diff --git a/builtin/fast-import.c b/builtin/fast-import.c
index 4dbb10aff3..2c645fcfbe 100644
--- a/builtin/fast-import.c
+++ b/builtin/fast-import.c
@@ -1235,20 +1235,6 @@ static void *gfi_unpack_entry(
 	return unpack_entry(the_repository, p, oe->idx.offset, &type, sizep);
 }
 
-static const char *get_mode(const char *str, uint16_t *modep)
-{
-	unsigned char c;
-	uint16_t mode = 0;
-
-	while ((c = *str++) != ' ') {
-		if (c < '0' || c > '7')
-			return NULL;
-		mode = (mode << 3) + (c - '0');
-	}
-	*modep = mode;
-	return str;
-}
-
 static void load_tree(struct tree_entry *root)
 {
 	struct object_id *oid = &root->versions[1].oid;
@@ -1286,7 +1272,7 @@ static void load_tree(struct tree_entry *root)
 		t->entries[t->entry_count++] = e;
 
 		e->tree = NULL;
-		c = get_mode(c, &e->versions[1].mode);
+		c = parse_mode(c, &e->versions[1].mode);
 		if (!c)
 			die("Corrupt mode in %s", oid_to_hex(oid));
 		e->versions[0].mode = e->versions[1].mode;
@@ -2275,7 +2261,7 @@ static void file_change_m(const char *p, struct branch *b)
 	struct object_id oid;
 	uint16_t mode, inline_data = 0;
 
-	p = get_mode(p, &mode);
+	p = parse_mode(p, &mode);
 	if (!p)
 		die("Corrupt mode: %s", command_buf.buf);
 	switch (mode) {
diff --git a/object.h b/object.h
index 114d45954d..70c8d4ae63 100644
--- a/object.h
+++ b/object.h
@@ -190,6 +190,24 @@ void *create_object(struct repository *r, const struct object_id *oid, void *obj
 
 void *object_as_type(struct object *obj, enum object_type type, int quiet);
 
+
+static inline const char *parse_mode(const char *str, uint16_t *modep)
+{
+	unsigned char c;
+	unsigned int mode = 0;
+
+	if (*str == ' ')
+		return NULL;
+
+	while ((c = *str++) != ' ') {
+		if (c < '0' || c > '7')
+			return NULL;
+		mode = (mode << 3) + (c - '0');
+	}
+	*modep = mode;
+	return str;
+}
+
 /*
  * Returns the object, having parsed it to find out what it is.
  *
diff --git a/tree-walk.c b/tree-walk.c
index 29ead71be1..3af50a01c2 100644
--- a/tree-walk.c
+++ b/tree-walk.c
@@ -10,27 +10,11 @@
 #include "pathspec.h"
 #include "json-writer.h"
 
-static const char *get_mode(const char *str, unsigned int *modep)
-{
-	unsigned char c;
-	unsigned int mode = 0;
-
-	if (*str == ' ')
-		return NULL;
-
-	while ((c = *str++) != ' ') {
-		if (c < '0' || c > '7')
-			return NULL;
-		mode = (mode << 3) + (c - '0');
-	}
-	*modep = mode;
-	return str;
-}
-
 static int decode_tree_entry(struct tree_desc *desc, const char *buf, unsigned long size, struct strbuf *err)
 {
 	const char *path;
-	unsigned int mode, len;
+	unsigned int len;
+	uint16_t mode;
 	const unsigned hashsz = the_hash_algo->rawsz;
 
 	if (size < hashsz + 3 || buf[size - (hashsz + 1)]) {
@@ -38,7 +22,7 @@ static int decode_tree_entry(struct tree_desc *desc, const char *buf, unsigned l
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	path = get_mode(buf, &mode);
+	path = parse_mode(buf, &mode);
 	if (!path) {
 		strbuf_addstr(err, _("malformed mode in tree entry"));
 		return -1;