diff -r 7ab85fec60c3 -r dea6efdd7ec4 mercurial/subrepo.py
--- a/mercurial/subrepo.py	Mon Mar 07 15:44:43 2011 -0600
+++ b/mercurial/subrepo.py	Mon Mar 07 12:03:54 2011 -0500
@@ -703,6 +703,9 @@
 
         return retdata, p.returncode
 
+    def _gitmissing(self):
+        return not os.path.exists(os.path.join(self._abspath, '.git'))
+
     def _gitstate(self):
         return self._gitcommand(['rev-parse', 'HEAD'])
 
@@ -759,7 +762,7 @@
         return _abssource(self)
 
     def _fetch(self, source, revision):
-        if not os.path.exists(os.path.join(self._abspath, '.git')):
+        if self._gitmissing():
             self._ui.status(_('cloning subrepo %s\n') % self._relpath)
             self._gitnodir(['clone', self._abssource(source), self._abspath])
         if self._githavelocally(revision):
@@ -772,6 +775,8 @@
                                (revision, self._relpath))
 
     def dirty(self, ignoreupdate=False):
+        if self._gitmissing():
+            return True
         if not ignoreupdate and self._state[1] != self._gitstate():
             # different version checked out
             return True
@@ -860,6 +865,8 @@
             rawcheckout()
 
     def commit(self, text, user, date):
+        if self._gitmissing():
+            raise util.Abort(_("subrepo %s is missing") % self._relpath)
         cmd = ['commit', '-a', '-m', text]
         env = os.environ.copy()
         if user:
@@ -896,6 +903,8 @@
             mergefunc()
 
     def push(self, force):
+        if self._gitmissing():
+            raise util.Abort(_("subrepo %s is missing") % self._relpath)
         # if a branch in origin contains the revision, nothing to do
         branch2rev, rev2branch = self._gitbranchmap()
         if self._state[1] in rev2branch:
@@ -929,6 +938,8 @@
             return False
 
     def remove(self):
+        if self._gitmissing():
+            return
         if self.dirty():
             self._ui.warn(_('not removing repo %s because '
                             'it has changes.\n') % self._relpath)
@@ -972,6 +983,9 @@
 
 
     def status(self, rev2, **opts):
+        if self._gitmissing():
+            # if the repo is missing, return no results
+            return [], [], [], [], [], [], []
         rev1 = self._state[1]
         modified, added, removed = [], [], []
         if rev2: