diff --git a/gitc_utils.py b/gitc_utils.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bf79bd2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gitc_utils.py
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+#
+# Copyright (C) 2015 The Android Open Source Project
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+from __future__ import print_function
+import os
+import shutil
+
+import git_command
+import git_config
+
+
+# TODO (sbasi) - Remove this constant and fetch manifest dir from /gitc/.config
+GITC_MANIFEST_DIR = '/usr/local/google/gitc/'
+GITC_FS_ROOT_DIR = '/gitc/manifest-rw/'
+NUM_BATCH_RETRIEVE_REVISIONID = 300
+
+def _set_project_revisions(projects):
+  """Sets the revisionExpr for a list of projects.
+
+  Because of the limit of open file descriptors allowed, length of projects
+  should not be overly large. Recommend calling this function multiple times
+  with each call not exceeding NUM_BATCH_RETRIEVE_REVISIONID projects.
+
+  @param projects: List of project objects to set the revionExpr for.
+  """
+  # Retrieve the commit id for each project based off of it's current
+  # revisionExpr and it is not already a commit id.
+  project_gitcmds = [(
+      project, git_command.GitCommand(None,
+                                      ['ls-remote',
+                                       project.remote.url,
+                                       project.revisionExpr],
+                                      capture_stdout=True, cwd='/tmp'))
+      for project in projects if not git_config.IsId(project.revisionExpr)]
+  for proj, gitcmd in project_gitcmds:
+    if gitcmd.Wait():
+      print('FATAL: Failed to retrieve revisionExpr for %s' % project)
+      sys.exit(1)
+    proj.revisionExpr = gitcmd.stdout.split('\t')[0]
+
+def generate_gitc_manifest(client_dir, manifest):
+  """Generate a manifest for shafsd to use for this GITC client.
+
+  @param client_dir: GITC client directory to install the .manifest file in.
+  @param manifest: XmlManifest object representing the repo manifest.
+  """
+  print('Generating GITC Manifest by fetching revision SHAs for each '
+        'project.')
+  project_gitcmd_dict = {}
+  index = 0
+  while index < len(manifest.projects):
+    _set_project_revisions(
+        manifest.projects[index:(index+NUM_BATCH_RETRIEVE_REVISIONID)])
+    index += NUM_BATCH_RETRIEVE_REVISIONID
+  # Save the manifest.
+  with open(os.path.join(client_dir, '.manifest'), 'w') as f:
+    manifest.Save(f)
diff --git a/subcmds/gitc_init.py b/subcmds/gitc_init.py
index 9b9cefd..03d8cc3 100644
--- a/subcmds/gitc_init.py
+++ b/subcmds/gitc_init.py
@@ -18,15 +18,10 @@
 import shutil
 import sys
 
