diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index b63ac89..4f55a1a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@
 - real user as commit author (#187)
 - avoid pushing release branch only for rebasing (#114)
 
+### Bug Fixes
+
+- crash when running in repo without any tags (#190)
+
 ## [v0.5.1](https://github.com/apricote/releaser-pleaser/releases/tag/v0.5.1)
 
 ### Bug Fixes
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index e8038f4..341b585 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/stretchr/testify v1.10.0
 	github.com/teekennedy/goldmark-markdown v0.5.1
 	github.com/yuin/goldmark v1.7.12
-	gitlab.com/gitlab-org/api/client-go v0.129.0
+	gitlab.com/gitlab-org/api/client-go v0.130.1
 )
 
 require (
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 3c37570..518418d 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -105,8 +105,8 @@ github.com/xanzy/ssh-agent v0.3.3 h1:+/15pJfg/RsTxqYcX6fHqOXZwwMP+2VyYWJeWM2qQFM
 github.com/xanzy/ssh-agent v0.3.3/go.mod h1:6dzNDKs0J9rVPHPhaGCukekBHKqfl+L3KghI1Bc68Uw=
 github.com/yuin/goldmark v1.7.12 h1:YwGP/rrea2/CnCtUHgjuolG/PnMxdQtPMO5PvaE2/nY=
 github.com/yuin/goldmark v1.7.12/go.mod h1:ip/1k0VRfGynBgxOz0yCqHrbZXhcjxyuS66Brc7iBKg=
-gitlab.com/gitlab-org/api/client-go v0.129.0 h1:o9KLn6fezmxBQWYnQrnilwyuOjlx4206KP0bUn3HuBE=
-gitlab.com/gitlab-org/api/client-go v0.129.0/go.mod h1:ZhSxLAWadqP6J9lMh40IAZOlOxBLPRh7yFOXR/bMJWM=
+gitlab.com/gitlab-org/api/client-go v0.130.1 h1:1xF5C5Zq3sFeNg3PzS2z63oqrxifne3n/OnbI7nptRc=
+gitlab.com/gitlab-org/api/client-go v0.130.1/go.mod h1:ZhSxLAWadqP6J9lMh40IAZOlOxBLPRh7yFOXR/bMJWM=
 go.abhg.dev/goldmark/toc v0.11.0 h1:IRixVy3/yVPKvFBc37EeBPi8XLTXrtH6BYaonSjkF8o=
 go.abhg.dev/goldmark/toc v0.11.0/go.mod h1:XMFIoI1Sm6dwF9vKzVDOYE/g1o5BmKXghLG8q/wJNww=
 golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20220622213112-05595931fe9d/go.mod h1:IxCIyHEi3zRg3s0A5j5BB6A9Jmi73HwBIUl50j+osU4=
diff --git a/internal/git/git.go b/internal/git/git.go
index 136a828..d1db11b 100644
--- a/internal/git/git.go
+++ b/internal/git/git.go
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ func (r *Repository) hasChangesWithRemote(ctx context.Context, mainBranchRef, lo
 		return false, nil
 	}
 
-	remoteDiff, err := commitOnRemotePRBranch.PatchContext(ctx, currentRemotePRMergeBase)
+	remoteDiff, err := currentRemotePRMergeBase.PatchContext(ctx, commitOnRemotePRBranch)
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, err
 	}
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ func (r *Repository) hasChangesWithRemote(ctx context.Context, mainBranchRef, lo
 		return false, err
 	}
 
-	return remoteDiff.String() == localDiff.String(), nil
+	return remoteDiff.String() != localDiff.String(), nil
 }
 
 func (r *Repository) commitFromRef(refName plumbing.ReferenceName) (*object.Commit, error) {
diff --git a/internal/git/git_test.go b/internal/git/git_test.go
index 3d05538..bf300df 100644
--- a/internal/git/git_test.go
+++ b/internal/git/git_test.go
@@ -147,15 +147,17 @@ func TestRepository_HasChangesWithRemote(t *testing.T) {
 					OnBranch(mainBranchRef),
 					AsNewBranch(remotePRBranchRef),
 					WithFile("VERSION", "v1.1.0"),
+					WithFile("CHANGELOG.md", "Foo"),
 				),
 				WithCommit(
-					"chore: release v1.2.0",
+					"chore: release v1.1.0",
 					OnBranch(mainBranchRef),
 					AsNewBranch(localPRBranchRef),
-					WithFile("VERSION", "v1.2.0"),
+					WithFile("VERSION", "v1.1.0"),
+					WithFile("CHANGELOG.md", "FooBar"),
 				),
 			),
-			want:    false,
+			want:    true,
 			wantErr: assert.NoError,
 		},
 	}
diff --git a/releaserpleaser.go b/releaserpleaser.go
index 3c316ae..409d8bb 100644
--- a/releaserpleaser.go
+++ b/releaserpleaser.go
@@ -327,7 +327,11 @@ func (rp *ReleaserPleaser) runReconcileReleasePR(ctx context.Context) error {
 }
 
 func (rp *ReleaserPleaser) analyzedCommitsSince(ctx context.Context, since *git.Tag) ([]commitparser.AnalyzedCommit, error) {
-	logger := rp.logger.With("method", "analyzedCommitsSince", "tag.hash", since.Hash, "tag.name", since.Name)
+	logger := rp.logger.With("method", "analyzedCommitsSince")
+
+	if since != nil {
+		logger = rp.logger.With("tag.hash", since.Hash, "tag.name", since.Name)
+	}
 
 	commits, err := rp.forge.CommitsSince(ctx, since)
 	if err != nil {