diff --git a/builtin.h b/builtin.h
index ed6ee26933..98b1e85e8b 100644
--- a/builtin.h
+++ b/builtin.h
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ void finish_copy_notes_for_rewrite(struct notes_rewrite_cfg *c);
 
 extern int check_pager_config(const char *cmd);
 
-extern int textconv_object(const char *path, const unsigned char *sha1, char **buf, unsigned long *buf_size);
+extern int textconv_object(const char *path, unsigned mode, const unsigned char *sha1, char **buf, unsigned long *buf_size);
 
 extern int cmd_add(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix);
 extern int cmd_annotate(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix);
diff --git a/builtin/blame.c b/builtin/blame.c
index 28e3be2ead..173f286b19 100644
--- a/builtin/blame.c
+++ b/builtin/blame.c
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ struct origin {
 	struct commit *commit;
 	mmfile_t file;
 	unsigned char blob_sha1[20];
+	unsigned mode;
 	char path[FLEX_ARRAY];
 };
 
@@ -92,6 +93,7 @@ struct origin {
  * Return 1 if the conversion succeeds, 0 otherwise.
  */
 int textconv_object(const char *path,
+		    unsigned mode,
 		    const unsigned char *sha1,
 		    char **buf,
 		    unsigned long *buf_size)
@@ -100,7 +102,7 @@ int textconv_object(const char *path,
 	struct userdiff_driver *textconv;
 
 	df = alloc_filespec(path);
-	fill_filespec(df, sha1, S_IFREG | 0664);
+	fill_filespec(df, sha1, mode);
 	textconv = get_textconv(df);
 	if (!textconv) {
 		free_filespec(df);
@@ -125,7 +127,7 @@ static void fill_origin_blob(struct diff_options *opt,
 
 		num_read_blob++;
 		if (DIFF_OPT_TST(opt, ALLOW_TEXTCONV) &&
-		    textconv_object(o->path, o->blob_sha1, &file->ptr, &file_size))
+		    textconv_object(o->path, o->mode, o->blob_sha1, &file->ptr, &file_size))
 			;
 		else
 			file->ptr = read_sha1_file(o->blob_sha1, &type, &file_size);
@@ -313,21 +315,23 @@ static struct origin *get_origin(struct scoreboard *sb,
  * for an origin is also used to pass the blame for the entire file to
  * the parent to detect the case where a child's blob is identical to
  * that of its parent's.
+ *
+ * This also fills origin->mode for corresponding tree path.
  */
-static int fill_blob_sha1(struct origin *origin)
+static int fill_blob_sha1_and_mode(struct origin *origin)
 {
-	unsigned mode;
 	if (!is_null_sha1(origin->blob_sha1))
 		return 0;
 	if (get_tree_entry(origin->commit->object.sha1,
 			   origin->path,
-			   origin->blob_sha1, &mode))
+			   origin->blob_sha1, &origin->mode))
 		goto error_out;
 	if (sha1_object_info(origin->blob_sha1, NULL) != OBJ_BLOB)
 		goto error_out;
 	return 0;
  error_out:
 	hashclr(origin->blob_sha1);
+	origin->mode = S_IFINVALID;
 	return -1;
 }
 
@@ -360,12 +364,14 @@ static struct origin *find_origin(struct scoreboard *sb,
 			/*
 			 * If the origin was newly created (i.e. get_origin
 			 * would call make_origin if none is found in the
-			 * scoreboard), it does not know the blob_sha1,
+			 * scoreboard), it does not know the blob_sha1/mode,
 			 * so copy it.  Otherwise porigin was in the
-			 * scoreboard and already knows blob_sha1.
+			 * scoreboard and already knows blob_sha1/mode.
 			 */
-			if (porigin->refcnt == 1)
+			if (porigin->refcnt == 1) {
 				hashcpy(porigin->blob_sha1, cached->blob_sha1);
+				porigin->mode = cached->mode;
+			}
 			return porigin;
 		}
 		/* otherwise it was not very useful; free it */
@@ -400,6 +406,7 @@ static struct origin *find_origin(struct scoreboard *sb,
 		/* The path is the same as parent */
 		porigin = get_origin(sb, parent, origin->path);
 		hashcpy(porigin->blob_sha1, origin->blob_sha1);
+		porigin->mode = origin->mode;
 	} else {
 		/*
 		 * Since origin->path is a pathspec, if the parent
@@ -425,6 +432,7 @@ static struct origin *find_origin(struct scoreboard *sb,
 		case 'M':
 			porigin = get_origin(sb, parent, origin->path);
 			hashcpy(porigin->blob_sha1, p->one->sha1);
+			porigin->mode = p->one->mode;
 			break;
 		case 'A':
 		case 'T':
@@ -444,6 +452,7 @@ static struct origin *find_origin(struct scoreboard *sb,
 
 		cached = make_origin(porigin->commit, porigin->path);
 		hashcpy(cached->blob_sha1, porigin->blob_sha1);
+		cached->mode = porigin->mode;
 		parent->util = cached;
 	}
 	return porigin;
@@ -486,6 +495,7 @@ static struct origin *find_rename(struct scoreboard *sb,
 		    !strcmp(p->two->path, origin->path)) {
 			porigin = get_origin(sb, parent, p->one->path);
 			hashcpy(porigin->blob_sha1, p->one->sha1);
+			porigin->mode = p->one->mode;
 			break;
 		}
 	}
@@ -1099,6 +1109,7 @@ static int find_copy_in_parent(struct scoreboard *sb,
 
