diff --git a/src/github/githubRepository.ts b/src/github/githubRepository.ts
index cd825eae00..7ed48ec22f 100644
--- a/src/github/githubRepository.ts
+++ b/src/github/githubRepository.ts
@@ -437,15 +437,22 @@ export class GitHubRepository extends Disposable {
 
 		Logger.debug(`Fetch metadata - enter`, this.id);
 		const { remote } = await this.ensure();
-		this._metadata = this.getMetadataForRepo(remote.owner, remote.repositoryName).catch(e => {
-			if ((getErrorCode(e) === '404') && !isSamlError(e) && !this._isInaccessible) {
-				this._isInaccessible = true;
-				Logger.warn(`Repository ${remote.owner}/${remote.repositoryName} from remote ${remote.remoteName} in workspace folder ${this.rootUri.fsPath} returned HTTP 404 and will be skipped for this session.`, this.id);
+		const metadata = this.getMetadataForRepo(remote.owner, remote.repositoryName).catch(e => {
+			if (this._metadata === metadata) {
+				if ((getErrorCode(e) === '404') && !isSamlError(e)) {
+					if (!this._isInaccessible) {
+						this._isInaccessible = true;
+						Logger.warn(`Repository ${remote.owner}/${remote.repositoryName} from remote ${remote.remoteName} in workspace folder ${this.rootUri.fsPath} returned HTTP 404 and will be skipped for this session.`, this.id);
+					}
+				} else {
+					this._metadata = undefined;
+				}
 			}
 			throw e;
 		});
+		this._metadata = metadata;
 		Logger.debug(`Fetch metadata ${remote.owner}/${remote.repositoryName} - done`, this.id);
-		return this._metadata;
+		return metadata;
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/src/test/github/githubRepository.test.ts b/src/test/github/githubRepository.test.ts
index 946c2f7c54..515a93764a 100644
--- a/src/test/github/githubRepository.test.ts
+++ b/src/test/github/githubRepository.test.ts
@@ -56,6 +56,25 @@ describe('GitHubRepository', function () {
 		});
 	});
 
+	describe('getMetadata', function () {
+		it('retries after a transient failure and caches the successful result', async function () {
+			const url = 'https://github.com/some/repo';
+			const remote = new GitHubRemote('origin', url, new Protocol(url), GitHubServerType.GitHubDotCom);
+			const repo = new GitHubRepository(1, remote, Uri.file('/workspaces/repo'), credentialStore, telemetry);
+			sinon.stub(repo, 'ensure').resolves(repo);
+			const fetchMetadata = sinon.stub(repo as any, 'getMetadataForRepo');
+			const error = new Error('Connect Timeout Error');
+			const metadata = { name: 'repo', owner: { login: 'some' } };
+			fetchMetadata.onFirstCall().rejects(error);
+			fetchMetadata.onSecondCall().resolves(metadata);
+
+			await assert.rejects(repo.getMetadata(), candidate => candidate === error);
+			assert.strictEqual(await repo.getMetadata(), metadata);
+			assert.strictEqual(await repo.getMetadata(), metadata);
+			assert.strictEqual(fetchMetadata.callCount, 2);
+		});
+	});
+
 	describe('resolveRemote', function () {
 		beforeEach(function () {
 			sinon.stub(credentialStore, 'isAuthenticated').returns(true);