diff --git a/upload-pack.c b/upload-pack.c
index af2a13acc6..4bc2dc3607 100644
--- a/upload-pack.c
+++ b/upload-pack.c
@@ -688,8 +688,6 @@ static int mark_our_ref(const char *refname, const unsigned char *sha1)
 		o->flags |= HIDDEN_REF;
 		return 1;
 	}
-	if (!o)
-		die("git upload-pack: cannot find object %s:", sha1_to_hex(sha1));
 	o->flags |= OUR_REF;
 	return 0;
 }