diff --git a/pillar_tool/git/repository.py b/pillar_tool/git/repository.py
index bde0b11..8931239 100644
--- a/pillar_tool/git/repository.py
+++ b/pillar_tool/git/repository.py
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 import os
+from typing import Optional
 
 import pygit2
-from pygit2 import RemoteCallbacks, CredentialType, Username, UserPass, Keypair
-from pygit2.callbacks import _Credentials
-from pygit2.enums import BranchType, FetchPrune, CheckoutStrategy as CS
+from pygit2 import RemoteCallbacks, CredentialType, Username, UserPass, Keypair, DiffFile
+from pygit2.callbacks import _Credentials, CheckoutCallbacks
+from pygit2.enums import BranchType, FetchPrune, CheckoutStrategy as CS, CheckoutNotify
 
 from pillar_tool.util import Config
 
@@ -12,6 +13,7 @@ class RepoCallbacks(RemoteCallbacks):
     def __init__(self, config: Config):
         super().__init__()
         self.config = config
+        self.checkout_notify_flags = None
 
     def credentials(
         self,
@@ -20,10 +22,9 @@ class RepoCallbacks(RemoteCallbacks):
         allowed_types: CredentialType,
     ) -> Username | UserPass | Keypair:
         # compute allowed methods
-        allowed = [ 2**i for i,v in enumerate(reversed(bin(15)[2:])) if int(v) ]
+        allowed = [ 2**i for i,v in enumerate(reversed(bin(allowed_types)[2:])) if int(v) ]
 
         if CredentialType.SSH_KEY.value in allowed:
-            print("cred ssh_key")
             return Keypair(
                 username=self.config.git.state_repo_user,
                 privkey=self.config.git.state_repo_keyfile,
@@ -31,13 +32,23 @@ class RepoCallbacks(RemoteCallbacks):
                 passphrase=None
             )
         elif CredentialType.USERNAME.value in allowed:
-            print("cred username")
             return Username(self.config.git.state_repo_user)
 
         print(f"The remote requested invalid credentials: {allowed}")
         raise RuntimeError(f"The remote requested invalid credentials: {allowed}")
 
 
+class COCallbacks(CheckoutCallbacks):
+    def checkout_notify(
+        self,
+        why: CheckoutNotify,
+        path: str,
+        baseline: Optional[DiffFile],
+        target: Optional[DiffFile],
+        workdir: Optional[DiffFile],
+    ) -> None:
+        print(f"why: {why}")
+
 
 
 def checkout_remote_branch(config: Config, branch_name: str) -> None:
@@ -56,7 +67,8 @@ def checkout_remote_branch(config: Config, branch_name: str) -> None:
                     or the specified branch does not exist.
     """
     # create an instance of the RepositoryCallback class
-    cbs = RepoCallbacks(config)
+    cbs_remote = RepoCallbacks(config)
+    cbs_checkout = COCallbacks()
 
     # check if the repository actually exists
     if not os.path.isdir(config.git.state_repo_path):
@@ -64,34 +76,46 @@ def checkout_remote_branch(config: Config, branch_name: str) -> None:
         try:
             print("cloning state repo")
             os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(config.git.state_repo_path), mode=0o700, exist_ok=True)
-            repository = pygit2.clone_repository(config.git.state_repo_remote, config.git.state_repo_path, callbacks=cbs, depth=1)
+            repository = pygit2.clone_repository(config.git.state_repo_remote, config.git.state_repo_path, callbacks=cbs_remote, depth=1)
         except Exception as e:
             print(f"Failed to clone state repo: {e}")
             raise ValueError(f"Unable to clone the states repository: {e}")
     else:
         # directory exists, so attempt to open the repository
         try:
+            print("opening state repo")
             repository = pygit2.Repository(config.git.state_repo_path)
-        except Exception:
-            raise ValueError(f"State repo at {config.git.state_repo_path} cannot be opened")
+        except Exception as e:
+            print(f"State repo at {config.git.state_repo_path} cannot be opened: {e}")
+            raise ValueError(f"State repo at {config.git.state_repo_path} cannot be opened: {e}")
 
         # check whether this repository has a remote named origin
         # this only needs to happen when the repo has not just been cloned
-        if "origin" not in repository.remotes:
+        if "origin" not in repository.remotes.names():
+            print(f"No remote named origin in repo at {config.git.state_repo_path}")
+            print(list(repository.remotes.names()))
             raise ValueError(f"No remote named origin in repo at {config.git.state_repo_path}")
         else:
-            repository.remotes["origin"].fetch(prune=FetchPrune.PRUNE, depth=1, callbacks=cbs)
+            try:
+                repository.remotes["origin"].fetch(prune=FetchPrune.PRUNE, depth=1, callbacks=cbs_remote)
+            except Exception as e:
+                print(f"Failed to fetch origin remote: {e}")
+                raise ValueError(f"Unable to fetch origin remote: {e}")
 
     # check if the requested branch exists
     try:
+        print("checking for branch")
         branch_ref = repository.lookup_branch(f'origin/{branch_name}', BranchType.REMOTE)
     except KeyError:
+        print(f"Branch '{branch_name}' does not exist in the repository.")
         raise ValueError(f"Branch '{branch_name}' does not exist in the repository.")
 
     try:
+        print("checking out branch")
         # checkout the remote branch with force
         # this should be done like this, since there should never be any change made in this clone of the repository
-        repository.checkout(branch_ref, callbacks=cbs, strategy=CS.FORCE | CS.RECREATE_MISSING | CS.REMOVE_UNTRACKED)
+        repository.checkout(branch_ref, callbacks=cbs_checkout, strategy=CS.FORCE | CS.RECREATE_MISSING | CS.REMOVE_UNTRACKED)
     except Exception as exc:
+        print(f"Failed to checkout branch: {exc}")
         raise ValueError(f"Failed to checkout branch: {exc}")