diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index d7e4ff04b3..b13b12fb2b 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 
 [tool.poetry]
 name = "renku"
-version = "1.2.4.dev17+geb9386e8" # placeholder, see poetry-dynamic-versioning
+version = "0.0.0" # placeholder, see poetry-dynamic-versioning
 description = "Python SDK and CLI for the Renku platform."
 license = "Apache License 2.0"
 keywords = ["Renku", "CLI"]
diff --git a/renku/infrastructure/repository.py b/renku/infrastructure/repository.py
index 02e0e2903e..fa5f984a1a 100644
--- a/renku/infrastructure/repository.py
+++ b/renku/infrastructure/repository.py
@@ -689,17 +689,11 @@ def close(self) -> None:
 
         Cleans up dangling processes.
         """
-        if self._repository:
-            self._repository.close()
+        if getattr(self, "_repository", None) is not None:
+            self._repository.close()  # type:ignore
             del self._repository
             self._repository = None
 
-    def refresh_repository(self):
-        """Refreshes the underlying repository."""
-        self.close()
-
-        self._repository = git.Repo(self.path, search_parent_directories=False)
-
     @staticmethod
     def get_global_user() -> "Actor":
         """Return the global git user."""
@@ -890,7 +884,7 @@ def __init__(self, parent: git.Repo, name: str, path: Union[Path, str], url: str
         self._name: str = name
         self._url: str = url
         try:
-            self._repository: git.Repo = _create_repository(path, search_parent_directories=False)
+            self._repository: Optional[git.Repo] = _create_repository(path, search_parent_directories=False)
         except errors.GitError:
             # NOTE: Submodule directory doesn't exist yet, so, we ignore the error
             pass
@@ -908,7 +902,10 @@ def __repr__(self) -> str:
         return f"<Submodule {self.relative_path}>"
 
     def __del__(self) -> None:
-        self._repository.close()
+        if getattr(self, "_repository", None) is not None:
+            self._repository.close()  # type:ignore
+            del self._repository
+            self._repository = None
 
     @property
     def name(self) -> str:
@@ -930,8 +927,8 @@ class SubmoduleManager:
     """Manage submodules of a Repository."""
 
     def __init__(self, repository: git.Repo):
-        self._repository = repository
-        self._submodule_cache: Dict[git.Submodule, Submodule] = {}  # type: ignore
+        self._repository: Optional[git.Repo] = repository
+        self._submodule_cache: Dict[str, Submodule] = {}  # type: ignore
         try:
             self.update()
         except errors.GitError:
@@ -940,12 +937,18 @@ def __init__(self, repository: git.Repo):
 
     def _get_submodule(self, submodule: git.Submodule) -> Submodule:  # type: ignore
         """Get a submodule from local cache."""
-        if submodule not in self._submodule_cache:
+        if self._repository is None:
+            raise errors.ParameterError("Repository not set.")
+
+        if submodule.name not in self._submodule_cache:
             submodule_result = Submodule.from_submodule(self._repository, submodule)
-            self._submodule_cache[submodule] = submodule_result
-        return self._submodule_cache[submodule]
+            self._submodule_cache[submodule.name] = submodule_result
+        return self._submodule_cache[submodule.name]
 
     def __getitem__(self, name: str) -> Submodule:
+        if self._repository is None:
+            raise errors.ParameterError("Repository not set.")
+
         try:
             submodule = self._repository.submodules[name]
         except IndexError:
@@ -954,11 +957,17 @@ def __getitem__(self, name: str) -> Submodule:
             return self._get_submodule(submodule)
 
     def __iter__(self):
+        if self._repository is None:
+            raise errors.ParameterError("Repository not set.")
+
         for s in self._repository.submodules:
 
             yield self._get_submodule(s)
 
     def __len__(self) -> int:
+        if self._repository is None:
+            raise errors.ParameterError("Repository not set.")
+
         return len(self._repository.submodules)
 
     def __repr__(self) -> str:
@@ -966,16 +975,27 @@ def __repr__(self) -> str:
 
     def remove(self, submodule: Union[Submodule, str], force: bool = False):
         """Remove an existing submodule."""
+        if self._repository is None:
+            raise errors.ParameterError("Repository not set.")
+
         name = submodule if isinstance(submodule, str) else submodule.name
 
         try:
-            submodule = self._repository.submodules[name]
-            submodule.remove(force=force)
+            git_submodule = self._repository.submodules[name]
+            git_submodule.remove(force=force)
+
+            if name in self._submodule_cache:
+                submodule = self._submodule_cache[name]
+                del self._submodule_cache[name]
+                submodule.close()
         except git.GitError as e:
             raise errors.GitError(f"Cannot delete submodule '{submodule}'") from e
 
     def update(self, initialize: bool = True):
         """Update all submodule."""
+        if self._repository is None:
+            raise errors.ParameterError("Repository not set.")
+
         # NOTE: Git complains if ``--init`` comes before ``update``
         args = ("update", "--init") if initialize else ("update",)
         _run_git_command(self._repository, "submodule", *args)
diff --git a/renku/version.py b/renku/version.py
index a603d328d2..5190e7c179 100644
--- a/renku/version.py
+++ b/renku/version.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 except ImportError:
     from importlib_metadata import distribution
 
-__version__ = "1.2.4.dev17+geb9386e8"
+__version__ = "0.0.0"
 __template_version__ = "0.3.1"
 __minimum_project_version__ = "1.2.0"