diff --git a/internal/gitrepo/gitrepo.go b/internal/gitrepo/gitrepo.go
index 3ae05a9..2e2e560 100644
--- a/internal/gitrepo/gitrepo.go
+++ b/internal/gitrepo/gitrepo.go
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ func (fc fallbackCatter) Cat(ctx context.Context, dst io.Writer, wantType object
 	for nextID := id; ; {
 		got, r, err := fc.OpenObject(ctx, nextID)
 		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("cat %v %v: %v", wantType, id, err)
+			return fmt.Errorf("cat %v %v: %w", wantType, id, err)
 		}
 		if got.Type == wantType {
 			_, err := io.Copy(dst, r)
diff --git a/internal/repocache/repocache.go b/internal/repocache/repocache.go
index 1f0b7b7..83d4e9e 100644
--- a/internal/repocache/repocache.go
+++ b/internal/repocache/repocache.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import (
 	"embed"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"hash"
 	"io"
 
 	"gg-scm.io/pkg/git/githash"
@@ -107,73 +108,123 @@ func migrate(conn *sqlite.Conn) (err error) {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// Cat copies the content of the given object from the cache into dst.
+// OpenObject returns a reader for the given object in the cache.
 // If the object is not present in the cache,
-// then Cat will return an error that wraps [ErrObjectNotFound].
-// If Cat does not return an error,
-// it guarantees that the bytes written to dst match the hash.
-func (c *Cache) Cat(ctx context.Context, dst io.Writer, id githash.SHA1) (_ object.Type, err error) {
+// then OpenObject will return an error that wraps [ErrObjectNotFound].
+// If the returned reader returns an EOF,
+// it guarantees that the bytes read from it match the hash.
+func (c *Cache) OpenObject(ctx context.Context, id githash.SHA1) (_ object.Prefix, _ io.ReadCloser, err error) {
 	c.conn.SetInterrupt(ctx.Done())
 	defer c.conn.SetInterrupt(nil)
 	defer sqlitex.Transaction(c.conn)(&err)
-	_, tp, err := cat(c.conn, dst, id)
-	return tp, err
+	_, prefix, rc, err := openObject(c.conn, id)
+	return prefix, rc, err
 }
 
-func stat(conn *sqlite.Conn, id githash.SHA1) (oid int64, tp object.Type, uncompressedSize int64, err error) {
-	uncompressedSize = -1
+// Stat returns the prefix of the given object.
+// If the object is not present in the cache,
+// then Stat will return an error that wraps [ErrObjectNotFound].
+func (c *Cache) Stat(ctx context.Context, id githash.SHA1) (_ object.Prefix, err error) {
+	c.conn.SetInterrupt(ctx.Done())
+	defer c.conn.SetInterrupt(nil)
+	defer sqlitex.Transaction(c.conn)(&err)
+	_, prefix, err := stat(c.conn, id)
+	return prefix, err
+}
+
+func stat(conn *sqlite.Conn, id githash.SHA1) (oid int64, prefix object.Prefix, err error) {
+	prefix.Size = -1
 	err = sqlitex.ExecuteTransientFS(conn, sqlFiles, "objects/find.sql", &sqlitex.ExecOptions{
 		Named: map[string]any{
 			":sha1": id[:],
 		},
 		ResultFunc: func(stmt *sqlite.Stmt) error {
 			oid = stmt.GetInt64("oid")
-			tp = object.Type(stmt.GetText("type"))
-			uncompressedSize = stmt.GetInt64("uncompressed_size")
+			prefix.Type = object.Type(stmt.GetText("type"))
+			prefix.Size = stmt.GetInt64("uncompressed_size")
 			return nil
 		},
 	})
 	if err != nil {
-		return 0, "", 0, fmt.Errorf("read git object %v: %v", id, err)
+		return 0, object.Prefix{}, fmt.Errorf("read git object %v: %v", id, err)
 	}
-	if uncompressedSize < 0 {
-		return 0, "", 0, fmt.Errorf("read git object %v: %w", id, ErrObjectNotFound)
+	if prefix.Size < 0 {
+		return 0, object.Prefix{}, fmt.Errorf("read git object %v: %w", id, ErrObjectNotFound)
 	}
-	return oid, tp, uncompressedSize, nil
+	return oid, prefix, nil
 }
 
-func cat(conn *sqlite.Conn, dst io.Writer, id githash.SHA1) (oid int64, _ object.Type, err error) {
-	defer sqlitex.Save(conn)(&err)
+// objectReader is an open handle to a Git object.
+// It verifies the read content on EOF.
+type objectReader struct {
+	blob *sqlite.Blob
+	zr   io.ReadCloser
+	err  error
+
+	id        githash.SHA1
+	hash      hash.Hash
+	remaining int64
+}
 
