diff --git a/scripts/pkgmeek b/scripts/pkgmeek
index 55d0a3a..345ba11 100755
--- a/scripts/pkgmeek
+++ b/scripts/pkgmeek
@@ -69,8 +69,9 @@ done
 [ -w "$(dirname "$work")" ] || work="$(pwd)"/work
 rm -rf "$work"; mkdir -p "$work"/{src,pkg} && cd "$work"
 
-# Skip the retrieval of sources if the user only asked for '-utd'
-[ "$PKGMK_MTIME_ONLY" = "yes" ] || { for (( u=0; u<${#_local_[@]}; u++ )); do
+# Skip the retrieval of sources if the user asked for '-utd' or '-uf'.
+[[ "$PKGMK_MTIME_ONLY $PKGMK_UPDATE_FOOTPRINT" =~ yes ]] && [ -e "$PKGMK_PACKAGE_DIR/$package" ] \
+    || { for (( u=0; u<${#_local_[@]}; u++ )); do
 here="${_local_[$u]}"; url="${source[$u]}";
 # at least one of the following commands should put a file of the
 # appropriate name in the current directory
@@ -80,7 +81,7 @@ here="${_local_[$u]}"; url="${source[$u]}";
 [ -e "$here" ] || { error "failed to download $here. Check connection and try again."; errDL+=1; }
 done ; }
 
-[ $errDL = 0 ] && { [ "$PKGMK_MTIME_ONLY" = "yes" ] || \
+[ $errDL = 0 ] && { [[ "$PKGMK_MTIME_ONLY $PKGMK_UPDATE_FOOTPRINT" =~ yes ]] || \
 	info "Successfully obtained all needed source files."; } || exit $E_DOWNLOAD
 
 # Can stop here if the user asked for '-do', but honor any requests for '-um', '-uf',
@@ -89,13 +90,13 @@ done ; }
 	|| [ "$PKGMK_UPDATE_SIG" = "yes" ] || [ "$PKGMK_EXTRACT_ONLY" = "yes" ] \
 	|| [ "$PKGMK_MTIME_ONLY" = "yes" ] || exit 0
 
-# If the user only asked for '-utd', perform the check using the sources that do exist.
+# If '-utd' was requested, check the modification times and then exit.
 check_pkg_mtime; pkg_utd=$?
 [ "$PKGMK_MTIME_ONLY" = "no" ] || [ "$PKGMK_CHECK_SIG" = "yes" ] || \
 		[ "$PKGMK_FORCE" = "yes" ] || { cleanup_work; exit $pkg_utd; }
 
-# Take into account all the actions that can be done with a previously built package,
-# or with a full set of sources
+# Take into account all the actions that can be done without extracting
+# the downloaded sources
 [ "$pkg_utd" = 0 ] || [ "$PKGMK_FORCE" = "yes" ] || [ "$PKGMK_EXTRACT_ONLY" = "yes" ] \
 	|| [[ "$PKGMK_UPDATE_FOOTPRINT $PKGMK_CHECK_SIG $PKGMK_UPDATE_SIG" =~ yes ]] \
 	|| { info "$package is up to date, use '-f' to force a rebuild."; cleanup_work; exit 0; }
@@ -105,9 +106,8 @@ check_pkg_mtime; pkg_utd=$?
 	[[ "$PKGMK_IGNORE_SIG $PKGMK_UPDATE_FOOTPRINT" =~ yes ]] \
 	|| echo "Checking signatures before unpacking..."
 
-# The option -uf is meant to be used AFTER a previous invocation of pkgmeek has
-# alerted the user to a footprint mismatch. Updating signatures (option -us) likewise
-# needs only the sources and the footprint.
+# The option -uf is meant to be used *after* a previous invocation of pkgmeek has
+# alerted the user to a footprint mismatch.
 if [ "$PKGMK_UPDATE_FOOTPRINT" = "yes" ]; then
 	[ -f "$pkg_dir$package" ] || \
 		{ error "unable to update footprint. File '$package' not found.";
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ if [ "$PKGMK_UPDATE_FOOTPRINT" = "yes" ]; then
 	cat_footprint > "$PKGMK_ROOT/.footprint" && info "footprint created." \
 	|| { error "Failed to write the footprint."; exit "$E_DIRPERM"; }
 fi
+# Updating signatures (option -us) requires only sources and footprint, not a built package.
 if [ "$PKGMK_UPDATE_SIG" = "yes" ]; then
 	cat_signature > "$PKGMK_ROOT/.signature" && info "Signature successfully created." \
 	|| { info "Could not create signature."; exit "$E_DIRPERM"; }
@@ -350,7 +351,7 @@ check_pkg_mtime() { # can be called even if some sources are missing
 	fi
 
 	[ $utd = 0 ] || msg="$package is up to date."
-	info "$msg"; return $utd
+	[ "$PKGMK_MTIME_ONLY" = "yes" ] && info "$msg"; return $utd
 }
 
 fetch_url() {
@@ -364,7 +365,8 @@ fetch_url() {
 			giturl="${u#__git__}"
 			# Did the port maintainer specify a branch other than 'master'?
 			tag="${giturl##*\#}"
-			[ -z "$tag" ] || { giturl="${giturl%\#*}"; CLONE_ARGS="--branch $tag"; }
+			[ -z "$tag" ] || { giturl="${giturl%\#*}";
+				CLONE_ARGS="-c advice.detachedHead=false --branch $tag"; }
 			#
 			# Has this project been downloaded before?
 			if [ -d "$src_dir/$h.partial" ]; then
@@ -426,7 +428,7 @@ check_footprint() {
 		diff -w -t -U 0 <(sort "$TRUTH") <(cat_footprint | sort) | \
 		sed '/^@@/d; /^+++/d; /^---/d; s/^+/NEW    /g; s/^-/MISSING /g' > ".footprint.diff"
 		if [ -s ".footprint.diff" ]; then
-			CN=$(grep -c ^NEW ".$1.diff"); CM=$(grep -c ^MISSING ".footprint.diff")
+			CN=$(grep -c ^NEW ".footprint.diff"); CM=$(grep -c ^MISSING ".footprint.diff")
 			[ "$PKGMK_IGNORE_MISSING" = "yes" ] || diffs=$CM
 			[ "$PKGMK_IGNORE_NEW" = "yes" ] || diffs=$(( diffs+CN ))
 			[ $diffs = 0 ] && severity=warning