diff --git a/builtin/branch.c b/builtin/branch.c
index de6df09ed30df11ea853b5d815f22d9859ac24cc..0adba629d2ae35a4db74fb9d1450b54bb11e51e3 100644
--- a/builtin/branch.c
+++ b/builtin/branch.c
@@ -399,22 +399,25 @@ static void format_and_print_ref_item(struct ref_array_item *item, int maxwidth,
 	int current = 0;
 	int color;
 	struct strbuf out = STRBUF_INIT, name = STRBUF_INIT;
-	const char *prefix = "";
+	const char *prefix_to_show = "";
+	const char *prefix_to_skip = NULL;
 	const char *desc = item->refname;
 	char *to_free = NULL;
 
 	switch (item->kind) {
 	case FILTER_REFS_BRANCHES:
-		skip_prefix(desc, "refs/heads/", &desc);
+		prefix_to_skip = "refs/heads/";
+		skip_prefix(desc, prefix_to_skip, &desc);
 		if (!filter->detached && !strcmp(desc, head))
 			current = 1;
 		else
 			color = BRANCH_COLOR_LOCAL;
 		break;
 	case FILTER_REFS_REMOTES:
-		skip_prefix(desc, "refs/remotes/", &desc);
+		prefix_to_skip = "refs/remotes/";
+		skip_prefix(desc, prefix_to_skip, &desc);
 		color = BRANCH_COLOR_REMOTE;
-		prefix = remote_prefix;
+		prefix_to_show = remote_prefix;
 		break;
 	case FILTER_REFS_DETACHED_HEAD:
 		desc = to_free = get_head_description();
@@ -431,7 +434,7 @@ static void format_and_print_ref_item(struct ref_array_item *item, int maxwidth,
 		color = BRANCH_COLOR_CURRENT;
 	}
 
-	strbuf_addf(&name, "%s%s", prefix, desc);
+	strbuf_addf(&name, "%s%s", prefix_to_show, desc);
 	if (filter->verbose) {
 		int utf8_compensation = strlen(name.buf) - utf8_strwidth(name.buf);
 		strbuf_addf(&out, "%c %s%-*s%s", c, branch_get_color(color),
@@ -442,8 +445,10 @@ static void format_and_print_ref_item(struct ref_array_item *item, int maxwidth,
 			    name.buf, branch_get_color(BRANCH_COLOR_RESET));
 
 	if (item->symref) {
-		skip_prefix(item->symref, "refs/remotes/", &desc);
-		strbuf_addf(&out, " -> %s", desc);
+		const char *symref = item->symref;
+		if (prefix_to_skip)
+			skip_prefix(symref, prefix_to_skip, &symref);
+		strbuf_addf(&out, " -> %s", symref);
 	}
 	else if (filter->verbose)
 		/* " f7c0c00 [ahead 58, behind 197] vcs-svn: drop obj_pool.h" */
diff --git a/t/t3203-branch-output.sh b/t/t3203-branch-output.sh
index 4261403cf62542e82d40487e47733f586e106a75..c6a3ccba1b992cff7412bcf8139da7557981de94 100755
--- a/t/t3203-branch-output.sh
+++ b/t/t3203-branch-output.sh
@@ -184,4 +184,16 @@ test_expect_success 'ambiguous branch/tag not marked' '
 	test_cmp expect actual
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'local-branch symrefs shortened properly' '
+	git symbolic-ref refs/heads/ref-to-branch refs/heads/branch-one &&
+	git symbolic-ref refs/heads/ref-to-remote refs/remotes/origin/branch-one &&
+	cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
+	  ref-to-branch -> branch-one
+	  ref-to-remote -> refs/remotes/origin/branch-one
+	EOF
+	git branch >actual.raw &&
+	grep ref-to <actual.raw >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
 test_done