diff --git a/branch.c b/branch.c
index 4bab55a9a8..b0024353f4 100644
--- a/branch.c
+++ b/branch.c
@@ -284,8 +284,9 @@ void create_branch(const char *head,
 
 		transaction = ref_transaction_begin(&err);
 		if (!transaction ||
-		    ref_transaction_update(transaction, ref.buf, sha1,
-					   null_sha1, 0, !forcing, msg, &err) ||
+		    ref_transaction_update(transaction, ref.buf,
+					   sha1, forcing ? NULL : null_sha1,
+					   0, msg, &err) ||
 		    ref_transaction_commit(transaction, &err))
 			die("%s", err.buf);
 		ref_transaction_free(transaction);
diff --git a/builtin/commit.c b/builtin/commit.c
index 6055c760f0..961e467242 100644
--- a/builtin/commit.c
+++ b/builtin/commit.c
@@ -1766,8 +1766,8 @@ int cmd_commit(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	if (!transaction ||
 	    ref_transaction_update(transaction, "HEAD", sha1,
 				   current_head
-				   ? current_head->object.sha1 : NULL,
-				   0, !!current_head, sb.buf, &err) ||
+				   ? current_head->object.sha1 : null_sha1,
+				   0, sb.buf, &err) ||
 	    ref_transaction_commit(transaction, &err)) {
 		rollback_index_files();
 		die("%s", err.buf);
diff --git a/builtin/fetch.c b/builtin/fetch.c
index 75a55e590b..f9512652cf 100644
--- a/builtin/fetch.c
+++ b/builtin/fetch.c
@@ -415,8 +415,10 @@ static int s_update_ref(const char *action,
 
 	transaction = ref_transaction_begin(&err);
 	if (!transaction ||
-	    ref_transaction_update(transaction, ref->name, ref->new_sha1,
-				   ref->old_sha1, 0, check_old, msg, &err))
+	    ref_transaction_update(transaction, ref->name,
+				   ref->new_sha1,
+				   check_old ? ref->old_sha1 : NULL,
+				   0, msg, &err))
 		goto fail;
 
 	ret = ref_transaction_commit(transaction, &err);
diff --git a/builtin/receive-pack.c b/builtin/receive-pack.c
index e0ce78e5a0..70e9ce5f96 100644
--- a/builtin/receive-pack.c
+++ b/builtin/receive-pack.c
@@ -953,8 +953,7 @@ static const char *update(struct command *cmd, struct shallow_info *si)
 		if (ref_transaction_delete(transaction,
 					   namespaced_name,
 					   old_sha1,
-					   0, old_sha1 != NULL,
-					   "push", &err)) {
+					   0, "push", &err)) {
 			rp_error("%s", err.buf);
 			strbuf_release(&err);
 			return "failed to delete";
@@ -971,7 +970,7 @@ static const char *update(struct command *cmd, struct shallow_info *si)
 		if (ref_transaction_update(transaction,
 					   namespaced_name,
 					   new_sha1, old_sha1,
-					   0, 1, "push",
+					   0, "push",
 					   &err)) {
 			rp_error("%s", err.buf);
 			strbuf_release(&err);
diff --git a/builtin/replace.c b/builtin/replace.c
index 85d39b58d8..54bf01acb4 100644
--- a/builtin/replace.c
+++ b/builtin/replace.c
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ static int replace_object_sha1(const char *object_ref,
 	transaction = ref_transaction_begin(&err);
 	if (!transaction ||
 	    ref_transaction_update(transaction, ref, repl, prev,
-				   0, 1, NULL, &err) ||
+				   0, NULL, &err) ||
 	    ref_transaction_commit(transaction, &err))
 		die("%s", err.buf);
 
diff --git a/builtin/tag.c b/builtin/tag.c
index 6dc85a9d5e..4194b9a711 100644
--- a/builtin/tag.c
+++ b/builtin/tag.c
@@ -733,7 +733,7 @@ int cmd_tag(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	transaction = ref_transaction_begin(&err);
 	if (!transaction ||
 	    ref_transaction_update(transaction, ref.buf, object, prev,
-				   0, 1, NULL, &err) ||
+				   0, NULL, &err) ||
 	    ref_transaction_commit(transaction, &err))
 		die("%s", err.buf);
 	ref_transaction_free(transaction);
diff --git a/builtin/update-ref.c b/builtin/update-ref.c
index 2497ba4303..3d79a46b03 100644
--- a/builtin/update-ref.c
+++ b/builtin/update-ref.c
@@ -198,8 +198,9 @@ static const char *parse_cmd_update(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 	if (*next != line_termination)
 		die("update %s: extra input: %s", refname, next);
 
-	if (ref_transaction_update(transaction, refname, new_sha1, old_sha1,
-				   update_flags, have_old, msg, &err))
+	if (ref_transaction_update(transaction, refname,
+				   new_sha1, have_old ? old_sha1 : NULL,
+				   update_flags, msg, &err))
 		die("%s", err.buf);
 
 	update_flags = 0;
@@ -264,8 +265,9 @@ static const char *parse_cmd_delete(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 	if (*next != line_termination)
 		die("delete %s: extra input: %s", refname, next);
 
