diff --git a/builtin/clone.c b/builtin/clone.c
index c990f398ef..b19b302b06 100644
--- a/builtin/clone.c
+++ b/builtin/clone.c
@@ -1617,7 +1617,7 @@ int cmd_clone(int argc,
 	transport_disconnect(transport);
 
 	if (option_dissociate) {
-		close_object_store(the_repository->objects);
+		odb_close(the_repository->objects);
 		dissociate_from_references();
 	}
 
diff --git a/builtin/gc.c b/builtin/gc.c
index e9a76243aa..92c6e7b954 100644
--- a/builtin/gc.c
+++ b/builtin/gc.c
@@ -1063,7 +1063,7 @@ int cmd_gc(int argc,
 	report_garbage = report_pack_garbage;
 	odb_reprepare(the_repository->objects);
 	if (pack_garbage.nr > 0) {
-		close_object_store(the_repository->objects);
+		odb_close(the_repository->objects);
 		clean_pack_garbage();
 	}
 
diff --git a/builtin/index-pack.c b/builtin/index-pack.c
index 2b78ba7fe4..699fe678cd 100644
--- a/builtin/index-pack.c
+++ b/builtin/index-pack.c
@@ -1640,7 +1640,7 @@ static void final(const char *final_pack_name, const char *curr_pack_name,
 	rename_tmp_packfile(&final_index_name, curr_index_name, &index_name,
 			    hash, "idx", 1);
 
-	if (do_fsck_object)
+	if (do_fsck_object && startup_info->have_repository)
 		packfile_store_load_pack(the_repository->objects->packfiles,
 					 final_index_name, 0);
 
@@ -2110,8 +2110,23 @@ int cmd_index_pack(int argc,
 	else
 		close(input_fd);
 
-	if (do_fsck_object && fsck_finish(&fsck_options))
-		die(_("fsck error in pack objects"));
+	if (do_fsck_object) {
+		/*
+		 * We cannot perform queued consistency checks when running
+		 * outside of a repository because those require us to read
+		 * from the object database, which is uninitialized.
+		 *
+		 * TODO: we may eventually set up an in-memory object database,
+		 * which would allow us to perform these queued checks.
+		 */
+		if (!startup_info->have_repository &&
+		    fsck_has_queued_checks(&fsck_options))
+			die(_("cannot perform queued object checks outside "
+			      "of a repository"));
+
+		if (fsck_finish(&fsck_options))
+			die(_("fsck error in pack objects"));
+	}
 
 	free(opts.anomaly);
 	free(objects);
diff --git a/builtin/receive-pack.c b/builtin/receive-pack.c
index 28a6404219..9c49174616 100644
--- a/builtin/receive-pack.c
+++ b/builtin/receive-pack.c
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@
 #include "object-file.h"
 #include "object-name.h"
 #include "odb.h"
-#include "path.h"
 #include "protocol.h"
 #include "commit-reach.h"
 #include "server-info.h"
@@ -42,6 +41,7 @@
 #include "trace2.h"
 #include "worktree.h"
 #include "shallow.h"
+#include "setup.h"
 #include "parse-options.h"
 
 static const char * const receive_pack_usage[] = {
diff --git a/builtin/repack.c b/builtin/repack.c
index cfdb4c0920..d9012141f6 100644
--- a/builtin/repack.c
+++ b/builtin/repack.c
@@ -488,7 +488,7 @@ int cmd_repack(int argc,
 
 	string_list_sort(&names);
 
-	close_object_store(repo->objects);
+	odb_close(repo->objects);
 
 	/*
 	 * Ok we have prepared all new packfiles.
diff --git a/builtin/upload-archive.c b/builtin/upload-archive.c
index 97d7c9522f..25312bb2a5 100644
--- a/builtin/upload-archive.c
+++ b/builtin/upload-archive.c
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
 #define USE_THE_REPOSITORY_VARIABLE
 #include "builtin.h"
 #include "archive.h"
-#include "path.h"
 #include "pkt-line.h"
+#include "setup.h"
 #include "sideband.h"
 #include "run-command.h"
 #include "strvec.h"
diff --git a/builtin/upload-pack.c b/builtin/upload-pack.c
index c2bbc035ab..30498fafea 100644
--- a/builtin/upload-pack.c
+++ b/builtin/upload-pack.c
@@ -5,11 +5,11 @@
 #include "gettext.h"
 #include "pkt-line.h"
 #include "parse-options.h"
-#include "path.h"
 #include "protocol.h"
 #include "replace-object.h"
 #include "upload-pack.h"
 #include "serve.h"
+#include "setup.h"
 #include "commit.h"
 #include "environment.h"
 
diff --git a/chdir-notify.c b/chdir-notify.c
index 0d7bc04607..f8bfe3cbef 100644
--- a/chdir-notify.c
+++ b/chdir-notify.c
@@ -25,6 +25,24 @@ void chdir_notify_register(const char *name,
 	list_add_tail(&e->list, &chdir_notify_entries);
 }
 
+void chdir_notify_unregister(const char *name, chdir_notify_callback cb,
+			     void *data)
+{
+	struct list_head *pos, *p;
+
+	list_for_each_safe(pos, p, &chdir_notify_entries) {
+		struct chdir_notify_entry *e =
+			list_entry(pos, struct chdir_notify_entry, list);
+
+		if (e->cb != cb || e->data != data || !e->name != !name ||
+		    (e->name && strcmp(e->name, name)))
+			continue;
+
+		list_del(pos);
+		free(e);
+	}
+}
+
 static void reparent_cb(const char *name,
 			const char *old_cwd,
 			const char *new_cwd,
diff --git a/chdir-notify.h b/chdir-notify.h
index 366e4c1ee9..81eb69d846 100644
--- a/chdir-notify.h
+++ b/chdir-notify.h
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ typedef void (*chdir_notify_callback)(const char *name,
 				      const char *new_cwd,
 				      void *data);
 void chdir_notify_register(const char *name, chdir_notify_callback cb, void *data);
+void chdir_notify_unregister(const char *name, chdir_notify_callback cb,
+			     void *data);
 void chdir_notify_reparent(const char *name, char **path);
 
