diff --git a/object-store.h b/object-store.h
index f439d47af8..c4fc9dd74e 100644
--- a/object-store.h
+++ b/object-store.h
@@ -239,12 +239,33 @@ int read_loose_object(const char *path,
 		      unsigned long *size,
 		      void **contents);
 
+/* Retry packed storage after checking packed and loose storage */
+#define HAS_OBJECT_RECHECK_PACKED 1
+
+/*
+ * Returns 1 if the object exists. This function will not lazily fetch objects
+ * in a partial clone.
+ */
+int has_object(struct repository *r, const struct object_id *oid,
+	       unsigned flags);
+
+/*
+ * These macros and functions are deprecated. If checking existence for an
+ * object that is likely to be missing and/or whose absence is relatively
+ * inconsequential (or is consequential but the caller is prepared to handle
+ * it), use has_object(), which has better defaults (no lazy fetch in a partial
+ * clone and no rechecking of packed storage). In the unlikely event that a
+ * caller needs to assert existence of an object that it fully expects to
+ * exist, and wants to trigger a lazy fetch in a partial clone, use
+ * oid_object_info_extended() with a NULL struct object_info.
+ *
+ * These functions can be removed once all callers have migrated to
+ * has_object() and/or oid_object_info_extended().
+ */
 #ifndef NO_THE_REPOSITORY_COMPATIBILITY_MACROS
 #define has_sha1_file_with_flags(sha1, flags) repo_has_sha1_file_with_flags(the_repository, sha1, flags)
 #define has_sha1_file(sha1) repo_has_sha1_file(the_repository, sha1)
 #endif
-
-/* Same as the above, except for struct object_id. */
 int repo_has_object_file(struct repository *r, const struct object_id *oid);
 int repo_has_object_file_with_flags(struct repository *r,
 				    const struct object_id *oid, int flags);
diff --git a/sha1-file.c b/sha1-file.c
index 45fdb8415c..5866de0f65 100644
--- a/sha1-file.c
+++ b/sha1-file.c
@@ -1989,6 +1989,18 @@ int force_object_loose(const struct object_id *oid, time_t mtime)
 	return ret;
 }
 
+int has_object(struct repository *r, const struct object_id *oid,
+	       unsigned flags)
+{
+	int quick = !(flags & HAS_OBJECT_RECHECK_PACKED);
+	unsigned object_info_flags = OBJECT_INFO_SKIP_FETCH_OBJECT |
+		(quick ? OBJECT_INFO_QUICK : 0);
+
+	if (!startup_info->have_repository)
+		return 0;
+	return oid_object_info_extended(r, oid, NULL, object_info_flags) >= 0;
+}
+
 int repo_has_object_file_with_flags(struct repository *r,
 				    const struct object_id *oid, int flags)
 {