diff --git a/gclient_scm.py b/gclient_scm.py
--- a/gclient_scm.py
+++ b/gclient_scm.py
@@ -1012,28 +1012,35 @@ class GitWrapper(SCMWrapper):
     gclient_utils.safe_makedirs(parent_dir)

     template_dir = None
+    use_fetch = False
+
+    tmp_dir = tempfile.mkdtemp(
+        prefix='_gclient_%s_' % os.path.basename(self.checkout_path),
+        dir=parent_dir)
+
     if hasattr(options, 'no_history') and options.no_history:
       if gclient_utils.IsGitSha(revision):
         # In the case of a subproject, the pinned sha is not necessarily the
         # head of the remote branch (so we can't just use --depth=N). Instead,
         # we tell git to fetch all the remote objects from SHA..HEAD by means of
         # a template git dir which has a 'shallow' file pointing to the sha.
-        template_dir = tempfile.mkdtemp(
-            prefix='_gclient_gittmp_%s' % os.path.basename(self.checkout_path),
-            dir=parent_dir)
-        self._Run(['init', '--bare', template_dir], options, cwd=self._root_dir)
-        with open(os.path.join(template_dir, 'shallow'), 'w') as template_file:
-          template_file.write(revision)
-        clone_cmd.append('--template=' + template_dir)
+        self._Run(['init', tmp_dir], options, cwd=self._root_dir)
+
+        self._Run(['-C', tmp_dir, 'remote', 'add', 'origin', url], options, cwd=self._root_dir)
+
+        clone_cmd = cfg + ['-C', tmp_dir, 'fetch', '--progress']
+        clone_cmd.append('--depth=1')
+        clone_cmd.append(url)
+        clone_cmd.append(revision)
+        use_fetch = True
       else:
         # Otherwise, we're just interested in the HEAD. Just use --depth.
         clone_cmd.append('--depth=1')

-    tmp_dir = tempfile.mkdtemp(
-        prefix='_gclient_%s_' % os.path.basename(self.checkout_path),
-        dir=parent_dir)
     try:
-      clone_cmd.append(tmp_dir)
+      if use_fetch == False:
+        clone_cmd.append(tmp_dir)
+
       if self.print_outbuf:
         print_stdout = True
         filter_fn = None
@@ -1328,6 +1335,9 @@ class GitWrapper(SCMWrapper):
     if refspec:
       fetch_cmd.append(refspec)

+    if hasattr(options, 'no_history') and options.no_history:
+      fetch_cmd.append('--depth=1')
+
     if prune:
       fetch_cmd.append('--prune')
     if options.verbose: