diff --git a/Documentation/gitremote-helpers.txt b/Documentation/gitremote-helpers.txt
index fcb633e719..d0be008e5e 100644
--- a/Documentation/gitremote-helpers.txt
+++ b/Documentation/gitremote-helpers.txt
@@ -542,13 +542,10 @@ set by Git if the remote helper has the 'option' capability.
 	transaction.  If successful, all refs will be updated, or none will.  If the
 	remote side does not support this capability, the push will fail.
 
-'option object-format' {'true'|algorithm}::
-	If 'true', indicate that the caller wants hash algorithm information
+'option object-format true'::
+	Indicate that the caller wants hash algorithm information
 	to be passed back from the remote.  This mode is used when fetching
 	refs.
-+
-If set to an algorithm, indicate that the caller wants to interact with
-the remote side using that algorithm.
 
 SEE ALSO
 --------
diff --git a/remote-curl.c b/remote-curl.c
index 1161dc7fed..31b02b8840 100644
--- a/remote-curl.c
+++ b/remote-curl.c
@@ -211,14 +211,9 @@ static int set_option(const char *name, const char *value)
 		options.filter = xstrdup(value);
 		return 0;
 	} else if (!strcmp(name, "object-format")) {
-		int algo;
 		options.object_format = 1;
-		if (strcmp(value, "true")) {
-			algo = hash_algo_by_name(value);
-			if (algo == GIT_HASH_UNKNOWN)
-				die("unknown object format '%s'", value);
-			options.hash_algo = &hash_algos[algo];
-		}
+		if (strcmp(value, "true"))
+			die(_("unknown value for object-format: %s"), value);
 		return 0;
 	} else {
 		return 1 /* unsupported */;
diff --git a/t/t5801/git-remote-testgit b/t/t5801/git-remote-testgit
index bcfb358c51..c5b10f5775 100755
--- a/t/t5801/git-remote-testgit
+++ b/t/t5801/git-remote-testgit
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ GIT_DIR="$url/.git"
 export GIT_DIR
 
 force=
+object_format=
 
 mkdir -p "$dir"
 
@@ -61,7 +62,8 @@ do
 		echo
 		;;
 	list)
-		echo ":object-format $(git rev-parse --show-object-format=storage)"
+		test -n "$object_format" &&
+			echo ":object-format $(git rev-parse --show-object-format=storage)"
 		git for-each-ref --format='? %(refname)' 'refs/heads/' 'refs/tags/'
 		head=$(git symbolic-ref HEAD)
 		echo "@$head HEAD"
diff --git a/transport-helper.c b/transport-helper.c
index b660b7942f..8d284b24d5 100644
--- a/transport-helper.c
+++ b/transport-helper.c
@@ -1210,16 +1210,13 @@ static struct ref *get_refs_list_using_list(struct transport *transport,
 	data->get_refs_list_called = 1;
 	helper = get_helper(transport);
 
-	if (data->object_format) {
-		write_str_in_full(helper->in, "option object-format\n");
-		if (recvline(data, &buf) || strcmp(buf.buf, "ok"))
-			exit(128);
-	}
+	if (data->object_format)
+		set_helper_option(transport, "object-format", "true");
 
 	if (data->push && for_push)
-		write_str_in_full(helper->in, "list for-push\n");
+		write_constant(helper->in, "list for-push\n");
 	else
-		write_str_in_full(helper->in, "list\n");
+		write_constant(helper->in, "list\n");
 
 	while (1) {
 		char *eov, *eon;