diff --git a/backup.go b/backup.go
index f1c7007..2b0893e 100644
--- a/backup.go
+++ b/backup.go
@@ -33,6 +33,11 @@ func checkGitAvailability() error {
 func backUp(backupDir string, repo *Repository, bare bool, wg *sync.WaitGroup) ([]byte, error) {
 	defer wg.Done()
 
+	if repo.Private && ignorePrivate != nil && *ignorePrivate {
+		log.Printf("Skipping %s as it is a private repo.\n", repo.Name)
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+
 	repoDir := getRepoDir(backupDir, repo, bare)
 
 	_, err := appFS.Stat(repoDir)
@@ -74,11 +79,6 @@ func cloneNewRepo(repoDir string, repo *Repository, bare bool) ([]byte, error) {
 	log.Printf("Cloning %s\n", repo.Name)
 	log.Printf("%#v\n", repo)
 
-	if repo.Private && ignorePrivate != nil && *ignorePrivate {
-		log.Printf("Skipping %s as it is a private repo.\n", repo.Name)
-		return nil, nil
-	}
-
 	cloneURL := repo.CloneURL
 	if useHTTPSClone != nil && *useHTTPSClone {
 		// Add username and token to the clone URL
diff --git a/backup_test.go b/backup_test.go
index 6ee639b..8049467 100644
--- a/backup_test.go
+++ b/backup_test.go
@@ -20,6 +20,14 @@ func fakePullCommand(command string, args ...string) (cmd *exec.Cmd) {
 	return cmd
 }
 
+func fakeFailingPullCommand(command string, args ...string) *exec.Cmd {
+	cs := []string{"-test.run=TestHelperFailingPullProcess", "--", command}
+	cs = append(cs, args...)
+	cmd := exec.Command(os.Args[0], cs...)
+	cmd.Env = []string{"GO_WANT_HELPER_PROCESS=1"}
+	return cmd
+}
+
 func fakeCloneCommand(command string, args ...string) (cmd *exec.Cmd) {
 	cs := []string{"-test.run=TestHelperCloneProcess", "--", command}
 	cs = append(cs, args...)
@@ -69,6 +77,39 @@ func TestBackup(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestBackupSkipsExistingPrivateRepoWhenIgnorePrivate(t *testing.T) {
+	oldFS, oldIgnorePrivate, oldExecCommand := appFS, ignorePrivate, execCommand
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		appFS, ignorePrivate, execCommand = oldFS, oldIgnorePrivate, oldExecCommand
+	})
+
+	appFS = afero.NewMemMapFs()
+	ignorePrivateValue := true
+	ignorePrivate = &ignorePrivateValue
+	execCommand = fakeFailingPullCommand
+
+	backupDir := "/synthetic-backups"
+	repo := Repository{Name: "private-repo", Namespace: "synthetic-owner", Private: true}
+	if err := appFS.MkdirAll(getRepoDir(backupDir, &repo, false), 0771); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	wg.Add(1)
+	if output, err := backUp(backupDir, &repo, false, &wg); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("private repository should be skipped without updating it; output=%q err=%v", output, err)
+	}
+	wg.Wait()
+}
+
+func TestHelperFailingPullProcess(t *testing.T) {
+	if os.Getenv("GO_WANT_HELPER_PROCESS") != "1" {
+		return
+	}
+	fmt.Fprint(os.Stdout, "synthetic pull failure")
+	os.Exit(1)
+}
+
 func TestBareBackup(t *testing.T) {
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 	repo := Repository{Name: "testrepo", CloneURL: "git://foo.com/foo"}