/* .receivepack = */ "git-receive-pack",
 };
 
+static int feed_object(const unsigned char *sha1, int fd, int negative)
+{
+       char buf[42];
+
+       if (negative && !has_sha1_file(sha1))
+               return 1;
+
+       memcpy(buf + negative, sha1_to_hex(sha1), 40);
+       if (negative)
+               buf[0] = '^';
+       buf[40 + negative] = '\n';
+       return write_or_whine(fd, buf, 41 + negative, "send-pack: send refs");
+}
+
 /*
  * Make a pack stream and spit it out into file descriptor fd
  */
        };
        struct child_process po;
        int i;
-       char buf[42];
 
        if (args.use_thin_pack)
                argv[4] = "--thin";
         * We feed the pack-objects we just spawned with revision
         * parameters by writing to the pipe.
         */
-       for (i = 0; i < extra->nr; i++) {
-               memcpy(buf + 1, sha1_to_hex(&extra->array[i][0]), 40);
-               buf[0] = '^';
-               buf[41] = '\n';
-               if (!write_or_whine(po.in, buf, 42, "send-pack: send refs"))
+       for (i = 0; i < extra->nr; i++)
+               if (!feed_object(extra->array[i], po.in, 1))
                        break;
-       }
 
        while (refs) {
                if (!is_null_sha1(refs->old_sha1) &&
-                   has_sha1_file(refs->old_sha1)) {
-                       memcpy(buf + 1, sha1_to_hex(refs->old_sha1), 40);
-                       buf[0] = '^';
-                       buf[41] = '\n';
-                       if (!write_or_whine(po.in, buf, 42,
-                                               "send-pack: send refs"))
-                               break;
-               }
-               if (!is_null_sha1(refs->new_sha1)) {
-                       memcpy(buf, sha1_to_hex(refs->new_sha1), 40);
-                       buf[40] = '\n';
-                       if (!write_or_whine(po.in, buf, 41,
-                                               "send-pack: send refs"))
-                               break;
-               }
+                   !feed_object(refs->old_sha1, po.in, 1))
+                       break;
+               if (!is_null_sha1(refs->new_sha1) &&
+                   !feed_object(refs->new_sha1, po.in, 0))
+                       break;
                refs = refs->next;
        }