diff --git a/api/queries_repo.go b/api/queries_repo.go
index c6159f205..9fbc26e31 100644
--- a/api/queries_repo.go
+++ b/api/queries_repo.go
@@ -524,6 +524,26 @@ func ForkRepo(client *Client, repo ghrepo.Interface, org string) (*Repository, e
 	}, nil
 }
 
+func LastCommit(client *Client, repo ghrepo.Interface) (*Commit, error) {
+	var responseData struct {
+		Repository struct {
+			DefaultBranchRef struct {
+				Target struct {
+					Commit `graphql:"... on Commit"`
+				}
+			}
+		} `graphql:"repository(owner: $owner, name: $repo)"`
+	}
+	variables := map[string]interface{}{
+		"owner": githubv4.String(repo.RepoOwner()), "repo": githubv4.String(repo.RepoName()),
+	}
+	gql := graphQLClient(client.http, repo.RepoHost())
+	if err := gql.QueryNamed(context.Background(), "LastCommit", &responseData, variables); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return &responseData.Repository.DefaultBranchRef.Target.Commit, nil
+}
+
 // RepoFindForks finds forks of the repo that are affiliated with the viewer
 func RepoFindForks(client *Client, repo ghrepo.Interface, limit int) ([]*Repository, error) {
 	result := struct {
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/browse/browse.go b/pkg/cmd/browse/browse.go
index 228553b5a..7d29f9723 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/browse/browse.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/browse/browse.go
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ type BrowseOptions struct {
 	HttpClient       func() (*http.Client, error)
 	IO               *iostreams.IOStreams
 	PathFromRepoRoot func() string
+	GitClient        gitClient
 
 	SelectorArg string
 
@@ -46,6 +47,7 @@ func NewCmdBrowse(f *cmdutil.Factory, runF func(*BrowseOptions) error) *cobra.Co
 		HttpClient:       f.HttpClient,
 		IO:               f.IOStreams,
 		PathFromRepoRoot: git.PathFromRepoRoot,
+		GitClient:        &localGitClient{},
 	}
 
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
@@ -97,6 +99,9 @@ func NewCmdBrowse(f *cmdutil.Factory, runF func(*BrowseOptions) error) *cobra.Co
 			); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
+			if cmd.Flags().Changed("repo") {
+				opts.GitClient = &remoteGitClient{opts.BaseRepo, opts.HttpClient}
+			}
 
 			if runF != nil {
 				return runF(opts)
@@ -123,10 +128,11 @@ func runBrowse(opts *BrowseOptions) error {
 	}
 
 	if opts.CommitFlag {
-		commit, err := git.LastCommit()
-		if err == nil {
-			opts.Branch = commit.Sha
+		commit, err := opts.GitClient.LastCommit()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
 		}
+		opts.Branch = commit.Sha
 	}
 
 	section, err := parseSection(baseRepo, opts)
@@ -245,3 +251,33 @@ func isNumber(arg string) bool {
 	_, err := strconv.Atoi(arg)
 	return err == nil
 }
+
+// gitClient is used to implement functions that can be performed on both local and remote git repositories
+type gitClient interface {
+	LastCommit() (*git.Commit, error)
+}
+
+type localGitClient struct{}
+
+type remoteGitClient struct {
+	repo       func() (ghrepo.Interface, error)
+	httpClient func() (*http.Client, error)
+}
+
+func (gc *localGitClient) LastCommit() (*git.Commit, error) { return git.LastCommit() }
+
+func (gc *remoteGitClient) LastCommit() (*git.Commit, error) {
+	httpClient, err := gc.httpClient()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	repo, err := gc.repo()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	commit, err := api.LastCommit(api.NewClientFromHTTP(httpClient), repo)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return &git.Commit{Sha: commit.OID}, nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/browse/browse_test.go b/pkg/cmd/browse/browse_test.go
index 272fa4e4e..36e0ed778 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/browse/browse_test.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/browse/browse_test.go
@@ -143,6 +143,7 @@ func TestNewCmdBrowse(t *testing.T) {
 			assert.Equal(t, tt.wants.WikiFlag, opts.WikiFlag)
 			assert.Equal(t, tt.wants.NoBrowserFlag, opts.NoBrowserFlag)
 			assert.Equal(t, tt.wants.SettingsFlag, opts.SettingsFlag)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.wants.CommitFlag, opts.CommitFlag)
 		})
 	}
 }
@@ -156,6 +157,12 @@ func setGitDir(t *testing.T, dir string) {
 	})
 }
 
+type testGitClient struct{}
+
+func (gc *testGitClient) LastCommit() (*git.Commit, error) {
+	return &git.Commit{Sha: "6f1a2405cace1633d89a79c74c65f22fe78f9659"}, nil
+}
+
 func Test_runBrowse(t *testing.T) {
 	s := string(os.PathSeparator)
 	setGitDir(t, "../../../git/fixtures/simple.git")
@@ -354,6 +361,7 @@ func Test_runBrowse(t *testing.T) {
 			name: "open last commit",
 			opts: BrowseOptions{
 				CommitFlag: true,
+				GitClient:  &testGitClient{},
 			},
 			baseRepo:    ghrepo.New("vilmibm", "gh-user-status"),
 			wantsErr:    false,
@@ -364,6 +372,7 @@ func Test_runBrowse(t *testing.T) {
 			opts: BrowseOptions{
 				CommitFlag:  true,
 				SelectorArg: "main.go",
+				GitClient:   &testGitClient{},
 			},
 			baseRepo:    ghrepo.New("vilmibm", "gh-user-status"),
 			wantsErr:    false,