diff --git a/librad/src/identities/git.rs b/librad/src/identities/git.rs
index 63aa28286..afda63b9a 100644
--- a/librad/src/identities/git.rs
+++ b/librad/src/identities/git.rs
@@ -775,11 +775,29 @@ impl<'a> Identities<'a, Project> {
         known: Person,
         latest_head: git2::Oid,
     ) -> Result<VerifiedPerson, error::VerifyPerson> {
+        let is_fast_forward = |known: &Person, head: git2::Oid| {
+            let commit = self.repo.find_commit(head)?;
+            self.is_in_ancestry_path(known.content_id.into(), commit.tree_id())
+        };
         // Nb. technically we could coerce `known` into a `VerifiedPerson` if its
         // `content_id` equals `latest_head`. Let's not introduce an unsafe
         // coercion, but rely on caching to be implemented efficiently.
         if self.is_in_ancestry_path(latest_head, known.revision.into())? {
             self.as_person().verify(latest_head)
+        // If the latest is a fast-forward then we can update the top-level
+        } else if is_fast_forward(&known, latest_head)? {
+            let latest = self.as_person().verify(latest_head)?;
+            let _known = self.as_person().verify(known.content_id.into())?;
+            let urn = reflike!("refs/namespaces")
+                .join(ext::RefLike::from(known.urn()))
+                .join((*urn::DEFAULT_PATH).clone())
+                .to_string();
+            let mut reference = self.repo.find_reference(&urn)?;
+            reference.set_target(
+                latest_head,
+                &format!("fast-forward of identity to {}", latest_head),
+            )?;
+            Ok(latest)
         } else {
             Err(error::VerifyPerson::NotInAncestryPath {
                 revision: known.revision,