diff --git a/pkg/gitinterface/repository.go b/pkg/gitinterface/repository.go
index ddd77f36..b0217b12 100644
--- a/pkg/gitinterface/repository.go
+++ b/pkg/gitinterface/repository.go
@@ -36,7 +36,11 @@ type Repository struct {
 // GetGoGitRepository returns the go-git representation of a repository. We use
 // this in certain signing and verifying workflows.
 func (r *Repository) GetGoGitRepository() (*git.Repository, error) {
-	return git.PlainOpenWithOptions(r.gitDirPath, &git.PlainOpenOptions{DetectDotGit: true})
+	// gitDirPath is already the resolved git directory (set via
+	// `git rev-parse --git-dir` in LoadRepository), so DetectDotGit must be
+	// false: with it true, go-git looks for a .git entry inside this path,
+	// which a bare repository does not have, and returns ErrRepositoryNotExists.
+	return git.PlainOpenWithOptions(r.gitDirPath, &git.PlainOpenOptions{DetectDotGit: false})
 }
 
 // GetGitDir returns the GIT_DIR path for the repository.
diff --git a/pkg/gitinterface/repository_test.go b/pkg/gitinterface/repository_test.go
index 974668f4..7f57edac 100644
--- a/pkg/gitinterface/repository_test.go
+++ b/pkg/gitinterface/repository_test.go
@@ -64,4 +64,34 @@ func TestRepository(t *testing.T) {
 		_, err := LoadRepository(tmpDir)
 		assert.ErrorContains(t, err, "unable to identify git directory for repository")
 	})
+
+	t.Run("GetGoGitRepository", func(t *testing.T) {
+		for _, bare := range []bool{false, true} {
+			name := "worktree"
+			if bare {
+				name = "bare"
+			}
+			t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+				tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+				repo := CreateTestGitRepository(t, tmpDir, bare)
+				ggr, err := repo.GetGoGitRepository()
+				require.NoError(t, err, "GetGoGitRepository on %s repo", name)
+				_, err = ggr.Head()
+				// Empty repo: ErrReferenceNotFound is fine; what matters is the
+				// repo opened. Anything else (esp. ErrRepositoryNotExists) is a
+				// failure to open the storage.
+				if err != nil {
+					assert.ErrorContains(t, err, "reference not found")
+				}
+			})
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("GetGoGitRepository on .git-suffixed bare repo", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// Forge-style bare repos are conventionally named <name>.git.
+		dir := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "demo.git")
+		repo := CreateTestGitRepository(t, dir, true)
+		_, err := repo.GetGoGitRepository()
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+	})
 }