# Checkout the branch to look at its content.
        $res = run(cmd => ["git", "checkout", "--force", "$branch"], dir => $clonePath);
        die "error checking out Git branch '$branch' at `$uri':\n$res->{stderr}" if $res->{status};
        # Clean to remove potentially present artifacts after forcing branch switch
        $res = run(cmd => ["git", "clean", "-d", "-x", "--force", "--force"], dir => $clonePath);
        print STDERR "warning: `git clean -d -x --force --force' failed::\n$res->{stderr}" if $res->{status};

        # Is the target branch a topgit branch?
        $res = run(cmd => ["git", "ls-tree", "-r", "$branch", ".topgit"], dir => $clonePath);

        if (-f ".topdeps") {

        if ($res->{stdout} != "") {
            # Checkout the branch to look at its content.
            $res = run(cmd => ["git", "checkout", "--force", "$branch"], dir => $clonePath);
            die "error checking out Git branch '$branch' at `$uri':\n$res->{stderr}" if $res->{status};