diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/findowners/Action.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/findowners/Action.java
index 70c343a..45ec043 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/findowners/Action.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/findowners/Action.java
@@ -202,7 +202,9 @@
     try (ReviewDb reviewDb = reviewDbProvider.open()) {
       ChangeData changeData = changeDataFactory.create(reviewDb, change);
       if (changeData.change().getDest().get() == null) {
-        log.error("Cannot get branch of change: " + changeData.getId().get());
+        if (!Checker.isExemptFromOwnerApproval(changeData)) {
+          log.error("Cannot get branch of change: " + changeData.getId().get());
+        }
         return null; // no "Find Owners" button
       }
       Status status = resource.getChange().getStatus();
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/findowners/Cache.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/findowners/Cache.java
index 43b685a..87e40f5 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/findowners/Cache.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/findowners/Cache.java
@@ -106,7 +106,14 @@
     String dbKey = Cache.makeKey(changeData.getId().get(), patchset, branch);
     // TODO: get changed files of the given patchset?
     return get(
-        accountCache, emails, dbKey, repository, project, branch, changeData.currentFilePaths());
+        accountCache,
+        emails,
+        dbKey,
+        repository,
+        changeData,
+        project,
+        branch,
+        changeData.currentFilePaths());
   }
 
   /** Returns a cached or new OwnersDb, for the specified branch and changed files. */
@@ -115,12 +122,14 @@
       Emails emails,
       String key,
       Repository repository,
+      ChangeData changeData,
       Project.NameKey project,
       String branch,
       Collection<String> files) {
     if (dbCache == null) { // Do not cache OwnersDb
       log.trace("Create new OwnersDb, key=" + key);
-      return new OwnersDb(accountCache, emails, key, repository, project, branch, files);
+      return new OwnersDb(
+          accountCache, emails, key, repository, changeData, project, branch, files);
     }
     try {
       log.trace("Get from cash " + dbCache + ", key=" + key + ", cache size=" + dbCache.size());
@@ -130,12 +139,14 @@
             @Override
             public OwnersDb call() {
               log.trace("Create new OwnersDb, key=" + key);
-              return new OwnersDb(accountCache, emails, key, repository, project, branch, files);
+              return new OwnersDb(
+                  accountCache, emails, key, repository, changeData, project, branch, files);
             }
           });
     } catch (ExecutionException e) {
       log.error("Cache.get has exception: " + e);
-      return new OwnersDb(accountCache, emails, key, repository, project, branch, files);
+      return new OwnersDb(
+          accountCache, emails, key, repository, changeData, project, branch, files);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/findowners/OwnersDb.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/findowners/OwnersDb.java
index 3d4eb82..d551339 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/findowners/OwnersDb.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/findowners/OwnersDb.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 import com.google.gerrit.reviewdb.client.Project;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.account.AccountCache;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.account.Emails;
+import com.google.gerrit.server.query.change.ChangeData;
 import java.nio.file.FileSystem;
 import java.nio.file.FileSystems;
 import java.nio.file.PathMatcher;
@@ -66,6 +67,7 @@
       Emails emails,
       String key,
       Repository repository,
+      ChangeData changeData,
       Project.NameKey project,
       String branch,
       Collection<String> files) {
@@ -75,7 +77,7 @@
     preferredEmails.put("*", "*");
     String ownersFileName = Config.getOwnersFileName(project);
     // Some hacked CL could have a target branch that is not created yet.
-    ObjectId id = getBranchId(repository, branch);
+    ObjectId id = getBranchId(repository, branch, changeData);
     revision = "";
     if (id != null) {
       for (String fileName : files) {
@@ -287,10 +289,10 @@
   }
 
   /** Returns ObjectId of the given branch, or null. */
-  private static ObjectId getBranchId(Repository repo, String branch) {
+  private static ObjectId getBranchId(Repository repo, String branch, ChangeData changeData) {
     try {
       ObjectId id = repo.resolve(branch);
-      if (id == null) {
+      if (id == null && changeData != null && !Checker.isExemptFromOwnerApproval(changeData)) {
         log.error("cannot find branch " + branch);
       }
       return id;