diff --git a/gitfs/cache/gitignore.py b/gitfs/cache/gitignore.py
index 0ff2cb35..9ca7155d 100644
--- a/gitfs/cache/gitignore.py
+++ b/gitfs/cache/gitignore.py
@@ -36,14 +36,14 @@ def __init__(self, ignore=False, submodules=False, path="."):
         self.update()
 
     def update(self):
-        self.items = ['/.git', '.git/*', '/.git/*', '*.keep']
+        self.items = ['.git', '.git/*', '/.git/*', '*.keep']
 
         if self.ignore and os.path.exists(self.ignore):
             with open(self.ignore) as gitignore:
-                new_items = filter(lambda line: line != "",
-                                   gitignore.read().split("\n"))
-
-                self.items += new_items
+                for item in gitignore.readlines():
+                    item = item.strip()
+                    if item and not item.startswith('#'):
+                        self.items += item
 
         if self.submodules and os.path.exists(self.submodules):
             with open(self.submodules) as submodules:
@@ -67,7 +67,13 @@ def check_key(self, key):
         return False
 
     def _check_item_and_key(self, item, key):
+        if key.startswith("/"):
+            key = key[1:]
+
         if item == key:
             return True
 
+        if item.endswith("/") and key.startswith(item):
+            return True
+
         return fnmatch.fnmatch(key, item)
diff --git a/gitfs/repository.py b/gitfs/repository.py
index 639ee731..1022d375 100644
--- a/gitfs/repository.py
+++ b/gitfs/repository.py
@@ -77,6 +77,9 @@ def diverge(self, upstream, branch):
     def checkout(self, ref, *args, **kwargs):
         result = self._repo.checkout(ref, *args, **kwargs)
 
+        # update ignore cache after a checkout
+        self.ignore.update()
+
         status = self._repo.status()
         for path, status in status.iteritems():
             # path is in current status, move on
@@ -85,11 +88,12 @@ def checkout(self, ref, *args, **kwargs):
 
             # check if file exists or not
             if path not in self._repo.index:
-                os.unlink(self._full_path(path))
+                if path not in self.ignore:
+                    os.unlink(self._full_path(path))
                 continue
 
             # check files stats
-            stats = self.get_git_object_stat(path)
+            stats = self.get_git_object_default_stats(ref, path)
             current_stat = os.lstat(self._full_path(path))
 
             if stats['st_mode'] != current_stat.st_mode:
diff --git a/gitfs/router.py b/gitfs/router.py
index 39cab4fb..3e0ad9c8 100644
--- a/gitfs/router.py
+++ b/gitfs/router.py
@@ -126,7 +126,13 @@ def __call__(self, operation, *args):
                       view.__class__.__name__))
             raise FuseOSError(ENOSYS)
 
-        return getattr(view, operation)(*args)
+        try:
+            return getattr(view, operation)(*args)
+        except FuseOSError as e:
+            raise e
+        except Exception as exception:
+            log.exception("A system call failed")
+            raise exception
 
     def register(self, routes):
         for regex, view in routes:
diff --git a/gitfs/utils/args.py b/gitfs/utils/args.py
index ada6bd7e..02a520c3 100644
--- a/gitfs/utils/args.py
+++ b/gitfs/utils/args.py
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ def __init__(self, parser):
             ("log", ("syslog", "string")),
             ("log_level", ("warning", "string")),
             ("cache_size", (800, "int")),
+            ("sentry_dsn", (self.get_sentry_dsn, "string")),
         ])
         self.config = self.build_config(parser.parse_args())
 
@@ -90,8 +91,17 @@ def check_args(self, args):
                          '%(message)s'.format(mount_point=args.mount_point)
             handler.setFormatter(Formatter(fmt=logger_fmt))
 
+        if args.sentry_dsn != '':
+            from raven.conf import setup_logging
+            from raven.handlers.logging import SentryHandler
+
+            sentry_handler = SentryHandler(args.sentry_dsn)
+            sentry_handler.setLevel("ERROR")
+            setup_logging(sentry_handler)
+            log.addHandler(sentry_handler)
+
+        handler.setLevel(args.log_level.upper())
         log.addHandler(handler)
-        log.setLevel(args.log_level.upper())
 
         # set cache size
         lru_cache.maxsize = args.cache_size
@@ -151,6 +161,9 @@ def get_repo_path(self, args):
     def get_ssh_key(self, args):
         return os.environ["HOME"] + "/.ssh/id_rsa"
 
+    def get_sentry_dsn(self, args):
+        return os.environ["SENTRY_DSN"] if "SENTRY_DSN" in os.environ else ""
+
     def get_ssh_user(self, args):
         url = args.remote_url
         parse_result = urlparse(url)
diff --git a/gitfs/worker/fetch.py b/gitfs/worker/fetch.py
index 5bea1cca..8d33a945 100644
--- a/gitfs/worker/fetch.py
+++ b/gitfs/worker/fetch.py
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@
 #    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.
+# 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.
 
