diff --git a/builtin/am.c b/builtin/am.c
index ff7dd33fcd..60f3737f99 100644
--- a/builtin/am.c
+++ b/builtin/am.c
@@ -1848,7 +1848,6 @@ static void am_run(struct am_state *state, int resume)
 	 */
 	if (!state->rebasing) {
 		am_destroy(state);
-		close_object_store(the_repository->objects);
 		run_auto_maintenance(state->quiet);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/builtin/fetch.c b/builtin/fetch.c
index 75848d851d..f7abbc31ff 100644
--- a/builtin/fetch.c
+++ b/builtin/fetch.c
@@ -2148,8 +2148,6 @@ int cmd_fetch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 					     NULL);
 	}
 
-	close_object_store(the_repository->objects);
-
 	if (enable_auto_gc)
 		run_auto_maintenance(verbosity < 0);
 
diff --git a/builtin/gc.c b/builtin/gc.c
index 84d77104c2..b00b396f55 100644
--- a/builtin/gc.c
+++ b/builtin/gc.c
@@ -663,8 +663,8 @@ int cmd_gc(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	gc_before_repack();
 
 	if (!repository_format_precious_objects) {
-		close_object_store(the_repository->objects);
-		if (run_command_v_opt(repack.v, RUN_GIT_CMD))
+		if (run_command_v_opt(repack.v,
+				      RUN_GIT_CMD | RUN_CLOSE_OBJECT_STORE))
 			die(FAILED_RUN, repack.v[0]);
 
 		if (prune_expire) {
@@ -848,7 +848,7 @@ static int run_write_commit_graph(struct maintenance_run_opts *opts)
 {
 	struct child_process child = CHILD_PROCESS_INIT;
 
-	child.git_cmd = 1;
+	child.git_cmd = child.close_object_store = 1;
 	strvec_pushl(&child.args, "commit-graph", "write",
 		     "--split", "--reachable", NULL);
 
@@ -864,7 +864,6 @@ static int maintenance_task_commit_graph(struct maintenance_run_opts *opts)
 	if (!the_repository->settings.core_commit_graph)
 		return 0;
 
-	close_object_store(the_repository->objects);
 	if (run_write_commit_graph(opts)) {
 		error(_("failed to write commit-graph"));
 		return 1;
@@ -913,7 +912,7 @@ static int maintenance_task_gc(struct maintenance_run_opts *opts)
 {
 	struct child_process child = CHILD_PROCESS_INIT;
 
-	child.git_cmd = 1;
+	child.git_cmd = child.close_object_store = 1;
 	strvec_push(&child.args, "gc");
 
 	if (opts->auto_flag)
@@ -923,7 +922,6 @@ static int maintenance_task_gc(struct maintenance_run_opts *opts)
 	else
 		strvec_push(&child.args, "--no-quiet");
 
-	close_object_store(the_repository->objects);
 	return run_command(&child);
 }
 
@@ -1097,14 +1095,12 @@ static int multi_pack_index_expire(struct maintenance_run_opts *opts)
 {
 	struct child_process child = CHILD_PROCESS_INIT;
 
-	child.git_cmd = 1;
+	child.git_cmd = child.close_object_store = 1;
 	strvec_pushl(&child.args, "multi-pack-index", "expire", NULL);
 
 	if (opts->quiet)
 		strvec_push(&child.args, "--no-progress");
 
-	close_object_store(the_repository->objects);
-
 	if (run_command(&child))
 		return error(_("'git multi-pack-index expire' failed"));
 
@@ -1155,7 +1151,7 @@ static int multi_pack_index_repack(struct maintenance_run_opts *opts)
 {
 	struct child_process child = CHILD_PROCESS_INIT;
 
-	child.git_cmd = 1;
+	child.git_cmd = child.close_object_store = 1;
 	strvec_pushl(&child.args, "multi-pack-index", "repack", NULL);
 
 	if (opts->quiet)
@@ -1164,8 +1160,6 @@ static int multi_pack_index_repack(struct maintenance_run_opts *opts)
 	strvec_pushf(&child.args, "--batch-size=%"PRIuMAX,
 				  (uintmax_t)get_auto_pack_size());
 
-	close_object_store(the_repository->objects);
-
 	if (run_command(&child))
 		return error(_("'git multi-pack-index repack' failed"));
 
diff --git a/builtin/merge.c b/builtin/merge.c
index f6d03ddf62..3fbdacc7db 100644
--- a/builtin/merge.c
+++ b/builtin/merge.c
@@ -469,7 +469,6 @@ static void finish(struct commit *head_commit,
 			 * We ignore errors in 'gc --auto', since the
 			 * user should see them.
 			 */
-			close_object_store(the_repository->objects);
 			run_auto_maintenance(verbosity < 0);
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/builtin/pull.c b/builtin/pull.c
index b311ea6b9d..cf6c56e2d8 100644
--- a/builtin/pull.c
+++ b/builtin/pull.c
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 #include "wt-status.h"
 #include "commit-reach.h"
 #include "sequencer.h"
+#include "packfile.h"
 
