diff --git a/crates/ide-vcs/src/repo.rs b/crates/ide-vcs/src/repo.rs
index 4f6cc2eff..9c99c5ee2 100644
--- a/crates/ide-vcs/src/repo.rs
+++ b/crates/ide-vcs/src/repo.rs
@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@ pub(crate) struct Cache {
     repo: gix::ThreadSafeRepository,
     files: [PathBuf; 4],
     stamp: Vec<Option<(SystemTime, u64)>>,
+    /// `objects/pack` directory and its modification time. An external
+    /// `git fetch`/`pull`/`repack` adds packs without touching the `files`
+    /// above — watching the directory catches them (issue #1919).
+    pack_dir: PathBuf,
+    pack_stamp: Option<SystemTime>,
 }
 
 fn cache_files(git_dir: &Path, common_dir: &Path) -> [PathBuf; 4] {
@@ -36,6 +41,12 @@ fn stamp(files: &[PathBuf]) -> Vec<Option<(SystemTime, u64)>> {
         .collect()
 }
 
+/// The pack directory's modification time: adding or removing a pack file
+/// updates it. `None` when the directory can't be read.
+fn pack_stamp(pack_dir: &Path) -> Option<SystemTime> {
+    std::fs::metadata(pack_dir).ok()?.modified().ok()
+}
+
 pub(crate) fn discover(path: &Path) -> IdeResult<Option<Repo>> {
     let start = if path.is_file() { path.parent().unwrap_or(path) } else { path };
     if let Err(e) = gix::discover::upwards(start) {
@@ -57,7 +68,8 @@ pub(crate) fn discover(path: &Path) -> IdeResult<Option<Repo>> {
     let git_dir = absolute(repo.git_dir())?;
     let common_dir = absolute(repo.common_dir())?;
     let files = cache_files(&git_dir, &common_dir);
-    let cache = Cache { stamp: stamp(&files), files, repo: ts };
+    let pack_dir = common_dir.join("objects").join("pack");
+    let cache = Cache { stamp: stamp(&files), files, repo: ts, pack_stamp: pack_stamp(&pack_dir), pack_dir };
     Ok(Some(Repo {
         execution_allowed: std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool::new(true),
         root,
@@ -96,11 +108,13 @@ impl Repo {
         }
         let mut cache = self.inner.lock().unwrap_or_else(|p| p.into_inner());
         let now = stamp(&cache.files);
-        if now != cache.stamp {
+        let pack_now = pack_stamp(&cache.pack_dir);
+        if now != cache.stamp || pack_now != cache.pack_stamp {
             match gix::ThreadSafeRepository::open(&self.git_dir) {
                 Ok(fresh) => {
                     cache.repo = fresh;
                     cache.stamp = now;
+                    cache.pack_stamp = pack_now;
                 }
                 Err(e) => tracing::warn!("reopening repository failed: {e}"),
             }
diff --git a/crates/ide-vcs/tests/repo.rs b/crates/ide-vcs/tests/repo.rs
index ba3fe7fa8..c691f2ace 100644
--- a/crates/ide-vcs/tests/repo.rs
+++ b/crates/ide-vcs/tests/repo.rs
@@ -1366,6 +1366,30 @@ fn status_reflects_external_changes_without_reopen() {
     assert_eq!(repo.branch_info().unwrap().head.as_deref(), Some("x"));
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn branches_in_newly_written_packs_stay_visible() {
+    let fx = Fixture::new();
+    fx.write("a", "1\n");
+    fx.commit_all("a");
+    let repo = fx.repo();
+    assert_eq!(repo.branches().unwrap().len(), 1);
+
+    // An external pull: objects move into a pack the IDE has never seen, then a
+    // new branch points at a commit living only in that pack.
+    fx.write("a", "2\n");
+    fx.commit_all("b");
+    fx.git(&["repack", "-adq"]);
+    fx.git(&["checkout", "-q", "-b", "uat"]);
+    let uat = fx.git(&["rev-parse", "uat"]);
+    assert!(std::fs::read_dir(fx.path(".git/objects/pack")).unwrap().count() >= 2);
+
+    let names: Vec<String> = repo.branches().unwrap().into_iter().map(|b| b.name).collect();
+    assert!(names.contains(&"uat".to_string()), "branches: {names:?}, want uat at {uat}");
+
+    // Status peels HEAD for the tree-index diff: the same failure drops it too.
+    assert!(repo.status().is_ok(), "status failed: {:?}", repo.status().unwrap_err());
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn linked_worktree_and_submodule() {
     let fx = Fixture::new();