diff --git a/lib/models/repository.js b/lib/models/repository.js
index ee84a3a51c..0fe364781f 100644
--- a/lib/models/repository.js
+++ b/lib/models/repository.js
@@ -31,6 +31,146 @@ export class CommitError extends Error {
   }
 }
 
+class BaseRepository {
+  static from(repository) {
+    return new this(
+      repository.workingDirectoryPath,
+      repository.git,
+      repository.emitter,
+      repository.destroyed,
+    );
+  }
+
+  constructor(workingDirectoryPath, gitStrategy, emitter, destroyed) {
+    this.workingDirectoryPath = workingDirectoryPath;
+    this.git = gitStrategy;
+    this.emitter = emitter || new Emitter();
+    this.destroyed = destroyed;
+  }
+
+  isLoading() {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  isOpen() {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  isAbsent() {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  isDestroyed() {
+    return this.destroyed;
+  }
+
+  destroy() {
+    if (this.isDestroyed()) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    this.destroyed = true;
+    this.emitter.emit('did-destroy');
+    this.emitter.dispose();
+    this.windowFocusDisposable.dispose();
+  }
+
+  onDidDestroy(callback) {
+    return this.emitter.on('did-destroy', callback);
+  }
+
+  onDidUpdate(callback) {
+    return this.emitter.on('did-update', callback);
+  }
+
+  didUpdate() {
+    this.emitter.emit('did-update');
+  }
+
+  getWorkingDirectoryPath() {
+    return this.workingDirectoryPath;
+  }
+
+  getGitDirectoryPath() {
+    return path.join(this.getWorkingDirectoryPath(), '.git');
+  }
+
+  refresh() {
+    // Do nothing.
+  }
+}
+
+class LoadingRepository extends BaseRepository {
+  isLoading() {
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  async open() {
+    if (await this.git.isGitRepository()) {
+      const openRepo = OpenRepository.from(this);
+      await openRepo.updateDiscardHistory();
+      return openRepo;
+    } else {
+      return AbsentRepository.from(this);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+class OpenRepository extends BaseRepository {
+  constructor(workingDirectoryPath, gitStrategy, emitter, destroyed) {
+    super(workingDirectoryPath, gitStrategy, emitter, destroyed);
+
+    this.stagedFilePatchesByPath = new Map();
+    this.stagedFilePatchesSinceParentCommitByPath = new Map();
+    this.unstagedFilePatchesByPath = new Map();
+
+    this.discardHistory = new DiscardHistory(
+      this.createBlob,
+      this.expandBlobToFile,
+      this.mergeFile,
+      {maxHistoryLength: 60},
+    );
+
+    const onWindowFocus = () => this.updateDiscardHistory();
+    window.addEventListener('focus', onWindowFocus);
+    this.windowFocusDisposable = new Disposable(() => window.removeEventListener('focus', onWindowFocus));
+  }
+
+  isOpen() {
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  destroy() {
+    super();
+
+    this.windowFocusDisposable.dispose();
+  }
+
+  refresh() {
+    this.clearCachedFilePatches();
+    this.fileStatusesPromise = null;
+    this.stagedChangesSinceParentCommitPromise = null;
+    this.didUpdate();
+  }
+
+  fetchStatusesForChangedFiles() {
+    return this.git.getStatusesForChangedFiles();
+  }
+
+  getStatusesForChangedFiles() {
+    if (!this.fileStatusesPromise) {
+      this.fileStatusesPromise = this.fetchStatusesForChangedFiles();
+    }
+    return this.fileStatusesPromise;
+  }
+}
+
+class AbsentRepository extends BaseRepository {
+  isAbsent() {
+    return true;
+  }
+}
+
 export default class Repository {
   static async open(workingDirectoryPath, gitStrategy) {
     const strategy = gitStrategy || CompositeGitStrategy.create(workingDirectoryPath);
@@ -451,6 +591,7 @@ export default class Repository {
     await this.setConfig('atomGithub.historySha', historySha);
   }
 
+  @autobind
   async updateDiscardHistory() {
     const historySha = await this.git.getConfig('atomGithub.historySha');
     const history = historySha ? JSON.parse(await this.git.getBlobContents(historySha)) : {};
diff --git a/test/models/repository.test.js b/test/models/repository.test.js
index c10988f27a..260751b77c 100644
--- a/test/models/repository.test.js
+++ b/test/models/repository.test.js
@@ -40,10 +40,42 @@ describe('Repository', function() {
     });
   });
 
+  describe.only('repository state', function() {
+    it('transitions from loading to open on a workdir with a git repository', async function() {
+      const workdirPath = await cloneRepository('three-files');
+
+      const loading = Repository.forPath(workdirPath);
+      assert.isTrue(loading.isLoading());
+      assert.isFalse(loading.isOpen());
+      assert.isFalse(loading.isAbsent());
+
+      const loaded = await loading.open();
+      assert.isFalse(loaded.isLoading());
+      assert.isTrue(loaded.isOpen());
+      assert.isFalse(loaded.isAbsent());
+    });
+
+    it('transitions from loading to absent on a workdir without a git repository', async function() {
+      const repositorylessPath = fs.realpathSync(temp.mkdirSync());
+
+      const loading = Repository.forPath(repositorylessPath);
+      assert.isTrue(loading.isLoading());
+      assert.isFalse(loading.isOpen());
+      assert.isFalse(loading.isAbsent());
+
+      const absent = await loading.open();
+      assert.isFalse(absent.isLoading());
+      assert.isFalse(absent.isOpen());
+      assert.isTrue(absent.isAbsent());
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('init', function() {
     it('creates a repository in the given dir and returns the repository', async function() {
       const soonToBeRepositoryPath = fs.realpathSync(temp.mkdirSync());
-      const repo = await Repository.init(soonToBeRepositoryPath);
+      const nullRepo = await Repository.open(soonToBeRepositoryPath);
+
+      const repo = nullRepo.init(soonToBeRepositoryPath);
       assert.isTrue(await repo.isGitRepository());
       assert.equal(repo.getWorkingDirectoryPath(), soonToBeRepositoryPath);
     });