diff --git a/git_fleximod/cli.py b/git_fleximod/cli.py
index 1fb959d..3eb9087 100644
--- a/git_fleximod/cli.py
+++ b/git_fleximod/cli.py
@@ -1,17 +1,27 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 import argparse
+from git_fleximod import utils
 
 __version__ = "0.7.4"
 
-def find_root_dir(filename=".git"):
+def find_root_dir(filename=".gitmodules"):
+    """ finds the highest directory in tree
+    which contains a file called filename """
     d = Path.cwd()
     root = Path(d.root)
-    while d != root:
-        attempt = d / filename
-        if attempt.is_dir():
-            return attempt
-        d = d.parent
-    return None
+    dirlist = []
+    dl = d
+    while dl != root:
+        dirlist.append(dl)
+        dl = dl.parent
+    dirlist.append(root)
+    dirlist.reverse()
+
+    for dl in dirlist:
+        attempt = dl / filename
+        if attempt.is_file():
+            return dl
+    utils.fatal_error("No .gitmodules found in directory tree")
 
 
 def get_parser():
diff --git a/git_fleximod/git_fleximod.py b/git_fleximod/git_fleximod.py
index 103cc82..f080513 100755
--- a/git_fleximod/git_fleximod.py
+++ b/git_fleximod/git_fleximod.py
@@ -312,7 +312,11 @@ def submodules_status(gitmodules, root_dir, toplevel=False):
             with utils.pushd(newpath):
                 git = GitInterface(newpath, logger)
                 atag = git.git_operation("describe", "--tags", "--always").rstrip()
-                ahash = git.git_operation("status").partition("\n")[0].split()[-1]
+                part =  git.git_operation("status").partition("\n")[0]
+                # fake hash to initialize
+                ahash = "xxxx"
+                if part:
+                    ahash = part.split()[-1]
                 if tag and atag == tag:
                     print(f"  {name:>20} at tag {tag}")
                 elif tag and ahash[: len(tag)] == tag:
@@ -554,8 +558,8 @@ def main():
     global logger
     logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
-    logger.info("action is {}".format(action))
-
+    logger.info("action is {} root_dir={} file_name={}".format(action, root_dir, file_name))
+    
     if not os.path.isfile(os.path.join(root_dir, file_name)):
         file_path = utils.find_upwards(root_dir, file_name)