-	if (ref_transaction_delete(transaction, refname, old_sha1,
-				   update_flags, have_old, msg, &err))
+	if (ref_transaction_delete(transaction, refname,
+				   have_old ? old_sha1 : NULL,
+				   update_flags, msg, &err))
 		die("%s", err.buf);
 
 	update_flags = 0;
@@ -280,7 +282,6 @@ static const char *parse_cmd_verify(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 {
 	struct strbuf err = STRBUF_INIT;
 	char *refname;
-	unsigned char new_sha1[20];
 	unsigned char old_sha1[20];
 
 	refname = parse_refname(input, &next);
@@ -291,13 +292,11 @@ static const char *parse_cmd_verify(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 			    PARSE_SHA1_OLD))
 		hashclr(old_sha1);
 
-	hashcpy(new_sha1, old_sha1);
-
 	if (*next != line_termination)
 		die("verify %s: extra input: %s", refname, next);
 
-	if (ref_transaction_update(transaction, refname, new_sha1, old_sha1,
-				   update_flags, 1, msg, &err))
+	if (ref_transaction_verify(transaction, refname, old_sha1,
+				   update_flags, &err))
 		die("%s", err.buf);
 
 	update_flags = 0;
@@ -353,7 +352,8 @@ int cmd_update_ref(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 {
 	const char *refname, *oldval;
 	unsigned char sha1[20], oldsha1[20];
-	int delete = 0, no_deref = 0, read_stdin = 0, end_null = 0, flags = 0;
+	int delete = 0, no_deref = 0, read_stdin = 0, end_null = 0;
+	unsigned int flags = 0;
 	struct option options[] = {
 		OPT_STRING( 'm', NULL, &msg, N_("reason"), N_("reason of the update")),
 		OPT_BOOL('d', NULL, &delete, N_("delete the reference")),
diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index 4d02efc905..761c5704b2 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -568,7 +568,7 @@ extern void update_index_if_able(struct index_state *, struct lock_file *);
 extern int hold_locked_index(struct lock_file *, int);
 extern void set_alternate_index_output(const char *);
 
-extern int delete_ref(const char *, const unsigned char *sha1, int delopt);
+extern int delete_ref(const char *, const unsigned char *sha1, unsigned int flags);
 
 /* Environment bits from configuration mechanism */
 extern int trust_executable_bit;
diff --git a/fast-import.c b/fast-import.c
index aac2c24f74..b82fcdd24e 100644
--- a/fast-import.c
+++ b/fast-import.c
@@ -1720,7 +1720,7 @@ static int update_branch(struct branch *b)
 	transaction = ref_transaction_begin(&err);
 	if (!transaction ||
 	    ref_transaction_update(transaction, b->name, b->sha1, old_sha1,
-				   0, 1, msg, &err) ||
+				   0, msg, &err) ||
 	    ref_transaction_commit(transaction, &err)) {
 		ref_transaction_free(transaction);
 		error("%s", err.buf);
@@ -1760,8 +1760,8 @@ static void dump_tags(void)
 		strbuf_reset(&ref_name);
 		strbuf_addf(&ref_name, "refs/tags/%s", t->name);
 
-		if (ref_transaction_update(transaction, ref_name.buf, t->sha1,
-					   NULL, 0, 0, msg, &err)) {
+		if (ref_transaction_update(transaction, ref_name.buf,
+					   t->sha1, NULL, 0, msg, &err)) {
 			failure |= error("%s", err.buf);
 			goto cleanup;
 		}
diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index ab2f2a92cd..8d46b08055 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -35,10 +35,29 @@ static unsigned char refname_disposition[256] = {
 };
 
