diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 2b406590..9f5fcb89 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -47,10 +47,11 @@ install:
     # Maybe get and clean and patch source
     - |
       if [ ${TRAVIS_EVENT_TYPE} == "cron" ]; then
-        clean_code $REPO_DIR develop
+        clean_code_local $REPO_DIR develop
       else
-        clean_code $REPO_DIR $OPENBLAS_COMMIT
+        clean_code_local $REPO_DIR $OPENBLAS_COMMIT
       fi
+      echo done install step
 
 script:
     # Build library and collect into libs subdirectory
diff --git a/tools/build_steps.sh b/tools/build_steps.sh
index 3b9d5091..b7268dab 100644
--- a/tools/build_steps.sh
+++ b/tools/build_steps.sh
@@ -24,6 +24,34 @@ function before_build {
     fi
 }
 
+function clean_code_local {
+    set -ex
+    # Copied from common_utils.sh, with added debugging
+    local repo_dir=${1:-$REPO_DIR}
+    local build_commit=${2:-$BUILD_COMMIT}
+    [ -z "$repo_dir" ] && echo "repo_dir not defined" && exit 1
+    [ -z "$build_commit" ] && echo "build_commit not defined" && exit 1
+    # The package $repo_dir may be a submodule. git submodules do not
+    # have a .git directory. If $repo_dir is copied around, tools like
+    # Versioneer which require that it be a git repository are unable
+    # to determine the version.  Give submodule proper git directory
+    # XXX no need to do this
+    # fill_submodule "$repo_dir"
+    pushd $repo_dir
+    echo in $repo_dir
+    git fetch origin --tags
+    echo after git fetch origin
+    git checkout $build_commit
+    echo after git checkout $build_commit
+    git clean -fxd 
+    echo after git clean
+    git reset --hard
+    echo after git reset
+    git submodule update --init --recursive
+    echo after git submodule update
+    popd
+}
+
 function get_plat_tag {
     # Copied from gfortran-install/gfortran_utils.sh, modified for MB_ML_LIBC
 
diff --git a/tools/local_build.sh b/tools/local_build.sh
index ce5ced6c..aa5d9a5e 100644
--- a/tools/local_build.sh
+++ b/tools/local_build.sh
@@ -37,6 +37,27 @@ function install_virtualenv {
     pip install virtualenv
 }
 
+function clean_code_local {
+    # Copied from common_utils.sh, with added debugging
+    local repo_dir=${1:-$REPO_DIR}
+    local build_commit=${2:-$BUILD_COMMIT}
+    [ -z "$repo_dir" ] && echo "repo_dir not defined" && exit 1
+    [ -z "$build_commit" ] && echo "build_commit not defined" && exit 1
+    # The package $repo_dir may be a submodule. git submodules do not
+    # have a .git directory. If $repo_dir is copied around, tools like
+    # Versioneer which require that it be a git repository are unable
+    # to determine the version.  Give submodule proper git directory
+    # XXX no need to do this
+    # fill_submodule "$repo_dir"
+    pushd $repo_dir
+    git fetch origin --tags
+    git checkout $build_commit
+    git clean -fxd 
+    git reset --hard
+    git submodule update --init --recursive
+    popd
+}
+
 function build_openblas {
     if [[ -z VIRTUAL_ENV ]]; then
         echo "must be run in a virtualenv"