diff --git a/alloc.c b/alloc.c
index f3ee745695..eb22a45c9d 100644
--- a/alloc.c
+++ b/alloc.c
@@ -47,23 +47,32 @@ union any_object {
 
 DEFINE_ALLOCATOR(blob, struct blob)
 DEFINE_ALLOCATOR(tree, struct tree)
-DEFINE_ALLOCATOR(commit, struct commit)
+DEFINE_ALLOCATOR(raw_commit, struct commit)
 DEFINE_ALLOCATOR(tag, struct tag)
 DEFINE_ALLOCATOR(object, union any_object)
 
+void *alloc_commit_node(void)
+{
+	static int commit_count;
+	struct commit *c = alloc_raw_commit_node();
+	c->index = commit_count++;
+	return c;
+}
+
 static void report(const char *name, unsigned int count, size_t size)
 {
 	fprintf(stderr, "%10s: %8u (%"PRIuMAX" kB)\n",
 			name, count, (uintmax_t) size);
 }
 
-#define REPORT(name)	\
-    report(#name, name##_allocs, name##_allocs * sizeof(struct name) >> 10)
+#define REPORT(name, type)	\
+    report(#name, name##_allocs, name##_allocs * sizeof(type) >> 10)
 
 void alloc_report(void)
 {
-	REPORT(blob);
-	REPORT(tree);
-	REPORT(commit);
-	REPORT(tag);
+	REPORT(blob, struct blob);
+	REPORT(tree, struct tree);
+	REPORT(raw_commit, struct commit);
+	REPORT(tag, struct tag);
+	REPORT(object, union any_object);
 }
diff --git a/builtin/blame.c b/builtin/blame.c
index d8b276048e..ef7cb1d254 100644
--- a/builtin/blame.c
+++ b/builtin/blame.c
@@ -1405,7 +1405,7 @@ static void get_commit_info(struct commit *commit,
 {
 	int len;
 	const char *subject, *encoding;
-	char *message;
+	const char *message;
 
 	commit_info_init(ret);
 
@@ -1416,7 +1416,7 @@ static void get_commit_info(struct commit *commit,
 		    &ret->author_time, &ret->author_tz);
 
 	if (!detailed) {
-		logmsg_free(message, commit);
+		unuse_commit_buffer(commit, message);
 		return;
 	}
 
@@ -1430,7 +1430,7 @@ static void get_commit_info(struct commit *commit,
 	else
 		strbuf_addf(&ret->summary, "(%s)", sha1_to_hex(commit->object.sha1));
 
-	logmsg_free(message, commit);
+	unuse_commit_buffer(commit, message);
 }
 
 /*
@@ -2005,6 +2005,18 @@ static void append_merge_parents(struct commit_list **tail)
 	strbuf_release(&line);
 }
 
+/*
+ * This isn't as simple as passing sb->buf and sb->len, because we
+ * want to transfer ownership of the buffer to the commit (so we
+ * must use detach).
+ */
+static void set_commit_buffer_from_strbuf(struct commit *c, struct strbuf *sb)
+{
+	size_t len;
+	void *buf = strbuf_detach(sb, &len);
+	set_commit_buffer(c, buf, len);
+}
+
 /*
  * Prepare a dummy commit that represents the work tree (or staged) item.
  * Note that annotating work tree item never works in the reverse.
@@ -2026,7 +2038,7 @@ static struct commit *fake_working_tree_commit(struct diff_options *opt,
 	struct strbuf msg = STRBUF_INIT;
 
 	time(&now);
-	commit = xcalloc(1, sizeof(*commit));
+	commit = alloc_commit_node();
 	commit->object.parsed = 1;
 	commit->date = now;
 	commit->object.type = OBJ_COMMIT;
@@ -2053,7 +2065,7 @@ static struct commit *fake_working_tree_commit(struct diff_options *opt,
 		    ident, ident, path,
 		    (!contents_from ? path :
 		     (!strcmp(contents_from, "-") ? "standard input" : contents_from)));
-	commit->buffer = strbuf_detach(&msg, NULL);
+	set_commit_buffer_from_strbuf(commit, &msg);
 
 	if (!contents_from || strcmp("-", contents_from)) {
 		struct stat st;
diff --git a/builtin/commit-tree.c b/builtin/commit-tree.c
index 987a4c3d73..8a66c74e0f 100644
--- a/builtin/commit-tree.c
+++ b/builtin/commit-tree.c
@@ -123,8 +123,8 @@ int cmd_commit_tree(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			die_errno("git commit-tree: failed to read");
 	}
 
-	if (commit_tree(&buffer, tree_sha1, parents, commit_sha1,
-			NULL, sign_commit)) {
+	if (commit_tree(buffer.buf, buffer.len, tree_sha1, parents,
+			commit_sha1, NULL, sign_commit)) {
 		strbuf_release(&buffer);
 		return 1;
 	}
diff --git a/builtin/commit.c b/builtin/commit.c
index 12afc42d19..39cf8976e3 100644
--- a/builtin/commit.c
+++ b/builtin/commit.c
@@ -1672,8 +1672,8 @@ int cmd_commit(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		append_merge_tag_headers(parents, &tail);
 	}
 