 /*
diff --git a/fsck.c b/fsck.c
index 620861a4f1..138fffded9 100644
--- a/fsck.c
+++ b/fsck.c
@@ -1379,6 +1379,12 @@ int fsck_finish(struct fsck_options *options)
 	return ret;
 }
 
+bool fsck_has_queued_checks(struct fsck_options *options)
+{
+	return !oidset_equal(&options->gitmodules_found, &options->gitmodules_done) ||
+	       !oidset_equal(&options->gitattributes_found, &options->gitattributes_done);
+}
+
 void fsck_options_clear(struct fsck_options *options)
 {
 	free(options->msg_type);
diff --git a/fsck.h b/fsck.h
index cb6ef32f4f..336917c045 100644
--- a/fsck.h
+++ b/fsck.h
@@ -248,6 +248,13 @@ int fsck_tag_standalone(const struct object_id *oid, const char *buffer,
  */
 int fsck_finish(struct fsck_options *options);
 
+/*
+ * Check whether there are any checks that have been queued up and that still
+ * need to be run. Returns `false` iff `fsck_finish()` wouldn't perform any
+ * actions, `true` otherwise.
+ */
+bool fsck_has_queued_checks(struct fsck_options *options);
+
 /*
  * Clear the fsck_options struct, freeing any allocated memory.
  */
diff --git a/http-backend.c b/http-backend.c
index 273ed7266f..24f0dc119a 100644
--- a/http-backend.c
+++ b/http-backend.c
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 #include "run-command.h"
 #include "string-list.h"
 #include "url.h"
+#include "setup.h"
 #include "strvec.h"
 #include "packfile.h"
 #include "odb.h"
diff --git a/http-push.c b/http-push.c
index d86ce77119..60a9b75620 100644
--- a/http-push.c
+++ b/http-push.c
@@ -1725,6 +1725,7 @@ int cmd_main(int argc, const char **argv)
 	int i;
 	int new_refs;
 	struct ref *ref, *local_refs = NULL;
+	const char *gitdir;
 
 	CALLOC_ARRAY(repo, 1);
 
@@ -1787,7 +1788,7 @@ int cmd_main(int argc, const char **argv)
 	if (delete_branch && rs.nr != 1)
 		die("You must specify only one branch name when deleting a remote branch");
 
-	setup_git_directory();
+	gitdir = setup_git_directory();
 
 	memset(remote_dir_exists, -1, 256);
 
@@ -1941,7 +1942,7 @@ int cmd_main(int argc, const char **argv)
 		if (!push_all && !is_null_oid(&ref->old_oid))
 			strvec_pushf(&commit_argv, "^%s",
 				     oid_to_hex(&ref->old_oid));
-		repo_init_revisions(the_repository, &revs, setup_git_directory());
+		repo_init_revisions(the_repository, &revs, gitdir);
 		setup_revisions_from_strvec(&commit_argv, &revs, NULL);
 		revs.edge_hint = 0; /* just in case */
 
diff --git a/midx-write.c b/midx-write.c
index 23e61cb000..e3e9be6d03 100644
--- a/midx-write.c
+++ b/midx-write.c
@@ -1458,7 +1458,7 @@ static int write_midx_internal(struct odb_source *source,
 	}
 
 	if (ctx.m || ctx.base_midx)
-		close_object_store(ctx.repo->objects);
+		odb_close(ctx.repo->objects);
 
 	if (commit_lock_file(&lk) < 0)
 		die_errno(_("could not write multi-pack-index"));
diff --git a/odb.c b/odb.c
index 3ec21ef24e..dc8f292f3d 100644
--- a/odb.c
+++ b/odb.c
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #include "git-compat-util.h"
 #include "abspath.h"
+#include "chdir-notify.h"
 #include "commit-graph.h"
 #include "config.h"
 #include "dir.h"
@@ -9,6 +10,7 @@
 #include "khash.h"
 #include "lockfile.h"
 #include "loose.h"
+#include "midx.h"
 #include "object-file-convert.h"
 #include "object-file.h"
 #include "odb.h"
@@ -22,6 +24,7 @@
 #include "strbuf.h"
 #include "strvec.h"
 #include "submodule.h"
+#include "tmp-objdir.h"
 #include "trace2.h"
 #include "write-or-die.h"
 
@@ -141,9 +144,9 @@ static void read_info_alternates(struct object_database *odb,
 				 const char *relative_base,
 				 int depth);
 
-struct odb_source *odb_source_new(struct object_database *odb,
-				  const char *path,
-				  bool local)
+static struct odb_source *odb_source_new(struct object_database *odb,
+					 const char *path,
+					 bool local)
 {
 	struct odb_source *source;
 
@@ -359,7 +362,7 @@ struct odb_source *odb_set_temporary_primary_source(struct object_database *odb,
 	 * Disable ref updates while a temporary odb is active, since
 	 * the objects in the database may roll back.
 	 */
-	source->disable_ref_updates = 1;
+	odb->repo->disable_ref_updates = true;
 	source->will_destroy = will_destroy;
 	source->next = odb->sources;
 	odb->sources = source;
@@ -386,6 +389,7 @@ void odb_restore_primary_source(struct object_database *odb,
 	if (cur_source->next != restore_source)
 		BUG("we expect the old primary object store to be the first alternate");
 
