diff --git a/radicle-cob/src/object/storage.rs b/radicle-cob/src/object/storage.rs
index 5cc8e130..1dcfe443 100644
--- a/radicle-cob/src/object/storage.rs
+++ b/radicle-cob/src/object/storage.rs
@@ -83,3 +83,49 @@ pub trait Storage {
         change: &Change,
     ) -> Result<(), Self::UpdateError>;
 }
+
+pub mod convert {
+    use std::str;
+
+    use git_ref_format::RefString;
+    use thiserror::Error;
+
+    use super::{Commit, Reference};
+
+    #[derive(Debug, Error)]
+    pub enum Error {
+        #[error("the reference '{name}' does not point to a commit object")]
+        NotCommit {
+            name: RefString,
+            #[source]
+            err: git2::Error,
+        },
+        #[error(transparent)]
+        Ref(#[from] git_ref_format::Error),
+        #[error(transparent)]
+        Utf8(#[from] str::Utf8Error),
+    }
+
+    impl<'a> TryFrom<git2::Reference<'a>> for Reference {
+        type Error = Error;
+
+        fn try_from(value: git2::Reference<'a>) -> Result<Self, Self::Error> {
+            let name = RefString::try_from(str::from_utf8(value.name_bytes())?)?;
+            let target = Commit::from(value.peel_to_commit().map_err(|err| Error::NotCommit {
+                name: name.clone(),
+                err,
+            })?);
+            Ok(Self { name, target })
+        }
+    }
+
+    impl<'a> From<git2::Commit<'a>> for Commit {
+        fn from(commit: git2::Commit<'a>) -> Self {
+            let parents = commit.parents().map(Commit::from).collect();
+            Commit {
+                id: commit.id().into(),
+                parents,
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/radicle-cob/src/test/storage.rs b/radicle-cob/src/test/storage.rs
index a5ac73e0..142e25b1 100644
--- a/radicle-cob/src/test/storage.rs
+++ b/radicle-cob/src/test/storage.rs
@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
 use std::{collections::HashMap, convert::TryFrom as _};
 
-use git_ref_format::RefString;
 use tempfile::TempDir;
 
 use crate::{
     change,
-    object::{self, Commit, Reference},
+    object::{self, Reference},
     ObjectId, Store,
 };
 
@@ -14,6 +13,8 @@ use super::identity::{RemoteProject, Urn};
 pub mod error {
     use thiserror::Error;
 
+    use crate::object::storage::convert;
+
     #[derive(Debug, Error)]
     pub enum Identity {
         #[error(transparent)]
@@ -28,6 +29,8 @@ pub mod error {
 
     #[derive(Debug, Error)]
     pub enum Objects {
+        #[error(transparent)]
+        Conversion(#[from] convert::Error),
         #[error(transparent)]
         Git(#[from] git2::Error),
         #[error(transparent)]
@@ -122,12 +125,15 @@ impl object::Storage for Storage {
         );
         let local = {
             let r = self.raw.find_reference(&name)?;
-            Some(resolve_reference(r)?)
+            Some(Reference::try_from(r)?)
         };
         let remotes = self
             .raw
             .references_glob(&glob)?
-            .map(|r| r.map_err(error::Objects::from).and_then(resolve_reference))
+            .map(|r| {
+                r.map_err(error::Objects::from)
+                    .and_then(|r| Reference::try_from(r).map_err(error::Objects::from))
+            })
             .collect::<Result<Vec<_>, _>>()?;
         Ok(object::Objects { local, remotes })
     }
@@ -150,7 +156,7 @@ impl object::Storage for Storage {
                 objects.insert(
                     oid,
                     object::Objects {
-                        local: Some(resolve_reference(r)?),
+                        local: Some(Reference::try_from(r)?),
                         remotes: Vec::new(),
                     },
                 );
@@ -177,23 +183,3 @@ impl object::Storage for Storage {
         Ok(())
     }
 }
-
-fn resolve_reference(r: git2::Reference) -> Result<Reference, error::Objects> {
-    let commit = r.peel_to_commit()?;
-    let target = resolve_parents(commit)?;
-    Ok(Reference {
-        name: RefString::try_from(r.name().unwrap().to_owned())?,
-        target,
-    })
-}
-
-fn resolve_parents(commit: git2::Commit) -> Result<Commit, git2::Error> {
-    let parents = commit
-        .parents()
-        .map(resolve_parents)
-        .collect::<Result<Vec<_>, _>>()?;
-    Ok(Commit {
-        id: commit.id().into(),
-        parents,
-    })
-}