diff --git a/extensions/git/src/commands.ts b/extensions/git/src/commands.ts
index 00827778a0e..bc5a7362ad5 100644
--- a/extensions/git/src/commands.ts
+++ b/extensions/git/src/commands.ts
@@ -457,7 +457,7 @@ export class CommandCenter {
 		);
 	}
 
-	async cloneRepository(url?: string, parentPath?: string, options: { recursive?: boolean } = {}): Promise<void> {
+	async cloneRepository(url?: string, parentPath?: string, options: { recursive?: boolean; ref?: string } = {}): Promise<void> {
 		if (!url || typeof url !== 'string') {
 			url = await pickRemoteSource({
 				providerLabel: provider => localize('clonefrom', "Clone from {0}", provider.name),
@@ -519,6 +519,11 @@ export class CommandCenter {
 				(progress, token) => this.git.clone(url!, { parentPath: parentPath!, progress, recursive: options.recursive }, token)
 			);
 
+			if (options.ref !== undefined) {
+				const repository = this.model.getRepository(Uri.file(repositoryPath));
+				await repository?.checkout(options.ref);
+			}
+
 			const config = workspace.getConfiguration('git');
 			const openAfterClone = config.get<'always' | 'alwaysNewWindow' | 'whenNoFolderOpen' | 'prompt'>('openAfterClone');
 
@@ -596,8 +601,8 @@ export class CommandCenter {
 	}
 
 	@command('git.clone')
-	async clone(url?: string, parentPath?: string): Promise<void> {
-		await this.cloneRepository(url, parentPath);
+	async clone(url?: string, parentPath?: string, options?: { ref?: string }): Promise<void> {
+		await this.cloneRepository(url, parentPath, options);
 	}
 
 	@command('git.cloneRecursive')
diff --git a/extensions/git/src/protocolHandler.ts b/extensions/git/src/protocolHandler.ts
index 33decfe1846..33bc58f9099 100644
--- a/extensions/git/src/protocolHandler.ts
+++ b/extensions/git/src/protocolHandler.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ export class GitProtocolHandler implements UriHandler {
 
 	private clone(uri: Uri): void {
 		const data = querystring.parse(uri.query);
+		const ref = data.ref;
 
 		if (!data.url) {
 			console.warn('Failed to open URI:', uri);
@@ -36,6 +37,11 @@ export class GitProtocolHandler implements UriHandler {
 			return;
 		}
 
+		if (ref !== undefined && typeof ref !== 'string') {
+			console.warn('Failed to open URI:', uri);
+			return;
+		}
+
 		let cloneUri: Uri;
 		try {
 			let rawUri = Array.isArray(data.url) ? data.url[0] : data.url;
@@ -56,7 +62,7 @@ export class GitProtocolHandler implements UriHandler {
 			return;
 		}
 
-		commands.executeCommand('git.clone', cloneUri.toString(true));
+		commands.executeCommand('git.clone', cloneUri.toString(true), undefined, { ref: ref });
 	}
 
 	dispose(): void {