+	odb->repo->disable_ref_updates = false;
 	odb->sources = restore_source;
 	odb_source_free(cur_source);
 }
@@ -1032,18 +1036,79 @@ int odb_write_object_stream(struct object_database *odb,
 	return odb_source_loose_write_stream(odb->sources, stream, len, oid);
 }
 
-struct object_database *odb_new(struct repository *repo)
+static void odb_update_commondir(const char *name UNUSED,
+				 const char *old_cwd,
+				 const char *new_cwd,
+				 void *cb_data)
+{
+	struct object_database *odb = cb_data;
+	struct tmp_objdir *tmp_objdir;
+	struct odb_source *source;
+
+	tmp_objdir = tmp_objdir_unapply_primary_odb();
+
+	/*
+	 * In theory, we only have to do this for the primary object source, as
+	 * alternates' paths are always resolved to an absolute path.
+	 */
+	for (source = odb->sources; source; source = source->next) {
+		char *path;
+
+		if (is_absolute_path(source->path))
+			continue;
+
+		path = reparent_relative_path(old_cwd, new_cwd,
+					      source->path);
+
+		free(source->path);
+		source->path = path;
+	}
+
+	if (tmp_objdir)
+		tmp_objdir_reapply_primary_odb(tmp_objdir, old_cwd, new_cwd);
+}
+
+struct object_database *odb_new(struct repository *repo,
+				const char *primary_source,
+				const char *secondary_sources)
 {
 	struct object_database *o = xmalloc(sizeof(*o));
+	char *to_free = NULL;
 
 	memset(o, 0, sizeof(*o));
 	o->repo = repo;
 	o->packfiles = packfile_store_new(o);
 	pthread_mutex_init(&o->replace_mutex, NULL);
 	string_list_init_dup(&o->submodule_source_paths);
+
+	if (!primary_source)
+		primary_source = to_free = xstrfmt("%s/objects", repo->commondir);
+	o->sources = odb_source_new(o, primary_source, true);
+	o->sources_tail = &o->sources->next;
+	o->alternate_db = xstrdup_or_null(secondary_sources);
+
+	free(to_free);
+
+	chdir_notify_register(NULL, odb_update_commondir, o);
+
 	return o;
 }
 
+void odb_close(struct object_database *o)
+{
+	struct odb_source *source;
+
+	packfile_store_close(o->packfiles);
+
+	for (source = o->sources; source; source = source->next) {
+		if (source->midx)
+			close_midx(source->midx);
+		source->midx = NULL;
+	}
+
+	close_commit_graph(o);
+}
+
 static void odb_free_sources(struct object_database *o)
 {
 	while (o->sources) {
@@ -1057,30 +1122,29 @@ static void odb_free_sources(struct object_database *o)
 	o->source_by_path = NULL;
 }
 
-void odb_clear(struct object_database *o)
+void odb_free(struct object_database *o)
 {
-	FREE_AND_NULL(o->alternate_db);
+	if (!o)
+		return;
+
+	free(o->alternate_db);
 
 	oidmap_clear(&o->replace_map, 1);
 	pthread_mutex_destroy(&o->replace_mutex);
 
-	free_commit_graph(o->commit_graph);
-	o->commit_graph = NULL;
-	o->commit_graph_attempted = 0;
-
 	odb_free_sources(o);
-	o->sources_tail = NULL;
-	o->loaded_alternates = 0;
 
 	for (size_t i = 0; i < o->cached_object_nr; i++)
 		free((char *) o->cached_objects[i].value.buf);
-	FREE_AND_NULL(o->cached_objects);
+	free(o->cached_objects);
 
-	close_object_store(o);
+	odb_close(o);
 	packfile_store_free(o->packfiles);
-	o->packfiles = NULL;
-
 	string_list_clear(&o->submodule_source_paths, 0);
+
+	chdir_notify_unregister(NULL, odb_update_commondir, o);
+
+	free(o);
 }
 
 void odb_reprepare(struct object_database *o)
diff --git a/odb.h b/odb.h
index 9bb28008b1..014cd9585a 100644
--- a/odb.h
+++ b/odb.h
@@ -66,13 +66,6 @@ struct odb_source {
 	 */
 	bool local;
 
-	/*
-	 * This is a temporary object store created by the tmp_objdir
-	 * facility. Disable ref updates since the objects in the store
-	 * might be discarded on rollback.
-	 */
-	int disable_ref_updates;
-
 	/*
 	 * This object store is ephemeral, so there is no need to fsync.
 	 */
@@ -85,10 +78,6 @@ struct odb_source {
 	char *path;
 };
 
-struct odb_source *odb_source_new(struct object_database *odb,
-				  const char *path,
-				  bool local);
-
 struct packed_git;
 struct packfile_store;
 struct cached_object_entry;
@@ -166,8 +155,30 @@ struct object_database {
 	struct string_list submodule_source_paths;
 };
 
-struct object_database *odb_new(struct repository *repo);
-void odb_clear(struct object_database *o);
+/*
+ * Create a new object database for the given repository.
+ *
+ * If the primary source parameter is set it will override the usual primary
+ * object directory derived from the repository's common directory. The
+ * alternate sources are expected to be a PATH_SEP-separated list of secondary
+ * sources. Note that these alternate sources will be added in addition to, not
+ * instead of, the alternates identified by the primary source.
+ *
+ * Returns the newly created object database.
+ */
+struct object_database *odb_new(struct repository *repo,
+				const char *primary_source,
+				const char *alternate_sources);
+
+/* Free the object database and release all resources. */
+void odb_free(struct object_database *o);
+
+/*
+ * Close the object database and all of its sources so that any held resources
+ * will be released. The database can still be used after closing it, in which
+ * case these resources may be reallocated.
+ */
+void odb_close(struct object_database *o);
 
