
+			assert.Nil(t, cl)
+		} else {
+			assert.NotNil(t, cl)
+			assert.NoError(t, cl.Validate())
+		}
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/document/pull/pull.go b/pkg/document/pull/pull.go
index a09f436ac..e3ecb2542 100644
--- a/pkg/document/pull/pull.go
+++ b/pkg/document/pull/pull.go
@@ -44,6 +44,10 @@ func (s *Settings) cloneRepositories() error {
 
 	// Clone repositories
 	for _, extraRepoConfig := range currentManifest.Repositories {
+		err := extraRepoConfig.Validate()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
 		repository, err := repo.NewRepository(currentManifest.TargetPath, extraRepoConfig)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
diff --git a/pkg/document/pull/pull_test.go b/pkg/document/pull/pull_test.go
index e8f018076..dea563a4e 100644
--- a/pkg/document/pull/pull_test.go
+++ b/pkg/document/pull/pull_test.go
@@ -21,13 +21,11 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	fixtures "github.com/go-git/go-git-fixtures/v4"
-
-	repo2 "opendev.org/airship/airshipctl/pkg/document/repo"
-
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
 	"opendev.org/airship/airshipctl/pkg/config"
+	"opendev.org/airship/airshipctl/pkg/document/repo"
 	"opendev.org/airship/airshipctl/pkg/environment"
 	"opendev.org/airship/airshipctl/pkg/util"
 	"opendev.org/airship/airshipctl/testutil"
@@ -45,82 +43,97 @@ func TestPull(t *testing.T) {
 	require := require.New(t)
 	assert := assert.New(t)
 
-	t.Run("cloneRepositories", func(t *testing.T) {
-		dummyPullSettings := getDummyPullSettings()
-		currentManifest, err := dummyPullSettings.Config.CurrentContextManifest()
-		require.NoError(err)
-
-		fx := fixtures.Basic().One()
-
-		dummyGitDir := fx.DotGit().Root()
-		currentManifest.Repositories = map[string]*config.Repository{currentManifest.PrimaryRepositoryName: {
-			URLString: dummyGitDir,
-			CheckoutOptions: &config.RepoCheckout{
+	tests := []struct {
+		name         string
+		url          string
+		checkoutOpts *config.RepoCheckout
+		error        error
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "TestCloneRepositoriesValidOpts",
+			checkoutOpts: &config.RepoCheckout{
 				Branch:        "master",
 				ForceCheckout: false,
 			},
-			Auth: &config.RepoAuth{
-				Type: "http-basic",
-			},
+			error: nil,
 		},
-		}
-
-		tmpDir, cleanup := testutil.TempDir(t, "airshipctlPullTest-")
-		defer cleanup(t)
-
-		currentManifest.TargetPath = tmpDir
-
-		_, err = repo2.NewRepository(".", currentManifest.Repositories[currentManifest.PrimaryRepositoryName])
-		require.NoError(err)
-
-		err = dummyPullSettings.cloneRepositories()
-
-		require.NoError(err)
-		dummyRepoDirName := util.GitDirNameFromURL(dummyGitDir)
-		assert.FileExists(path.Join(tmpDir, dummyRepoDirName, "go/example.go"))
-		assert.FileExists(path.Join(tmpDir, dummyRepoDirName, ".git/HEAD"))
-		contents, err := ioutil.ReadFile(path.Join(tmpDir, dummyRepoDirName, ".git/HEAD"))
-		require.NoError(err)
-		assert.Equal("ref: refs/heads/master", strings.TrimRight(string(contents), "\t \n"))
-	})
-
-	t.Run("Pull", func(t *testing.T) {
-		dummyPullSettings := getDummyPullSettings()
-		conf := dummyPullSettings.AirshipCTLSettings.Config
-
-		fx := fixtures.Basic().One()
-
-		mfst := conf.Manifests["dummy_manifest"]
-		dummyGitDir := fx.DotGit().Root()
-		mfst.Repositories = map[string]*config.Repository{
-			mfst.PrimaryRepositoryName: {
-				URLString: dummyGitDir,
-				CheckoutOptions: &config.RepoCheckout{
-					Branch:        "master",
-					ForceCheckout: false,
-				},
-				Auth: &config.RepoAuth{
-					Type: "http-basic",
-				},
+		{
+			name:  "TestCloneRepositoriesMissingCheckoutOptions",
+			error: nil,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "TestCloneRepositoriesNonMasterBranch",
+			checkoutOpts: &config.RepoCheckout{
+				Branch:        "branch",
+				ForceCheckout: false,
 			},
-		}
-		dummyPullSettings.Config = conf
+			error: nil,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "TestCloneRepositoriesInvalidOpts",
+			checkoutOpts: &config.RepoCheckout{
+				Branch:        "master",
+				Tag:           "someTag",
+				ForceCheckout: false,
+			},
+			error: config.ErrMutuallyExclusiveCheckout{},
+		},
+	}
+	dummyPullSettings := getDummyPullSettings()
+	currentManifest, err := dummyPullSettings.Config.CurrentContextManifest()
+	require.NoError(err)
 
