diff --git a/server/events/working_dir.go b/server/events/working_dir.go
index 4ccc61fe6f..2cfeed8b8c 100644
--- a/server/events/working_dir.go
+++ b/server/events/working_dir.go
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ import (
 const workingDirPrefix = "repos"
 
 var cloneLocks sync.Map
+var recheckRequiredMap sync.Map
 
 //go:generate pegomock generate --package mocks -o mocks/mock_working_dir.go WorkingDir
 //go:generate pegomock generate --package events WorkingDir
@@ -94,6 +95,16 @@ func (w *FileWorkspace) Clone(
 	mustRecheckUpstream bool) (string, bool, error) {
 	cloneDir := w.cloneDir(p.BaseRepo, p, workspace)
 
+	// Disable the mustRecheckUpstream flag if we are not using the merge checkout strategy
+	mustRecheckUpstream = mustRecheckUpstream && w.CheckoutMerge
+
+	if mustRecheckUpstream {
+		// We atomically set the recheckRequiredMap flag here before grabbing the clone lock.
+		// If the flag is cleared after we grab the lock, it means some other thread
+		// did the necessary work late enough that we do not have to do it again.
+		recheckRequiredMap.Store(cloneDir, struct{}{})
+	}
+
 	// Unconditionally wait for the clone lock here, if anyone else is doing any clone
 	// operation in this directory, we wait for it to finish before we check anything.
 	value, _ := cloneLocks.LoadOrStore(cloneDir, new(sync.Mutex))
@@ -101,6 +112,13 @@ func (w *FileWorkspace) Clone(
 	mutex.Lock()
 	defer mutex.Unlock()
 
+	if mustRecheckUpstream {
+		if _, exists := recheckRequiredMap.Load(cloneDir); !exists {
+			mustRecheckUpstream = false
+			w.Logger.Debug("Skipping upstream check. Some other thread has done this for us")
+		}
+	}
+
 	c := wrappedGitContext{cloneDir, headRepo, p}
 	// If the directory already exists, check if it's at the right commit.
 	// If so, then we do nothing.
@@ -128,13 +146,17 @@ func (w *FileWorkspace) Clone(
 		// We're prefix matching here because BitBucket doesn't give us the full
 		// commit, only a 12 character prefix.
 		if strings.HasPrefix(currCommit, p.HeadCommit) {
-			if mustRecheckUpstream && w.CheckoutMerge && w.recheckDiverged(p, headRepo, cloneDir) {
-				w.Logger.Info("base branch has been updated, using merge strategy and will clone again")
-				return cloneDir, true, w.mergeAgain(c)
+			if mustRecheckUpstream {
+				recheckRequiredMap.Delete(cloneDir)
+				if w.recheckDiverged(p, headRepo, cloneDir) {
+					w.Logger.Info("base branch has been updated, using merge strategy and will merge again")
+					return cloneDir, true, w.mergeAgain(c)
+				}
+				w.Logger.Debug("repo is at correct commit %q and there are no upstream changes", p.HeadCommit)
 			} else {
 				w.Logger.Debug("repo is at correct commit %q so will not re-clone", p.HeadCommit)
-				return cloneDir, false, nil
 			}
+			return cloneDir, false, nil
 		} else {
 			w.Logger.Debug("repo was already cloned but is not at correct commit, wanted %q got %q", p.HeadCommit, currCommit)
 		}