-	if (commit_tree_extended(&sb, active_cache_tree->sha1, parents, sha1,
-				 author_ident.buf, sign_commit, extra)) {
+	if (commit_tree_extended(sb.buf, sb.len, active_cache_tree->sha1,
+			 parents, sha1, author_ident.buf, sign_commit, extra)) {
 		rollback_index_files();
 		die(_("failed to write commit object"));
 	}
diff --git a/builtin/fast-export.c b/builtin/fast-export.c
index b8d8a3aaf9..05d161f19f 100644
--- a/builtin/fast-export.c
+++ b/builtin/fast-export.c
@@ -279,6 +279,7 @@ static const char *find_encoding(const char *begin, const char *end)
 static void handle_commit(struct commit *commit, struct rev_info *rev)
 {
 	int saved_output_format = rev->diffopt.output_format;
+	const char *commit_buffer;
 	const char *author, *author_end, *committer, *committer_end;
 	const char *encoding, *message;
 	char *reencoded = NULL;
@@ -288,7 +289,8 @@ static void handle_commit(struct commit *commit, struct rev_info *rev)
 	rev->diffopt.output_format = DIFF_FORMAT_CALLBACK;
 
 	parse_commit_or_die(commit);
-	author = strstr(commit->buffer, "\nauthor ");
+	commit_buffer = get_commit_buffer(commit, NULL);
+	author = strstr(commit_buffer, "\nauthor ");
 	if (!author)
 		die ("Could not find author in commit %s",
 		     sha1_to_hex(commit->object.sha1));
@@ -335,6 +337,7 @@ static void handle_commit(struct commit *commit, struct rev_info *rev)
 			  ? strlen(message) : 0),
 	       reencoded ? reencoded : message ? message : "");
 	free(reencoded);
+	unuse_commit_buffer(commit, commit_buffer);
 
 	for (i = 0, p = commit->parents; p; p = p->next) {
 		int mark = get_object_mark(&p->item->object);
diff --git a/builtin/fmt-merge-msg.c b/builtin/fmt-merge-msg.c
index 3906eda877..ef8b254ef2 100644
--- a/builtin/fmt-merge-msg.c
+++ b/builtin/fmt-merge-msg.c
@@ -230,12 +230,14 @@ static void add_branch_desc(struct strbuf *out, const char *name)
 static void record_person(int which, struct string_list *people,
 			  struct commit *commit)
 {
+	const char *buffer;
 	char *name_buf, *name, *name_end;
 	struct string_list_item *elem;
 	const char *field;
 
 	field = (which == 'a') ? "\nauthor " : "\ncommitter ";
-	name = strstr(commit->buffer, field);
+	buffer = get_commit_buffer(commit, NULL);
+	name = strstr(buffer, field);
 	if (!name)
 		return;
 	name += strlen(field);
@@ -247,6 +249,7 @@ static void record_person(int which, struct string_list *people,
 	if (name_end < name)
 		return;
 	name_buf = xmemdupz(name, name_end - name + 1);
+	unuse_commit_buffer(commit, buffer);
 
 	elem = string_list_lookup(people, name_buf);
 	if (!elem) {
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 18f57de58b..8b3bd29dbc 100644
--- a/builtin/index-pack.c
+++ b/builtin/index-pack.c
@@ -786,7 +786,8 @@ 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, NULL) != data)
+					die("BUG: parse_object_buffer transmogrified our buffer");
 			}
 			obj->flags |= FLAG_CHECKED;
 		}
diff --git a/builtin/log.c b/builtin/log.c
index 3b6a6bbadd..4f678136d1 100644
--- a/builtin/log.c
+++ b/builtin/log.c
@@ -345,8 +345,7 @@ 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;
@@ -915,9 +914,12 @@ static void make_cover_letter(struct rev_info *rev, int use_stdout,
 	log_write_email_headers(rev, head, &pp.subject, &pp.after_subject,
 				&need_8bit_cte);
 
-	for (i = 0; !need_8bit_cte && i < nr; i++)
-		if (has_non_ascii(list[i]->buffer))
+	for (i = 0; !need_8bit_cte && i < nr; i++) {
+		const char *buf = get_commit_buffer(list[i], NULL);
+		if (has_non_ascii(buf))
 			need_8bit_cte = 1;
+		unuse_commit_buffer(list[i], buf);
+	}
 
 	if (!branch_name)
 		branch_name = find_branch_name(rev);
@@ -1504,8 +1506,7 @@ 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/merge.c b/builtin/merge.c
index 66d8843301..8763b2efa2 100644
--- a/builtin/merge.c
+++ b/builtin/merge.c
@@ -852,8 +852,8 @@ static int merge_trivial(struct commit *head, struct commit_list *remoteheads)
 	parent->next->item = remoteheads->item;
 	parent->next->next = NULL;
 	prepare_to_commit(remoteheads);
-	if (commit_tree(&merge_msg, result_tree, parent, result_commit, NULL,
-			sign_commit))
+	if (commit_tree(merge_msg.buf, merge_msg.len, result_tree, parent,
+			result_commit, NULL, sign_commit))
 		die(_("failed to write commit object"));
 	finish(head, remoteheads, result_commit, "In-index merge");
 	drop_save();
@@ -877,8 +877,8 @@ static int finish_automerge(struct commit *head,
 		commit_list_insert(head, &parents);
 	strbuf_addch(&merge_msg, '\n');
 	prepare_to_commit(remoteheads);
-	if (commit_tree(&merge_msg, result_tree, parents, result_commit,
-			NULL, sign_commit))
+	if (commit_tree(merge_msg.buf, merge_msg.len, result_tree, parents,
+			result_commit, NULL, sign_commit))
 		die(_("failed to write commit object"));
 	strbuf_addf(&buf, "Merge made by the '%s' strategy.", wt_strategy);
 	finish(head, remoteheads, result_commit, buf.buf);
diff --git a/builtin/reset.c b/builtin/reset.c
index f4e087596b..6bd6245821 100644
--- a/builtin/reset.c
+++ b/builtin/reset.c
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ static int reset_index(const unsigned char *sha1, int reset_type, int quiet)
 static void print_new_head_line(struct commit *commit)
 {
 	const char *hex, *body;
-	char *msg;
+	const char *msg;
 
 	hex = find_unique_abbrev(commit->object.sha1, DEFAULT_ABBREV);
 	printf(_("HEAD is now at %s"), hex);
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ static void print_new_head_line(struct commit *commit)
 	}
 	else
 		printf("\n");
-	logmsg_free(msg, commit);
+	unuse_commit_buffer(commit, msg);
 }
 
 static void update_index_from_diff(struct diff_queue_struct *q,
diff --git a/builtin/rev-list.c b/builtin/rev-list.c
index 9f92905379..ff84a825ff 100644
--- a/builtin/rev-list.c
+++ b/builtin/rev-list.c
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ static void show_commit(struct commit *commit, void *data)
 	else
 		putchar('\n');
 
