diff --git a/cmd/ci_run.go b/cmd/ci_run.go
index 12bed67f..11c5a98b 100644
--- a/cmd/ci_run.go
+++ b/cmd/ci_run.go
@@ -100,7 +100,10 @@ func getCIRunOptions(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) (string, string, error)
 
 	var pid string
 
-	remote := determineSourceRemote(branch)
+	remote, err := determineSourceRemote(branch)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", "", err
+	}
 	rn, err := git.PathWithNamespace(remote)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", "", err
diff --git a/cmd/mr_create.go b/cmd/mr_create.go
index 734334a7..235e121d 100644
--- a/cmd/mr_create.go
+++ b/cmd/mr_create.go
@@ -139,7 +139,11 @@ func runMRCreate(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
 		log.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
-	sourceRemote := determineSourceRemote(localBranch)
+	sourceRemote, err := determineSourceRemote(localBranch)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
 	// Get the pushed branch name
 	sourceBranch, _ := git.UpstreamBranch(localBranch)
 	if sourceBranch == "" {
diff --git a/cmd/util.go b/cmd/util.go
index de47e6a5..fa25b37c 100644
--- a/cmd/util.go
+++ b/cmd/util.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	flag "github.com/spf13/pflag"
 	"github.com/spf13/viper"
 	gitconfig "github.com/tcnksm/go-gitconfig"
+	giturls "github.com/whilp/git-urls"
 	gitlab "github.com/xanzy/go-gitlab"
 	"github.com/zaquestion/lab/internal/config"
 	"github.com/zaquestion/lab/internal/git"
@@ -187,7 +188,10 @@ func parseArgsRemoteAndBranch(args []string) (string, string, error) {
 	}
 
 	if remote == "" {
-		remote = determineSourceRemote(branch)
+		remote, err = determineSourceRemote(branch)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", "", err
+		}
 	}
 	remote, err = getRemoteName(remote)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -474,24 +478,29 @@ func labURLToRepo(project *gitlab.Project) string {
 	return urlToRepo
 }
 
-func determineSourceRemote(branch string) string {
+func determineSourceRemote(branch string) (string, error) {
 	// There is a precendence of options that should be considered here:
 	// branch.<name>.pushRemote > remote.pushDefault > branch.<name>.remote
 	// This rule is placed in git-config(1) manpage
 	r, err := gitconfig.Local("branch." + branch + ".pushRemote")
-	if err == nil {
-		return r
-	}
-	r, err = gitconfig.Local("remote.pushDefault")
-	if err == nil {
-		return r
+	if err != nil {
+		r, err = gitconfig.Local("remote.pushDefault")
+		if err != nil {
+			r, err = gitconfig.Local("branch." + branch + ".remote")
+			if err != nil {
+				return forkRemote, nil
+			}
+		}
 	}
-	r, err = gitconfig.Local("branch." + branch + ".remote")
-	if err == nil {
-		return r
+
+	// Parse the remote name for possible URL.
+	u, err := giturls.Parse(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
 	}
 
-	return forkRemote
+	path := strings.TrimPrefix(u.Path, "/")
+	return path, nil
 }
 
