diff --git a/archive-tar.c b/archive-tar.c
index 5ceec3684be..f1a1447ebda 100644
--- a/archive-tar.c
+++ b/archive-tar.c
@@ -242,13 +242,12 @@ static void write_extended_header(struct archiver_args *args,
 static int write_tar_entry(struct archiver_args *args,
 			   const struct object_id *oid,
 			   const char *path, size_t pathlen,
-			   unsigned int mode)
+			   unsigned int mode,
+			   void *buffer, unsigned long size)
 {
 	struct ustar_header header;
 	struct strbuf ext_header = STRBUF_INIT;
-	unsigned int old_mode = mode;
-	unsigned long size, size_in_header;
-	void *buffer;
+	unsigned long size_in_header;
 	int err = 0;
 
 	memset(&header, 0, sizeof(header));
@@ -282,20 +281,6 @@ static int write_tar_entry(struct archiver_args *args,
 	} else
 		memcpy(header.name, path, pathlen);
 
-	if (S_ISREG(mode) && !args->convert &&
-	    oid_object_info(args->repo, oid, &size) == OBJ_BLOB &&
-	    size > big_file_threshold)
-		buffer = NULL;
-	else if (S_ISLNK(mode) || S_ISREG(mode)) {
-		enum object_type type;
-		buffer = object_file_to_archive(args, path, oid, old_mode, &type, &size);
-		if (!buffer)
-			return error(_("cannot read %s"), oid_to_hex(oid));
-	} else {
-		buffer = NULL;
-		size = 0;
-	}
-
 	if (S_ISLNK(mode)) {
 		if (size > sizeof(header.linkname)) {
 			xsnprintf(header.linkname, sizeof(header.linkname),
@@ -326,7 +311,6 @@ static int write_tar_entry(struct archiver_args *args,
 		else
 			err = stream_blocked(args->repo, oid);
 	}
-	free(buffer);
 	return err;
 }
 
diff --git a/archive-zip.c b/archive-zip.c
index e9f426298b6..2961e01c754 100644
--- a/archive-zip.c
+++ b/archive-zip.c
@@ -285,7 +285,8 @@ static int entry_is_binary(struct index_state *istate, const char *path,
 static int write_zip_entry(struct archiver_args *args,
 			   const struct object_id *oid,
 			   const char *path, size_t pathlen,
-			   unsigned int mode)
+			   unsigned int mode,
+			   void *buffer, unsigned long size)
 {
 	struct zip_local_header header;
 	uintmax_t offset = zip_offset;
@@ -299,10 +300,8 @@ static int write_zip_entry(struct archiver_args *args,
 	enum zip_method method;
 	unsigned char *out;
 	void *deflated = NULL;
-	void *buffer;
 	struct git_istream *stream = NULL;
 	unsigned long flags = 0;
-	unsigned long size;
 	int is_binary = -1;
 	const char *path_without_prefix = path + args->baselen;
 	unsigned int creator_version = 0;
@@ -328,13 +327,8 @@ static int write_zip_entry(struct archiver_args *args,
 		method = ZIP_METHOD_STORE;
 		attr2 = 16;
 		out = NULL;
-		size = 0;
 		compressed_size = 0;
-		buffer = NULL;
 	} else if (S_ISREG(mode) || S_ISLNK(mode)) {
-		enum object_type type = oid_object_info(args->repo, oid,
-							&size);
-
 		method = ZIP_METHOD_STORE;
 		attr2 = S_ISLNK(mode) ? ((mode | 0777) << 16) :
 			(mode & 0111) ? ((mode) << 16) : 0;
@@ -343,21 +337,16 @@ static int write_zip_entry(struct archiver_args *args,
 		if (S_ISREG(mode) && args->compression_level != 0 && size > 0)
 			method = ZIP_METHOD_DEFLATE;
 