-	if (revs->verbose_header && commit->buffer) {
+	if (revs->verbose_header && get_cached_commit_buffer(commit, NULL)) {
 		struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
 		struct pretty_print_context ctx = {0};
 		ctx.abbrev = revs->abbrev;
@@ -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-slab.h b/commit-slab.h
index cc114b53b0..375c9c751a 100644
--- a/commit-slab.h
+++ b/commit-slab.h
@@ -117,4 +117,16 @@ static int stat_ ##slabname## realloc
  * catch because GCC silently parses it by default.
  */
 
+/*
+ * Statically initialize a commit slab named "var". Note that this
+ * evaluates "stride" multiple times! Example:
+ *
+ *   struct indegree indegrees = COMMIT_SLAB_INIT(1, indegrees);
+ *
+ */
+#define COMMIT_SLAB_INIT(stride, var) { \
+	COMMIT_SLAB_SIZE / sizeof(**((var).slab)) / (stride), \
+	(stride), 0, NULL \
+}
+
 #endif /* COMMIT_SLAB_H */
diff --git a/commit.c b/commit.c
index f4793316a2..ebd7ad8465 100644
--- a/commit.c
+++ b/commit.c
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ static struct commit_extra_header *read_commit_extra_header_lines(const char *bu
 int save_commit_buffer = 1;
 
 const char *commit_type = "commit";
-static int commit_count;
 
 static struct commit *check_commit(struct object *obj,
 				   const unsigned char *sha1,
@@ -64,7 +63,6 @@ struct commit *lookup_commit(const unsigned char *sha1)
 	struct object *obj = lookup_object(sha1);
 	if (!obj) {
 		struct commit *c = alloc_commit_node();
-		c->index = commit_count++;
 		return create_object(sha1, OBJ_COMMIT, c);
 	}
 	if (!obj->type)
@@ -247,6 +245,76 @@ int unregister_shallow(const unsigned char *sha1)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+struct commit_buffer {
+	void *buffer;
+	unsigned long size;
+};
+define_commit_slab(buffer_slab, struct commit_buffer);
+static struct buffer_slab buffer_slab = COMMIT_SLAB_INIT(1, buffer_slab);
+
+void set_commit_buffer(struct commit *commit, void *buffer, unsigned long size)
+{
+	struct commit_buffer *v = buffer_slab_at(&buffer_slab, commit);
+	v->buffer = buffer;
+	v->size = size;
+}
+
+const void *get_cached_commit_buffer(const struct commit *commit, unsigned long *sizep)
+{
+	struct commit_buffer *v = buffer_slab_at(&buffer_slab, commit);
+	if (sizep)
+		*sizep = v->size;
+	return v->buffer;
+}
+
+const void *get_commit_buffer(const struct commit *commit, unsigned long *sizep)
+{
+	const void *ret = get_cached_commit_buffer(commit, sizep);
+	if (!ret) {
+		enum object_type type;
+		unsigned long size;
+		ret = read_sha1_file(commit->object.sha1, &type, &size);
+		if (!ret)
+			die("cannot read commit object %s",
+			    sha1_to_hex(commit->object.sha1));
+		if (type != OBJ_COMMIT)
+			die("expected commit for %s, got %s",
+			    sha1_to_hex(commit->object.sha1), typename(type));
+		if (sizep)
+			*sizep = size;
+	}
+	return ret;
+}
+
+void unuse_commit_buffer(const struct commit *commit, const void *buffer)
+{
+	struct commit_buffer *v = buffer_slab_at(&buffer_slab, commit);
+	if (v->buffer != buffer)
+		free((void *)buffer);
+}
+
+void free_commit_buffer(struct commit *commit)
+{
+	struct commit_buffer *v = buffer_slab_at(&buffer_slab, commit);
+	free(v->buffer);
+	v->buffer = NULL;
+	v->size = 0;
+}
+
+const void *detach_commit_buffer(struct commit *commit, unsigned long *sizep)
+{
+	struct commit_buffer *v = buffer_slab_at(&buffer_slab, commit);
+	void *ret;
+
+	ret = v->buffer;
+	if (sizep)
+		*sizep = v->size;
+
+	v->buffer = NULL;
+	v->size = 0;
+	return ret;
+}
+
 int parse_commit_buffer(struct commit *item, const void *buffer, unsigned long size)
 {
 	const char *tail = buffer;
@@ -324,7 +392,7 @@ int parse_commit(struct commit *item)
 	}
 	ret = parse_commit_buffer(item, buffer, size);
 	if (save_commit_buffer && !ret) {
-		item->buffer = buffer;
+		set_commit_buffer(item, buffer, size);
 		return 0;
 	}
 	free(buffer);
@@ -539,22 +607,12 @@ static void record_author_date(struct author_date_slab *author_date,
 			       struct commit *commit)
 {
 	const char *buf, *line_end, *ident_line;
-	char *buffer = NULL;
+	const char *buffer = get_commit_buffer(commit, NULL);
 	struct ident_split ident;
 	char *date_end;
 	unsigned long date;
 
