diff --git a/app/models/repository.rb b/app/models/repository.rb
index 1f4df50a913..a0f57f1e54d 100644
--- a/app/models/repository.rb
+++ b/app/models/repository.rb
@@ -34,7 +34,10 @@ class Repository
   CACHED_METHODS = %i(size commit_count rendered_readme contribution_guide
                       changelog license_blob license_key gitignore koding_yml
                       gitlab_ci_yml branch_names tag_names branch_count
-                      tag_count avatar exists? empty? root_ref).freeze
+                      tag_count avatar exists? empty? root_ref has_visible_content?).freeze
+
+  # Methods that use cache_method but only memoize the value
+  MEMOIZED_CACHED_METHODS = %i(license empty_repo?).freeze
 
   # Certain method caches should be refreshed when certain types of files are
   # changed. This Hash maps file types (as returned by Gitlab::FileDetector) to
@@ -269,7 +272,7 @@ class Repository
   end
 
   def expire_branches_cache
-    expire_method_caches(%i(branch_names branch_count))
+    expire_method_caches(%i(branch_names branch_count has_visible_content?))
     @local_branches = nil
     @branch_exists_memo = nil
   end
@@ -340,7 +343,7 @@ class Repository
   def expire_emptiness_caches
     return unless empty?
 
-    expire_method_caches(%i(empty?))
+    expire_method_caches(%i(empty? has_visible_content?))
   end
 
   def lookup_cache
diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased/sh-fix-issue-38646.yml b/changelogs/unreleased/sh-fix-issue-38646.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5c205775662
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased/sh-fix-issue-38646.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+title: Fix pushes to an empty repository not invalidating has_visible_content? cache
+merge_request:
+author:
+type: fixed
diff --git a/spec/models/repository_spec.rb b/spec/models/repository_spec.rb
index ab81d39691b..3b8ae4d3fd1 100644
--- a/spec/models/repository_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/repository_spec.rb
@@ -1272,6 +1272,7 @@ describe Repository do
       allow(repository).to receive(:empty?).and_return(true)
 
       expect(cache).to receive(:expire).with(:empty?)
+      expect(cache).to receive(:expire).with(:has_visible_content?)
 
       repository.expire_emptiness_caches
     end
@@ -1280,6 +1281,7 @@ describe Repository do
       allow(repository).to receive(:empty?).and_return(false)
 
       expect(cache).not_to receive(:expire).with(:empty?)
+      expect(cache).not_to receive(:expire).with(:has_visible_content?)
 
       repository.expire_emptiness_caches
     end
@@ -1609,7 +1611,7 @@ describe Repository do
   describe '#expire_branches_cache' do
     it 'expires the cache' do
       expect(repository).to receive(:expire_method_caches)
-        .with(%i(branch_names branch_count))
+        .with(%i(branch_names branch_count has_visible_content?))
         .and_call_original
 
       repository.expire_branches_cache
@@ -1888,6 +1890,15 @@ describe Repository do
 
       repository.expire_all_method_caches
     end
+
+    it 'all cache_method definitions are in the lists of method caches' do
+      methods = repository.methods.map do |method|
+        match = /^_uncached_(.*)/.match(method)
+        match[1].to_sym if match
+      end.compact
+
+      expect(methods).to match_array(Repository::CACHED_METHODS + Repository::MEMOIZED_CACHED_METHODS)
+    end
   end
 
   describe '#file_on_head' do