diff --git a/commit-graph.c b/commit-graph.c
index 123dbc7c21..eb681e6cf5 100644
--- a/commit-graph.c
+++ b/commit-graph.c
@@ -64,6 +64,8 @@ void git_test_write_commit_graph_or_die(void)
 /* Remember to update object flag allocation in object.h */
 #define REACHABLE       (1u<<15)
 
+define_commit_slab(topo_level_slab, uint32_t);
+
 /* Keep track of the order in which commits are added to our list. */
 define_commit_slab(commit_pos, int);
 static struct commit_pos commit_pos = COMMIT_SLAB_INIT(1, commit_pos);
@@ -772,6 +774,9 @@ static void fill_commit_graph_info(struct commit *item, struct commit_graph *g,
 	item->date = (timestamp_t)((date_high << 32) | date_low);
 
 	graph_data->generation = get_be32(commit_data + g->hash_len + 8) >> 2;
+
+	if (g->topo_levels)
+		*topo_level_slab_at(g->topo_levels, item) = get_be32(commit_data + g->hash_len + 8) >> 2;
 }
 
 static inline void set_commit_tree(struct commit *c, struct tree *t)
@@ -960,6 +965,7 @@ struct write_commit_graph_context {
 		 changed_paths:1,
 		 order_by_pack:1;
 
+	struct topo_level_slab *topo_levels;
 	const struct commit_graph_opts *opts;
 	size_t total_bloom_filter_data_size;
 	const struct bloom_filter_settings *bloom_settings;
@@ -1106,7 +1112,7 @@ static int write_graph_chunk_data(struct hashfile *f,
 		else
 			packedDate[0] = 0;
 
-		packedDate[0] |= htonl(commit_graph_data_at(*list)->generation << 2);
+		packedDate[0] |= htonl(*topo_level_slab_at(ctx->topo_levels, *list) << 2);
 
 		packedDate[1] = htonl((*list)->date);
 		hashwrite(f, packedDate, 8);
@@ -1336,11 +1342,10 @@ static void compute_generation_numbers(struct write_commit_graph_context *ctx)
 					_("Computing commit graph generation numbers"),
 					ctx->commits.nr);
 	for (i = 0; i < ctx->commits.nr; i++) {
-		uint32_t generation = commit_graph_data_at(ctx->commits.list[i])->generation;
+		uint32_t level = *topo_level_slab_at(ctx->topo_levels, ctx->commits.list[i]);
 
 		display_progress(ctx->progress, i + 1);
-		if (generation != GENERATION_NUMBER_INFINITY &&
-		    generation != GENERATION_NUMBER_ZERO)
+		if (level != GENERATION_NUMBER_ZERO)
 			continue;
 
 		commit_list_insert(ctx->commits.list[i], &list);
@@ -1348,29 +1353,26 @@ static void compute_generation_numbers(struct write_commit_graph_context *ctx)
 			struct commit *current = list->item;
 			struct commit_list *parent;
 			int all_parents_computed = 1;
-			uint32_t max_generation = 0;
+			uint32_t max_level = 0;
 
 			for (parent = current->parents; parent; parent = parent->next) {
-				generation = commit_graph_data_at(parent->item)->generation;
+				level = *topo_level_slab_at(ctx->topo_levels, parent->item);
 
-				if (generation == GENERATION_NUMBER_INFINITY ||
-				    generation == GENERATION_NUMBER_ZERO) {
+				if (level == GENERATION_NUMBER_ZERO) {
 					all_parents_computed = 0;
 					commit_list_insert(parent->item, &list);
 					break;
-				} else if (generation > max_generation) {
-					max_generation = generation;
+				} else if (level > max_level) {
+					max_level = level;
 				}
 			}
 
 			if (all_parents_computed) {
-				struct commit_graph_data *data = commit_graph_data_at(current);
-
-				data->generation = max_generation + 1;
 				pop_commit(&list);
 
-				if (data->generation > GENERATION_NUMBER_MAX)
-					data->generation = GENERATION_NUMBER_MAX;
+				if (max_level > GENERATION_NUMBER_MAX - 1)
+					max_level = GENERATION_NUMBER_MAX - 1;
+				*topo_level_slab_at(ctx->topo_levels, current) = max_level + 1;
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -2106,6 +2108,7 @@ int write_commit_graph(struct object_directory *odb,
 	int res = 0;
 	int replace = 0;
 	struct bloom_filter_settings bloom_settings = DEFAULT_BLOOM_FILTER_SETTINGS;
+	struct topo_level_slab topo_levels;
 
 	prepare_repo_settings(the_repository);
 	if (!the_repository->settings.core_commit_graph) {
@@ -2132,6 +2135,18 @@ int write_commit_graph(struct object_directory *odb,
 							 bloom_settings.max_changed_paths);
 	ctx->bloom_settings = &bloom_settings;
 
+	init_topo_level_slab(&topo_levels);
+	ctx->topo_levels = &topo_levels;
+
+	if (ctx->r->objects->commit_graph) {
+		struct commit_graph *g = ctx->r->objects->commit_graph;
+
+		while (g) {
+			g->topo_levels = &topo_levels;
+			g = g->base_graph;
+		}
+	}
+
 	if (flags & COMMIT_GRAPH_WRITE_BLOOM_FILTERS)
 		ctx->changed_paths = 1;
 	if (!(flags & COMMIT_GRAPH_NO_WRITE_BLOOM_FILTERS)) {
diff --git a/commit-graph.h b/commit-graph.h
index f8e92500c6..00f00745b7 100644
--- a/commit-graph.h
+++ b/commit-graph.h
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ struct commit_graph {
 	const unsigned char *chunk_bloom_indexes;
 	const unsigned char *chunk_bloom_data;
 
+	struct topo_level_slab *topo_levels;
 	struct bloom_filter_settings *bloom_filter_settings;
 };