diff --git a/builtin/fsck.c b/builtin/fsck.c
index fc150c8821..8aadca160e 100644
--- a/builtin/fsck.c
+++ b/builtin/fsck.c
@@ -310,8 +310,7 @@ static int fsck_obj(struct object *obj)
 	if (obj->type == OBJ_COMMIT) {
 		struct commit *commit = (struct commit *) obj;
 
-		free(commit->buffer);
-		commit->buffer = NULL;
+		free_commit_buffer(commit);
 
 		if (!commit->parents && show_root)
 			printf("root %s\n", sha1_to_hex(commit->object.sha1));
diff --git a/builtin/index-pack.c b/builtin/index-pack.c
index b9f6e12c0e..42551ce4ff 100644
--- a/builtin/index-pack.c
+++ b/builtin/index-pack.c
@@ -774,7 +774,8 @@ static void sha1_object(const void *data, struct object_entry *obj_entry,
 			}
 			if (obj->type == OBJ_COMMIT) {
 				struct commit *commit = (struct commit *) obj;
-				commit->buffer = NULL;
+				if (detach_commit_buffer(commit) != data)
+					die("BUG: parse_object_buffer transmogrified our buffer");
 			}
 			obj->flags |= FLAG_CHECKED;
 		}
diff --git a/builtin/log.c b/builtin/log.c
index 39e8836352..226f8f2980 100644
--- a/builtin/log.c
+++ b/builtin/log.c
@@ -349,8 +349,7 @@ static int cmd_log_walk(struct rev_info *rev)
 			rev->max_count++;
 		if (!rev->reflog_info) {
 			/* we allow cycles in reflog ancestry */
-			free(commit->buffer);
-			commit->buffer = NULL;
+			free_commit_buffer(commit);
 		}
 		free_commit_list(commit->parents);
 		commit->parents = NULL;
@@ -1508,8 +1507,7 @@ int cmd_format_patch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		    reopen_stdout(rev.numbered_files ? NULL : commit, NULL, &rev, quiet))
 			die(_("Failed to create output files"));
 		shown = log_tree_commit(&rev, commit);
-		free(commit->buffer);
-		commit->buffer = NULL;
+		free_commit_buffer(commit);
 
 		/* We put one extra blank line between formatted
 		 * patches and this flag is used by log-tree code
diff --git a/builtin/rev-list.c b/builtin/rev-list.c
index 9f92905379..e012ebe502 100644
--- a/builtin/rev-list.c
+++ b/builtin/rev-list.c
@@ -173,8 +173,7 @@ static void finish_commit(struct commit *commit, void *data)
 		free_commit_list(commit->parents);
 		commit->parents = NULL;
 	}
-	free(commit->buffer);
-	commit->buffer = NULL;
+	free_commit_buffer(commit);
 }
 
 static void finish_object(struct object *obj,
diff --git a/commit.c b/commit.c
index fbdc480ccf..11a05c1f24 100644
--- a/commit.c
+++ b/commit.c
@@ -245,6 +245,19 @@ int unregister_shallow(const unsigned char *sha1)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+void free_commit_buffer(struct commit *commit)
+{
+	free(commit->buffer);
+	commit->buffer = NULL;
+}
+
+const void *detach_commit_buffer(struct commit *commit)
+{
+	void *ret = commit->buffer;
+	commit->buffer = NULL;
+	return ret;
+}
+
 int parse_commit_buffer(struct commit *item, const void *buffer, unsigned long size)
 {
 	const char *tail = buffer;
diff --git a/commit.h b/commit.h
index 4df48cb688..d72ed43340 100644
--- a/commit.h
+++ b/commit.h
@@ -51,6 +51,17 @@ int parse_commit_buffer(struct commit *item, const void *buffer, unsigned long s
 int parse_commit(struct commit *item);
 void parse_commit_or_die(struct commit *item);
 
+/*
+ * Free any cached object buffer associated with the commit.
+ */
+void free_commit_buffer(struct commit *);
+
+/*
+ * Disassociate any cached object buffer from the commit, but do not free it.
+ * The buffer (or NULL, if none) is returned.
+ */
+const void *detach_commit_buffer(struct commit *);
+
 /* Find beginning and length of commit subject. */
 int find_commit_subject(const char *commit_buffer, const char **subject);