diff --git a/commit-graph.c b/commit-graph.c
index 264aa6d919..70fa1b25fd 100644
--- a/commit-graph.c
+++ b/commit-graph.c
@@ -247,7 +247,6 @@ static struct commit_list **insert_parent_or_die(struct commit_graph *g,
 
 static int fill_commit_in_graph(struct commit *item, struct commit_graph *g, uint32_t pos)
 {
-	struct object_id oid;
 	uint32_t edge_value;
 	uint32_t *parent_data_ptr;
 	uint64_t date_low, date_high;
@@ -257,8 +256,7 @@ static int fill_commit_in_graph(struct commit *item, struct commit_graph *g, uin
 	item->object.parsed = 1;
 	item->graph_pos = pos;
 
-	hashcpy(oid.hash, commit_data);
-	item->maybe_tree = lookup_tree(&oid);
+	item->maybe_tree = NULL;
 
 	date_high = get_be32(commit_data + g->hash_len + 8) & 0x3;
 	date_low = get_be32(commit_data + g->hash_len + 12);
@@ -317,6 +315,28 @@ int parse_commit_in_graph(struct commit *item)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static struct tree *load_tree_for_commit(struct commit_graph *g, struct commit *c)
+{
+	struct object_id oid;
+	const unsigned char *commit_data = g->chunk_commit_data +
+					   GRAPH_DATA_WIDTH * (c->graph_pos);
+
+	hashcpy(oid.hash, commit_data);
+	c->maybe_tree = lookup_tree(&oid);
+
+	return c->maybe_tree;
+}
+
+struct tree *get_commit_tree_in_graph(const struct commit *c)
+{
+	if (c->maybe_tree)
+		return c->maybe_tree;
+	if (c->graph_pos == COMMIT_NOT_FROM_GRAPH)
+		BUG("get_commit_tree_in_graph called from non-commit-graph commit");
+
+	return load_tree_for_commit(commit_graph, (struct commit *)c);
+}
+
 static void write_graph_chunk_fanout(struct hashfile *f,
 				     struct commit **commits,
 				     int nr_commits)
diff --git a/commit-graph.h b/commit-graph.h
index e1d8580c98..260a468e73 100644
--- a/commit-graph.h
+++ b/commit-graph.h
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ char *get_commit_graph_filename(const char *obj_dir);
  */
 int parse_commit_in_graph(struct commit *item);
 
+struct tree *get_commit_tree_in_graph(const struct commit *c);
+
 struct commit_graph {
 	int graph_fd;
 
diff --git a/commit.c b/commit.c
index aea2ca1f8b..711f674c18 100644
--- a/commit.c
+++ b/commit.c
@@ -298,7 +298,13 @@ void free_commit_buffer(struct commit *commit)
 
 struct tree *get_commit_tree(const struct commit *commit)
 {
-	return commit->maybe_tree;
+	if (commit->maybe_tree || !commit->object.parsed)
+		return commit->maybe_tree;
+
+	if (commit->graph_pos == COMMIT_NOT_FROM_GRAPH)
+		BUG("commit has NULL tree, but was not loaded from commit-graph");
+
+	return get_commit_tree_in_graph(commit);
 }
 
 struct object_id *get_commit_tree_oid(const struct commit *commit)
diff --git a/commit.h b/commit.h
index dc4bf97d9f..23a3f364ed 100644
--- a/commit.h
+++ b/commit.h
@@ -22,6 +22,12 @@ struct commit {
 	unsigned int index;
 	timestamp_t date;
 	struct commit_list *parents;
+
+	/*
+	 * If the commit is loaded from the commit-graph file, then this
+	 * member may be NULL. Only access it through get_commit_tree()
+	 * or get_commit_tree_oid().
+	 */
 	struct tree *maybe_tree;
 	uint32_t graph_pos;
 };