 /*
  * Clear caches, reload alternates and then reload object sources so that new
diff --git a/oidset.c b/oidset.c
index 8d36aef8dc..c8ff0b385c 100644
--- a/oidset.c
+++ b/oidset.c
@@ -16,6 +16,22 @@ int oidset_contains(const struct oidset *set, const struct object_id *oid)
 	return pos != kh_end(&set->set);
 }
 
+bool oidset_equal(const struct oidset *a, const struct oidset *b)
+{
+	struct oidset_iter iter;
+	struct object_id *a_oid;
+
+	if (oidset_size(a) != oidset_size(b))
+		return false;
+
+	oidset_iter_init(a, &iter);
+	while ((a_oid = oidset_iter_next(&iter)))
+		if (!oidset_contains(b, a_oid))
+			return false;
+
+	return true;
+}
+
 int oidset_insert(struct oidset *set, const struct object_id *oid)
 {
 	int added;
diff --git a/oidset.h b/oidset.h
index 0106b6f278..e0f1a6ff4f 100644
--- a/oidset.h
+++ b/oidset.h
@@ -38,6 +38,11 @@ void oidset_init(struct oidset *set, size_t initial_size);
  */
 int oidset_contains(const struct oidset *set, const struct object_id *oid);
 
+/**
+ * Returns true iff `a` and `b` contain the exact same OIDs.
+ */
+bool oidset_equal(const struct oidset *a, const struct oidset *b);
+
 /**
  * Insert the oid into the set; a copy is made, so "oid" does not need
  * to persist after this function is called.
@@ -94,11 +99,11 @@ void oidset_parse_file_carefully(struct oidset *set, const char *path,
 				 oidset_parse_tweak_fn fn, void *cbdata);
 
 struct oidset_iter {
-	kh_oid_set_t *set;
+	const kh_oid_set_t *set;
 	khiter_t iter;
 };
 
-static inline void oidset_iter_init(struct oidset *set,
+static inline void oidset_iter_init(const struct oidset *set,
 				    struct oidset_iter *iter)
 {
 	iter->set = &set->set;
diff --git a/packfile.c b/packfile.c
index 9cc11b6dc5..3d8b994a61 100644
--- a/packfile.c
+++ b/packfile.c
@@ -443,21 +443,6 @@ void close_pack(struct packed_git *p)
 	oidset_clear(&p->bad_objects);
 }
 
-void close_object_store(struct object_database *o)
-{
-	struct odb_source *source;
-
-	packfile_store_close(o->packfiles);
-
-	for (source = o->sources; source; source = source->next) {
-		if (source->midx)
-			close_midx(source->midx);
-		source->midx = NULL;
-	}
-
-	close_commit_graph(o);
-}
-
 void unlink_pack_path(const char *pack_name, int force_delete)
 {
 	static const char *exts[] = {".idx", ".pack", ".rev", ".keep", ".bitmap", ".promisor", ".mtimes"};
diff --git a/packfile.h b/packfile.h
index 0e178fb279..20e1cf17b2 100644
--- a/packfile.h
+++ b/packfile.h
@@ -299,7 +299,6 @@ struct object_database;
 unsigned char *use_pack(struct packed_git *, struct pack_window **, off_t, unsigned long *);
 void close_pack_windows(struct packed_git *);
 void close_pack(struct packed_git *);
-void close_object_store(struct object_database *o);
 void unuse_pack(struct pack_window **);
 void clear_delta_base_cache(void);
 struct packed_git *add_packed_git(struct repository *r, const char *path,
diff --git a/path.c b/path.c
index 7f56eaf993..d726537622 100644
--- a/path.c
+++ b/path.c
@@ -738,106 +738,6 @@ return_null:
 	return NULL;
 }
 
