diff --git a/fast-import.c b/fast-import.c
index b44d6a467e..ee7258037a 100644
--- a/fast-import.c
+++ b/fast-import.c
@@ -2588,7 +2588,7 @@ static void parse_new_commit(const char *arg)
 	struct branch *b;
 	char *author = NULL;
 	char *committer = NULL;
-	const char *encoding = NULL;
+	char *encoding = NULL;
 	struct hash_list *merge_list = NULL;
 	unsigned int merge_count;
 	unsigned char prev_fanout, new_fanout;
@@ -2611,8 +2611,10 @@ static void parse_new_commit(const char *arg)
 	}
 	if (!committer)
 		die("Expected committer but didn't get one");
-	if (skip_prefix(command_buf.buf, "encoding ", &encoding))
+	if (skip_prefix(command_buf.buf, "encoding ", &v)) {
+		encoding = xstrdup(v);
 		read_next_command();
+	}
 	parse_data(&msg, 0, NULL);
 	read_next_command();
 	parse_from(b);
@@ -2686,6 +2688,7 @@ static void parse_new_commit(const char *arg)
 	strbuf_addbuf(&new_data, &msg);
 	free(author);
 	free(committer);
+	free(encoding);
 
 	if (!store_object(OBJ_COMMIT, &new_data, NULL, &b->oid, next_mark))
 		b->pack_id = pack_id;
diff --git a/t/t9300-fast-import.sh b/t/t9300-fast-import.sh
index 141b7fa35e..cf66b40ebc 100755
--- a/t/t9300-fast-import.sh
+++ b/t/t9300-fast-import.sh
@@ -3314,6 +3314,11 @@ test_expect_success 'X: handling encoding' '
 
 	printf "Pi: \360\nCOMMIT\n" >>input &&
 
+	for i in $(test_seq 100)
+	do
+		echo "M 644 $EMPTY_BLOB file-$i"
+	done >>input &&
+
 	git fast-import <input &&
 	git cat-file -p encoding | grep $(printf "\360") &&
 	git log -1 --format=%B encoding | grep $(printf "\317\200")