diff --git a/src/gitolite.pm b/src/gitolite.pm
index 8120526..fbae91d 100644
--- a/src/gitolite.pm
+++ b/src/gitolite.pm
@@ -132,6 +132,19 @@ sub wrap_print {
     chmod $oldmode, $file if $oldmode;
 }
 
+sub wrap_system {
+    system(@_);
+
+    # straight from 'perldoc -f system' (sans the coredump part)
+    if ( $? == -1 ) {
+        print STDERR "failed to execute: $!\n";
+    } elsif ( $? & 127 ) {
+        printf STDERR "child died with signal %d\n", ( $? & 127 );
+    } else {
+        printf STDERR "child exited with value %d\n", $? >> 8;
+    }
+}
+
 sub slurp {
     local $/ = undef;
     my $fh = wrap_open("<", $_[0]);
diff --git a/src/gl-mirror-push b/src/gl-mirror-push
index 70514cb..e7054e2 100755
--- a/src/gl-mirror-push
+++ b/src/gl-mirror-push
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ hn=`get_rc_val GL_HOSTNAME`
 # get repo name then check if it's a local or slave (ie we're not the master)
 [ -z "$1" ] && die fatal: missing reponame argument
 repo=$1; shift
+repo=${repo%.git}
 
 REPO_BASE=`get_rc_val REPO_BASE`
 cd $REPO_BASE/$repo.git 2>/dev/null || die fatal: could not change directory to "$repo"
diff --git a/src/gl-mirror-shell b/src/gl-mirror-shell
index e6b25c6..80534dc 100755
--- a/src/gl-mirror-shell
+++ b/src/gl-mirror-shell
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ critical for you to just run it based on a 'usage' message.\n" if not @ARGV or $
 if ( ($ARGV[0] || '') eq 'request-push' and not $ENV{SSH_ORIGINAL_COMMAND} ) {
     shift;
     my $repo = shift or die "fatal: missing reponame\n";
+    $repo =~ s/\.git$//;
     -d "$REPO_BASE/$repo.git" or die "fatal: no such repo?\n";
 
     # this is the default argument if no slave list or key is supplied
@@ -110,6 +111,7 @@ if ($soc eq 'info') {
 
 if ($soc =~ /^git-receive-pack '(\S+)'$/) {
     my $repo = $1;
+    $repo =~ s/\.git$//;
     die "fatal: invalid characters in $repo\n" unless $repo =~ $REPONAME_PATT;
     my $mm = mirror_mode($repo);
 
@@ -137,11 +139,12 @@ if ($soc =~ /^git-receive-pack '(\S+)'$/) {
 
 if ($soc =~ /^request-push (\S+)$/) {
     my $repo = $1;
+    $repo =~ s/\.git$//;
     die "fatal: invalid characters in $repo\n" unless $repo =~ $REPONAME_PATT;
     die "$ABRT fatal: $GL_HOSTNAME ==//==> $sender refused: not in slave list\n" unless mirror_listslaves($repo) =~ /(^|\s)$sender(\s|$)/;
     print STDERR "$GL_HOSTNAME ==== ($repo) ===> $sender\n";
     # just one sender, and we've checked that he is "on the list".  Foreground...
-    system("$ENV{GL_BINDIR}/gl-mirror-push", $repo, "-fg", $sender);
+    wrap_system("$ENV{GL_BINDIR}/gl-mirror-push", $repo, "-fg", $sender);
 
     exit;
 }
@@ -159,6 +162,8 @@ if ($soc =~ /^USER=(\S+) SOC=(git-receive-pack '(\S+)')$/) {
     my $user = $1;
     $ENV{SSH_ORIGINAL_COMMAND} = $2;
     my $repo = $3;
+    $repo =~ s/\.git$//;
+    $repo =~ s(^/)();
     die "fatal: invalid characters in $user\n" unless $user =~ $USERNAME_PATT;
     die "fatal: invalid characters in $repo\n" unless $repo =~ $REPONAME_PATT;
     die "$ABRT fatal: $GL_HOSTNAME <==//== $sender redirected push rejected\n" unless mirror_redirectOK($repo, $sender);