diff --git a/swh/indexer/origin_head.py b/swh/indexer/origin_head.py
--- a/swh/indexer/origin_head.py
+++ b/swh/indexer/origin_head.py
@@ -47,18 +47,6 @@
         # could not find a head revision
         return None
 
-    # VCSs
-
-    def _try_get_vcs_head(self, snapshot):
-        try:
-            branches = snapshot['branches']
-            if branches[b'HEAD']['target_type'] == 'revision':
-                return branches[b'HEAD']['target']
-        except KeyError:
-            return None
-
-    _try_get_hg_head = _try_get_git_head = _try_get_vcs_head
-
     # Tarballs
 
     _archive_filename_re = re.compile(
@@ -113,7 +101,7 @@
     # Generic
 
     def _try_get_head_generic(self, snapshot):
-        # Works on 'deposit', 'svn', and 'pypi'.
+        # Works on 'deposit', 'pypi', and VCSs.
         try:
             branches = snapshot['branches']
         except KeyError:
diff --git a/swh/indexer/tests/utils.py b/swh/indexer/tests/utils.py
--- a/swh/indexer/tests/utils.py
+++ b/swh/indexer/tests/utils.py
@@ -66,10 +66,13 @@
                 'target': b'L[\xce\x1c\x88\x8eF\t\xf1"\x19\x1e\xfb\xc0'
                           b's\xe7/\xe9l\x1e',
                 'target_type': 'revision'},
-            b'HEAD': {
+            b'refs/head/master': {
                 'target': b'8K\x12\x00d\x03\xcc\xe4]bS\xe3\x8f{\xd7}'
                           b'\xac\xefrm',
                 'target_type': 'revision'},
+            b'HEAD': {
+                'target': b'refs/head/master',
+                'target_type': 'alias'},
             b'refs/tags/v0.0.103': {
                 'target': b'\xb6"Im{\xfdLb\xb0\x94N\xea\x96m\x13x\x88+'
                           b'\x0f\xdd',