-/*
- * First, one directory to try is determined by the following algorithm.
- *
- * (0) If "strict" is given, the path is used as given and no DWIM is
- *     done. Otherwise:
- * (1) "~/path" to mean path under the running user's home directory;
- * (2) "~user/path" to mean path under named user's home directory;
- * (3) "relative/path" to mean cwd relative directory; or
- * (4) "/absolute/path" to mean absolute directory.
- *
- * Unless "strict" is given, we check "%s/.git", "%s", "%s.git/.git", "%s.git"
- * in this order. We select the first one that is a valid git repository, and
- * chdir() to it. If none match, or we fail to chdir, we return NULL.
- *
- * If all goes well, we return the directory we used to chdir() (but
- * before ~user is expanded), avoiding getcwd() resolving symbolic
- * links.  User relative paths are also returned as they are given,
- * except DWIM suffixing.
- */
-const char *enter_repo(const char *path, unsigned flags)
-{
-	static struct strbuf validated_path = STRBUF_INIT;
-	static struct strbuf used_path = STRBUF_INIT;
-
-	if (!path)
-		return NULL;
-
-	if (!(flags & ENTER_REPO_STRICT)) {
-		static const char *suffix[] = {
-			"/.git", "", ".git/.git", ".git", NULL,
-		};
-		const char *gitfile;
-		int len = strlen(path);
-		int i;
-		while ((1 < len) && (path[len-1] == '/'))
-			len--;
-
-		/*
-		 * We can handle arbitrary-sized buffers, but this remains as a
-		 * sanity check on untrusted input.
-		 */
-		if (PATH_MAX <= len)
-			return NULL;
-
-		strbuf_reset(&used_path);
-		strbuf_reset(&validated_path);
-		strbuf_add(&used_path, path, len);
-		strbuf_add(&validated_path, path, len);
-
-		if (used_path.buf[0] == '~') {
-			char *newpath = interpolate_path(used_path.buf, 0);
-			if (!newpath)
-				return NULL;
-			strbuf_attach(&used_path, newpath, strlen(newpath),
-				      strlen(newpath));
-		}
-		for (i = 0; suffix[i]; i++) {
-			struct stat st;
-			size_t baselen = used_path.len;
-			strbuf_addstr(&used_path, suffix[i]);
-			if (!stat(used_path.buf, &st) &&
-			    (S_ISREG(st.st_mode) ||
-			    (S_ISDIR(st.st_mode) && is_git_directory(used_path.buf)))) {
-				strbuf_addstr(&validated_path, suffix[i]);
-				break;
-			}
-			strbuf_setlen(&used_path, baselen);
-		}
-		if (!suffix[i])
-			return NULL;
-		gitfile = read_gitfile(used_path.buf);
-		if (!(flags & ENTER_REPO_ANY_OWNER_OK))
-			die_upon_dubious_ownership(gitfile, NULL, used_path.buf);
-		if (gitfile) {
-			strbuf_reset(&used_path);
-			strbuf_addstr(&used_path, gitfile);
-		}
-		if (chdir(used_path.buf))
-			return NULL;
-		path = validated_path.buf;
-	}
-	else {
-		const char *gitfile = read_gitfile(path);
-		if (!(flags & ENTER_REPO_ANY_OWNER_OK))
-			die_upon_dubious_ownership(gitfile, NULL, path);
-		if (gitfile)
-			path = gitfile;
-		if (chdir(path))
-			return NULL;
-	}
-
-	if (is_git_directory(".")) {
-		set_git_dir(".", 0);
-		check_repository_format(NULL);
-		return path;
-	}
-
-	return NULL;
-}
-
 int calc_shared_perm(struct repository *repo,
 		     int mode)
 {
diff --git a/path.h b/path.h
index e67348f253..0ec95a0b07 100644
--- a/path.h
+++ b/path.h
@@ -146,21 +146,6 @@ int adjust_shared_perm(struct repository *repo, const char *path);
 
 char *interpolate_path(const char *path, int real_home);
 
-/* The bits are as follows:
- *
- * - ENTER_REPO_STRICT: callers that require exact paths (as opposed
- *   to allowing known suffixes like ".git", ".git/.git" to be
- *   omitted) can set this bit.
- *
- * - ENTER_REPO_ANY_OWNER_OK: callers that are willing to run without
- *   ownership check can set this bit.
- */
-enum {
-	ENTER_REPO_STRICT = (1<<0),
-	ENTER_REPO_ANY_OWNER_OK = (1<<1),
-};
-
-const char *enter_repo(const char *path, unsigned flags);
 const char *remove_leading_path(const char *in, const char *prefix);
 const char *relative_path(const char *in, const char *prefix, struct strbuf *sb);
 int normalize_path_copy_len(char *dst, const char *src, int *prefix_len);
diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index 5583f6e09d..046b695bb2 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -2508,7 +2508,7 @@ int ref_transaction_prepare(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 		break;
 	}
 
-	if (refs->repo->objects->sources->disable_ref_updates) {
+	if (refs->repo->disable_ref_updates) {
 		strbuf_addstr(err,
 			      _("ref updates forbidden inside quarantine environment"));
 		return -1;
diff --git a/repository.c b/repository.c
index 6aaa7ba008..863f24411b 100644
--- a/repository.c
+++ b/repository.c
@@ -52,7 +52,6 @@ static void set_default_hash_algo(struct repository *repo)
 
 void initialize_repository(struct repository *repo)
 {
-	repo->objects = odb_new(repo);
 	repo->remote_state = remote_state_new();
 	repo->parsed_objects = parsed_object_pool_new(repo);
 	ALLOC_ARRAY(repo->index, 1);
@@ -160,29 +159,19 @@ void repo_set_gitdir(struct repository *repo,
 	 * until after xstrdup(root). Then we can free it.
 	 */
 	char *old_gitdir = repo->gitdir;
-	char *objects_path = NULL;
 
 	repo->gitdir = xstrdup(gitfile ? gitfile : root);
 	free(old_gitdir);
 
 	repo_set_commondir(repo, o->commondir);
-	expand_base_dir(&objects_path, o->object_dir,
-			repo->commondir, "objects");
 
-	if (!repo->objects->sources) {
-		repo->objects->sources = odb_source_new(repo->objects,
-							objects_path, true);
-		repo->objects->sources_tail = &repo->objects->sources->next;
-		free(objects_path);
-	} else {
-		free(repo->objects->sources->path);
-		repo->objects->sources->path = objects_path;
-	}
+	if (!repo->objects)
+		repo->objects = odb_new(repo, o->object_dir, o->alternate_db);
+	else if (!o->skip_initializing_odb)
+		BUG("cannot reinitialize an already-initialized object directory");
 
-	repo->objects->sources->disable_ref_updates = o->disable_ref_updates;
+	repo->disable_ref_updates = o->disable_ref_updates;
 
-	free(repo->objects->alternate_db);
-	repo->objects->alternate_db = xstrdup_or_null(o->alternate_db);
 	expand_base_dir(&repo->graft_file, o->graft_file,
 			repo->commondir, "info/grafts");
 	expand_base_dir(&repo->index_file, o->index_file,
@@ -382,8 +371,8 @@ void repo_clear(struct repository *repo)
 	FREE_AND_NULL(repo->worktree);
 	FREE_AND_NULL(repo->submodule_prefix);
 
-	odb_clear(repo->objects);
-	FREE_AND_NULL(repo->objects);
+	odb_free(repo->objects);
+	repo->objects = NULL;
 
 	parsed_object_pool_clear(repo->parsed_objects);
 	FREE_AND_NULL(repo->parsed_objects);
diff --git a/repository.h b/repository.h
index 5808a5d610..6063c4b846 100644
--- a/repository.h
+++ b/repository.h
@@ -71,6 +71,13 @@ struct repository {
 	 */
 	struct ref_store *refs_private;
 
