diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index 9ea519c3fd6a0d0dcd786729b9d57d5fbc791760..a48f805128382808cbb0ffc905d09b60348a988f 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -1932,18 +1932,22 @@ int refname_match(const char *abbrev_name, const char *full_name)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+/* This function should make sure errno is meaningful on error */
 static struct ref_lock *verify_lock(struct ref_lock *lock,
 	const unsigned char *old_sha1, int mustexist)
 {
 	if (read_ref_full(lock->ref_name, lock->old_sha1, mustexist, NULL)) {
+		int save_errno = errno;
 		error("Can't verify ref %s", lock->ref_name);
 		unlock_ref(lock);
+		errno = save_errno;
 		return NULL;
 	}
 	if (hashcmp(lock->old_sha1, old_sha1)) {
 		error("Ref %s is at %s but expected %s", lock->ref_name,
 			sha1_to_hex(lock->old_sha1), sha1_to_hex(old_sha1));
 		unlock_ref(lock);
+		errno = EBUSY;
 		return NULL;
 	}
 	return lock;
diff --git a/refs.h b/refs.h
index 82cc5cb2a1690d7c8317746c6eb03ef1db7c55db..8d6cac717b31b4eed237c3c417476fd8458873de 100644
--- a/refs.h
+++ b/refs.h
@@ -137,11 +137,15 @@ extern int ref_exists(const char *);
  */
 extern int peel_ref(const char *refname, unsigned char *sha1);
 
-/** Locks a "refs/" ref returning the lock on success and NULL on failure. **/
+/*
+ * Locks a "refs/" ref returning the lock on success and NULL on failure.
+ * On failure errno is set to something meaningful.
+ */
 extern struct ref_lock *lock_ref_sha1(const char *refname, const unsigned char *old_sha1);
 
 /** Locks any ref (for 'HEAD' type refs). */
 #define REF_NODEREF	0x01
+/* errno is set to something meaningful on failure */
 extern struct ref_lock *lock_any_ref_for_update(const char *refname,
 						const unsigned char *old_sha1,
 						int flags, int *type_p);