diff --git a/app/controllers/projects/commit_controller.rb b/app/controllers/projects/commit_controller.rb
index effb484ef0f..b7f548e0e63 100644
--- a/app/controllers/projects/commit_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/projects/commit_controller.rb
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ class Projects::CommitController < Projects::ApplicationController
 
   def pipelines
     @pipelines = @commit.pipelines.order(id: :desc)
+    @pipelines = @pipelines.where(ref: params[:ref]) if params[:ref]
 
     respond_to do |format|
       format.html
diff --git a/app/helpers/ci_status_helper.rb b/app/helpers/ci_status_helper.rb
index 636316da80a..f0afcac5986 100644
--- a/app/helpers/ci_status_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/ci_status_helper.rb
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ module CiStatusHelper
 
   def render_project_pipeline_status(pipeline_status, tooltip_placement: 'auto left')
     project = pipeline_status.project
-    path = pipelines_project_commit_path(project, pipeline_status.sha)
+    path = pipelines_project_commit_path(project, pipeline_status.sha, ref: pipeline_status.ref)
 
     render_status_with_link(
       'commit',
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ module CiStatusHelper
 
   def render_commit_status(commit, ref: nil, tooltip_placement: 'auto left')
     project = commit.project
-    path = pipelines_project_commit_path(project, commit)
+    path = pipelines_project_commit_path(project, commit, ref: ref)
 
     render_status_with_link(
       'commit',
diff --git a/app/views/projects/commits/_commit.html.haml b/app/views/projects/commits/_commit.html.haml
index 163432c9263..289bfdd69bc 100644
--- a/app/views/projects/commits/_commit.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/projects/commits/_commit.html.haml
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 - link = commit_path(project, commit, merge_request: merge_request)
 - cache_key = [project.full_path,
+               ref,
                commit.id,
                Gitlab::CurrentSettings.current_application_settings,
                @path.presence,
@@ -54,7 +55,7 @@
         - if commit.status(ref)
           = render_commit_status(commit, ref: ref)
 
-        .js-commit-pipeline-status{ data: { endpoint: pipelines_project_commit_path(project, commit.id) } }
+        .js-commit-pipeline-status{ data: { endpoint: pipelines_project_commit_path(project, commit.id, ref: ref) } }
 
         .commit-sha-group
           .label.label-monospace
diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased/44541-fix-file-tree-commit-status-cache.yml b/changelogs/unreleased/44541-fix-file-tree-commit-status-cache.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ff734fe0c05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased/44541-fix-file-tree-commit-status-cache.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+title: Fix pipeline status in branch/tag tree page
+merge_request: 17995
+author:
+type: fixed
diff --git a/spec/features/dashboard/projects_spec.rb b/spec/features/dashboard/projects_spec.rb
index 986f864f0b5..257a3822503 100644
--- a/spec/features/dashboard/projects_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/features/dashboard/projects_spec.rb
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ feature 'Dashboard Projects' do
   end
 
   describe 'with a pipeline', :clean_gitlab_redis_shared_state do
-    let(:pipeline) { create(:ci_pipeline, project: project, sha: project.commit.sha) }
+    let(:pipeline) { create(:ci_pipeline, project: project, sha: project.commit.sha, ref: project.default_branch) }
 
     before do
       # Since the cache isn't updated when a new pipeline is created
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ feature 'Dashboard Projects' do
       visit dashboard_projects_path
 
       page.within('.controls') do
-        expect(page).to have_xpath("//a[@href='#{pipelines_project_commit_path(project, project.commit)}']")
+        expect(page).to have_xpath("//a[@href='#{pipelines_project_commit_path(project, project.commit, ref: pipeline.ref)}']")
         expect(page).to have_css('.ci-status-link')
         expect(page).to have_css('.ci-status-icon-success')
         expect(page).to have_link('Commit: passed')
diff --git a/spec/features/projects/files/user_reads_pipeline_status_spec.rb b/spec/features/projects/files/user_reads_pipeline_status_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2fb9da2f0a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/features/projects/files/user_reads_pipeline_status_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe 'user reads pipeline status', :js do
+  let(:project) { create(:project, :repository) }
+  let(:user) { create(:user) }
+  let(:v110_pipeline) { create_pipeline('v1.1.0', 'success') }
+  let(:x110_pipeline) { create_pipeline('x1.1.0', 'failed') }
+
+  before do
+    project.add_master(user)
+
+    project.repository.add_tag(user, 'x1.1.0', 'v1.1.0')
+    v110_pipeline
+    x110_pipeline
+
+    sign_in(user)
+  end
+
+  shared_examples 'visiting project tree' do
+    scenario 'sees the correct pipeline status' do
+      visit project_tree_path(project, expected_pipeline.ref)
+      wait_for_requests
+
+      page.within('.blob-commit-info') do
+        expect(page).to have_link('', href: project_pipeline_path(project, expected_pipeline))
+        expect(page).to have_selector(".ci-status-icon-#{expected_pipeline.status}")
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  it_behaves_like 'visiting project tree' do
+    let(:expected_pipeline) { v110_pipeline }
+  end
+
+  it_behaves_like 'visiting project tree' do
+    let(:expected_pipeline) { x110_pipeline }
+  end
+
+  def create_pipeline(ref, status)
+    create(:ci_pipeline,
+      project: project,
+      ref: ref,
+      sha: project.commit(ref).sha,
+      status: status)
+  end
+end