diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index 9de7709f9b..a727cb4efe 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ static inline unsigned int create_ce_mode(unsigned int mode)
 
 const char *sha1_file_directory;
 struct cache_entry **active_cache;
-unsigned int active_nr, active_alloc;
+unsigned int active_nr, active_alloc, active_cache_changed;
 
 #define DB_ENVIRONMENT "SHA1_FILE_DIRECTORY"
 #define DEFAULT_DB_ENVIRONMENT ".git/objects"
diff --git a/read-cache.c b/read-cache.c
index 2a88d18b16..6a04cf194c 100644
--- a/read-cache.c
+++ b/read-cache.c
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 #include "cache.h"
 
 struct cache_entry **active_cache = NULL;
-unsigned int active_nr = 0, active_alloc = 0;
+unsigned int active_nr = 0, active_alloc = 0, active_cache_changed = 0;
 
 int cache_match_stat(struct cache_entry *ce, struct stat *st)
 {
@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@ int cache_name_pos(const char *name, int namelen)
 /* Remove entry, return true if there are more entries to go.. */
 int remove_entry_at(int pos)
 {
+	active_cache_changed = 1;
 	active_nr--;
 	if (pos >= active_nr)
 		return 0;
@@ -130,6 +131,7 @@ int add_cache_entry(struct cache_entry *ce, int ok_to_add)
 
 	/* existing match? Just replace it */
 	if (pos >= 0) {
+		active_cache_changed = 1;
 		active_cache[pos] = ce;
 		return 0;
 	}
@@ -161,6 +163,7 @@ int add_cache_entry(struct cache_entry *ce, int ok_to_add)
 	if (active_nr > pos)
 		memmove(active_cache + pos + 1, active_cache + pos, (active_nr - pos - 1) * sizeof(ce));
 	active_cache[pos] = ce;
+	active_cache_changed = 1;
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/update-cache.c b/update-cache.c
index 97d5e8b6b0..735d19920d 100644
--- a/update-cache.c
+++ b/update-cache.c
@@ -15,12 +15,6 @@
  */
 static int allow_add = 0, allow_remove = 0, not_new = 0;
 
-/*
- * update-cache --refresh may not touch anything at all, in which case
- * writing 1.6MB of the same thing is a waste.
- */
-static int cache_changed = 0;
-
 /* Three functions to allow overloaded pointer return; see linux/err.h */
 static inline void *ERR_PTR(long error)
 {
@@ -57,7 +51,7 @@ static void fill_stat_cache_info(struct cache_entry *ce, struct stat *st)
 	ce->ce_size = htonl(st->st_size);
 }
 
-static int add_file_to_cache_1(char *path)
+static int add_file_to_cache(char *path)
 {
 	int size, namelen;
 	struct cache_entry *ce;
@@ -101,35 +95,9 @@ static int add_file_to_cache_1(char *path)
 	default:
 		return -1;
 	}
-	if (!cache_changed) {
-		/* If we have not smudged the cache, be careful
-		 * to keep it clean.  Find out if we have a matching
-		 * cache entry that add_cache_entry would replace with,
-		 * and if it matches then do not bother calling it.
-		 */
-		int pos = cache_name_pos(ce->name, namelen);
-		if ((0 <= pos) &&
-		    !memcmp(active_cache[pos], ce, sizeof(*ce))) {
-			free(ce);
-			/* magic to tell add_file_to_cache that
-			 * we have not updated anything.
-			 */
-			return 999;
-		}
-	}
 	return add_cache_entry(ce, allow_add);
 }
 
-static int add_file_to_cache(char *path)
-{
-	int ret = add_file_to_cache_1(path);
-	if (ret == 0)
-		cache_changed = 1;
-	else if (ret == 999)
-		ret = 0;
-	return ret;
-}
-
 static int match_data(int fd, void *buffer, unsigned long size)
 {
 	while (size) {
@@ -236,7 +204,6 @@ static struct cache_entry *refresh_entry(struct cache_entry *ce)
 		return ERR_PTR(-EINVAL);
 	}
 
-	cache_changed = 1;
 	size = ce_size(ce);
 	updated = xmalloc(size);
 	memcpy(updated, ce, size);
@@ -270,6 +237,7 @@ static int refresh_cache(void)
 			}
 			continue;
 		}
+		active_cache_changed = 1;
 		active_cache[i] = new;
 	}
 	return has_errors;
@@ -317,7 +285,6 @@ static int add_cacheinfo(char *arg1, char *arg2, char *arg3)
 	if (!verify_path(arg3))
 		return -1;
 
-	cache_changed = 1;
 	len = strlen(arg3);
 	size = cache_entry_size(len);
 	ce = xmalloc(size);
@@ -412,11 +379,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 		if (add_file_to_cache(path))
 			die("Unable to add %s to database", path);
 	}
-
-	if (!cache_changed)
-		unlink(lockfile);
-	else if (write_cache(newfd, active_cache, active_nr) ||
-		 rename(lockfile, indexfile))
+	if (write_cache(newfd, active_cache, active_nr) || rename(lockfile, indexfile))
 		die("Unable to write new cachefile");
 
 	lockfile_name = NULL;