diff --git a/sha1_name.c b/sha1_name.c
index 93197b9..a0b5923 100644
--- a/sha1_name.c
+++ b/sha1_name.c
@@ -1004,6 +1004,28 @@
 	return st;
 }
 
+/* parse @something syntax, when 'something' is not {.*} */
+static int interpret_empty_at(const char *name, int namelen, int len, struct strbuf *buf)
+{
+	const char *next;
+
+	if (len || name[1] == '{')
+		return -1;
+
+	/* make sure it's a single @, or @@{.*}, not @foo */
+	next = strchr(name + len + 1, '@');
+	if (next && next[1] != '{')
+		return -1;
+	if (!next)
+		next = name + namelen;
+	if (next != name + 1)
+		return -1;
+
+	strbuf_reset(buf);
+	strbuf_add(buf, "HEAD", 4);
+	return 1;
+}
+
 static int reinterpret(const char *name, int namelen, int len, struct strbuf *buf)
 {
 	/* we have extra data, which might need further processing */
@@ -1068,9 +1090,15 @@
 	cp = strchr(name, '@');
 	if (!cp)
 		return -1;
+
+	len = interpret_empty_at(name, namelen, cp - name, buf);
+	if (len > 0)
+		return reinterpret(name, namelen, len, buf);
+
 	tmp_len = upstream_mark(cp, namelen - (cp - name));
 	if (!tmp_len)
 		return -1;
+
 	len = cp + tmp_len - name;
 	cp = xstrndup(name, cp - name);
 	upstream = branch_get(*cp ? cp : NULL);