diff --git a/builtin/branch.c b/builtin/branch.c
index 4c569d056a..01c1f64c73 100644
--- a/builtin/branch.c
+++ b/builtin/branch.c
@@ -168,10 +168,13 @@ static int branch_merged(int kind, const char *name,
 	 * upstream, if any, otherwise with HEAD", we should just
 	 * return the result of the repo_in_merge_bases() above without
 	 * any of the following code, but during the transition period,
-	 * a gentle reminder is in order.
+	 * a gentle reminder is in order.  Callers that opt out of the
+	 * HEAD fallback by passing head_rev=NULL are not interested in
+	 * the reminder either: they have already established that the
+	 * branch has an upstream, so HEAD is irrelevant to the decision.
 	 */
-	if (head_rev != reference_rev) {
-		int expect = head_rev ? repo_in_merge_bases(the_repository, rev, head_rev) : 0;
+	if (head_rev && head_rev != reference_rev) {
+		int expect = repo_in_merge_bases(the_repository, rev, head_rev);
 		if (expect < 0)
 			exit(128);
 		if (expect == merged)
@@ -193,6 +196,7 @@ enum delete_branch_flags {
 	DELETE_BRANCH_FORCE = (1 << 0),
 	DELETE_BRANCH_QUIET = (1 << 1),
 	DELETE_BRANCH_SKIP_UNMERGED = (1 << 2),
+	DELETE_BRANCH_NO_HEAD_FALLBACK = (1 << 3),
 };
 
 static int check_branch_commit(const char *branchname, const char *refname,
@@ -241,6 +245,7 @@ static int delete_branches(int argc, const char **argv, int kinds,
 	bool force;
 	bool quiet = flags & DELETE_BRANCH_QUIET;
 	bool skip_unmerged = flags & DELETE_BRANCH_SKIP_UNMERGED;
+	bool no_head_fallback = flags & DELETE_BRANCH_NO_HEAD_FALLBACK;
 	struct strbuf bname = STRBUF_INIT;
 	enum interpret_branch_kind allowed_interpret;
 	struct string_list refs_to_delete = STRING_LIST_INIT_DUP;
@@ -268,7 +273,7 @@ static int delete_branches(int argc, const char **argv, int kinds,
 
 	force = flags & DELETE_BRANCH_FORCE;
 
-	if (!force)
+	if (!force && !no_head_fallback)
 		head_rev = lookup_commit_reference(the_repository, &head_oid);
 
 	for (i = 0; i < argc; i++, strbuf_reset(&bname)) {