diff --git a/repoNew.go b/repoNew.go
index a8f026f..09ce519 100644
--- a/repoNew.go
+++ b/repoNew.go
@@ -55,6 +55,9 @@ func (f *Forge) AddNamespaceDir(ns string, fullpath string) (*gitpb.Repo, error)
 	// repo.URL = url
 	f.VerifyBranchNames(repo)
 	repo.Reload()
+	if err := repo.ValidateUTF8(); err != nil {
+		return repo, err
+	}
 	return repo, nil
 }