-	if (!commit->buffer) {
-		unsigned long size;
-		enum object_type type;
-		buffer = read_sha1_file(commit->object.sha1, &type, &size);
-		if (!buffer)
-			return;
-	}
-
-	for (buf = commit->buffer ? commit->buffer : buffer;
-	     buf;
-	     buf = line_end + 1) {
+	for (buf = buffer; buf; buf = line_end + 1) {
 		line_end = strchrnul(buf, '\n');
 		ident_line = skip_prefix(buf, "author ");
 		if (!ident_line) {
@@ -575,7 +633,7 @@ static void record_author_date(struct author_date_slab *author_date,
 	*(author_date_slab_at(author_date, commit)) = date;
 
 fail_exit:
-	free(buffer);
+	unuse_commit_buffer(commit, buffer);
 }
 
 static int compare_commits_by_author_date(const void *a_, const void *b_,
@@ -1080,17 +1138,14 @@ static int do_sign_commit(struct strbuf *buf, const char *keyid)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int parse_signed_commit(const unsigned char *sha1,
+int parse_signed_commit(const struct commit *commit,
 			struct strbuf *payload, struct strbuf *signature)
 {
-	unsigned long size;
-	enum object_type type;
-	char *buffer = read_sha1_file(sha1, &type, &size);
-	int in_signature, saw_signature = -1;
-	char *line, *tail;
 
-	if (!buffer || type != OBJ_COMMIT)
-		goto cleanup;
+	unsigned long size;
+	const char *buffer = get_commit_buffer(commit, &size);
+	int in_signature, saw_signature = -1;
+	const char *line, *tail;
 
 	line = buffer;
 	tail = buffer + size;
@@ -1098,7 +1153,7 @@ int parse_signed_commit(const unsigned char *sha1,
 	saw_signature = 0;
 	while (line < tail) {
 		const char *sig = NULL;
-		char *next = memchr(line, '\n', tail - line);
+		const char *next = memchr(line, '\n', tail - line);
 
 		next = next ? next + 1 : tail;
 		if (in_signature && line[0] == ' ')
@@ -1119,8 +1174,7 @@ int parse_signed_commit(const unsigned char *sha1,
 		}
 		line = next;
 	}
- cleanup:
-	free(buffer);
+	unuse_commit_buffer(commit, buffer);
 	return saw_signature;
 }
 
@@ -1211,8 +1265,7 @@ void check_commit_signature(const struct commit* commit, struct signature_check
 
 	sigc->result = 'N';
 
-	if (parse_signed_commit(commit->object.sha1,
-				&payload, &signature) <= 0)
+	if (parse_signed_commit(commit, &payload, &signature) <= 0)
 		goto out;
 	status = verify_signed_buffer(payload.buf, payload.len,
 				      signature.buf, signature.len,
@@ -1257,11 +1310,9 @@ struct commit_extra_header *read_commit_extra_headers(struct commit *commit,
 {
 	struct commit_extra_header *extra = NULL;
 	unsigned long size;
-	enum object_type type;
-	char *buffer = read_sha1_file(commit->object.sha1, &type, &size);
-	if (buffer && type == OBJ_COMMIT)
-		extra = read_commit_extra_header_lines(buffer, size, exclude);
-	free(buffer);
+	const char *buffer = get_commit_buffer(commit, &size);
+	extra = read_commit_extra_header_lines(buffer, size, exclude);
+	unuse_commit_buffer(commit, buffer);
 	return extra;
 }
 
@@ -1344,7 +1395,8 @@ void free_commit_extra_headers(struct commit_extra_header *extra)
 	}
 }
 
-int commit_tree(const struct strbuf *msg, const unsigned char *tree,
+int commit_tree(const char *msg, size_t msg_len,
+		const unsigned char *tree,
 		struct commit_list *parents, unsigned char *ret,
 		const char *author, const char *sign_commit)
 {
@@ -1352,7 +1404,7 @@ int commit_tree(const struct strbuf *msg, const unsigned char *tree,
 	int result;
 
 	append_merge_tag_headers(parents, &tail);
-	result = commit_tree_extended(msg, tree, parents, ret,
+	result = commit_tree_extended(msg, msg_len, tree, parents, ret,
 				      author, sign_commit, extra);
 	free_commit_extra_headers(extra);
 	return result;
@@ -1473,7 +1525,8 @@ static const char commit_utf8_warn[] =
 "You may want to amend it after fixing the message, or set the config\n"
 "variable i18n.commitencoding to the encoding your project uses.\n";
 
-int commit_tree_extended(const struct strbuf *msg, const unsigned char *tree,
+int commit_tree_extended(const char *msg, size_t msg_len,
+			 const unsigned char *tree,
 			 struct commit_list *parents, unsigned char *ret,
 			 const char *author, const char *sign_commit,
 			 struct commit_extra_header *extra)
@@ -1484,7 +1537,7 @@ int commit_tree_extended(const struct strbuf *msg, const unsigned char *tree,
 
 	assert_sha1_type(tree, OBJ_TREE);
 
-	if (memchr(msg->buf, '\0', msg->len))
+	if (memchr(msg, '\0', msg_len))
 		return error("a NUL byte in commit log message not allowed.");
 
 	/* Not having i18n.commitencoding is the same as having utf-8 */
@@ -1523,7 +1576,7 @@ int commit_tree_extended(const struct strbuf *msg, const unsigned char *tree,
 	strbuf_addch(&buffer, '\n');
 
 	/* And add the comment */
-	strbuf_addbuf(&buffer, msg);
+	strbuf_add(&buffer, msg, msg_len);
 
 	/* And check the encoding */
 	if (encoding_is_utf8 && !verify_utf8(&buffer))
diff --git a/commit.h b/commit.h
index a9f177ba48..2e1492a6e4 100644
--- a/commit.h
+++ b/commit.h
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ struct commit {
 	unsigned long date;
 	struct commit_list *parents;
 	struct tree *tree;
-	char *buffer;
 };
 
 extern int save_commit_buffer;
@@ -51,6 +50,44 @@ 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);
 
