diff --git a/PBGitHistoryView.xib b/PBGitHistoryView.xib
index b001d40..cf41060 100644
--- a/PBGitHistoryView.xib
+++ b/PBGitHistoryView.xib
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 		<string key="IBDocument.HIToolboxVersion">353.00</string>
 		<object class="NSMutableArray" key="IBDocument.EditedObjectIDs">
 			<bool key="EncodedWithXMLCoder">YES</bool>
-			<integer value="236"/>
+			<integer value="237"/>
 			<integer value="27"/>
 		</object>
 		<object class="NSArray" key="IBDocument.PluginDependencies">
@@ -1119,6 +1119,25 @@
 								<int key="NSPeriodicInterval">25</int>
 							</object>
 						</object>
+						<object class="NSTextField" id="27300806">
+							<reference key="NSNextResponder" ref="562356688"/>
+							<int key="NSvFlags">268</int>
+							<string key="NSFrame">{{251, 62}, {85, 17}}</string>
+							<reference key="NSSuperview" ref="562356688"/>
+							<bool key="NSEnabled">YES</bool>
+							<object class="NSTextFieldCell" key="NSCell" id="217429948">
+								<int key="NSCellFlags">68288064</int>
+								<int key="NSCellFlags2">272630784</int>
+								<string key="NSContents">Invalid name</string>
+								<reference key="NSSupport" ref="924107556"/>
+								<reference key="NSControlView" ref="27300806"/>
+								<reference key="NSBackgroundColor" ref="457244339"/>
+								<object class="NSColor" key="NSTextColor">
+									<int key="NSColorSpace">1</int>
+									<bytes key="NSRGB">MSAwIDAAA</bytes>
+								</object>
+							</object>
+						</object>
 					</object>
 					<string key="NSFrameSize">{346, 133}</string>
 					<reference key="NSSuperview"/>
@@ -2077,6 +2096,14 @@
 					</object>
 					<int key="connectionID">271</int>
 				</object>
+				<object class="IBConnectionRecord">
+					<object class="IBOutletConnection" key="connection">
+						<string key="label">errorMessage</string>
+						<reference key="source" ref="892732705"/>
+						<reference key="destination" ref="27300806"/>
+					</object>
+					<int key="connectionID">274</int>
+				</object>
 			</object>
 			<object class="IBMutableOrderedSet" key="objectRecords">
 				<object class="NSArray" key="orderedObjects">
@@ -2391,6 +2418,7 @@
 							<reference ref="383988892"/>
 							<reference ref="60467344"/>
 							<reference ref="657747237"/>
+							<reference ref="27300806"/>
 						</object>
 						<reference key="parent" ref="296392339"/>
 					</object>
@@ -2692,6 +2720,20 @@
 						<reference key="object" ref="496187369"/>
 						<reference key="parent" ref="604026377"/>
 					</object>
+					<object class="IBObjectRecord">
+						<int key="objectID">272</int>
+						<reference key="object" ref="27300806"/>
+						<object class="NSMutableArray" key="children">
+							<bool key="EncodedWithXMLCoder">YES</bool>
+							<reference ref="217429948"/>
+						</object>
+						<reference key="parent" ref="562356688"/>
+					</object>
+					<object class="IBObjectRecord">
+						<int key="objectID">273</int>
+						<reference key="object" ref="217429948"/>
+						<reference key="parent" ref="27300806"/>
+					</object>
 				</object>
 			</object>
 			<object class="NSMutableDictionary" key="flattenedProperties">
@@ -2769,6 +2811,8 @@
 					<string>27.IBViewIntegration.shadowOffsetHeight</string>
 					<string>27.IBViewIntegration.shadowOffsetWidth</string>
 					<string>27.ImportedFromIB2</string>
+					<string>272.IBPluginDependency</string>
+					<string>273.IBPluginDependency</string>
 					<string>28.IBPluginDependency</string>
 					<string>28.IBShouldRemoveOnLegacySave</string>
 					<string>29.IBPluginDependency</string>
@@ -2861,8 +2905,8 @@
 					<string>com.apple.InterfaceBuilder.CocoaPlugin</string>
 					<string>com.apple.InterfaceBuilder.CocoaPlugin</string>
 					<string>com.apple.InterfaceBuilder.CocoaPlugin</string>
-					<string>{{521, 623}, {346, 133}}</string>
-					<string>{{521, 623}, {346, 133}}</string>
+					<string>{{504, 581}, {346, 133}}</string>
+					<string>{{504, 581}, {346, 133}}</string>
 					<reference ref="8"/>
 					<string>{3.40282e+38, 3.40282e+38}</string>
 					<string>com.apple.InterfaceBuilder.CocoaPlugin</string>
@@ -2898,6 +2942,8 @@
 					<reference ref="8"/>
 					<reference ref="9"/>
 					<string>com.apple.InterfaceBuilder.CocoaPlugin</string>
+					<string>com.apple.InterfaceBuilder.CocoaPlugin</string>
+					<string>com.apple.InterfaceBuilder.CocoaPlugin</string>
 					<reference ref="9"/>
 					<string>com.apple.InterfaceBuilder.CocoaPlugin</string>
 					<reference ref="9"/>
@@ -2931,7 +2977,7 @@
 					</object>
 					<string>com.apple.InterfaceBuilder.CocoaPlugin</string>
 					<string>com.apple.InterfaceBuilder.CocoaPlugin</string>
-					<string>{{312, 79}, {852, 432}}</string>
+					<string>{{189, 79}, {852, 432}}</string>
 					<string>com.apple.InterfaceBuilder.CocoaPlugin</string>
 					<string>com.apple.InterfaceBuilder.CocoaPlugin</string>
 					<string>com.apple.InterfaceBuilder.CocoaPlugin</string>
@@ -2966,7 +3012,7 @@
 				</object>
 			</object>
 			<nil key="sourceID"/>
-			<int key="maxID">271</int>
+			<int key="maxID">274</int>
 		</object>
 		<object class="IBClassDescriber" key="IBDocument.Classes">
 			<object class="NSMutableArray" key="referencedPartialClassDescriptions">
@@ -3120,6 +3166,7 @@
 							<string>branchPopUp</string>
 							<string>commitController</string>
 							<string>commitList</string>
+							<string>errorMessage</string>
 							<string>historyController</string>
 							<string>newBranchName</string>
 							<string>newBranchSheet</string>
@@ -3129,6 +3176,7 @@
 							<string>NSPopUpButton</string>
 							<string>NSArrayController</string>
 							<string>PBCommitList</string>
+							<string>NSTextField</string>
 							<string>PBGitHistoryController</string>
 							<string>NSTextField</string>
 							<string>NSWindow</string>
diff --git a/PBGitRevList.mm b/PBGitRevList.mm
index ba39a3a..61a1b27 100644
--- a/PBGitRevList.mm
+++ b/PBGitRevList.mm
@@ -76,9 +76,9 @@ using namespace std;
 	BOOL showSign = [rev hasLeftRight];
 
