diff --git a/notes.c b/notes.c
index 66379ffd22..2b66723f5f 100644
--- a/notes.c
+++ b/notes.c
@@ -4,15 +4,112 @@
 #include "refs.h"
 #include "utf8.h"
 #include "strbuf.h"
+#include "tree-walk.h"
+
+struct entry {
+	unsigned char commit_sha1[20];
+	unsigned char notes_sha1[20];
+};
+
+struct hash_map {
+	struct entry *entries;
+	off_t count, size;
+};
 
 static int initialized;
+static struct hash_map hash_map;
+
+static int hash_index(struct hash_map *map, const unsigned char *sha1)
+{
+	int i = ((*(unsigned int *)sha1) % map->size);
+
+	for (;;) {
+		unsigned char *current = map->entries[i].commit_sha1;
+
+		if (!hashcmp(sha1, current))
+			return i;
+
+		if (is_null_sha1(current))
+			return -1 - i;
+
+		if (++i == map->size)
+			i = 0;
+	}
+}
+
+static void add_entry(const unsigned char *commit_sha1,
+		const unsigned char *notes_sha1)
+{
+	int index;
+
+	if (hash_map.count + 1 > hash_map.size >> 1) {
+		int i, old_size = hash_map.size;
+		struct entry *old = hash_map.entries;
+
+		hash_map.size = old_size ? old_size << 1 : 64;
+		hash_map.entries = (struct entry *)
+			xcalloc(sizeof(struct entry), hash_map.size);
+
+		for (i = 0; i < old_size; i++)
+			if (!is_null_sha1(old[i].commit_sha1)) {
+				index = -1 - hash_index(&hash_map,
+						old[i].commit_sha1);
+				memcpy(hash_map.entries + index, old + i,
+					sizeof(struct entry));
+			}
+		free(old);
+	}
+
+	index = hash_index(&hash_map, commit_sha1);
+	if (index < 0) {
+		index = -1 - index;
+		hash_map.count++;
+	}
+
+	hashcpy(hash_map.entries[index].commit_sha1, commit_sha1);
+	hashcpy(hash_map.entries[index].notes_sha1, notes_sha1);
+}
+
+static void initialize_hash_map(const char *notes_ref_name)
+{
+	unsigned char sha1[20], commit_sha1[20];
+	unsigned mode;
+	struct tree_desc desc;
+	struct name_entry entry;
+	void *buf;
+
+	if (!notes_ref_name || read_ref(notes_ref_name, commit_sha1) ||
+	    get_tree_entry(commit_sha1, "", sha1, &mode))
+		return;
+
+	buf = fill_tree_descriptor(&desc, sha1);
+	if (!buf)
+		die("Could not read %s for notes-index", sha1_to_hex(sha1));
+
+	while (tree_entry(&desc, &entry))
+		if (!get_sha1(entry.path, commit_sha1))
+			add_entry(commit_sha1, entry.sha1);
+	free(buf);
+}
+
+static unsigned char *lookup_notes(const unsigned char *commit_sha1)
+{
+	int index;
+
+	if (!hash_map.size)
+		return NULL;
+
+	index = hash_index(&hash_map, commit_sha1);
+	if (index < 0)
+		return NULL;
+	return hash_map.entries[index].notes_sha1;
+}
 
 void get_commit_notes(const struct commit *commit, struct strbuf *sb,
 		const char *output_encoding)
 {
 	static const char utf8[] = "utf-8";
-	struct strbuf name = STRBUF_INIT;
-	unsigned char sha1[20];
+	unsigned char *sha1;
 	char *msg, *msg_p;
 	unsigned long linelen, msglen;
 	enum object_type type;
@@ -23,17 +120,12 @@ void get_commit_notes(const struct commit *commit, struct strbuf *sb,
 			notes_ref_name = getenv(GIT_NOTES_REF_ENVIRONMENT);
 		else if (!notes_ref_name)
 			notes_ref_name = GIT_NOTES_DEFAULT_REF;
-		if (notes_ref_name && read_ref(notes_ref_name, sha1))
-			notes_ref_name = NULL;
+		initialize_hash_map(notes_ref_name);
 		initialized = 1;
 	}
 
-	if (!notes_ref_name)
-		return;
-
-	strbuf_addf(&name, "%s:%s", notes_ref_name,
-			sha1_to_hex(commit->object.sha1));
-	if (get_sha1(name.buf, sha1))
+	sha1 = lookup_notes(commit->object.sha1);
+	if (!sha1)
 		return;
 
 	if (!(msg = read_sha1_file(sha1, &type, &msglen)) || !msglen ||