+/*
+ * Associate an object buffer with the commit. The ownership of the
+ * memory is handed over to the commit, and must be free()-able.
+ */
+void set_commit_buffer(struct commit *, void *buffer, unsigned long size);
+
+/*
+ * Get any cached object buffer associated with the commit. Returns NULL
+ * if none. The resulting memory should not be freed.
+ */
+const void *get_cached_commit_buffer(const struct commit *, unsigned long *size);
+
+/*
+ * Get the commit's object contents, either from cache or by reading the object
+ * from disk. The resulting memory should not be modified, and must be given
+ * to unuse_commit_buffer when the caller is done.
+ */
+const void *get_commit_buffer(const struct commit *, unsigned long *size);
+
+/*
+ * Tell the commit subsytem that we are done with a particular commit buffer.
+ * The commit and buffer should be the input and return value, respectively,
+ * from an earlier call to get_commit_buffer.  The buffer may or may not be
+ * freed by this call; callers should not access the memory afterwards.
+ */
+void unuse_commit_buffer(const struct commit *, const void *buffer);
+
+/*
+ * 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 *, unsigned long *sizep);
+
 /* Find beginning and length of commit subject. */
 int find_commit_subject(const char *commit_buffer, const char **subject);
 
@@ -115,10 +152,9 @@ struct userformat_want {
 
 extern int has_non_ascii(const char *text);
 struct rev_info; /* in revision.h, it circularly uses enum cmit_fmt */
-extern char *logmsg_reencode(const struct commit *commit,
-			     char **commit_encoding,
-			     const char *output_encoding);
-extern void logmsg_free(char *msg, const struct commit *commit);
+extern const char *logmsg_reencode(const struct commit *commit,
+				   char **commit_encoding,
+				   const char *output_encoding);
 extern void get_commit_format(const char *arg, struct rev_info *);
 extern const char *format_subject(struct strbuf *sb, const char *msg,
 				  const char *line_separator);
@@ -261,11 +297,13 @@ struct commit_extra_header {
 extern void append_merge_tag_headers(struct commit_list *parents,
 				     struct commit_extra_header ***tail);
 
-extern int commit_tree(const struct strbuf *msg, const unsigned char *tree,
+extern int commit_tree(const char *msg, size_t msg_len,
+		       const unsigned char *tree,
 		       struct commit_list *parents, unsigned char *ret,
 		       const char *author, const char *sign_commit);
 
-extern int commit_tree_extended(const struct strbuf *msg, const unsigned char *tree,
+extern int commit_tree_extended(const char *msg, size_t msg_len,
+				const unsigned char *tree,
 				struct commit_list *parents, unsigned char *ret,
 				const char *author, const char *sign_commit,
 				struct commit_extra_header *);
@@ -287,7 +325,7 @@ struct merge_remote_desc {
  */
 struct commit *get_merge_parent(const char *name);
 
-extern int parse_signed_commit(const unsigned char *sha1,
+extern int parse_signed_commit(const struct commit *commit,
 			       struct strbuf *message, struct strbuf *signature);
 extern void print_commit_list(struct commit_list *list,
 			      const char *format_cur,
diff --git a/fsck.c b/fsck.c
index abed62bac7..a7233c8d0b 100644
--- a/fsck.c
+++ b/fsck.c
@@ -276,9 +276,10 @@ static int fsck_ident(const char **ident, struct object *obj, fsck_error error_f
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static int fsck_commit(struct commit *commit, fsck_error error_func)
+static int fsck_commit_buffer(struct commit *commit, const char *buffer,
+			      fsck_error error_func)
 {
-	const char *buffer = commit->buffer, *tmp;
+	const char *tmp;
 	unsigned char tree_sha1[20], sha1[20];
 	struct commit_graft *graft;
 	int parents = 0;
@@ -336,6 +337,14 @@ static int fsck_commit(struct commit *commit, fsck_error error_func)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int fsck_commit(struct commit *commit, fsck_error error_func)
+{
+	const char *buffer = get_commit_buffer(commit, NULL);
+	int ret = fsck_commit_buffer(commit, buffer, error_func);
+	unuse_commit_buffer(commit, buffer);
+	return ret;
+}
+
 static int fsck_tag(struct tag *tag, fsck_error error_func)
 {
 	struct object *tagged = tag->tagged;
diff --git a/log-tree.c b/log-tree.c
index cf2f86c866..10e68442b3 100644
--- a/log-tree.c
+++ b/log-tree.c
@@ -376,7 +376,7 @@ static void show_signature(struct rev_info *opt, struct commit *commit)
 	struct strbuf gpg_output = STRBUF_INIT;
 	int status;
 
-	if (parse_signed_commit(commit->object.sha1, &payload, &signature) <= 0)
+	if (parse_signed_commit(commit, &payload, &signature) <= 0)
 		goto out;
 
 	status = verify_signed_buffer(payload.buf, payload.len,
@@ -588,7 +588,7 @@ void show_log(struct rev_info *opt)
 		show_mergetag(opt, commit);
 	}
 
