diff --git a/pkg/recipe/recipe.go b/pkg/recipe/recipe.go
index 073876c0..309d89b9 100644
--- a/pkg/recipe/recipe.go
+++ b/pkg/recipe/recipe.go
@@ -312,8 +312,6 @@ func GetVersionLabelLocal(recipe Recipe) (string, error) {
 
 // EnsureUpToDate ensures that the local repo is synced to the remote
 func EnsureUpToDate(recipeName string) error {
-	recipeDir := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipeName)
-
 	isClean, err := gitPkg.IsClean(recipeName)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -323,6 +321,7 @@ func EnsureUpToDate(recipeName string) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("%s has locally unstaged changes", recipeName)
 	}
 
+	recipeDir := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipeName)
 	repo, err := git.PlainOpen(recipeDir)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err