 	if (showSign)
-		arguments = [NSMutableArray arrayWithObjects:@"log", @"-z", @"--early-output", @"--topo-order", @"--pretty=format:%H\01%an\01%s\01%P\01%at\01%m", nil];
+		arguments = [NSMutableArray arrayWithObjects:@"log", @"-z", @"--early-output", @"--topo-order", @"--pretty=format:%H\01%e\01%an\01%s\01%P\01%at\01%m", nil];
 	else
-		arguments = [NSMutableArray arrayWithObjects:@"log", @"-z", @"--early-output", @"--topo-order", @"--pretty=format:%H\01%an\01%s\01%P\01%at", nil];
+		arguments = [NSMutableArray arrayWithObjects:@"log", @"-z",  @"--early-output", @"--topo-order", @"--pretty=format:%H\01%e\01%an\01%s\01%P\01%at", nil];
 
 	if (!rev)
 		[arguments addObject:@"HEAD"];
@@ -111,11 +111,21 @@ using namespace std;
 			[self performSelectorOnMainThread:@selector(setCommits:) withObject:revisions waitUntilDone:NO];
 			g = [[PBGitGrapher alloc] initWithRepository: repository];
 			revisions = [NSMutableArray array];
-			
+
+			// If the length is < 40, then there are no commits.. quit now
+			if (sha.length() < 40)
+				break;
+
 			sha = sha.substr(sha.length() - 40, 40);
 		}
 
