diff --git a/tests/base.py b/tests/base.py
index c449242..fe01399 100755
--- a/tests/base.py
+++ b/tests/base.py
@@ -606,7 +606,7 @@
         return ret
 
     def getGitUrl(self, project):
-        return os.path.join(self.upstream_root, project.name)
+        return 'file://' + os.path.join(self.upstream_root, project.name)
 
 
 class GithubChangeReference(git.Reference):
@@ -1794,18 +1794,6 @@
         else:
             self._log_stream = sys.stdout
 
-        # NOTE(jeblair): this is temporary extra debugging to try to
-        # track down a possible leak.
-        orig_git_repo_init = git.Repo.__init__
-
-        def git_repo_init(myself, *args, **kw):
-            orig_git_repo_init(myself, *args, **kw)
-            self.log.debug("Created git repo 0x%x %s" %
-                           (id(myself), repr(myself)))
-
-        self.useFixture(fixtures.MonkeyPatch('git.Repo.__init__',
-                                             git_repo_init))
-
         handler = logging.StreamHandler(self._log_stream)
         formatter = logging.Formatter('%(asctime)s %(name)-32s '
                                       '%(levelname)-8s %(message)s')
@@ -1960,6 +1948,9 @@
         self.config.set(
             'executor', 'command_socket',
             os.path.join(self.test_root, 'executor.socket'))
+        self.config.set(
+            'merger', 'command_socket',
+            os.path.join(self.test_root, 'merger.socket'))
 
         self.statsd = FakeStatsd()
         if self.config.has_section('statsd'):
@@ -2016,6 +2007,7 @@
             self.config, self.sched)
         self.merge_client = zuul.merger.client.MergeClient(
             self.config, self.sched)
+        self.merge_server = None
         self.nodepool = zuul.nodepool.Nodepool(self.sched)
         self.zk = zuul.zk.ZooKeeper()
         self.zk.connect(self.zk_config)
@@ -2290,6 +2282,8 @@
         self.executor_server.release()
         self.executor_client.stop()
         self.merge_client.stop()
+        if self.merge_server:
+            self.merge_server.stop()
         self.executor_server.stop()
         self.sched.stop()
         self.sched.join()
@@ -2362,6 +2356,13 @@
         zuul.merger.merger.reset_repo_to_head(repo)
         repo.git.clean('-x', '-f', '-d')
 
+    def delete_branch(self, project, branch):
+        path = os.path.join(self.upstream_root, project)
+        repo = git.Repo(path)
+        repo.head.reference = repo.heads['master']
+        zuul.merger.merger.reset_repo_to_head(repo)
+        repo.delete_head(repo.heads[branch], force=True)
+
     def create_commit(self, project):
         path = os.path.join(self.upstream_root, project)
         repo = git.Repo(path)
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/layouts/branch-deletion.yaml b/tests/fixtures/layouts/branch-deletion.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f72902a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/fixtures/layouts/branch-deletion.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+- pipeline:
+    name: check
+    manager: independent
+    trigger:
+      gerrit:
+        - event: patchset-created
+    success:
+      gerrit:
+        Verified: 1
+    failure:
+      gerrit:
+        Verified: -1
+
+- job:
+    name: base
+    parent: null
+    run: playbooks/base.yaml
+
+- job:
+    name: project-test1
+    parent: base
+    branches: master
+
+- job:
+    name: project-test2
+    parent: base
+    branches: stable
+
+- project:
+    name: org/project
+    check:
+      jobs:
+        - project-test1
+        - project-test2
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_scheduler.py b/tests/unit/test_scheduler.py
index 5db20b3..3d76510 100755
--- a/tests/unit/test_scheduler.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_scheduler.py
@@ -161,6 +161,44 @@
         self.assertEqual(self.getJobFromHistory('project-test1').node,
                          'label2')
 
+    @simple_layout('layouts/branch-deletion.yaml')
+    def test_branch_deletion(self):
+        "Test the correct variant of a job runs on a branch"
+        self._startMerger()
+        for f in list(self.executor_server.merger_worker.functions.keys()):
+            f = str(f)
+            if f.startswith('merger:'):
+                self.executor_server.merger_worker.unRegisterFunction(f)
+
+        self.create_branch('org/project', 'stable')
+        A = self.fake_gerrit.addFakeChange('org/project', 'stable', 'A')
+        self.fake_gerrit.addEvent(A.getPatchsetCreatedEvent(1))
+        self.waitUntilSettled()
+        self.assertEqual(self.getJobFromHistory('project-test2').result,
+                         'SUCCESS')
+
+        self.delete_branch('org/project', 'stable')
+        path = os.path.join(self.executor_src_root, 'review.example.com')
+        shutil.rmtree(path)
+
+        self.executor_server.hold_jobs_in_build = True
+        A = self.fake_gerrit.addFakeChange('org/project', 'master', 'A')
+        self.fake_gerrit.addEvent(A.getPatchsetCreatedEvent(1))
+        self.waitUntilSettled()
+        build = self.builds[0]
+
+        # Make sure there is no stable branch in the checked out git repo.
+        pname = 'review.example.com/org/project'
+        work = build.getWorkspaceRepos([pname])
+        work = work[pname]
+        heads = set([str(x) for x in work.heads])
+        self.assertEqual(heads, set(['master']))
+        self.executor_server.hold_jobs_in_build = False
+        build.release()
+        self.waitUntilSettled()
+        self.assertEqual(self.getJobFromHistory('project-test1').result,
+                         'SUCCESS')
+
     def test_parallel_changes(self):
         "Test that changes are tested in parallel and merged in series"
 
@@ -4934,7 +4972,7 @@
         return repo_messages
 
     def _test_merge(self, mode):
-        us_path = os.path.join(
+        us_path = 'file://' + os.path.join(
             self.upstream_root, 'org/project-%s' % mode)
         expected_messages = [
             'initial commit',