-	if (!commit->buffer)
+	if (!get_cached_commit_buffer(commit, NULL))
 		return;
 
 	if (opt->show_notes) {
diff --git a/merge-recursive.c b/merge-recursive.c
index cab16fafb5..d38a3b2eb5 100644
--- a/merge-recursive.c
+++ b/merge-recursive.c
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ static struct tree *shift_tree_object(struct tree *one, struct tree *two,
 
 static struct commit *make_virtual_commit(struct tree *tree, const char *comment)
 {
-	struct commit *commit = xcalloc(1, sizeof(struct commit));
+	struct commit *commit = alloc_commit_node();
 	struct merge_remote_desc *desc = xmalloc(sizeof(*desc));
 
 	desc->name = comment;
@@ -190,9 +190,11 @@ static void output_commit_title(struct merge_options *o, struct commit *commit)
 			printf(_("(bad commit)\n"));
 		else {
 			const char *title;
-			int len = find_commit_subject(commit->buffer, &title);
+			const char *msg = get_commit_buffer(commit, NULL);
+			int len = find_commit_subject(msg, &title);
 			if (len)
 				printf("%.*s\n", len, title);
+			unuse_commit_buffer(commit, msg);
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/notes-cache.c b/notes-cache.c
index eabe4a0d9b..25b20aa21f 100644
--- a/notes-cache.c
+++ b/notes-cache.c
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ int notes_cache_write(struct notes_cache *c)
 {
 	unsigned char tree_sha1[20];
 	unsigned char commit_sha1[20];
-	struct strbuf msg = STRBUF_INIT;
 
 	if (!c || !c->tree.initialized || !c->tree.ref || !*c->tree.ref)
 		return -1;
@@ -57,9 +56,8 @@ int notes_cache_write(struct notes_cache *c)
 
 	if (write_notes_tree(&c->tree, tree_sha1))
 		return -1;
-	strbuf_attach(&msg, c->validity,
-		      strlen(c->validity), strlen(c->validity) + 1);
-	if (commit_tree(&msg, tree_sha1, NULL, commit_sha1, NULL, NULL) < 0)
+	if (commit_tree(c->validity, strlen(c->validity), tree_sha1, NULL,
+			commit_sha1, NULL, NULL) < 0)
 		return -1;
 	if (update_ref("update notes cache", c->tree.ref, commit_sha1, NULL,
 		       0, QUIET_ON_ERR) < 0)
diff --git a/notes-merge.c b/notes-merge.c
index 94a1a8ae46..fd5fae255d 100644
--- a/notes-merge.c
+++ b/notes-merge.c
@@ -644,7 +644,8 @@ int notes_merge(struct notes_merge_options *o,
 		struct commit_list *parents = NULL;
 		commit_list_insert(remote, &parents); /* LIFO order */
 		commit_list_insert(local, &parents);
-		create_notes_commit(local_tree, parents, &o->commit_msg,
+		create_notes_commit(local_tree, parents,
+				    o->commit_msg.buf, o->commit_msg.len,
 				    result_sha1);
 	}
 
@@ -671,8 +672,8 @@ int notes_merge_commit(struct notes_merge_options *o,
 	DIR *dir;
 	struct dirent *e;
 	struct strbuf path = STRBUF_INIT;
-	char *msg = strstr(partial_commit->buffer, "\n\n");
-	struct strbuf sb_msg = STRBUF_INIT;
+	const char *buffer = get_commit_buffer(partial_commit, NULL);
+	const char *msg = strstr(buffer, "\n\n");
 	int baselen;
 
 	strbuf_addstr(&path, git_path(NOTES_MERGE_WORKTREE));
@@ -719,9 +720,9 @@ int notes_merge_commit(struct notes_merge_options *o,
 		strbuf_setlen(&path, baselen);
 	}
 
-	strbuf_attach(&sb_msg, msg, strlen(msg), strlen(msg) + 1);
-	create_notes_commit(partial_tree, partial_commit->parents, &sb_msg,
-			    result_sha1);
+	create_notes_commit(partial_tree, partial_commit->parents,
+			    msg, strlen(msg), result_sha1);
+	unuse_commit_buffer(partial_commit, buffer);
 	if (o->verbosity >= 4)
 		printf("Finalized notes merge commit: %s\n",
 			sha1_to_hex(result_sha1));
diff --git a/notes-utils.c b/notes-utils.c
index 4aa7023903..f6891f7255 100644
--- a/notes-utils.c
+++ b/notes-utils.c
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@
 #include "notes-utils.h"
 
 void create_notes_commit(struct notes_tree *t, struct commit_list *parents,
-			 const struct strbuf *msg, unsigned char *result_sha1)
+			 const char *msg, size_t msg_len,
+			 unsigned char *result_sha1)
 {
 	unsigned char tree_sha1[20];
 
@@ -25,7 +26,7 @@ void create_notes_commit(struct notes_tree *t, struct commit_list *parents,
 		/* else: t->ref points to nothing, assume root/orphan commit */
 	}
 
-	if (commit_tree(msg, tree_sha1, parents, result_sha1, NULL, NULL))
+	if (commit_tree(msg, msg_len, tree_sha1, parents, result_sha1, NULL, NULL))
 		die("Failed to commit notes tree to database");
 }
 
@@ -46,7 +47,7 @@ void commit_notes(struct notes_tree *t, const char *msg)
 	if (buf.buf[buf.len - 1] != '\n')
 		strbuf_addch(&buf, '\n'); /* Make sure msg ends with newline */
 
-	create_notes_commit(t, NULL, &buf, commit_sha1);
+	create_notes_commit(t, NULL, buf.buf, buf.len, commit_sha1);
 	strbuf_insert(&buf, 0, "notes: ", 7); /* commit message starts at index 7 */
 	update_ref(buf.buf, t->ref, commit_sha1, NULL, 0, DIE_ON_ERR);
 
diff --git a/notes-utils.h b/notes-utils.h
index 564e30cccd..890ddb33e1 100644
--- a/notes-utils.h
+++ b/notes-utils.h
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
  * The resulting commit SHA1 is stored in result_sha1.
  */
 void create_notes_commit(struct notes_tree *t, struct commit_list *parents,
-			 const struct strbuf *msg, unsigned char *result_sha1);
+			 const char *msg, size_t msg_len, unsigned char *result_sha1);
 
 void commit_notes(struct notes_tree *t, const char *msg);
 