 			norigin = get_origin(sb, parent, p->one->path);
 			hashcpy(norigin->blob_sha1, p->one->sha1);
+			norigin->mode = p->one->mode;
 			fill_origin_blob(&sb->revs->diffopt, norigin, &file_p);
 			if (!file_p.ptr)
 				continue;
@@ -2083,7 +2094,7 @@ static struct commit *fake_working_tree_commit(struct diff_options *opt,
 		switch (st.st_mode & S_IFMT) {
 		case S_IFREG:
 			if (DIFF_OPT_TST(opt, ALLOW_TEXTCONV) &&
-			    textconv_object(read_from, null_sha1, &buf.buf, &buf_len))
+			    textconv_object(read_from, mode, null_sha1, &buf.buf, &buf_len))
 				buf.len = buf_len;
 			else if (strbuf_read_file(&buf, read_from, st.st_size) != st.st_size)
 				die_errno("cannot open or read '%s'", read_from);
@@ -2463,11 +2474,11 @@ int cmd_blame(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	}
 	else {
 		o = get_origin(&sb, sb.final, path);
-		if (fill_blob_sha1(o))
+		if (fill_blob_sha1_and_mode(o))
 			die("no such path %s in %s", path, final_commit_name);
 
 		if (DIFF_OPT_TST(&sb.revs->diffopt, ALLOW_TEXTCONV) &&
-		    textconv_object(path, o->blob_sha1, (char **) &sb.final_buf,
+		    textconv_object(path, o->mode, o->blob_sha1, (char **) &sb.final_buf,
 				    &sb.final_buf_size))
 			;
 		else
diff --git a/builtin/cat-file.c b/builtin/cat-file.c
index 76ec3fec92..94632dbdb4 100644
--- a/builtin/cat-file.c
+++ b/builtin/cat-file.c
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ static int cat_one_file(int opt, const char *exp_type, const char *obj_name)
 			die("git cat-file --textconv %s: <object> must be <sha1:path>",
 			    obj_name);
 
-		if (!textconv_object(obj_context.path, sha1, &buf, &size))
+		if (!textconv_object(obj_context.path, obj_context.mode, sha1, &buf, &size))
 			die("git cat-file --textconv: unable to run textconv on %s",
 			    obj_name);
 		break;
diff --git a/sha1_name.c b/sha1_name.c
index 4af94fa598..36c9cbf1ac 100644
--- a/sha1_name.c
+++ b/sha1_name.c
@@ -1068,6 +1068,7 @@ int get_sha1_with_context_1(const char *name, unsigned char *sha1,
 		struct cache_entry *ce;
 		int pos;
 		if (namelen > 2 && name[1] == '/')
+			/* don't need mode for commit */
 			return get_sha1_oneline(name + 2, sha1);
 		if (namelen < 3 ||
 		    name[2] != ':' ||
@@ -1095,6 +1096,7 @@ int get_sha1_with_context_1(const char *name, unsigned char *sha1,
 				break;
 			if (ce_stage(ce) == stage) {
 				hashcpy(sha1, ce->sha1);
+				oc->mode = ce->ce_mode;
 				return 0;
 			}
 			pos++;
diff --git a/t/t8006-blame-textconv.sh b/t/t8006-blame-textconv.sh
index 7c35959b44..dbf623bce5 100755
--- a/t/t8006-blame-textconv.sh
+++ b/t/t8006-blame-textconv.sh
@@ -94,8 +94,7 @@ test_expect_success SYMLINKS 'blame with --no-textconv (on symlink)' '
 	test_cmp expected result
 '
 
-# fails with '...symlink.bin is not "binary" file'
-test_expect_failure SYMLINKS 'blame --textconv (on symlink)' '
+test_expect_success SYMLINKS 'blame --textconv (on symlink)' '
 	git blame --textconv symlink.bin >blame &&
 	find_blame <blame >result &&
 	test_cmp expected result
@@ -114,8 +113,7 @@ EOF
 	GIT_AUTHOR_NAME=Number4 git commit -a -m Fourth --date="2010-01-01 23:00:00"
 '
 
-# fails with '...symlink.bin is not "binary" file'
-test_expect_failure SYMLINKS 'blame on last commit (-C -C, symlink)' '
+test_expect_success SYMLINKS 'blame on last commit (-C -C, symlink)' '
 	git blame -C -C three.bin >blame &&
 	find_blame <blame >result &&
 	cat >expected <<\EOF &&
diff --git a/t/t8007-cat-file-textconv.sh b/t/t8007-cat-file-textconv.sh
index 98a3e1f571..78a0085e64 100755
--- a/t/t8007-cat-file-textconv.sh
+++ b/t/t8007-cat-file-textconv.sh
@@ -79,8 +79,7 @@ test_expect_success SYMLINKS 'cat-file without --textconv (symlink)' '
 '
 
 
-# fails because cat-file tries to run converter on symlink.bin
-test_expect_failure SYMLINKS 'cat-file --textconv on index (symlink)' '
+test_expect_success SYMLINKS 'cat-file --textconv on index (symlink)' '
 	! git cat-file --textconv :symlink.bin 2>result &&
 	cat >expected <<\EOF &&
 fatal: git cat-file --textconv: unable to run textconv on :symlink.bin
@@ -88,8 +87,7 @@ EOF
 	test_cmp expected result
 '
 
-# fails because cat-file tries to run converter on symlink.bin
-test_expect_failure SYMLINKS 'cat-file --textconv on HEAD (symlink)' '
+test_expect_success SYMLINKS 'cat-file --textconv on HEAD (symlink)' '
 	! git cat-file --textconv HEAD:symlink.bin 2>result &&
 	cat >expected <<EOF &&
 fatal: git cat-file --textconv: unable to run textconv on HEAD:symlink.bin