diff --git a/contrib/masterfiles-stage/common.sh b/contrib/masterfiles-stage/common.sh
index 77d6b813f7..250bbae34c 100755
--- a/contrib/masterfiles-stage/common.sh
+++ b/contrib/masterfiles-stage/common.sh
@@ -94,6 +94,10 @@ git_deploy_refspec() {
   mkdir -p "$(dirname "$1")" || error_exit "Failed to mkdir -p dirname $1"
     # We don't mkdir $1 directly, just its parent dir if that doesn't exist.
 
+  if git_check_is_in_sync "${local_mirrored_repo}" "$1" "$2"; then
+    return 0
+  fi
+
   ########################## 1. CREATE EMPTY TEMP DIR
   # Put staging dir right next to deploy dir to ensure it's on same filesystem
   local temp_stage
@@ -112,10 +116,6 @@ git_deploy_refspec() {
   mkdir -p "${temp_stage}/.git"
   cp "${local_mirrored_repo}/HEAD" "${temp_stage}/.git/"
 
-  if git_check_is_in_sync "${local_mirrored_repo}" "${temp_stage}" "$2"; then
-    return 0
-  fi
-
   ########################## 3. SET PERMISSIONS ON POLICY SET
   chown -R root:root "${temp_stage}" || error_exit "Unable to chown '${temp_stage}'"
   find "${temp_stage}" \( -type f -exec chmod 600 {} + \) -o \
@@ -211,6 +211,10 @@ git_cfbs_deploy_refspec() {
   mkdir -p "$(dirname "$1")" || error_exit "Failed to mkdir -p dirname $1"
     # We don't mkdir $1 directly, just its parent dir if that doesn't exist.
 
+  if git_check_is_in_sync "${local_mirrored_repo}" "$1" "$2"; then
+    return 0
+  fi
+
   ########################## 1. CREATE EMPTY TEMP DIR
   # Put staging dir right next to deploy dir to ensure it's on same filesystem
   local temp_stage
@@ -238,10 +242,6 @@ git_cfbs_deploy_refspec() {
   mkdir -p "${temp_stage}/out/masterfiles/.git"
   cp "${local_mirrored_repo}/HEAD" "${temp_stage}/out/masterfiles/.git/"
 
-  if git_check_is_in_sync "${local_mirrored_repo}" "${temp_stage}/out/masterfiles" "$2"; then
-    return 0
-  fi
-
   ########################## 3. SET PERMISSIONS ON POLICY SET
   chown -R root:root "${temp_stage}" || error_exit "Unable to chown '${temp_stage}'"
   find "${temp_stage}" \( -type f -exec chmod 600 {} + \) -o \