+	/*
+	 * Disable ref updates. This is especially used in contexts where
+	 * transactions may still be rolled back so that we don't start to
+	 * reference objects that may vanish.
+	 */
+	bool disable_ref_updates;
+
 	/*
 	 * A strmap of ref_stores, stored by submodule name, accessible via
 	 * `repo_get_submodule_ref_store()`.
@@ -187,7 +194,8 @@ struct set_gitdir_args {
 	const char *graft_file;
 	const char *index_file;
 	const char *alternate_db;
-	int disable_ref_updates;
+	bool disable_ref_updates;
+	bool skip_initializing_odb;
 };
 
 void repo_set_gitdir(struct repository *repo, const char *root,
diff --git a/run-command.c b/run-command.c
index ed9575bd6a..e3e02475cc 100644
--- a/run-command.c
+++ b/run-command.c
@@ -743,7 +743,7 @@ fail_pipe:
 	fflush(NULL);
 
 	if (cmd->close_object_store)
-		close_object_store(the_repository->objects);
+		odb_close(the_repository->objects);
 
 #ifndef GIT_WINDOWS_NATIVE
 {
diff --git a/scalar.c b/scalar.c
index f754311627..2aeb191cc8 100644
--- a/scalar.c
+++ b/scalar.c
@@ -931,7 +931,7 @@ static int cmd_delete(int argc, const char **argv)
 	if (dir_inside_of(cwd, enlistment.buf) >= 0)
 		res = error(_("refusing to delete current working directory"));
 	else {
-		close_object_store(the_repository->objects);
+		odb_close(the_repository->objects);
 		res = delete_enlistment(&enlistment);
 	}
 	strbuf_release(&enlistment);
diff --git a/setup.c b/setup.c
index cf47441b7b..3a6a048620 100644
--- a/setup.c
+++ b/setup.c
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@
 #include "chdir-notify.h"
 #include "path.h"
 #include "quote.h"
-#include "tmp-objdir.h"
 #include "trace.h"
 #include "trace2.h"
 #include "worktree.h"
@@ -1002,6 +1001,83 @@ cleanup_return:
 	return error_code ? NULL : path;
 }
 
+static void setup_git_env_internal(const char *git_dir,
+				   bool skip_initializing_odb)
+{
+	char *git_replace_ref_base;
+	const char *shallow_file;
+	const char *replace_ref_base;
+	struct set_gitdir_args args = { NULL };
+	struct strvec to_free = STRVEC_INIT;
+
+	args.commondir = getenv_safe(&to_free, GIT_COMMON_DIR_ENVIRONMENT);
+	args.object_dir = getenv_safe(&to_free, DB_ENVIRONMENT);
+	args.graft_file = getenv_safe(&to_free, GRAFT_ENVIRONMENT);
+	args.index_file = getenv_safe(&to_free, INDEX_ENVIRONMENT);
+	args.alternate_db = getenv_safe(&to_free, ALTERNATE_DB_ENVIRONMENT);
+	if (getenv(GIT_QUARANTINE_ENVIRONMENT))
+		args.disable_ref_updates = true;
+	args.skip_initializing_odb = skip_initializing_odb;
+
+	repo_set_gitdir(the_repository, git_dir, &args);
+	strvec_clear(&to_free);
+
+	if (getenv(NO_REPLACE_OBJECTS_ENVIRONMENT))
+		disable_replace_refs();
+	replace_ref_base = getenv(GIT_REPLACE_REF_BASE_ENVIRONMENT);
+	git_replace_ref_base = xstrdup(replace_ref_base ? replace_ref_base
+							  : "refs/replace/");
+	update_ref_namespace(NAMESPACE_REPLACE, git_replace_ref_base);
+
+	shallow_file = getenv(GIT_SHALLOW_FILE_ENVIRONMENT);
+	if (shallow_file)
+		set_alternate_shallow_file(the_repository, shallow_file, 0);
+
+	if (git_env_bool(NO_LAZY_FETCH_ENVIRONMENT, 0))
+		fetch_if_missing = 0;
+}
+
+void setup_git_env(const char *git_dir)
+{
+	setup_git_env_internal(git_dir, false);
+}
+
+static void set_git_dir_1(const char *path, bool skip_initializing_odb)
+{
+	xsetenv(GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT, path, 1);
+	setup_git_env_internal(path, skip_initializing_odb);
+}
+
+static void update_relative_gitdir(const char *name UNUSED,
+				   const char *old_cwd,
+				   const char *new_cwd,
+				   void *data UNUSED)
+{
+	char *path = reparent_relative_path(old_cwd, new_cwd,
+					    repo_get_git_dir(the_repository));
+	trace_printf_key(&trace_setup_key,
+			 "setup: move $GIT_DIR to '%s'",
+			 path);
+	set_git_dir_1(path, true);
+	free(path);
+}
+
+static void set_git_dir(const char *path, int make_realpath)
+{
+	struct strbuf realpath = STRBUF_INIT;
+
+	if (make_realpath) {
+		strbuf_realpath(&realpath, path, 1);
+		path = realpath.buf;
+	}
+
+	set_git_dir_1(path, false);
+	if (!is_absolute_path(path))
+		chdir_notify_register(NULL, update_relative_gitdir, NULL);
+
+	strbuf_release(&realpath);
+}
+
 static const char *setup_explicit_git_dir(const char *gitdirenv,
 					  struct strbuf *cwd,
 					  struct repository_format *repo_fmt,
@@ -1628,79 +1704,85 @@ enum discovery_result discover_git_directory_reason(struct strbuf *commondir,
 	return result;
 }
 
