diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 83ca3b3794..d8a3bdf06b 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ checkupdates:
     set -xe
     if [ "$CI_PROJECT_NAMESPACE" = "fdroid" ]; then echo "not testing in fdroid"; exit 0; fi
     git fetch https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroiddata.git
-    appids=$(git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d FETCH_HEAD...${CI_EXTERNAL_PULL_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_SHA:-HEAD} "metadata/*.yml" | sed -n -e 's,^metadata/\([^/][^/]*\)\.yml,\1,p')
+    appids=$(git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d ${CI_EXTERNAL_PULL_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_SHA:-FETCH_HEAD^}...HEAD "metadata/*.yml" | sed -n -e 's,^metadata/\([^/][^/]*\)\.yml,\1,p')
     if [ -n "$appids" ]; then
       fdroid checkupdates --auto -v $appids
       git --no-pager diff --color=always --exit-code
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ lint:
     - if [ "$CI_PROJECT_NAMESPACE" != "fdroid" ]; then
         git fetch https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroiddata.git;
         test -d build || mkdir build;
-        files=`git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d FETCH_HEAD...${CI_EXTERNAL_PULL_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_SHA:-HEAD}`;
+        files=`git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d ${CI_EXTERNAL_PULL_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_SHA:-FETCH_HEAD^}...HEAD`;
         for f in $files; do
            appid=`echo $f | sed -n -e 's,^metadata/\([^/][^/]*\)\.yml,\1,p'`;
            if [ -n "$appid" ]; then
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ schema validation:
     - git fetch https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroiddata.git
     - set -xe
     - for file in
-        $(git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d FETCH_HEAD...${CI_EXTERNAL_PULL_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_SHA:-HEAD} -- "metadata/*.yml");
+        $(git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d ${CI_EXTERNAL_PULL_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_SHA:-FETCH_HEAD^}...HEAD -- "metadata/*.yml");
       do
         ajv validate -s schemas/metadata.json -d "$file";
       done
@@ -250,19 +250,33 @@ fdroid build:
       - /home/vagrant/.gradle
   script:
     - unset CI
-    - git fetch https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroiddata.git;
     - test -d build || mkdir build
-    - for f in
-          `git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d FETCH_HEAD...${CI_EXTERNAL_PULL_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_SHA:-HEAD} -- metadata/*.yml`
-          `git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d FETCH_HEAD...${CI_EXTERNAL_PULL_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_SHA:-HEAD} -- metadata/*/signatures`;
-      do
-          diff=$(git diff FETCH_HEAD...${CI_EXTERNAL_PULL_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_SHA:-HEAD} -- $f);
-          echo "$diff";
-          test $(echo "$diff" | grep '^[+-] ' | grep -v '^+  *disable:' | wc -l) = 0 && continue;
-          echo "$diff" | grep -E '^\+ *(NoSourceSince|Disabled):' && continue;
-          appid=`echo $f | sed -E -n 's,^metadata/([^/][^/]*)(\.yml|/signatures/.*),\1,p'`;
-          export CHANGED="$CHANGED $appid";
-      done;
+    - if [ "$CI_PROJECT_PATH" = "fdroid/fdroiddata" ] && [ "$CI_COMMIT_BRANCH" = "$CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH" ]; then
+          for f in
+              `git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d -- metadata/*.yml`
+              `git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d -- metadata/*/signatures`;
+          do
+              diff=$(git diff -- $f);
+              echo "$diff";
+              test $(echo "$diff" | grep '^[+-] ' | grep -v '^+  *disable:' | wc -l) = 0 && continue;
+              echo "$diff" | grep -E '^\+ *(NoSourceSince|Disabled):' && continue;
+              appid=`echo $f | sed -E -n 's,^metadata/([^/][^/]*)(\.yml|/signatures/.*),\1,p'`;
+              export CHANGED="$CHANGED $appid";
+          done;
+      else
+          git fetch https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroiddata.git;
+          for f in
+              `git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d ${CI_EXTERNAL_PULL_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_SHA:-FETCH_HEAD^}...HEAD -- metadata/*.yml`
+              `git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d ${CI_EXTERNAL_PULL_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_SHA:-FETCH_HEAD^}...HEAD -- metadata/*/signatures`;
+          do
+              diff=$(git diff ${CI_EXTERNAL_PULL_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_SHA:-FETCH_HEAD^}...HEAD -- $f);
+              echo "$diff";
+              test $(echo "$diff" | grep '^[+-] ' | grep -v '^+  *disable:' | wc -l) = 0 && continue;
+              echo "$diff" | grep -E '^\+ *(NoSourceSince|Disabled):' && continue;
+              appid=`echo $f | sed -E -n 's,^metadata/([^/][^/]*)(\.yml|/signatures/.*),\1,p'`;
+              export CHANGED="$CHANGED $appid";
+          done;
+      fi;
     - test -n "$(printf "$CHANGED" | tr -d '[:space:]')"
           || { echo "no packages need processing, exiting"; exit 0; }