-import git_command
+import gitc_utils
 from subcmds import init
 
 
-GITC_MANIFEST_DIR = '/usr/local/google/gitc'
-GITC_FS_ROOT_DIR = '/gitc/sha/rw'
-NUM_BATCH_RETRIEVE_REVISIONID = 300
-
-
 class GitcInit(init.Init):
   common = True
   helpSummary = "Initialize a GITC Client."
@@ -65,59 +60,21 @@
     if not opt.gitc_client:
       print('fatal: gitc client (-c) is required', file=sys.stderr)
       sys.exit(1)
-    self.client_dir = os.path.join(GITC_MANIFEST_DIR, opt.gitc_client)
-    if not os.path.exists(GITC_MANIFEST_DIR):
-      os.makedirs(GITC_MANIFEST_DIR)
+    self.client_dir = os.path.join(gitc_utils.GITC_MANIFEST_DIR,
+                                   opt.gitc_client)
+    if not os.path.exists(gitc_utils.GITC_MANIFEST_DIR):
+      os.makedirs(gitc_utils.GITC_MANIFEST_DIR)
     if not os.path.exists(self.client_dir):
       os.mkdir(self.client_dir)
     super(GitcInit, self).Execute(opt, args)
+    # Make the destination manifest file a symlink to repo's so both repo and
+    # GITC refer to the same manifest.
     if opt.manifest_file:
       if not os.path.exists(opt.manifest_file):
         print('fatal: Specified manifest file %s does not exist.' %
               opt.manifest_file)
         sys.exit(1)
-      shutil.copyfile(opt.manifest_file,
-                      os.path.join(self.client_dir, '.manifest'))
-    else:
-      self._GenerateGITCManifest()
+      self.manifest.Override(opt.manifest_file)
+    gitc_utils.generate_gitc_manifest(self.client_dir, self.manifest)
     print('Please run `cd %s` to view your GITC client.' %
-          os.path.join(GITC_FS_ROOT_DIR, opt.gitc_client))
-
-  def _SetProjectRevisions(self, projects, branch):
-    """Sets the revisionExpr for a list of projects.
-
-    Because of the limit of open file descriptors allowed, length of projects
-    should not be overly large. Recommend calling this function multiple times
-    with each call not exceeding NUM_BATCH_RETRIEVE_REVISIONID projects.
-
-    @param projects: List of project objects to set the revionExpr for.
-    @param branch: The remote branch to retrieve the SHA from. If branch is
-                   None, 'HEAD' is used.
-    """
-    project_gitcmds = [(
-        project, git_command.GitCommand(None,
-                                        ['ls-remote',
-                                         project.remote.url,
-                                         branch], capture_stdout=True))
-        for project in projects]
-    for proj, gitcmd in project_gitcmds:
-      if gitcmd.Wait():
-        print('FATAL: Failed to retrieve revisionID for %s' % project)
-        sys.exit(1)
-      proj.revisionExpr = gitcmd.stdout.split('\t')[0]
-
-  def _GenerateGITCManifest(self):
-    """Generate a manifest for shafsd to use for this GITC client."""
-    print('Generating GITC Manifest by fetching revision SHAs for each '
-          'project.')
-    manifest = self.manifest
-    project_gitcmd_dict = {}
-    index = 0
-    while index < len(manifest.projects):
-      self._SetProjectRevisions(
-          manifest.projects[index:(index+NUM_BATCH_RETRIEVE_REVISIONID)],
-          manifest.default.revisionExpr)
-      index += NUM_BATCH_RETRIEVE_REVISIONID
-    # Save the manifest.
-    with open(os.path.join(self.client_dir, '.manifest'), 'w') as f:
-      manifest.Save(f)
+          os.path.join(gitc_utils.GITC_FS_ROOT_DIR, opt.gitc_client))
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/subcmds/sync.py b/subcmds/sync.py
index 43d450b..652a0c0 100644
--- a/subcmds/sync.py
+++ b/subcmds/sync.py
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
 
 from git_command import GIT, git_require
 from git_refs import R_HEADS, HEAD
+import gitc_utils
 from project import Project
 from project import RemoteSpec
 from command import Command, MirrorSafeCommand
@@ -184,6 +185,9 @@
                  help="overwrite an existing git directory if it needs to "
                       "point to a different object directory. WARNING: this "
                       "may cause loss of data")
+    p.add_option('--force-gitc',
+                 dest='force_gitc', action='store_true',
+                 help="actually sync sources in the gitc client directory.")
     p.add_option('-l', '--local-only',
                  dest='local_only', action='store_true',
                  help="only update working tree, don't fetch")
@@ -526,6 +530,25 @@
         print('error: both -u and -p must be given', file=sys.stderr)
         sys.exit(1)
 
+    cwd = os.getcwd()
+    if cwd.startswith(gitc_utils.GITC_MANIFEST_DIR) and not opt.force_gitc:
+      print('WARNING this will pull all the sources like a normal repo sync.\n'
+            '\nIf you want to update your GITC Client View please rerun this '
+            'command in \n%s%s.\nOr if you actually want to pull the sources, '
+            'rerun with --force-gitc.' %
+            (gitc_utils.GITC_FS_ROOT_DIR,
+             cwd.split(gitc_utils.GITC_MANIFEST_DIR)[1]))
+      sys.exit(1)
+
+    self._gitc_sync = False
+    if cwd.startswith(gitc_utils.GITC_FS_ROOT_DIR):
+      self._gitc_sync = True
+      self._client_name = cwd.split(gitc_utils.GITC_FS_ROOT_DIR)[1].split(
+          '/')[0]
+      self._client_dir = os.path.join(gitc_utils.GITC_MANIFEST_DIR,
+                                      self._client_name)
+      print('Updating GITC client: %s' % self._client_name)
+
     if opt.manifest_name:
       self.manifest.Override(opt.manifest_name)
 
@@ -642,6 +665,12 @@
     if opt.repo_upgraded:
       _PostRepoUpgrade(self.manifest, quiet=opt.quiet)
 
+    if self._gitc_sync:
+      gitc_utils.generate_gitc_manifest(self._client_dir, self.manifest)
+      print('GITC client successfully synced.')
+      return
+
+
     if not opt.local_only:
       mp.Sync_NetworkHalf(quiet=opt.quiet,
                           current_branch_only=opt.current_branch_only,