 // Check of a case-insensitive prefix in a string
diff --git a/cmd/util_test.go b/cmd/util_test.go
index 33e1d855..130db9cb 100644
--- a/cmd/util_test.go
+++ b/cmd/util_test.go
@@ -345,7 +345,10 @@ func Test_determineSourceRemote(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 
 		t.Run(test.desc, func(t *testing.T) {
-			sourceRemote := determineSourceRemote(test.branch)
+			sourceRemote, err := determineSourceRemote(test.branch)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
 			assert.Equal(t, test.expected, sourceRemote)
 		})
 	}
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 566a2398..08f588d9 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/spf13/jwalterweatherman v1.1.0 // indirect
 	github.com/ssor/bom v0.0.0-20170718123548-6386211fdfcf // indirect
 	github.com/subosito/gotenv v1.2.0 // indirect
+	github.com/whilp/git-urls v1.0.0
 	github.com/xanzy/ssh-agent v0.3.1 // indirect
 	github.com/yuin/goldmark v1.4.1 // indirect
 	github.com/yuin/goldmark-emoji v1.0.1 // indirect
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index c5253c93..1321c7be 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -436,6 +436,8 @@ github.com/subosito/gotenv v1.2.0 h1:Slr1R9HxAlEKefgq5jn9U+DnETlIUa6HfgEzj0g5d7s
 github.com/subosito/gotenv v1.2.0/go.mod h1:N0PQaV/YGNqwC0u51sEeR/aUtSLEXKX9iv69rRypqCw=
 github.com/tcnksm/go-gitconfig v0.1.2 h1:iiDhRitByXAEyjgBqsKi9QU4o2TNtv9kPP3RgPgXBPw=
 github.com/tcnksm/go-gitconfig v0.1.2/go.mod h1:/8EhP4H7oJZdIPyT+/UIsG87kTzrzM4UsLGSItWYCpE=
+github.com/whilp/git-urls v1.0.0 h1:95f6UMWN5FKW71ECsXRUd3FVYiXdrE7aX4NZKcPmIjU=
+github.com/whilp/git-urls v1.0.0/go.mod h1:J16SAmobsqc3Qcy98brfl5f5+e0clUvg1krgwk/qCfE=
 github.com/xanzy/go-gitlab v0.51.0 h1:qCVJM9ijpY/ZG703p6DIK7RCUwZ4iQlBAig0TGJ/mRc=
 github.com/xanzy/go-gitlab v0.51.0/go.mod h1:Q+hQhV508bDPoBijv7YjK/Lvlb4PhVhJdKqXVQrUoAE=
 github.com/xanzy/ssh-agent v0.3.0/go.mod h1:3s9xbODqPuuhK9JV1R321M/FlMZSBvE5aY6eAcqrDh0=
diff --git a/internal/git/git.go b/internal/git/git.go
index 409bcc32..e5f3fa80 100644
--- a/internal/git/git.go
+++ b/internal/git/git.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	retry "github.com/avast/retry-go"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	gitconfig "github.com/tcnksm/go-gitconfig"
+	giturls "github.com/whilp/git-urls"
 	"github.com/zaquestion/lab/internal/logger"
 )
 
@@ -181,26 +182,27 @@ func PathWithNamespace(remote string) (string, error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return "", err
 		}
+		if remoteURL == "" {
+			// Branches can track remote based on ther URL, thus we don't
+			// really have a remote entity in the git config, but only the
+			// URL of the remote.
+			// https://git-scm.com/docs/git-push#Documentation/git-push.txt-ltrepositorygt
+			remoteURL = remote
+		}
 	}
 
-	parts := strings.Split(remoteURL, "//")
-
-	if len(parts) == 1 {
-		// scp-like short syntax (e.g. git@gitlab.com...)
-		part := parts[0]
-		parts = strings.Split(part, ":")
-	} else if len(parts) == 2 {
-		// every other protocol syntax (e.g. ssh://, http://, git://)
-		part := parts[1]
-		parts = strings.SplitN(part, "/", 2)
-	} else {
-		return "", errors.Errorf("cannot parse remote: %s url: %s", remote, remoteURL)
+	u, err := giturls.Parse(remoteURL)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
 	}
 
-	if len(parts) != 2 {
-		return "", errors.Errorf("cannot parse remote: %s url: %s", remote, remoteURL)
+	// remote URLs can't refer to other files or local paths, ie., other remote
+	// names.
+	if u.Scheme == "file" {
+		return "", errors.Errorf("invalid remote URL format for %s", remote)
 	}
-	path := parts[1]
+
+	path := strings.TrimPrefix(u.Path, "/")
 	path = strings.TrimSuffix(path, ".git")
 	return path, nil
 }
diff --git a/internal/git/git_test.go b/internal/git/git_test.go
index dead950b..eceae38c 100644
--- a/internal/git/git_test.go
+++ b/internal/git/git_test.go
@@ -187,10 +187,10 @@ func TestPathWithNamespace(t *testing.T) {
 			expectedErr: "the key `remote.phoney.url` is not found",
 		},
 		{
-			desc:        "remote doesn't exist",
+			desc:        "invalid remote URL",
 			remote:      "garbage",
 			expected:    "",
-			expectedErr: "cannot parse remote: garbage url: garbageurl",
+			expectedErr: "invalid remote URL format for garbage",
 		},
 	}