diff --git a/object.c b/object.c
index 57a0890a87..9c31e9a5e0 100644
--- a/object.c
+++ b/object.c
@@ -197,8 +197,8 @@ struct object *parse_object_buffer(const unsigned char *sha1, enum object_type t
 		if (commit) {
 			if (parse_commit_buffer(commit, buffer, size))
 				return NULL;
-			if (!commit->buffer) {
-				commit->buffer = buffer;
+			if (!get_cached_commit_buffer(commit, NULL)) {
+				set_commit_buffer(commit, buffer, size);
 				*eaten_p = 1;
 			}
 			obj = &commit->object;
diff --git a/pretty.c b/pretty.c
index 5c02b29ceb..32099632f6 100644
--- a/pretty.c
+++ b/pretty.c
@@ -606,29 +606,16 @@ static char *replace_encoding_header(char *buf, const char *encoding)
 	return strbuf_detach(&tmp, NULL);
 }
 
-char *logmsg_reencode(const struct commit *commit,
-		      char **commit_encoding,
-		      const char *output_encoding)
+const char *logmsg_reencode(const struct commit *commit,
+			    char **commit_encoding,
+			    const char *output_encoding)
 {
 	static const char *utf8 = "UTF-8";
 	const char *use_encoding;
 	char *encoding;
-	char *msg = commit->buffer;
+	const char *msg = get_commit_buffer(commit, NULL);
 	char *out;
 
-	if (!msg) {
-		enum object_type type;
-		unsigned long size;
-
-		msg = read_sha1_file(commit->object.sha1, &type, &size);
-		if (!msg)
-			die("Cannot read commit object %s",
-			    sha1_to_hex(commit->object.sha1));
-		if (type != OBJ_COMMIT)
-			die("Expected commit for '%s', got %s",
-			    sha1_to_hex(commit->object.sha1), typename(type));
-	}
-
 	if (!output_encoding || !*output_encoding) {
 		if (commit_encoding)
 			*commit_encoding =
@@ -652,12 +639,13 @@ char *logmsg_reencode(const struct commit *commit,
 		 * Otherwise, we still want to munge the encoding header in the
 		 * result, which will be done by modifying the buffer. If we
 		 * are using a fresh copy, we can reuse it. But if we are using
-		 * the cached copy from commit->buffer, we need to duplicate it
-		 * to avoid munging commit->buffer.
+		 * the cached copy from get_commit_buffer, we need to duplicate it
+		 * to avoid munging the cached copy.
 		 */
-		out = msg;
-		if (out == commit->buffer)
-			out = xstrdup(out);
+		if (msg == get_cached_commit_buffer(commit, NULL))
+			out = xstrdup(msg);
+		else
+			out = (char *)msg;
 	}
 	else {
 		/*
@@ -667,8 +655,8 @@ char *logmsg_reencode(const struct commit *commit,
 		 * copy, we can free it.
 		 */
 		out = reencode_string(msg, output_encoding, use_encoding);
-		if (out && msg != commit->buffer)
-			free(msg);
+		if (out)
+			unuse_commit_buffer(commit, msg);
 	}
 
 	/*
@@ -687,12 +675,6 @@ char *logmsg_reencode(const struct commit *commit,
 	return out ? out : msg;
 }
 
-void logmsg_free(char *msg, const struct commit *commit)
-{
-	if (msg != commit->buffer)
-		free(msg);
-}
-
 static int mailmap_name(const char **email, size_t *email_len,
 			const char **name, size_t *name_len)
 {
@@ -796,7 +778,7 @@ struct format_commit_context {
 	struct signature_check signature_check;
 	enum flush_type flush_type;
 	enum trunc_type truncate;
-	char *message;
+	const char *message;
 	char *commit_encoding;
 	size_t width, indent1, indent2;
 	int auto_color;
@@ -1536,7 +1518,7 @@ void format_commit_message(const struct commit *commit,
 	}
 
 	free(context.commit_encoding);
-	logmsg_free(context.message, commit);
+	unuse_commit_buffer(commit, context.message);
 	free(context.signature_check.gpg_output);
 	free(context.signature_check.signer);
 }
@@ -1705,7 +1687,7 @@ void pretty_print_commit(struct pretty_print_context *pp,
 	unsigned long beginning_of_body;
 	int indent = 4;
 	const char *msg;
-	char *reencoded;
+	const char *reencoded;
 	const char *encoding;
 	int need_8bit_cte = pp->need_8bit_cte;
 
@@ -1772,7 +1754,7 @@ void pretty_print_commit(struct pretty_print_context *pp,
 	if (pp->fmt == CMIT_FMT_EMAIL && sb->len <= beginning_of_body)
 		strbuf_addch(sb, '\n');
 
-	logmsg_free(reencoded, commit);
+	unuse_commit_buffer(commit, reencoded);
 }
 
 void pp_commit_easy(enum cmit_fmt fmt, const struct commit *commit,
diff --git a/revision.c b/revision.c
index 8351e794df..2571ada6bf 100644
--- a/revision.c
+++ b/revision.c
@@ -2791,7 +2791,7 @@ static int commit_match(struct commit *commit, struct rev_info *opt)
 {
 	int retval;
 	const char *encoding;
-	char *message;
+	const char *message;
 	struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
 
 	if (!opt->grep_filter.pattern_list && !opt->grep_filter.header_list)
@@ -2833,14 +2833,21 @@ static int commit_match(struct commit *commit, struct rev_info *opt)
 		format_display_notes(commit->object.sha1, &buf, encoding, 1);
 	}
 
