diff --git a/lib/api/github.js b/lib/api/github.js
index 2cf9df8a38a3a6f0dc75a063d6b6d7f0ff964b3c..e60589c8d98b149869b504b2f959ddda879cbd11 100644
--- a/lib/api/github.js
+++ b/lib/api/github.js
@@ -163,7 +163,11 @@ async function initRepo(repoName, token, endpoint, repoLogger) {
       logger.debug('Could not find allowed merge methods for repo');
     }
   } catch (err) /* istanbul ignore next */ {
-    logger.error(`GitHub init error: ${JSON.stringify(err)}`);
+    if (err.statusCode === 409) {
+      logger.debug('Repository is not initiated');
+      throw new Error('uninitiated');
+    }
+    logger.error('Unknown GitHub initRepo error');
     throw err;
   }
   return config;
diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/index.js b/lib/workers/repository/index.js
index 9c3c4eb2cf41be4357fce4cc5accc1fbd8c938e0..ec6780895949f0a05ef06b939d46e908cae24e0a 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/index.js
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/index.js
@@ -94,9 +94,14 @@ async function renovateRepository(repoConfig, token) {
       branchList = ['renovate/configure'];
     }
     await cleanup.pruneStaleBranches(config, branchList);
-  } catch (error) {
+  } catch (err) {
+    console.log(JSON.stringify(err));
     // Swallow this error so that other repositories can be processed
-    config.logger.error(`Failed to process repository: ${error.message}`);
-    config.logger.debug({ error });
+    if (err.message === 'uninitiated') {
+      config.logger.info('Repository is unitiated - skipping');
+    } else {
+      config.logger.error(`Failed to process repository: ${err.message}`);
+      config.logger.debug({ err });
+    }
   }
 }
diff --git a/test/workers/repository/index.spec.js b/test/workers/repository/index.spec.js
index a50f72c1af9c7d7b16e861a4360ee4f602d0d000..e81c6e168c11447f58dcde09a0cded1920dff76c 100644
--- a/test/workers/repository/index.spec.js
+++ b/test/workers/repository/index.spec.js
@@ -7,14 +7,14 @@ const upgrades = require('../../../lib/workers/repository/upgrades');
 
 const logger = require('../../_fixtures/logger');
 
-apis.initApis = jest.fn(input => input);
-apis.mergeRenovateJson = jest.fn(input => input);
-apis.detectPackageFiles = jest.fn();
-
 describe('workers/repository', () => {
   describe('renovateRepository', () => {
     let config;
     beforeEach(() => {
+      jest.resetAllMocks();
+      apis.initApis = jest.fn(input => input);
+      apis.mergeRenovateJson = jest.fn(input => input);
+      apis.detectPackageFiles = jest.fn();
       onboarding.getOnboardingStatus = jest.fn();
       onboarding.ensurePr = jest.fn();
       upgrades.determineRepoUpgrades = jest.fn(() => []);
@@ -140,5 +140,18 @@ describe('workers/repository', () => {
       await repositoryWorker.renovateRepository(config);
       expect(config.logger.error.mock.calls.length).toBe(1);
     });
+    it('handles special uninitiated error', async () => {
+      apis.initApis.mockImplementationOnce(() => {
+        // Create a new object, that prototypically inherits from the Error constructor
+        function MyError() {
+          this.message = 'uninitiated';
+        }
+        MyError.prototype = Object.create(Error.prototype);
+        MyError.prototype.constructor = MyError;
+        throw new MyError();
+      });
+      await repositoryWorker.renovateRepository(config);
+      expect(config.logger.error.mock.calls.length).toBe(0);
+    });
   });
 });