diff --git a/build-tools/packages/build-cli/src/library/git.ts b/build-tools/packages/build-cli/src/library/git.ts
index 9df6771a464c..c62402684f2f 100644
--- a/build-tools/packages/build-cli/src/library/git.ts
+++ b/build-tools/packages/build-cli/src/library/git.ts
@@ -165,9 +165,11 @@ export class Repository implements GitContext {
 	public async getShaForBranch(branch: string, remote?: string): Promise<string> {
 		const refspec =
 			remote === undefined ? `refs/heads/${branch}` : `refs/remotes/${remote}/${branch}`;
+		// result is a string of the form '64adcdba56deb16e0641c91ca825401a9f7a01f9 refs/heads/release/client/2.23'
 		const result = await this.git.raw(`show-ref`, refspec);
 
-		return result;
+		const [sha] = result.split(" ");
+		return sha;
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -465,7 +467,7 @@ export class Repository implements GitContext {
 	 * Fetch branch
 	 */
 	public async fetchBranch(remote: string, branchName: string): Promise<void> {
-		await this.gitClient.fetch(remote, [branchName]);
+		await this.gitClient.fetch(remote, branchName);
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/build-tools/packages/build-cli/src/library/releasePrepChecks.ts b/build-tools/packages/build-cli/src/library/releasePrepChecks.ts
index 24c297895c21..af48f19b6e3e 100644
--- a/build-tools/packages/build-cli/src/library/releasePrepChecks.ts
+++ b/build-tools/packages/build-cli/src/library/releasePrepChecks.ts
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ export const CheckHasRemoteBranchUpToDate: CheckFunction = async (
 		return {
 			message: `Error when checking remote branch. Does the remote branch exist? Full error message:\n${
 				(error as Error).message
-			}`,
+			}\n${(error as Error).stack}`,
 		};
 	}