-		tmpDir, cleanup := testutil.TempDir(t, "airshipctlPullTest-")
-		defer cleanup(t)
+	testGitURL := fixtures.Basic().One().URL
+	dirNameFromURL := util.GitDirNameFromURL(testGitURL)
+	globalTmpDir, cleanup := testutil.TempDir(t, "airshipctlCloneTest-")
+	defer cleanup(t)
 
-		mfst.TargetPath = tmpDir
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		tmpDir := path.Join(globalTmpDir, tt.name)
+		expectedErr := tt.error
+		chkOutOpts := tt.checkoutOpts
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			currentManifest.Repositories = map[string]*config.Repository{
+				currentManifest.PrimaryRepositoryName: {
+					URLString:       testGitURL,
+					CheckoutOptions: chkOutOpts,
+					Auth: &config.RepoAuth{
+						Type: "http-basic",
+					},
+				},
+			}
 
-		err := dummyPullSettings.Pull()
-		require.NoError(err)
+			currentManifest.TargetPath = tmpDir
 
-		dummyRepoDirName := util.GitDirNameFromURL(dummyGitDir)
-		assert.FileExists(path.Join(tmpDir, dummyRepoDirName, "go/example.go"))
-		assert.FileExists(path.Join(tmpDir, dummyRepoDirName, ".git/HEAD"))
-		contents, err := ioutil.ReadFile(path.Join(tmpDir, dummyRepoDirName, ".git/HEAD"))
-		require.NoError(err)
-		assert.Equal("ref: refs/heads/master", strings.TrimRight(string(contents), "\t \n"))
-	})
+			_, err = repo.NewRepository(
+				".",
+				currentManifest.Repositories[currentManifest.PrimaryRepositoryName],
+			)
+			require.NoError(err)
 
+			err = dummyPullSettings.Pull()
+			if expectedErr != nil {
+				assert.NotNil(err)
+				assert.Equal(expectedErr, err)
+			} else {
+				require.NoError(err)
+				assert.FileExists(path.Join(currentManifest.TargetPath, dirNameFromURL, "go/example.go"))
+				assert.FileExists(path.Join(currentManifest.TargetPath, dirNameFromURL, ".git/HEAD"))
+				contents, err := ioutil.ReadFile(path.Join(currentManifest.TargetPath, dirNameFromURL, ".git/HEAD"))
+				require.NoError(err)
+				if chkOutOpts == nil {
+					assert.Equal(
+						"ref: refs/heads/master",
+						strings.TrimRight(string(contents), "\t \n"),
+					)
+				} else {
+					assert.Equal(
+						"ref: refs/heads/"+chkOutOpts.Branch,
+						strings.TrimRight(string(contents), "\t \n"),
+					)
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
 	testutil.CleanUpGitFixtures(t)
 }