diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index b3a0a244695e13fe00082a2f2c2b52d11dd99fa4..cd61509bc88a07081717870acb2fbbe27cc10cde 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -1362,16 +1362,15 @@ int for_each_ref_in_submodule(const char *submodule, const char *prefix,
 				    prefix, fn, cb_data);
 }
 
-int for_each_fullref_in_submodule(const char *submodule, const char *prefix,
-				  each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data,
-				  unsigned int broken)
+int refs_for_each_fullref_in(struct ref_store *refs, const char *prefix,
+			     each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data,
+			     unsigned int broken)
 {
 	unsigned int flag = 0;
 
 	if (broken)
 		flag = DO_FOR_EACH_INCLUDE_BROKEN;
-	return do_for_each_ref(get_submodule_ref_store(submodule),
-			       prefix, fn, 0, flag, cb_data);
+	return do_for_each_ref(refs, prefix, fn, 0, flag, cb_data);
 }
 
 int for_each_replace_ref(each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data)
diff --git a/refs.h b/refs.h
index 8073f8ab566ba36c4ae8dc97e6ebfee23ed26521..a8d6f337037fd1ab1dffda35f2202fb2a2e04d0b 100644
--- a/refs.h
+++ b/refs.h
@@ -291,6 +291,9 @@ int refs_for_each_remote_ref(struct ref_store *refs,
 int head_ref(each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data);
 int for_each_ref(each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data);
 int for_each_ref_in(const char *prefix, each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data);
+int refs_for_each_fullref_in(struct ref_store *refs, const char *prefix,
+			     each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data,
+			     unsigned int broken);
 int for_each_fullref_in(const char *prefix, each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data,
 			unsigned int broken);
 int for_each_tag_ref(each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data);
@@ -306,9 +309,6 @@ int for_each_ref_submodule(const char *submodule,
 			   each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data);
 int for_each_ref_in_submodule(const char *submodule, const char *prefix,
 			      each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data);
-int for_each_fullref_in_submodule(const char *submodule, const char *prefix,
-				  each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data,
-				  unsigned int broken);
 int for_each_tag_ref_submodule(const char *submodule,
 			       each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data);
 int for_each_branch_ref_submodule(const char *submodule,
diff --git a/revision.c b/revision.c
index f35cb49af52fd6a2088a7d1d237548b5fdccfcb0..8d045162661a81e779b18e1295d470f4194d2f50 100644
--- a/revision.c
+++ b/revision.c
@@ -1188,12 +1188,19 @@ void add_ref_exclusion(struct string_list **ref_excludes_p, const char *exclude)
 	string_list_append(*ref_excludes_p, exclude);
 }
 
-static void handle_refs(const char *submodule, struct rev_info *revs, unsigned flags,
-		int (*for_each)(const char *, each_ref_fn, void *))
+static void handle_refs(struct ref_store *refs,
+			struct rev_info *revs, unsigned flags,
+			int (*for_each)(struct ref_store *, each_ref_fn, void *))
 {
 	struct all_refs_cb cb;
+
+	if (!refs) {
+		/* this could happen with uninitialized submodules */
+		return;
+	}
+
 	init_all_refs_cb(&cb, revs, flags);
-	for_each(submodule, handle_one_ref, &cb);
+	for_each(refs, handle_one_ref, &cb);
 }
 
 static void handle_one_reflog_commit(struct object_id *oid, void *cb_data)
@@ -2095,23 +2102,25 @@ void parse_revision_opt(struct rev_info *revs, struct parse_opt_ctx_t *ctx,
 	ctx->argc -= n;
 }
 
-static int for_each_bisect_ref(const char *submodule, each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data, const char *term) {
+static int for_each_bisect_ref(struct ref_store *refs, each_ref_fn fn,
+			       void *cb_data, const char *term)
+{
 	struct strbuf bisect_refs = STRBUF_INIT;
 	int status;
 	strbuf_addf(&bisect_refs, "refs/bisect/%s", term);
-	status = for_each_fullref_in_submodule(submodule, bisect_refs.buf, fn, cb_data, 0);
+	status = refs_for_each_fullref_in(refs, bisect_refs.buf, fn, cb_data, 0);
 	strbuf_release(&bisect_refs);
 	return status;
 }
 
-static int for_each_bad_bisect_ref(const char *submodule, each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data)
+static int for_each_bad_bisect_ref(struct ref_store *refs, each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data)
 {
-	return for_each_bisect_ref(submodule, fn, cb_data, term_bad);
+	return for_each_bisect_ref(refs, fn, cb_data, term_bad);
 }
 
-static int for_each_good_bisect_ref(const char *submodule, each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data)
+static int for_each_good_bisect_ref(struct ref_store *refs, each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data)
 {
-	return for_each_bisect_ref(submodule, fn, cb_data, term_good);
+	return for_each_bisect_ref(refs, fn, cb_data, term_good);
 }
 
 static int handle_revision_pseudo_opt(const char *submodule,
@@ -2120,8 +2129,14 @@ static int handle_revision_pseudo_opt(const char *submodule,
 {
 	const char *arg = argv[0];
 	const char *optarg;
+	struct ref_store *refs;
 	int argcount;
 
+	if (submodule) {
+		refs = get_submodule_ref_store(submodule);
+	} else
+		refs = get_main_ref_store();
+
 	/*
 	 * NOTE!
 	 *
@@ -2133,22 +2148,23 @@ static int handle_revision_pseudo_opt(const char *submodule,
 	 * register it in the list at the top of handle_revision_opt.
 	 */
 	if (!strcmp(arg, "--all")) {
-		handle_refs(submodule, revs, *flags, for_each_ref_submodule);
-		handle_refs(submodule, revs, *flags, head_ref_submodule);
+		handle_refs(refs, revs, *flags, refs_for_each_ref);
+		handle_refs(refs, revs, *flags, refs_head_ref);
 		clear_ref_exclusion(&revs->ref_excludes);
 	} else if (!strcmp(arg, "--branches")) {
-		handle_refs(submodule, revs, *flags, for_each_branch_ref_submodule);
+		handle_refs(refs, revs, *flags, refs_for_each_branch_ref);
 		clear_ref_exclusion(&revs->ref_excludes);
 	} else if (!strcmp(arg, "--bisect")) {
 		read_bisect_terms(&term_bad, &term_good);
-		handle_refs(submodule, revs, *flags, for_each_bad_bisect_ref);
-		handle_refs(submodule, revs, *flags ^ (UNINTERESTING | BOTTOM), for_each_good_bisect_ref);
+		handle_refs(refs, revs, *flags, for_each_bad_bisect_ref);
+		handle_refs(refs, revs, *flags ^ (UNINTERESTING | BOTTOM),
+			    for_each_good_bisect_ref);
 		revs->bisect = 1;
 	} else if (!strcmp(arg, "--tags")) {
-		handle_refs(submodule, revs, *flags, for_each_tag_ref_submodule);
+		handle_refs(refs, revs, *flags, refs_for_each_tag_ref);
 		clear_ref_exclusion(&revs->ref_excludes);
 	} else if (!strcmp(arg, "--remotes")) {
-		handle_refs(submodule, revs, *flags, for_each_remote_ref_submodule);
+		handle_refs(refs, revs, *flags, refs_for_each_remote_ref);
 		clear_ref_exclusion(&revs->ref_excludes);
 	} else if ((argcount = parse_long_opt("glob", argv, &optarg))) {
 		struct all_refs_cb cb;