diff --git a/lib/platform/bitbucket-server/index.ts b/lib/platform/bitbucket-server/index.ts
index 6aa0e78b1ee7b8b4dd71a3229070838a47063f94..788d48fb9982eabd93f503ff4ef50b947a14ef4a 100644
--- a/lib/platform/bitbucket-server/index.ts
+++ b/lib/platform/bitbucket-server/index.ts
@@ -180,13 +180,10 @@ export async function initRepo({
     url: gitUrl,
   });
 
-  const repoConfig: RepoConfig = {} as any;
-
   try {
     const info = (await api.get(
       `./rest/api/1.0/projects/${config.projectKey}/repos/${config.repositorySlug}`
     )).body;
-    repoConfig.isFork = !!info.parent;
     config.owner = info.project.key;
     logger.debug(`${repository} owner = ${config.owner}`);
     config.defaultBranch = (await api.get(
@@ -194,6 +191,10 @@ export async function initRepo({
     )).body.displayId;
     config.baseBranch = config.defaultBranch;
     config.mergeMethod = 'merge';
+    const repoConfig: RepoConfig = {
+      isFork: !!info.parent,
+    };
+    return repoConfig;
   } catch (err) /* istanbul ignore next */ {
     logger.debug(err);
     if (err.statusCode === 404) {
@@ -202,11 +203,6 @@ export async function initRepo({
     logger.info({ err }, 'Unknown Bitbucket initRepo error');
     throw err;
   }
-  logger.debug(
-    { repoConfig },
-    `repoConfig for ${config.projectKey}/${config.repositorySlug}`
-  );
-  return repoConfig;
 }
 
 export function getRepoForceRebase() {
diff --git a/lib/platform/bitbucket/index.ts b/lib/platform/bitbucket/index.ts
index e0e4b09980cf59a04a21ac97eac41a2d0d8feaac..47f5623fd4d70f503bed7ac6fde36c048963b383 100644
--- a/lib/platform/bitbucket/index.ts
+++ b/lib/platform/bitbucket/index.ts
@@ -67,12 +67,9 @@ export async function initRepo({
     repository,
     username: opts!.username,
   } as any;
-
-  // TODO: get in touch with @rarkins about lifting up the caching into the app layer
-  const repoConfig: RepoConfig = {} as any;
-
+  let info;
   try {
-    const info = utils.repoInfoTransformer(
+    info = utils.repoInfoTransformer(
       (await api.get(`/2.0/repositories/${repository}`)).body
     );
 
@@ -94,8 +91,6 @@ export async function initRepo({
       }
     }
 
-    repoConfig.isFork = info.isFork;
-
     Object.assign(config, {
       owner: info.owner,
       defaultBranch: info.mainbranch,
@@ -126,6 +121,9 @@ export async function initRepo({
     localDir,
     url,
   });
+  const repoConfig: RepoConfig = {
+    isFork: info.isFork,
+  };
   return repoConfig;
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/platform/github/index.ts b/lib/platform/github/index.ts
index 2c634ab00d916305d0c0f9bd37e5fd16cb25234f..87cee09068c7fa9d44602e5f577aa0f065db8803 100644
--- a/lib/platform/github/index.ts
+++ b/lib/platform/github/index.ts
@@ -180,8 +180,6 @@ export async function initRepo({
   config.repository = repository;
   [config.repositoryOwner, config.repositoryName] = repository.split('/');
   config.gitPrivateKey = gitPrivateKey;
-  // repoConfig is passed back to the app layer and contains info about the platform they require
-  const repoConfig: RepoConfig = {} as any;
   let res;
   try {
     res = await api.get(`repos/${repository}`);
@@ -237,7 +235,6 @@ export async function initRepo({
         throw new Error('disabled');
       }
     }
-    repoConfig.isFork = res.body.fork === true;
     const owner = res.body.owner.login;
     logger.debug(`${repository} owner = ${owner}`);
     // Use default branch as PR target unless later overridden.
@@ -376,7 +373,9 @@ export async function initRepo({
     ...config,
     url,
   });
-
+  const repoConfig: RepoConfig = {
+    isFork: res.body.fork === true,
+  };
   return repoConfig;
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/platform/gitlab/index.ts b/lib/platform/gitlab/index.ts
index 4139d264d52646272504a9489a3cba4467e4cd1c..09a19f35301172eeeadac3659399309a00c91963 100644
--- a/lib/platform/gitlab/index.ts
+++ b/lib/platform/gitlab/index.ts
@@ -102,7 +102,6 @@ export async function initRepo({
   config.repository = urlEscape(repository);
   config.localDir = localDir;
   let res;
-  const repoConfig: RepoConfig = {} as any;
   try {
     res = await api.get(`projects/${config.repository}`);
     if (res.body.archived) {
@@ -140,7 +139,6 @@ export async function initRepo({
     }
     config.defaultBranch = res.body.default_branch;
     config.baseBranch = config.defaultBranch;
-    repoConfig.isFork = !!res.body.forked_from_project;
     logger.debug(`${repository} default branch = ${config.baseBranch}`);
     // Discover our user email
     config.email = (await api.get(`user`)).body.email;
@@ -192,6 +190,9 @@ export async function initRepo({
     logger.info({ err }, 'Unknown GitLab initRepo error');
     throw err;
   }
+  const repoConfig: RepoConfig = {
+    isFork: !!res.body.forked_from_project,
+  };
   return repoConfig;
 }