-void setup_git_env(const char *git_dir)
+const char *enter_repo(const char *path, unsigned flags)
 {
-	char *git_replace_ref_base;
-	const char *shallow_file;
-	const char *replace_ref_base;
-	struct set_gitdir_args args = { NULL };
-	struct strvec to_free = STRVEC_INIT;
+	static struct strbuf validated_path = STRBUF_INIT;
+	static struct strbuf used_path = STRBUF_INIT;
 
-	args.commondir = getenv_safe(&to_free, GIT_COMMON_DIR_ENVIRONMENT);
-	args.object_dir = getenv_safe(&to_free, DB_ENVIRONMENT);
-	args.graft_file = getenv_safe(&to_free, GRAFT_ENVIRONMENT);
-	args.index_file = getenv_safe(&to_free, INDEX_ENVIRONMENT);
-	args.alternate_db = getenv_safe(&to_free, ALTERNATE_DB_ENVIRONMENT);
-	if (getenv(GIT_QUARANTINE_ENVIRONMENT)) {
-		args.disable_ref_updates = 1;
+	if (!path)
+		return NULL;
+
+	if (!(flags & ENTER_REPO_STRICT)) {
+		static const char *suffix[] = {
+			"/.git", "", ".git/.git", ".git", NULL,
+		};
+		const char *gitfile;
+		int len = strlen(path);
+		int i;
+		while ((1 < len) && (path[len-1] == '/'))
+			len--;
+
+		/*
+		 * We can handle arbitrary-sized buffers, but this remains as a
+		 * sanity check on untrusted input.
+		 */
+		if (PATH_MAX <= len)
+			return NULL;
+
+		strbuf_reset(&used_path);
+		strbuf_reset(&validated_path);
+		strbuf_add(&used_path, path, len);
+		strbuf_add(&validated_path, path, len);
+
+		if (used_path.buf[0] == '~') {
+			char *newpath = interpolate_path(used_path.buf, 0);
+			if (!newpath)
+				return NULL;
+			strbuf_attach(&used_path, newpath, strlen(newpath),
+				      strlen(newpath));
+		}
+		for (i = 0; suffix[i]; i++) {
+			struct stat st;
+			size_t baselen = used_path.len;
+			strbuf_addstr(&used_path, suffix[i]);
+			if (!stat(used_path.buf, &st) &&
+			    (S_ISREG(st.st_mode) ||
+			    (S_ISDIR(st.st_mode) && is_git_directory(used_path.buf)))) {
+				strbuf_addstr(&validated_path, suffix[i]);
+				break;
+			}
+			strbuf_setlen(&used_path, baselen);
+		}
+		if (!suffix[i])
+			return NULL;
+		gitfile = read_gitfile(used_path.buf);
+		if (!(flags & ENTER_REPO_ANY_OWNER_OK))
+			die_upon_dubious_ownership(gitfile, NULL, used_path.buf);
+		if (gitfile) {
+			strbuf_reset(&used_path);
+			strbuf_addstr(&used_path, gitfile);
+		}
+		if (chdir(used_path.buf))
+			return NULL;
+		path = validated_path.buf;
+	}
+	else {
+		const char *gitfile = read_gitfile(path);
+		if (!(flags & ENTER_REPO_ANY_OWNER_OK))
+			die_upon_dubious_ownership(gitfile, NULL, path);
+		if (gitfile)
+			path = gitfile;
+		if (chdir(path))
+			return NULL;
 	}
 
-	repo_set_gitdir(the_repository, git_dir, &args);
-	strvec_clear(&to_free);
-
-	if (getenv(NO_REPLACE_OBJECTS_ENVIRONMENT))
-		disable_replace_refs();
-	replace_ref_base = getenv(GIT_REPLACE_REF_BASE_ENVIRONMENT);
-	git_replace_ref_base = xstrdup(replace_ref_base ? replace_ref_base
-							  : "refs/replace/");
-	update_ref_namespace(NAMESPACE_REPLACE, git_replace_ref_base);
-
-	shallow_file = getenv(GIT_SHALLOW_FILE_ENVIRONMENT);
-	if (shallow_file)
-		set_alternate_shallow_file(the_repository, shallow_file, 0);
-
-	if (git_env_bool(NO_LAZY_FETCH_ENVIRONMENT, 0))
-		fetch_if_missing = 0;
-}
-
-static void set_git_dir_1(const char *path)
-{
-	xsetenv(GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT, path, 1);
-	setup_git_env(path);
-}
-
-static void update_relative_gitdir(const char *name UNUSED,
-				   const char *old_cwd,
-				   const char *new_cwd,
-				   void *data UNUSED)
-{
-	char *path = reparent_relative_path(old_cwd, new_cwd,
-					    repo_get_git_dir(the_repository));
-	struct tmp_objdir *tmp_objdir = tmp_objdir_unapply_primary_odb();
-
-	trace_printf_key(&trace_setup_key,
-			 "setup: move $GIT_DIR to '%s'",
-			 path);
-	set_git_dir_1(path);
-	if (tmp_objdir)
-		tmp_objdir_reapply_primary_odb(tmp_objdir, old_cwd, new_cwd);
-	free(path);
-}
-
-void set_git_dir(const char *path, int make_realpath)
-{
-	struct strbuf realpath = STRBUF_INIT;
-
-	if (make_realpath) {
-		strbuf_realpath(&realpath, path, 1);
-		path = realpath.buf;
+	if (is_git_directory(".")) {
+		set_git_dir(".", 0);
+		check_repository_format(NULL);
+		return path;
 	}
 