-		if (S_ISREG(mode) && type == OBJ_BLOB && !args->convert &&
-		    size > big_file_threshold) {
+		if (!buffer) {
+			enum object_type type;
 			stream = open_istream(args->repo, oid, &type, &size,
 					      NULL);
 			if (!stream)
 				return error(_("cannot stream blob %s"),
 					     oid_to_hex(oid));
 			flags |= ZIP_STREAM;
-			out = buffer = NULL;
+			out = NULL;
 		} else {
-			buffer = object_file_to_archive(args, path, oid, mode,
-							&type, &size);
-			if (!buffer)
-				return error(_("cannot read %s"),
-					     oid_to_hex(oid));
 			crc = crc32(crc, buffer, size);
 			is_binary = entry_is_binary(args->repo->index,
 						    path_without_prefix,
@@ -511,7 +500,6 @@ static int write_zip_entry(struct archiver_args *args,
 	}
 
 	free(deflated);
-	free(buffer);
 
 	if (compressed_size > 0xffffffff || size > 0xffffffff ||
 	    offset > 0xffffffff) {
diff --git a/archive.c b/archive.c
index 0de6048bfcc..4fbe5329c56 100644
--- a/archive.c
+++ b/archive.c
@@ -70,10 +70,12 @@ static void format_subst(const struct commit *commit,
 	free(to_free);
 }
 
-void *object_file_to_archive(const struct archiver_args *args,
-			     const char *path, const struct object_id *oid,
-			     unsigned int mode, enum object_type *type,
-			     unsigned long *sizep)
+static void *object_file_to_archive(const struct archiver_args *args,
+				    const char *path,
+				    const struct object_id *oid,
+				    unsigned int mode,
+				    enum object_type *type,
+				    unsigned long *sizep)
 {
 	void *buffer;
 	const struct commit *commit = args->convert ? args->commit : NULL;
@@ -145,6 +147,9 @@ static int write_archive_entry(const struct object_id *oid, const char *base,
 	write_archive_entry_fn_t write_entry = c->write_entry;
 	int err;
 	const char *path_without_prefix;
+	unsigned long size;
+	void *buffer;
+	enum object_type type;
 
 	args->convert = 0;
 	strbuf_reset(&path);
@@ -167,7 +172,7 @@ static int write_archive_entry(const struct object_id *oid, const char *base,
 	if (S_ISDIR(mode) || S_ISGITLINK(mode)) {
 		if (args->verbose)
 			fprintf(stderr, "%.*s\n", (int)path.len, path.buf);
-		err = write_entry(args, oid, path.buf, path.len, mode);
+		err = write_entry(args, oid, path.buf, path.len, mode, NULL, 0);
 		if (err)
 			return err;
 		return (S_ISDIR(mode) ? READ_TREE_RECURSIVE : 0);
@@ -175,7 +180,19 @@ static int write_archive_entry(const struct object_id *oid, const char *base,
 
 	if (args->verbose)
 		fprintf(stderr, "%.*s\n", (int)path.len, path.buf);
-	return write_entry(args, oid, path.buf, path.len, mode);
+
+	/* Stream it? */
+	if (S_ISREG(mode) && !args->convert &&
+	    oid_object_info(args->repo, oid, &size) == OBJ_BLOB &&
+	    size > big_file_threshold)
+		return write_entry(args, oid, path.buf, path.len, mode, NULL, size);
+
+	buffer = object_file_to_archive(args, path.buf, oid, mode, &type, &size);
+	if (!buffer)
+		return error(_("cannot read %s"), oid_to_hex(oid));
+	err = write_entry(args, oid, path.buf, path.len, mode, buffer, size);
+	free(buffer);
+	return err;
 }
 
 static void queue_directory(const unsigned char *sha1,
@@ -265,7 +282,7 @@ int write_archive_entries(struct archiver_args *args,
 		if (args->verbose)
 			fprintf(stderr, "%.*s\n", (int)len, args->base);
 		err = write_entry(args, &args->tree->object.oid, args->base,
-				  len, 040777);
+				  len, 040777, NULL, 0);
 		if (err)
 			return err;
 	}
diff --git a/archive.h b/archive.h
index 3bd96bf6bba..d83b41a01f1 100644
--- a/archive.h
+++ b/archive.h
@@ -49,12 +49,9 @@ void init_archivers(void);
 typedef int (*write_archive_entry_fn_t)(struct archiver_args *args,
 					const struct object_id *oid,
 					const char *path, size_t pathlen,
-					unsigned int mode);
+					unsigned int mode,
+					void *buffer, unsigned long size);
 
 int write_archive_entries(struct archiver_args *args, write_archive_entry_fn_t write_entry);
-void *object_file_to_archive(const struct archiver_args *args,
-			     const char *path, const struct object_id *oid,
-			     unsigned int mode, enum object_type *type,
-			     unsigned long *sizep);
 
 #endif	/* ARCHIVE_H */