-	/* Find either in the original commit message, or in the temporary */
+	/*
+	 * Find either in the original commit message, or in the temporary.
+	 * Note that we cast away the constness of "message" here. It is
+	 * const because it may come from the cached commit buffer. That's OK,
+	 * because we know that it is modifiable heap memory, and that while
+	 * grep_buffer may modify it for speed, it will restore any
+	 * changes before returning.
+	 */
 	if (buf.len)
 		retval = grep_buffer(&opt->grep_filter, buf.buf, buf.len);
 	else
 		retval = grep_buffer(&opt->grep_filter,
-				     message, strlen(message));
+				     (char *)message, strlen(message));
 	strbuf_release(&buf);
-	logmsg_free(message, commit);
+	unuse_commit_buffer(commit, message);
 	return retval;
 }
 
diff --git a/sequencer.c b/sequencer.c
index bde5f047b0..bbaddcb05a 100644
--- a/sequencer.c
+++ b/sequencer.c
@@ -116,39 +116,23 @@ static const char *action_name(const struct replay_opts *opts)
 	return opts->action == REPLAY_REVERT ? "revert" : "cherry-pick";
 }
 
-static char *get_encoding(const char *message);
-
 struct commit_message {
 	char *parent_label;
 	const char *label;
 	const char *subject;
-	char *reencoded_message;
 	const char *message;
 };
 
 static int get_message(struct commit *commit, struct commit_message *out)
 {
-	const char *encoding;
 	const char *abbrev, *subject;
 	int abbrev_len, subject_len;
 	char *q;
 
-	if (!commit->buffer)
-		return -1;
-	encoding = get_encoding(commit->buffer);
-	if (!encoding)
-		encoding = "UTF-8";
 	if (!git_commit_encoding)
 		git_commit_encoding = "UTF-8";
 
-	out->reencoded_message = NULL;
-	out->message = commit->buffer;
-	if (same_encoding(encoding, git_commit_encoding))
-		out->reencoded_message = reencode_string(commit->buffer,
-					git_commit_encoding, encoding);
-	if (out->reencoded_message)
-		out->message = out->reencoded_message;
-
+	out->message = logmsg_reencode(commit, NULL, git_commit_encoding);
 	abbrev = find_unique_abbrev(commit->object.sha1, DEFAULT_ABBREV);
 	abbrev_len = strlen(abbrev);
 
@@ -167,29 +151,10 @@ static int get_message(struct commit *commit, struct commit_message *out)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static void free_message(struct commit_message *msg)
+static void free_message(struct commit *commit, struct commit_message *msg)
 {
 	free(msg->parent_label);
-	free(msg->reencoded_message);
-}
-
-static char *get_encoding(const char *message)
-{
-	const char *p = message, *eol;
-
-	while (*p && *p != '\n') {
-		for (eol = p + 1; *eol && *eol != '\n'; eol++)
-			; /* do nothing */
-		if (starts_with(p, "encoding ")) {
-			char *result = xmalloc(eol - 8 - p);
-			strlcpy(result, p + 9, eol - 8 - p);
-			return result;
-		}
-		p = eol;
-		if (*p == '\n')
-			p++;
-	}
-	return NULL;
+	unuse_commit_buffer(commit, msg->message);
 }
 
 static void write_cherry_pick_head(struct commit *commit, const char *pseudoref)
@@ -485,7 +450,7 @@ static int do_pick_commit(struct commit *commit, struct replay_opts *opts)
 	unsigned char head[20];
 	struct commit *base, *next, *parent;
 	const char *base_label, *next_label;
-	struct commit_message msg = { NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL };
+	struct commit_message msg = { NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL };
 	char *defmsg = NULL;
 	struct strbuf msgbuf = STRBUF_INIT;
 	int res, unborn = 0, allow;
@@ -650,7 +615,7 @@ static int do_pick_commit(struct commit *commit, struct replay_opts *opts)
 		res = run_git_commit(defmsg, opts, allow);
 
 leave:
-	free_message(&msg);
+	free_message(commit, &msg);
 	free(defmsg);
 
 	return res;
@@ -697,10 +662,12 @@ static int format_todo(struct strbuf *buf, struct commit_list *todo_list,
 	int subject_len;
 
 	for (cur = todo_list; cur; cur = cur->next) {
+		const char *commit_buffer = get_commit_buffer(cur->item, NULL);
 		sha1_abbrev = find_unique_abbrev(cur->item->object.sha1, DEFAULT_ABBREV);
-		subject_len = find_commit_subject(cur->item->buffer, &subject);
+		subject_len = find_commit_subject(commit_buffer, &subject);
 		strbuf_addf(buf, "%s %s %.*s\n", action_str, sha1_abbrev,
 			subject_len, subject);
+		unuse_commit_buffer(cur->item, commit_buffer);
 	}
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/sha1_name.c b/sha1_name.c
index 2b6322fad0..c2c938c4e1 100644
--- a/sha1_name.c
+++ b/sha1_name.c
@@ -862,27 +862,17 @@ static int get_sha1_oneline(const char *prefix, unsigned char *sha1,
 		commit_list_insert(l->item, &backup);
 	}
 	while (list) {
-		char *p, *to_free = NULL;
+		const char *p, *buf;
 		struct commit *commit;
-		enum object_type type;
-		unsigned long size;
 		int matches;
 
 		commit = pop_most_recent_commit(&list, ONELINE_SEEN);
 		if (!parse_object(commit->object.sha1))
 			continue;
-		if (commit->buffer)
-			p = commit->buffer;
-		else {
-			p = read_sha1_file(commit->object.sha1, &type, &size);
-			if (!p)
-				continue;
-			to_free = p;
-		}
-
-		p = strstr(p, "\n\n");
+		buf = get_commit_buffer(commit, NULL);
+		p = strstr(buf, "\n\n");
 		matches = p && !regexec(&regex, p + 2, 0, NULL, 0);
-		free(to_free);
+		unuse_commit_buffer(commit, buf);
 
 		if (matches) {
 			hashcpy(sha1, commit->object.sha1);