-	oid, tp, uncompressedSize, err := stat(conn, id)
+func openObject(conn *sqlite.Conn, id githash.SHA1) (oid int64, _ object.Prefix, _ io.ReadCloser, err error) {
+	oid, prefix, err := stat(conn, id)
 	if err != nil {
-		return 0, "", err
+		return 0, object.Prefix{}, nil, err
 	}
+
+	// Intentionally not holding onto a transaction or savepoint here.
 	compressedContent, err := conn.OpenBlob("", objectsTable, contentColumn, oid, false)
 	if err != nil {
-		return 0, "", fmt.Errorf("read git object %v: %v", id, err)
+		return oid, prefix, nil, fmt.Errorf("read git object %v: %v", id, err)
 	}
-	defer compressedContent.Close()
-	h := sha1.New()
-	h.Write(object.AppendPrefix(nil, tp, uncompressedSize))
-	uncompressedContent, err := zlib.NewReader(compressedContent)
-	if err != nil {
-		return 0, "", fmt.Errorf("read git object %v: %v", id, err)
+	r := &objectReader{
+		blob:      compressedContent,
+		id:        id,
+		remaining: prefix.Size,
+		hash:      sha1.New(),
 	}
-	gotSize, err := io.Copy(io.MultiWriter(h, dst), uncompressedContent)
-	uncompressedContent.Close()
+	r.zr, err = zlib.NewReader(compressedContent)
 	if err != nil {
-		return 0, "", fmt.Errorf("read git object %v: %v", id, err)
+		compressedContent.Close()
+		return oid, prefix, nil, fmt.Errorf("read git object %v: %v", id, err)
+	}
+	r.hash.Write(object.AppendPrefix(nil, prefix.Type, prefix.Size))
+	return oid, prefix, r, nil
+}
+
+func (r *objectReader) Read(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
+	if r.err != nil {
+		return 0, r.err
 	}
-	if gotSize != uncompressedSize {
-		return 0, "", fmt.Errorf("read git object %v: corrupted content (advertised size was %d bytes; found %d bytes)", id, uncompressedSize, gotSize)
+	if int64(len(p)) > r.remaining {
+		p = p[:r.remaining]
 	}
-	var gotHash githash.SHA1
-	h.Sum(gotHash[:0])
-	if gotHash != id {
-		return 0, "", fmt.Errorf("read git object %v: corrupted content (hash = %v)", id, gotHash)
+	if len(p) > 0 {
+		n, err = r.zr.Read(p)
+		r.hash.Write(p[:n])
+		r.remaining -= int64(n)
 	}
-	return oid, tp, nil
+	switch {
+	case err != nil && err != io.EOF:
+		return n, fmt.Errorf("read git object %v: %w", r.id, err)
+	case err == io.EOF && r.remaining > 0:
+		return n, fmt.Errorf("read git object %v: %w", r.id, io.ErrUnexpectedEOF)
+	case r.remaining == 0:
+		var gotHash githash.SHA1
+		r.hash.Sum(gotHash[:0])
+		if gotHash != r.id {
+			return n, fmt.Errorf("read git object %v: corrupted content (hash = %v)", r.id, gotHash)
+		}
+		r.err = io.EOF
+		return n, io.EOF
+	}
+	return n, nil
+}
+
+func (r *objectReader) Close() error {
+	r.err = fmt.Errorf("read git object %v: closed", r.id)
+	r.zr.Close()
+	return r.blob.Close()
 }
 
 // Close releases all resources associated with the cache connection.
diff --git a/internal/repocache/repocache_test.go b/internal/repocache/repocache_test.go
index 54b6177..24cba19 100644
--- a/internal/repocache/repocache_test.go
+++ b/internal/repocache/repocache_test.go
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import (
 	"gg-scm.io/pkg/git/object"
 	"gg-scm.io/pkg/git/packfile/client"
 	"gg-scm.io/tool/internal/filesystem"
+	"gg-scm.io/tool/internal/gitrepo"
 	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp"
 	"zombiezen.com/go/sqlite"
 	"zombiezen.com/go/sqlite/sqlitex"
@@ -185,13 +186,10 @@ func TestCopyFrom(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	got := new(bytes.Buffer)
-	gotType, err := cache.Cat(ctx, got, commitObjectName)
+	err = gitrepo.NewRepository(cache).Cat(ctx, got, object.TypeCommit, commitObjectName)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal("Cat:", err)
 	}
-	if wantType := object.TypeCommit; gotType != wantType {
-		t.Errorf("type = %q; want %q", gotType, wantType)
-	}
 	if diff := cmp.Diff(want, got.Bytes()); diff != "" {
 		t.Errorf("content (-want +got):\n%s", diff)
 	}
diff --git a/internal/repocache/sync.go b/internal/repocache/sync.go
index 750b13f..903a0cb 100644
--- a/internal/repocache/sync.go
+++ b/internal/repocache/sync.go
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ package repocache
 
 import (
 	"bufio"
-	"bytes"
 	"compress/zlib"
 	"context"
 	"crypto/sha1"
@@ -189,15 +188,21 @@ func insertObject(conn *sqlite.Conn, insertStmt *sqlite.Stmt, name githash.SHA1,
 func indexCommit(conn *sqlite.Conn, id githash.SHA1) (err error) {
 	defer sqlitex.Save(conn)(&err)
 
-	buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
-	oid, tp, err := cat(conn, buf, id)
+	oid, prefix, rc, err := openObject(conn, id)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("index commit %v: %v", id, err)
 	}
-	if tp != object.TypeCommit {
-		return fmt.Errorf("index commit %v: not a commit (found %v)", id, tp)
+	if prefix.Type != object.TypeCommit {
+		rc.Close()
+		return fmt.Errorf("index commit %v: not a commit (found %v)", id, prefix.Type)
 	}
-	parsed, err := object.ParseCommit(buf.Bytes())
+	buf := make([]byte, prefix.Size)
+	_, err = io.ReadFull(rc, buf)
+	rc.Close()
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("index commit %v: %v", id, err)
+	}
+	parsed, err := object.ParseCommit(buf)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("index commit %v: %v", id, err)
 	}