diff --git a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
index 783648f7..8d308767 100644
--- a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
@@ -43,11 +43,14 @@ class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
   end
 
   def refs_from_cookie
-    # branch is high priority so we should reset
-    # it if tag selected
-    cookies[:branch] = nil if params[:tag]
-
-    params[:branch] ||= cookies[:branch]
-    params[:tag] ||= cookies[:tag]
+    if @project && session[:ui] && 
+      session[:ui][@project.id]
+      project_session = session[:ui][@project.id]
+      project_session[:branch] = nil if params[:tag]
+      params[:branch] ||= project_session[:branch]
+      params[:tag] ||= project_session[:tag]
+    end
+  rescue 
+    session[:ui] = nil
   end
 end
diff --git a/app/helpers/projects_helper.rb b/app/helpers/projects_helper.rb
index d570dff4..5dae0c32 100644
--- a/app/helpers/projects_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/projects_helper.rb
@@ -3,4 +3,12 @@ module ProjectsHelper
     cookies["project_view"] ||= "tile"
     cookies["project_view"] == type ? nil : "display:none"
   end
+
+  def remember_refs
+    session[:ui] ||= {}
+    session[:ui][@project.id] = { 
+      :branch => params[:branch],
+      :tag => params[:tag]
+    }
+  end
 end
diff --git a/app/views/commits/index.html.haml b/app/views/commits/index.html.haml
index f7e8b087..2d184861 100644
--- a/app/views/commits/index.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/commits/index.html.haml
@@ -14,9 +14,4 @@
   %div{:id => dom_id(@project)}
     = render "commits"
 
-
-:javascript
-  $(function(){
-    $.cookie('branch', '#{params[:branch]}', { expires: 1 });
-    $.cookie('tag', '#{params[:tag]}', { expires: 1 });
-  });
+- remember_refs
diff --git a/app/views/projects/_tree.html.haml b/app/views/projects/_tree.html.haml
index d84599ad..4d7e3d7c 100644
--- a/app/views/projects/_tree.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/projects/_tree.html.haml
@@ -46,11 +46,7 @@
         = render :partial => "projects/tree_item", :locals => { :content => content }
 
 
-:javascript
-  $(function(){
-    $.cookie('branch', '#{params[:branch]}', { expires: 1 });
-    $.cookie('tag', '#{params[:tag]}', { expires: 1 });
-  });
+- remember_refs
 
 :javascript
   $(function(){