diff --git a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/__init__.py b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/__init__.py
--- a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/__init__.py
+++ b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/__init__.py
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ VERSION = (0, 5, 0, 'dev')
 __version__ = '.'.join((str(each) for each in VERSION[:4]))
 
 __all__ = [
-    'get_version', 'get_repo', 'get_backend',
+    'get_version', 'get_vcs_instance', 'get_backend',
     'VCSError', 'RepositoryError', 'CommitError'
     ]
 
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ import Pyro4
 from Pyro4.errors import CommunicationError
 
 from rhodecode.lib.vcs.conf import settings
-from rhodecode.lib.vcs.backends import get_repo, get_backend
+from rhodecode.lib.vcs.backends import get_vcs_instance, get_backend
 from rhodecode.lib.vcs.exceptions import (
     VCSError, RepositoryError, CommitError)
 
diff --git a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/__init__.py b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/__init__.py
--- a/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/__init__.py
+++ b/rhodecode/lib/vcs/backends/__init__.py
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
 VCS Backends module
 """
 
-import os
+import logging
+
 from pprint import pformat
 
 from rhodecode.lib.vcs.conf import settings
@@ -31,31 +32,29 @@ from rhodecode.lib.vcs.utils.helpers imp
 from rhodecode.lib.vcs.utils.imports import import_class
 
 
-def get_repo(path=None, alias=None, create=False):
+log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+def get_vcs_instance(repo_path, *args, **kwargs):
     """
-    Returns ``Repository`` object of type linked with given ``alias`` at
-    the specified ``path``. If ``alias`` is not given it will try to guess it
-    using get_scm method
+    Given a path to a repository an instance of the corresponding vcs backend
+    repository class is created and returned. If no repository can be found
+    for the path it returns None. Arguments and keyword arguments are passed
+    to the vcs backend repository class.
     """
-    if create:
-        if not (path or alias):
-            raise TypeError(
-                "If create is specified, we need path and scm type")
-        return get_backend(alias)(path, create=True)
-    if path is None:
-        path = os.path.abspath(os.path.curdir)
     try:
-        scm, path = get_scm(path, search_path_up=True)
-        path = os.path.abspath(path)
-        alias = scm
+        vcs_alias = get_scm(repo_path)[0]
+        log.debug(
+            'Creating instance of %s repository from %s', vcs_alias, repo_path)
+        backend = get_backend(vcs_alias)
     except VCSError:
-        raise VCSError("No scm found at %s" % path)
-    if alias is None:
-        alias = get_scm(path)[0]
+        log.exception(
+            'Perhaps this repository is in db and not in '
+            'filesystem run rescan repositories with '
+            '"destroy old data" option from admin panel')
+        return None
 
-    backend = get_backend(alias)
-    repo = backend(path, create=create)
-    return repo
+    return backend(repo_path=repo_path, *args, **kwargs)
 
 
 def get_backend(alias):