diff --git a/app/models/repository.rb b/app/models/repository.rb
index 6c6023a8709..b9f57169ea5 100644
--- a/app/models/repository.rb
+++ b/app/models/repository.rb
@@ -568,7 +568,7 @@ class Repository
   delegate :branch_count, :tag_count, :has_visible_content?, to: :raw_repository
   cache_method :branch_count, fallback: 0
   cache_method :tag_count, fallback: 0
-  cache_method :has_visible_content?, fallback: false
+  cache_method_asymmetrically :has_visible_content?
 
   def avatar
     # n+1: https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-foss/issues/38327
diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased/cache-issues-with-has_visible_content.yml b/changelogs/unreleased/cache-issues-with-has_visible_content.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0007b3086e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased/cache-issues-with-has_visible_content.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+title: Use cache_method_asymmetrically with Repository#has_visible_content?
+merge_request: 17975
+author:
+type: fixed
diff --git a/spec/models/repository_spec.rb b/spec/models/repository_spec.rb
index 7226beacebe..cf9100eb6cf 100644
--- a/spec/models/repository_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/repository_spec.rb
@@ -1193,33 +1193,21 @@ describe Repository do
   end
 
   describe '#has_visible_content?' do
-    before do
-      # If raw_repository.has_visible_content? gets called more than once then
-      # caching is broken. We don't want that.
+    it 'delegates to raw_repository when true' do
       expect(repository.raw_repository).to receive(:has_visible_content?)
-        .once
-        .and_return(result)
+        .and_return(true)
+
+      expect(repository.has_visible_content?).to eq(true)
     end
 
-    context 'when true' do
-      let(:result) { true }
+    it 'delegates to raw_repository when false' do
+      expect(repository.raw_repository).to receive(:has_visible_content?)
+        .and_return(false)
 
-      it 'returns true and caches it' do
-        expect(repository.has_visible_content?).to eq(true)
-        # Second call hits the cache
-        expect(repository.has_visible_content?).to eq(true)
-      end
+      expect(repository.has_visible_content?).to eq(false)
     end
 
-    context 'when false' do
-      let(:result) { false }
-
-      it 'returns false and caches it' do
-        expect(repository.has_visible_content?).to eq(false)
-        # Second call hits the cache
-        expect(repository.has_visible_content?).to eq(false)
-      end
-    end
+    it_behaves_like 'asymmetric cached method', :has_visible_content?
   end
 
   describe '#branch_exists?' do