@@ -21,7 +22,7 @@
 class FetchWorker(Peasant):
     name = 'FetchWorker'
 
-    def run(self):
+    def work(self):
         while True:
             fetch.wait(self.timeout)
 
diff --git a/gitfs/worker/peasant.py b/gitfs/worker/peasant.py
index 61764c5c..34defb1e 100644
--- a/gitfs/worker/peasant.py
+++ b/gitfs/worker/peasant.py
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@
 
 from threading import Thread
 
+from gitfs.log import log
+
 
 class Peasant(Thread):
     def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
@@ -22,3 +24,9 @@ def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
 
         for name, value in kwargs.iteritems():
             setattr(self, name, value)
+
+    def run(self):
+        try:
+            self.work()
+        except:
+            log.exception("A worker is not feeling well")
diff --git a/gitfs/worker/sync.py b/gitfs/worker/sync.py
index c0daf755..4af010ed 100644
--- a/gitfs/worker/sync.py
+++ b/gitfs/worker/sync.py
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ def __init__(self, author_name, author_email, commiter_name,
         self.strategy = strategy
         self.commits = []
 
-    def run(self):
+    def work(self):
         while True:
             if shutting_down.is_set():
                 log.info("Stop sync worker")
@@ -67,12 +67,12 @@ def on_idle(self):
         """
 
         if not syncing.is_set():
-            log.debug("Set syncing event (%d pending writes)", writers)
+            log.debug("Set syncing event (%d pending writes)", writers.value)
             syncing.set()
         else:
-            log.debug("Idling (%d pending writes)", writers)
+            log.debug("Idling (%d pending writes)", writers.value)
 
-        if writers == 0:
+        if writers.value == 0:
             if self.commits:
                 log.info("Get some commits")
                 self.commit(self.commits)
@@ -97,8 +97,12 @@ def sync(self):
 
         if self.repository.behind:
             log.debug("I'm behind so I start merging")
-            self.merge()
-            need_to_push = True
+            try:
+                self.merge()
+                need_to_push = True
+            except:
+                log.exception("Merge failed")
+                return
 
         if need_to_push:
             try:
diff --git a/tests/cache/test_gitignore.py b/tests/cache/test_gitignore.py
index a8817bb5..6d2a6c27 100644
--- a/tests/cache/test_gitignore.py
+++ b/tests/cache/test_gitignore.py
@@ -32,9 +32,9 @@ def test_init(self):
                                 re=mocked_re):
                 gitignore = CachedIgnore("some_file", "some_file")
 
-                assert gitignore.items == ['/.git', '.git/*', '/.git/*', '*.keep',
-                                           'file', '/found/*', '/found',
-                                           'found']
+                assert gitignore.items == ['.git', '.git/*', '/.git/*',
+                                           '*.keep', 'file', '/found/*',
+                                           '/found', 'found']
 
     def test_update(self):
         gitignore = CachedIgnore()
@@ -47,5 +47,5 @@ def test_update(self):
     def test_contains(self):
         gitignore = CachedIgnore()
 
-        assert '/.git' in gitignore
+        assert '.git' in gitignore
         assert 'file' not in gitignore
diff --git a/tests/utils/test_args.py b/tests/utils/test_args.py
index 4f7dedad..61951956 100644
--- a/tests/utils/test_args.py
+++ b/tests/utils/test_args.py
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ def test_args(self):
         mocked_file.mkdtemp.return_value = "/tmp"
         mocked_pass.getuser.return_value = "test_user"
         mocked_os.getgid.return_value = 1
+        mocked_os.environ = {}
         mocked_os.path.abspath.return_value = "abs/tmp"
         mocked_grp.getgrgid().gr_name = "test_group"
         mocked_parser.parse_args.return_value = mocked_args
@@ -48,6 +49,7 @@ def test_args(self):
         mocked_args.user = None
         mocked_args.branch = None
         mocked_args.ssh_user = None
+        mocked_args.sentry_dsn = ''
 
         with patch.multiple('gitfs.utils.args', os=mocked_os, grp=mocked_grp,
                             getpass=mocked_pass, tempfile=mocked_file,
diff --git a/tests/workers/test_fetch.py b/tests/workers/test_fetch.py
index 4028b981..a7d6902f 100644
--- a/tests/workers/test_fetch.py
+++ b/tests/workers/test_fetch.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 
 
 class TestFetchWorker(object):
-    def test_run(self):
+    def test_work(self):
         mocked_peasant = MagicMock()
         mocked_fetch = MagicMock(side_effect=ValueError)
         mocked_fetch_event = MagicMock()
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ def test_run(self):
             worker.timeout = 5
 
             with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-                worker.run()
+                worker.work()
 
             assert mocked_fetch.call_count == 1
             mocked_fetch_event.wait.assert_called_once_with(5)
diff --git a/tests/workers/test_sync.py b/tests/workers/test_sync.py
index 2a8a47a7..463db3a9 100644
--- a/tests/workers/test_sync.py
+++ b/tests/workers/test_sync.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 
 
 class TestSyncWorker(object):
-    def test_run(self):
+    def test_work(self):
         mocked_queue = MagicMock()
         mocked_idle = MagicMock(side_effect=ValueError)
 
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ def test_run(self):
         worker.timeout = 1
 
         with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-            worker.run()
+            worker.work()
 
         mocked_queue.get.assert_called_once_with(timeout=1, block=True)
         assert mocked_idle.call_count == 1
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ def test_on_idle_with_commits_and_merges(self):
         mocked_syncing.is_set.return_value = False
 
         with patch.multiple("gitfs.worker.sync", syncing=mocked_syncing,
-                            writers=0):
+                            writers=MagicMock(value=0)):
             worker = SyncWorker("name", "email", "name", "email",
                                 strategy="strategy")
             worker.commits = "commits"