 /**
  * Parses the value of --rebase. If value is a false value, returns
@@ -577,7 +578,7 @@ static int run_fetch(const char *repo, const char **refspecs)
 		strvec_pushv(&args, refspecs);
 	} else if (*refspecs)
 		BUG("refspecs without repo?");
-	ret = run_command_v_opt(args.v, RUN_GIT_CMD);
+	ret = run_command_v_opt(args.v, RUN_GIT_CMD | RUN_CLOSE_OBJECT_STORE);
 	strvec_clear(&args);
 	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/builtin/rebase.c b/builtin/rebase.c
index 0150893a3b..6c2463037f 100644
--- a/builtin/rebase.c
+++ b/builtin/rebase.c
@@ -744,7 +744,6 @@ static int finish_rebase(struct rebase_options *opts)
 	delete_ref(NULL, "REBASE_HEAD", NULL, REF_NO_DEREF);
 	unlink(git_path_auto_merge(the_repository));
 	apply_autostash(state_dir_path("autostash", opts));
-	close_object_store(the_repository->objects);
 	/*
 	 * We ignore errors in 'git maintenance run --auto', since the
 	 * user should see them.
diff --git a/builtin/receive-pack.c b/builtin/receive-pack.c
index 59d856fd2e..48960a9575 100644
--- a/builtin/receive-pack.c
+++ b/builtin/receive-pack.c
@@ -2578,10 +2578,9 @@ int cmd_receive_pack(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			proc.no_stdin = 1;
 			proc.stdout_to_stderr = 1;
 			proc.err = use_sideband ? -1 : 0;
-			proc.git_cmd = 1;
+			proc.git_cmd = proc.close_object_store = 1;
 			proc.argv = argv_gc_auto;
 
-			close_object_store(the_repository->objects);
 			if (!start_command(&proc)) {
 				if (use_sideband)
 					copy_to_sideband(proc.err, -1, NULL);
diff --git a/commit-graph.c b/commit-graph.c
index 4617059220..2706683acf 100644
--- a/commit-graph.c
+++ b/commit-graph.c
@@ -713,6 +713,7 @@ static void close_commit_graph_one(struct commit_graph *g)
 	if (!g)
 		return;
 
+	clear_commit_graph_data_slab(&commit_graph_data_slab);
 	close_commit_graph_one(g->base_graph);
 	free_commit_graph(g);
 }
diff --git a/run-command.c b/run-command.c
index 3e4e082e94..821245672d 100644
--- a/run-command.c
+++ b/run-command.c
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 #include "string-list.h"
 #include "quote.h"
 #include "config.h"
+#include "packfile.h"
 
 void child_process_init(struct child_process *child)
 {
@@ -740,6 +741,9 @@ int start_command(struct child_process *cmd)
 
 	fflush(NULL);
 
+	if (cmd->close_object_store)
+		close_object_store(the_repository->objects);
+
 #ifndef GIT_WINDOWS_NATIVE
 {
 	int notify_pipe[2];
@@ -1042,6 +1046,7 @@ int run_command_v_opt_cd_env_tr2(const char **argv, int opt, const char *dir,
 	cmd.use_shell = opt & RUN_USING_SHELL ? 1 : 0;
 	cmd.clean_on_exit = opt & RUN_CLEAN_ON_EXIT ? 1 : 0;
 	cmd.wait_after_clean = opt & RUN_WAIT_AFTER_CLEAN ? 1 : 0;
+	cmd.close_object_store = opt & RUN_CLOSE_OBJECT_STORE ? 1 : 0;
 	cmd.dir = dir;
 	cmd.env = env;
 	cmd.trace2_child_class = tr2_class;
@@ -1884,6 +1889,7 @@ int run_auto_maintenance(int quiet)
 		return 0;
 
 	maint.git_cmd = 1;
+	maint.close_object_store = 1;
 	strvec_pushl(&maint.args, "maintenance", "run", "--auto", NULL);
 	strvec_push(&maint.args, quiet ? "--quiet" : "--no-quiet");
 
diff --git a/run-command.h b/run-command.h
index af1296769f..ad207daced 100644
--- a/run-command.h
+++ b/run-command.h
@@ -134,6 +134,14 @@ struct child_process {
 	 */
 	unsigned use_shell:1;
 
+	/**
+	 * Release any open file handles to the object store before running
+	 * the command; This is necessary e.g. when the spawned process may
+	 * want to repack because that would delete `.pack` files (and on
+	 * Windows, you cannot delete files that are still in use).
+	 */
+	unsigned close_object_store:1;
+
 	unsigned stdout_to_stderr:1;
 	unsigned clean_on_exit:1;
 	unsigned wait_after_clean:1;
@@ -233,13 +241,14 @@ int run_hook_ve(const char *const *env, const char *name, va_list args);
  */
 int run_auto_maintenance(int quiet);
 
-#define RUN_COMMAND_NO_STDIN 1
-#define RUN_GIT_CMD	     2	/*If this is to be git sub-command */
-#define RUN_COMMAND_STDOUT_TO_STDERR 4
-#define RUN_SILENT_EXEC_FAILURE 8
-#define RUN_USING_SHELL 16
-#define RUN_CLEAN_ON_EXIT 32
-#define RUN_WAIT_AFTER_CLEAN 64
+#define RUN_COMMAND_NO_STDIN		(1<<0)
+#define RUN_GIT_CMD			(1<<1)
+#define RUN_COMMAND_STDOUT_TO_STDERR	(1<<2)
+#define RUN_SILENT_EXEC_FAILURE		(1<<3)
+#define RUN_USING_SHELL			(1<<4)
+#define RUN_CLEAN_ON_EXIT		(1<<5)
+#define RUN_WAIT_AFTER_CLEAN		(1<<6)
+#define RUN_CLOSE_OBJECT_STORE		(1<<7)
 
 /**
  * Convenience functions that encapsulate a sequence of