diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 7b64106930..50a7663841 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -854,6 +854,7 @@ LIB_OBJS += bundle.o
 LIB_OBJS += cache-tree.o
 LIB_OBJS += chdir-notify.o
 LIB_OBJS += checkout.o
+LIB_OBJS += chunk-format.o
 LIB_OBJS += color.o
 LIB_OBJS += column.o
 LIB_OBJS += combine-diff.o
diff --git a/chunk-format.c b/chunk-format.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6c9b52b70c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/chunk-format.c
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+#include "cache.h"
+#include "chunk-format.h"
+#include "csum-file.h"
+
+/*
+ * When writing a chunk-based file format, collect the chunks in
+ * an array of chunk_info structs. The size stores the _expected_
+ * amount of data that will be written by write_fn.
+ */
+struct chunk_info {
+	uint32_t id;
+	uint64_t size;
+	chunk_write_fn write_fn;
+};
+
+struct chunkfile {
+	struct hashfile *f;
+
+	struct chunk_info *chunks;
+	size_t chunks_nr;
+	size_t chunks_alloc;
+};
+
+struct chunkfile *init_chunkfile(struct hashfile *f)
+{
+	struct chunkfile *cf = xcalloc(1, sizeof(*cf));
+	cf->f = f;
+	return cf;
+}
+
+void free_chunkfile(struct chunkfile *cf)
+{
+	if (!cf)
+		return;
+	free(cf->chunks);
+	free(cf);
+}
+
+int get_num_chunks(struct chunkfile *cf)
+{
+	return cf->chunks_nr;
+}
+
+void add_chunk(struct chunkfile *cf,
+	       uint32_t id,
+	       size_t size,
+	       chunk_write_fn fn)
+{
+	ALLOC_GROW(cf->chunks, cf->chunks_nr + 1, cf->chunks_alloc);
+
+	cf->chunks[cf->chunks_nr].id = id;
+	cf->chunks[cf->chunks_nr].write_fn = fn;
+	cf->chunks[cf->chunks_nr].size = size;
+	cf->chunks_nr++;
+}
+
+int write_chunkfile(struct chunkfile *cf, void *data)
+{
+	int i;
+	uint64_t cur_offset = hashfile_total(cf->f);
+
+	/* Add the table of contents to the current offset */
+	cur_offset += (cf->chunks_nr + 1) * CHUNK_TOC_ENTRY_SIZE;
+
+	for (i = 0; i < cf->chunks_nr; i++) {
+		hashwrite_be32(cf->f, cf->chunks[i].id);
+		hashwrite_be64(cf->f, cur_offset);
+
+		cur_offset += cf->chunks[i].size;
+	}
+
+	/* Trailing entry marks the end of the chunks */
+	hashwrite_be32(cf->f, 0);
+	hashwrite_be64(cf->f, cur_offset);
+
+	for (i = 0; i < cf->chunks_nr; i++) {
+		off_t start_offset = hashfile_total(cf->f);
+		int result = cf->chunks[i].write_fn(cf->f, data);
+
+		if (result)
+			return result;
+
+		if (hashfile_total(cf->f) - start_offset != cf->chunks[i].size)
+			BUG("expected to write %"PRId64" bytes to chunk %"PRIx32", but wrote %"PRId64" instead",
+			    cf->chunks[i].size, cf->chunks[i].id,
+			    hashfile_total(cf->f) - start_offset);
+	}
+
+	return 0;
+}
diff --git a/chunk-format.h b/chunk-format.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ce598b66d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/chunk-format.h
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+#ifndef CHUNK_FORMAT_H
+#define CHUNK_FORMAT_H
+
+#include "git-compat-util.h"
+
+struct hashfile;
+struct chunkfile;
+
+#define CHUNK_TOC_ENTRY_SIZE (sizeof(uint32_t) + sizeof(uint64_t))
+
+struct chunkfile *init_chunkfile(struct hashfile *f);
+void free_chunkfile(struct chunkfile *cf);
+int get_num_chunks(struct chunkfile *cf);
+typedef int (*chunk_write_fn)(struct hashfile *f, void *data);
+void add_chunk(struct chunkfile *cf,
+	       uint32_t id,
+	       size_t size,
+	       chunk_write_fn fn);
+int write_chunkfile(struct chunkfile *cf, void *data);
+
+#endif