diff --git a/rhodecode/lib/middleware/simplevcs.py b/rhodecode/lib/middleware/simplevcs.py
--- a/rhodecode/lib/middleware/simplevcs.py
+++ b/rhodecode/lib/middleware/simplevcs.py
@@ -83,12 +83,15 @@ class SimpleVCS(object):
 
     SCM = 'unknown'
 
+    acl_repo_name = None
+    url_repo_name = None
+    vcs_repo_name = None
+
     def __init__(self, application, config, registry):
         self.registry = registry
         self.application = application
         self.config = config
         # re-populated by specialized middleware
-        self.repo_name = None
         self.repo_vcs_config = base.Config()
 
         # base path of repo locations
@@ -102,6 +105,11 @@ class SimpleVCS(object):
         self.ip_addr = '0.0.0.0'
 
     @property
+    def repo_name(self):
+        # TODO: johbo: Remove, switch to correct repo name attribute
+        return self.acl_repo_name
+
+    @property
     def scm_app(self):
         custom_implementation = self.config.get('vcs.scm_app_implementation')
         if custom_implementation and custom_implementation != 'pyro4':
@@ -340,7 +348,8 @@ class SimpleVCS(object):
         # REQUEST HANDLING
         # ======================================================================
         str_repo_name = safe_str(self.repo_name)
-        repo_path = os.path.join(safe_str(self.basepath), str_repo_name)
+        repo_path = os.path.join(
+            safe_str(self.basepath), safe_str(self.vcs_repo_name))
         log.debug('Repository path is %s', repo_path)
 
         fix_PATH()
@@ -350,7 +359,7 @@ class SimpleVCS(object):
             action, self.SCM, str_repo_name, safe_str(username), ip_addr)
 
         return self._generate_vcs_response(
-            environ, start_response, repo_path, self.repo_name, extras, action)
+            environ, start_response, repo_path, self.url_repo_name, extras, action)
 
     @initialize_generator
     def _generate_vcs_response(
@@ -365,7 +374,7 @@ class SimpleVCS(object):
         the first chunk is produced by the underlying WSGI application.
         """
         callback_daemon, extras = self._prepare_callback_daemon(extras)
-        config = self._create_config(extras, repo_name)
+        config = self._create_config(extras, self.acl_repo_name)
         log.debug('HOOKS extras is %s', extras)
         app = self._create_wsgi_app(repo_path, repo_name, config)
 
diff --git a/rhodecode/lib/middleware/vcs.py b/rhodecode/lib/middleware/vcs.py
--- a/rhodecode/lib/middleware/vcs.py
+++ b/rhodecode/lib/middleware/vcs.py
@@ -176,18 +176,44 @@ class VCSMiddleware(object):
             environ['PATH_INFO'] = vcs_handler._get_by_id(environ['PATH_INFO'])
             repo_name = vcs_handler._get_repository_name(environ)
 
+            acl_repo_name = repo_name
+            vcs_repo_name = repo_name
+            url_repo_name = repo_name
+            pr_id = None
+
+            # TODO: johbo: recognize a pull request based on pattern matching
+            if '/pull-request/' in repo_name:
+                acl_repo_name, other = repo_name.split('/pull-request/')
+                # TODO: johbo: Set shadow repo path
+                basename, repo_segment = acl_repo_name.rsplit('/', 1)
+                pr_id = int(other[0:-len('/repository')])
+                vcs_repo_name = '{basename}/.__shadow_{repo_segment}_pr-{pr_id}'.format(
+                    basename=basename,
+                    repo_segment=repo_segment,
+                    pr_id=pr_id)
+
+            log.debug('repo_names %s', {
+                'acl_repo_name': acl_repo_name,
+                'vcs_repo_name': vcs_repo_name,
+                'url_repo_name': url_repo_name,
+            })
+            log.debug('pull_request %s', pr_id)
+
             # check for type, presence in database and on filesystem
             if not vcs_handler.is_valid_and_existing_repo(
-                    repo_name, vcs_handler.basepath, vcs_handler.SCM):
+                    acl_repo_name, vcs_handler.basepath, vcs_handler.SCM):
                 return HTTPNotFound()(environ, start_response)
 
             # TODO: johbo: Needed for the Pyro4 backend and Mercurial only.
             # Remove once we fully switched to the HTTP backend.
-            environ['REPO_NAME'] = repo_name
+            environ['REPO_NAME'] = url_repo_name
 
             # register repo_name and it's config back to the handler
-            vcs_handler.repo_name = repo_name
-            vcs_handler.repo_vcs_config = self.vcs_config(repo_name)
+            vcs_handler.acl_repo_name = acl_repo_name
+            vcs_handler.url_repo_name = url_repo_name
+            vcs_handler.vcs_repo_name = vcs_repo_name
+            vcs_handler.pr_id = pr_id
+            vcs_handler.repo_vcs_config = self.vcs_config(acl_repo_name)
 
             vcs_handler = self.wrap_in_gzip_if_enabled(
                 vcs_handler, self.config)
diff --git a/rhodecode/tests/lib/middleware/test_simplevcs.py b/rhodecode/tests/lib/middleware/test_simplevcs.py
--- a/rhodecode/tests/lib/middleware/test_simplevcs.py
+++ b/rhodecode/tests/lib/middleware/test_simplevcs.py
@@ -44,7 +44,9 @@ class StubVCSController(simplevcs.Simple
 
     def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
         super(StubVCSController, self).__init__(*args, **kwargs)
-        self.repo_name = HG_REPO
+        self.acl_repo_name = HG_REPO
+        self.url_repo_name = HG_REPO
+        self.vcs_repo_name = HG_REPO
 
     def _get_repository_name(self, environ):
         return HG_REPO