diff --git a/commit.c b/commit.c
index 28bb5ce029..fb1b01b9c3 100644
--- a/commit.c
+++ b/commit.c
@@ -43,13 +43,35 @@ const char *commit_type = "commit";
 struct commit *lookup_commit_reference_gently(struct repository *r,
 		const struct object_id *oid, int quiet)
 {
-	struct object *obj = deref_tag(r,
-				       parse_object(r, oid),
-				       NULL, 0);
+	const struct object_id *maybe_peeled;
+	struct object_id peeled_oid;
+	struct object *object;
+	enum object_type type;
 
-	if (!obj)
+	switch (peel_object_ext(r, oid, &peeled_oid, 0, &type)) {
+	case PEEL_NON_TAG:
+		maybe_peeled = oid;
+		break;
+	case PEEL_PEELED:
+		maybe_peeled = &peeled_oid;
+		break;
+	default:
 		return NULL;
-	return object_as_type(obj, OBJ_COMMIT, quiet);
+	}
+
+	if (type != OBJ_COMMIT) {
+		if (!quiet)
+			error(_("object %s is a %s, not a %s"),
+			      oid_to_hex(oid), type_name(type),
+			      type_name(OBJ_COMMIT));
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
+	object = parse_object(r, maybe_peeled);
+	if (!object)
+		return NULL;
+
+	return object_as_type(object, OBJ_COMMIT, quiet);
 }
 
 struct commit *lookup_commit_reference(struct repository *r, const struct object_id *oid)
diff --git a/object.c b/object.c
index 4669b8d65e..99b6df3780 100644
--- a/object.c
+++ b/object.c
@@ -207,10 +207,11 @@ struct object *lookup_object_by_type(struct repository *r,
 	}
 }
 
-enum peel_status peel_object(struct repository *r,
-			     const struct object_id *name,
-			     struct object_id *oid,
-			     unsigned flags)
+enum peel_status peel_object_ext(struct repository *r,
+				 const struct object_id *name,
+				 struct object_id *oid,
+				 unsigned flags,
+				 enum object_type *typep)
 {
 	struct object *o = lookup_unknown_object(r, name);
 
@@ -220,8 +221,10 @@ enum peel_status peel_object(struct repository *r,
 			return PEEL_INVALID;
 	}
 
-	if (o->type != OBJ_TAG)
+	if (o->type != OBJ_TAG) {
+		*typep = o->type;
 		return PEEL_NON_TAG;
+	}
 
 	while (o && o->type == OBJ_TAG) {
 		o = parse_object(r, &o->oid);
@@ -241,9 +244,19 @@ enum peel_status peel_object(struct repository *r,
 		return PEEL_INVALID;
 
 	oidcpy(oid, &o->oid);
+	*typep = o->type;
 	return PEEL_PEELED;
 }
 
+enum peel_status peel_object(struct repository *r,
+			     const struct object_id *name,
+			     struct object_id *oid,
+			     unsigned flags)
+{
+	enum object_type dummy;
+	return peel_object_ext(r, name, oid, flags, &dummy);
+}
+
 struct object *parse_object_buffer(struct repository *r, const struct object_id *oid, enum object_type type, unsigned long size, void *buffer, int *eaten_p)
 {
 	struct object *obj;
diff --git a/object.h b/object.h
index 4bca957b8d..8f98382243 100644
--- a/object.h
+++ b/object.h
@@ -309,6 +309,11 @@ enum peel_status peel_object(struct repository *r,
 			     const struct object_id *name,
 			     struct object_id *oid,
 			     unsigned flags);
+enum peel_status peel_object_ext(struct repository *r,
+				 const struct object_id *name,
+				 struct object_id *oid,
+				 unsigned flags,
+				 enum object_type *typep);
 
 struct object_list *object_list_insert(struct object *item,
 				       struct object_list **list_p);