extern int has_sha1_pack(const unsigned char *sha1);
 
+/*
+ * Open the loose object at path, check its sha1, and return the contents,
+ * type, and size. If the object is a blob, then "contents" may return NULL,
+ * to allow streaming of large blobs.
+ *
+ * Returns 0 on success, negative on error (details may be written to stderr).
+ */
+int read_loose_object(const char *path,
+                     const unsigned char *expected_sha1,
+                     enum object_type *type,
+                     unsigned long *size,
+                     void **contents);
+
 /*
  * Return true iff we have an object named sha1, whether local or in
  * an alternate object database, and whether packed or loose.  This
 
        return -1;
 }
 
-void *map_sha1_file(const unsigned char *sha1, unsigned long *size)
+/*
+ * Map the loose object at "path" if it is not NULL, or the path found by
+ * searching for a loose object named "sha1".
+ */
+static void *map_sha1_file_1(const char *path,
+                            const unsigned char *sha1,
+                            unsigned long *size)
 {
-       const char *path;
        void *map;
        int fd;
 
-       fd = open_sha1_file(sha1, &path);
+       if (path)
+               fd = git_open(path);
+       else
+               fd = open_sha1_file(sha1, &path);
        map = NULL;
        if (fd >= 0) {
                struct stat st;
        return map;
 }
 
+void *map_sha1_file(const unsigned char *sha1, unsigned long *size)
+{
+       return map_sha1_file_1(NULL, sha1, size);
+}
+
 unsigned long unpack_object_header_buffer(const unsigned char *buf,
                unsigned long len, enum object_type *type, unsigned long *sizep)
 {
        }
        return r ? r : pack_errors;
 }
+
+static int check_stream_sha1(git_zstream *stream,
+                            const char *hdr,
+                            unsigned long size,
+                            const char *path,
+                            const unsigned char *expected_sha1)
+{
+       git_SHA_CTX c;
+       unsigned char real_sha1[GIT_SHA1_RAWSZ];
+       unsigned char buf[4096];
+       unsigned long total_read;
+       int status = Z_OK;
+
+       git_SHA1_Init(&c);
+       git_SHA1_Update(&c, hdr, stream->total_out);
+
+       /*
+        * We already read some bytes into hdr, but the ones up to the NUL
+        * do not count against the object's content size.
+        */
+       total_read = stream->total_out - strlen(hdr) - 1;
+
+       /*
+        * This size comparison must be "<=" to read the final zlib packets;
+        * see the comment in unpack_sha1_rest for details.
+        */
+       while (total_read <= size &&
+              (status == Z_OK || status == Z_BUF_ERROR)) {
+               stream->next_out = buf;
+               stream->avail_out = sizeof(buf);
+               if (size - total_read < stream->avail_out)
+                       stream->avail_out = size - total_read;
+               status = git_inflate(stream, Z_FINISH);
+               git_SHA1_Update(&c, buf, stream->next_out - buf);
+               total_read += stream->next_out - buf;
+       }
+       git_inflate_end(stream);
+
+       if (status != Z_STREAM_END) {
+               error("corrupt loose object '%s'", sha1_to_hex(expected_sha1));
+               return -1;
+       }
+
+       git_SHA1_Final(real_sha1, &c);
+       if (hashcmp(expected_sha1, real_sha1)) {
+               error("sha1 mismatch for %s (expected %s)", path,
+                     sha1_to_hex(expected_sha1));
+               return -1;
+       }
+
+       return 0;
+}
+
+int read_loose_object(const char *path,
+                     const unsigned char *expected_sha1,
+                     enum object_type *type,
+                     unsigned long *size,
+                     void **contents)
+{
+       int ret = -1;
+       int fd = -1;
+       void *map = NULL;
+       unsigned long mapsize;
+       git_zstream stream;
+       char hdr[32];
+
+       *contents = NULL;
+
+       map = map_sha1_file_1(path, NULL, &mapsize);
+       if (!map) {
+               error_errno("unable to mmap %s", path);
+               goto out;
+       }
+
+       if (unpack_sha1_header(&stream, map, mapsize, hdr, sizeof(hdr)) < 0) {
+               error("unable to unpack header of %s", path);
+               goto out;
+       }
+
+       *type = parse_sha1_header(hdr, size);
+       if (*type < 0) {
+               error("unable to parse header of %s", path);
+               git_inflate_end(&stream);
+               goto out;
+       }
+
+       if (*type == OBJ_BLOB) {
+               if (check_stream_sha1(&stream, hdr, *size, path, expected_sha1) < 0)
+                       goto out;
+       } else {
+               *contents = unpack_sha1_rest(&stream, hdr, *size, expected_sha1);
+               if (!*contents) {
+                       error("unable to unpack contents of %s", path);
+                       git_inflate_end(&stream);
+                       goto out;
+               }
+               if (check_sha1_signature(expected_sha1, *contents,
+                                        *size, typename(*type))) {
+                       error("sha1 mismatch for %s (expected %s)", path,
+                             sha1_to_hex(expected_sha1));
+                       free(*contents);
+                       goto out;
+               }
+       }
+
+       ret = 0; /* everything checks out */
+
+out:
+       if (map)
+               munmap(map, mapsize);
+       if (fd >= 0)
+               close(fd);
+       return ret;
+}