diff --git a/gerrit-httpd/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/httpd/ProjectServlet.java b/gerrit-httpd/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/httpd/ProjectServlet.java
index 09e2cce8ef..8c1e5dfd30 100644
--- a/gerrit-httpd/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/httpd/ProjectServlet.java
+++ b/gerrit-httpd/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/httpd/ProjectServlet.java
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ public class ProjectServlet extends GitServlet {
       UploadPack up = new UploadPack(repo);
       up.setPackConfig(packConfig);
       if (!pc.allRefsAreVisible()) {
-        up.setRefFilter(new VisibleRefFilter(repo, pc, db.get()));
+        up.setRefFilter(new VisibleRefFilter(repo, pc, db.get(), true));
       }
       return up;
     }
diff --git a/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/PushOp.java b/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/PushOp.java
index 1c100dfc9a..043e7c4a17 100644
--- a/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/PushOp.java
+++ b/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/PushOp.java
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ class PushOp implements ProjectRunnable {
         return Collections.emptyList();
       }
       try {
-        local = new VisibleRefFilter(db, pc, meta).filter(local);
+        local = new VisibleRefFilter(db, pc, meta, true).filter(local);
       } finally {
         meta.close();
       }
diff --git a/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/ReceiveCommits.java b/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/ReceiveCommits.java
index 710e97744d..a9979965fe 100644
--- a/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/ReceiveCommits.java
+++ b/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/ReceiveCommits.java
@@ -208,8 +208,9 @@ public class ReceiveCommits implements PreReceiveHook, PostReceiveHook {
 
     if (!projectControl.allRefsAreVisible()) {
       rp.setCheckReferencedObjectsAreReachable(true);
-      rp.setRefFilter(new VisibleRefFilter(repo, projectControl, db));
+      rp.setRefFilter(new VisibleRefFilter(repo, projectControl, db, false));
     }
+    rp.setRefFilter(new ReceiveCommitsRefFilter(rp.getRefFilter()));
 
     rp.setPreReceiveHook(this);
     rp.setPostReceiveHook(this);
diff --git a/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/ReceiveCommitsRefFilter.java b/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/ReceiveCommitsRefFilter.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..730305ccee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/ReceiveCommitsRefFilter.java
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2010 The Android Open Source Project
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package com.google.gerrit.server.git;
+
+import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Ref;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.transport.RefFilter;
+
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+/** Exposes only the non refs/changes/ reference names. */
+class ReceiveCommitsRefFilter implements RefFilter {
+  private final RefFilter base;
+
+  public ReceiveCommitsRefFilter(RefFilter base) {
+    this.base = base != null ? base : RefFilter.DEFAULT;
+  }
+
+  @Override
+  public Map<String, Ref> filter(Map<String, Ref> refs) {
+    HashMap<String, Ref> r = new HashMap<String, Ref>();
+    for (Map.Entry<String, Ref> e : refs.entrySet()) {
+      if (!e.getKey().startsWith("refs/changes/")) {
+        r.put(e.getKey(), e.getValue());
+      }
+    }
+    return base.filter(r);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/VisibleRefFilter.java b/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/VisibleRefFilter.java
index ffc3fd8e19..8e4d8eaa38 100644
--- a/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/VisibleRefFilter.java
+++ b/gerrit-server/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/git/VisibleRefFilter.java
@@ -52,12 +52,15 @@ public class VisibleRefFilter implements RefFilter {
   private final Repository db;
   private final ProjectControl projectCtl;
   private final ReviewDb reviewDb;
+  private final boolean showChanges;
 
   public VisibleRefFilter(final Repository db,
-      final ProjectControl projectControl, final ReviewDb reviewDb) {
+      final ProjectControl projectControl, final ReviewDb reviewDb,
+      final boolean showChanges) {
     this.db = db;
     this.projectCtl = projectControl;
     this.reviewDb = reviewDb;
+    this.showChanges = showChanges;
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -99,6 +102,10 @@ public class VisibleRefFilter implements RefFilter {
   }
 
   private Set<Change.Id> visibleChanges() {
+    if (!showChanges) {
+      return Collections.emptySet();
+    }
+
     final Project project = projectCtl.getProject();
     try {
       final Set<Change.Id> visibleChanges = new HashSet<Change.Id>();
diff --git a/gerrit-sshd/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/sshd/commands/Upload.java b/gerrit-sshd/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/sshd/commands/Upload.java
index bcc9d19d32..95b33f74c1 100644
--- a/gerrit-sshd/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/sshd/commands/Upload.java
+++ b/gerrit-sshd/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/sshd/commands/Upload.java
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ final class Upload extends AbstractGitCommand {
 
     final UploadPack up = new UploadPack(repo);
     if (!projectControl.allRefsAreVisible()) {
-      up.setRefFilter(new VisibleRefFilter(repo, projectControl, db.get()));
+      up.setRefFilter(new VisibleRefFilter(repo, projectControl, db.get(), true));
     }
     up.setPackConfig(config.getPackConfig());
     up.setTimeout(config.getTimeout());