 		// From now on, 1.2 seconds
+		string encoding_str;
+		getline(stream, encoding_str, '\1');
+		NSStringEncoding encoding = NSUTF8StringEncoding;
+		if (encoding_str.length())
+			encoding = CFStringConvertEncodingToNSStringEncoding(CFStringConvertIANACharSetNameToEncoding((CFStringRef)[NSString stringWithUTF8String:encoding_str.c_str()]));
+
 		git_oid oid;
 		git_oid_mkstr(&oid, sha.c_str());
 		PBGitCommit* newCommit = [[PBGitCommit alloc] initWithRepository:repository andSha:oid];
@@ -148,8 +158,8 @@ using namespace std;
 		stream >> time;
 
 		
-		[newCommit setSubject:[NSString stringWithUTF8String:subject.c_str()]];
-		[newCommit setAuthor:[NSString stringWithUTF8String:author.c_str()]];
+		[newCommit setSubject:[NSString stringWithCString:subject.c_str() encoding:encoding]];
+		[newCommit setAuthor:[NSString stringWithCString:author.c_str() encoding:encoding]];
 		[newCommit setTimestamp:time];
 		
 		if (showSign)
diff --git a/PBRefController.h b/PBRefController.h
index 4ec8990..0706fc5 100644
--- a/PBRefController.h
+++ b/PBRefController.h
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 
 	IBOutlet NSWindow *newBranchSheet;
 	IBOutlet NSTextField *newBranchName;
+	IBOutlet NSTextField *errorMessage;
 
 	IBOutlet NSPopUpButton *branchPopUp;
 }
diff --git a/PBRefController.m b/PBRefController.m
index 345ad93..23abe60 100644
--- a/PBRefController.m
+++ b/PBRefController.m
@@ -177,6 +177,7 @@
 # pragma mark Add ref methods
 -(void)addRef:(id)sender
 {
+	[errorMessage setStringValue:@""];
 	[NSApp beginSheet:newBranchSheet
 	   modalForWindow:[[historyController view] window]
 		modalDelegate:NULL
@@ -187,20 +188,28 @@
 -(void)saveSheet:(id) sender
 {
 	NSString *branchName = [@"refs/heads/" stringByAppendingString:[newBranchName stringValue]];
-	[self closeSheet:sender];
 	
 	if ([[commitController selectedObjects] count] == 0)
 		return;
-	
+
 	PBGitCommit *commit = [[commitController selectedObjects] objectAtIndex:0];
+
 	int retValue = 1;
-	[historyController.repository outputForArguments:[NSArray arrayWithObjects:@"update-ref", @"-mCreate branch from GitX", branchName, [commit realSha], NULL] retValue:&retValue];
-	if (retValue)
-	{
-		NSLog(@"Creating ref failed!");
+	[historyController.repository outputForArguments:[NSArray arrayWithObjects:@"check-ref-format", branchName, nil] retValue:&retValue];
+	if (retValue != 0) {
+		[errorMessage setStringValue:@"Invalid name"];
 		return;
 	}
 
+	retValue = 1;
+	[historyController.repository outputForArguments:[NSArray arrayWithObjects:@"update-ref", @"-mCreate branch from GitX", branchName, [commit realSha], @"0000000000000000000000000000000000000000", NULL] retValue:&retValue];
+	if (retValue)
+	{
+		[errorMessage setStringValue:@"Branch exists"];
+		return;
+	}
+
+	[self closeSheet:sender];
 	[commit addRef:[PBGitRef refFromString:branchName]];
 	[commitController rearrangeObjects];
 }