-	set_git_dir_1(path);
-	if (!is_absolute_path(path))
-		chdir_notify_register(NULL, update_relative_gitdir, NULL);
-
-	strbuf_release(&realpath);
+	return NULL;
 }
 
 static int git_work_tree_initialized;
diff --git a/setup.h b/setup.h
index 8522fa8575..d55dcc6608 100644
--- a/setup.h
+++ b/setup.h
@@ -94,9 +94,46 @@ static inline int discover_git_directory(struct strbuf *commondir,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-void set_git_dir(const char *path, int make_realpath);
 void set_git_work_tree(const char *tree);
 
+/* Flags that can be passed to `enter_repo()`. */
+enum {
+	/*
+	 * Callers that require exact paths (as opposed to allowing known
+	 * suffixes like ".git", ".git/.git" to be omitted) can set this bit.
+	 */
+	ENTER_REPO_STRICT = (1<<0),
+
+	/*
+	 * Callers that are willing to run without ownership check can set this
+	 * bit.
+	 */
+	ENTER_REPO_ANY_OWNER_OK = (1<<1),
+};
+
+/*
+ * Discover and enter a repository.
+ *
+ * First, one directory to try is determined by the following algorithm.
+ *
+ * (0) If "strict" is given, the path is used as given and no DWIM is
+ *     done. Otherwise:
+ * (1) "~/path" to mean path under the running user's home directory;
+ * (2) "~user/path" to mean path under named user's home directory;
+ * (3) "relative/path" to mean cwd relative directory; or
+ * (4) "/absolute/path" to mean absolute directory.
+ *
+ * Unless "strict" is given, we check "%s/.git", "%s", "%s.git/.git", "%s.git"
+ * in this order. We select the first one that is a valid git repository, and
+ * chdir() to it. If none match, or we fail to chdir, we return NULL.
+ *
+ * If all goes well, we return the directory we used to chdir() (but
+ * before ~user is expanded), avoiding getcwd() resolving symbolic
+ * links.  User relative paths are also returned as they are given,
+ * except DWIM suffixing.
+ */
+const char *enter_repo(const char *path, unsigned flags);
+
 const char *setup_git_directory_gently(int *);
 const char *setup_git_directory(void);
 char *prefix_path(const char *prefix, int len, const char *path);
diff --git a/t/helper/test-repository.c b/t/helper/test-repository.c
index 63c37de33d..9ba94cdffa 100644
--- a/t/helper/test-repository.c
+++ b/t/helper/test-repository.c
@@ -17,10 +17,6 @@ static void test_parse_commit_in_graph(const char *gitdir, const char *worktree,
 	struct commit *c;
 	struct commit_list *parent;
 
-	setup_git_env(gitdir);
-
-	repo_clear(the_repository);
-
 	if (repo_init(&r, gitdir, worktree))
 		die("Couldn't init repo");
 
@@ -47,10 +43,6 @@ static void test_get_commit_tree_in_graph(const char *gitdir,
 	struct commit *c;
 	struct tree *tree;
 
-	setup_git_env(gitdir);
-
-	repo_clear(the_repository);
-
 	if (repo_init(&r, gitdir, worktree))
 		die("Couldn't init repo");
 
@@ -75,24 +67,20 @@ static void test_get_commit_tree_in_graph(const char *gitdir,
 
 int cmd__repository(int argc, const char **argv)
 {
-	int nongit_ok = 0;
-
-	setup_git_directory_gently(&nongit_ok);
-
 	if (argc < 2)
 		die("must have at least 2 arguments");
 	if (!strcmp(argv[1], "parse_commit_in_graph")) {
 		struct object_id oid;
 		if (argc < 5)
 			die("not enough arguments");
-		if (parse_oid_hex(argv[4], &oid, &argv[4]))
+		if (parse_oid_hex_any(argv[4], &oid, &argv[4]) == GIT_HASH_UNKNOWN)
 			die("cannot parse oid '%s'", argv[4]);
 		test_parse_commit_in_graph(argv[2], argv[3], &oid);
 	} else if (!strcmp(argv[1], "get_commit_tree_in_graph")) {
 		struct object_id oid;
 		if (argc < 5)
 			die("not enough arguments");
-		if (parse_oid_hex(argv[4], &oid, &argv[4]))
+		if (parse_oid_hex_any(argv[4], &oid, &argv[4]) == GIT_HASH_UNKNOWN)
 			die("cannot parse oid '%s'", argv[4]);
 		test_get_commit_tree_in_graph(argv[2], argv[3], &oid);
 	} else {
diff --git a/t/t5302-pack-index.sh b/t/t5302-pack-index.sh
index 413c99274c..9697448cb2 100755
--- a/t/t5302-pack-index.sh
+++ b/t/t5302-pack-index.sh
@@ -293,4 +293,20 @@ test_expect_success 'too-large packs report the breach' '
 	grep "maximum allowed size (20 bytes)" err
 '
 
+# git-index-pack(1) uses the default hash algorithm outside of the repository,
+# and it has no way to tell it otherwise. So we can only run this test with the
+# default hash algorithm, as it would otherwise fail to parse the tree.
+test_expect_success DEFAULT_HASH_ALGORITHM 'index-pack --fsck-objects outside of a repo' '
+	test_when_finished "rm -rf repo" &&
+	git init repo &&
+	(
+		cd repo &&
+		printf "100644 blob $(test_oid 001)\t.gitattributes\n" >tree &&
+		git mktree --missing <tree >tree-oid &&
+		git pack-objects <tree-oid pack &&
+		test_must_fail nongit git index-pack --fsck-objects "$(pwd)"/pack-*.pack 2>err &&
+		test_grep "cannot perform queued object checks outside of a repository" err
+	)
+'
+
 test_done