 /*
- * Used as a flag to ref_transaction_delete when a loose ref is being
+ * Flag passed to lock_ref_sha1_basic() telling it to tolerate broken
+ * refs (i.e., because the reference is about to be deleted anyway).
+ */
+#define REF_DELETING	0x02
+
+/*
+ * Used as a flag in ref_update::flags when a loose ref is being
  * pruned.
  */
-#define REF_ISPRUNING	0x0100
+#define REF_ISPRUNING	0x04
+
+/*
+ * Used as a flag in ref_update::flags when the reference should be
+ * updated to new_sha1.
+ */
+#define REF_HAVE_NEW	0x08
+
+/*
+ * Used as a flag in ref_update::flags when old_sha1 should be
+ * checked.
+ */
+#define REF_HAVE_OLD	0x10
+
 /*
  * Try to read one refname component from the front of refname.
  * Return the length of the component found, or -1 if the component is
@@ -2249,7 +2268,7 @@ int dwim_log(const char *str, int len, unsigned char *sha1, char **log)
 static struct ref_lock *lock_ref_sha1_basic(const char *refname,
 					    const unsigned char *old_sha1,
 					    const struct string_list *skip,
-					    int flags, int *type_p)
+					    unsigned int flags, int *type_p)
 {
 	char *ref_file;
 	const char *orig_refname = refname;
@@ -2563,7 +2582,7 @@ static void prune_ref(struct ref_to_prune *r)
 	transaction = ref_transaction_begin(&err);
 	if (!transaction ||
 	    ref_transaction_delete(transaction, r->name, r->sha1,
-				   REF_ISPRUNING, 1, NULL, &err) ||
+				   REF_ISPRUNING, NULL, &err) ||
 	    ref_transaction_commit(transaction, &err)) {
 		ref_transaction_free(transaction);
 		error("%s", err.buf);
@@ -2733,15 +2752,16 @@ static int delete_ref_loose(struct ref_lock *lock, int flag, struct strbuf *err)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int delete_ref(const char *refname, const unsigned char *sha1, int delopt)
+int delete_ref(const char *refname, const unsigned char *sha1, unsigned int flags)
 {
 	struct ref_transaction *transaction;
 	struct strbuf err = STRBUF_INIT;
 
 	transaction = ref_transaction_begin(&err);
 	if (!transaction ||
-	    ref_transaction_delete(transaction, refname, sha1, delopt,
-				   sha1 && !is_null_sha1(sha1), NULL, &err) ||
+	    ref_transaction_delete(transaction, refname,
+				   (sha1 && !is_null_sha1(sha1)) ? sha1 : NULL,
+				   flags, NULL, &err) ||
 	    ref_transaction_commit(transaction, &err)) {
 		error("%s", err.buf);
 		ref_transaction_free(transaction);
@@ -3556,16 +3576,27 @@ int for_each_reflog(each_ref_fn fn, void *cb_data)
 }
 
 /**
- * Information needed for a single ref update.  Set new_sha1 to the
- * new value or to zero to delete the ref.  To check the old value
- * while locking the ref, set have_old to 1 and set old_sha1 to the
- * value or to zero to ensure the ref does not exist before update.
+ * Information needed for a single ref update. Set new_sha1 to the new
+ * value or to null_sha1 to delete the ref. To check the old value
+ * while the ref is locked, set (flags & REF_HAVE_OLD) and set
+ * old_sha1 to the old value, or to null_sha1 to ensure the ref does
+ * not exist before update.
  */
 struct ref_update {
+	/*
+	 * If (flags & REF_HAVE_NEW), set the reference to this value:
+	 */
 	unsigned char new_sha1[20];
+	/*
+	 * If (flags & REF_HAVE_OLD), check that the reference
+	 * previously had this value:
+	 */
 	unsigned char old_sha1[20];
-	int flags; /* REF_NODEREF? */
-	int have_old; /* 1 if old_sha1 is valid, 0 otherwise */
+	/*
+	 * One or more of REF_HAVE_NEW, REF_HAVE_OLD, REF_NODEREF,
+	 * REF_DELETING, and REF_ISPRUNING:
+	 */
+	unsigned int flags;
 	struct ref_lock *lock;
 	int type;
 	char *msg;
@@ -3637,7 +3668,7 @@ int ref_transaction_update(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 			   const char *refname,
 			   const unsigned char *new_sha1,
 			   const unsigned char *old_sha1,
-			   int flags, int have_old, const char *msg,
+			   unsigned int flags, const char *msg,
 			   struct strbuf *err)
 {
 	struct ref_update *update;
@@ -3647,10 +3678,7 @@ int ref_transaction_update(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 	if (transaction->state != REF_TRANSACTION_OPEN)
 		die("BUG: update called for transaction that is not open");
 
-	if (have_old && !old_sha1)
-		die("BUG: have_old is true but old_sha1 is NULL");
-
-	if (!is_null_sha1(new_sha1) &&
+	if (new_sha1 && !is_null_sha1(new_sha1) &&
 	    check_refname_format(refname, REFNAME_ALLOW_ONELEVEL)) {
 		strbuf_addf(err, "refusing to update ref with bad name %s",
 			    refname);
@@ -3658,11 +3686,15 @@ int ref_transaction_update(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 	}
 
 	update = add_update(transaction, refname);
-	hashcpy(update->new_sha1, new_sha1);
-	update->flags = flags;
-	update->have_old = have_old;
-	if (have_old)
+	if (new_sha1) {
+		hashcpy(update->new_sha1, new_sha1);
+		flags |= REF_HAVE_NEW;
+	}
+	if (old_sha1) {
 		hashcpy(update->old_sha1, old_sha1);
+		flags |= REF_HAVE_OLD;
+	}
+	update->flags = flags;
 	if (msg)
 		update->msg = xstrdup(msg);
 	return 0;
@@ -3671,34 +3703,52 @@ int ref_transaction_update(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 int ref_transaction_create(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 			   const char *refname,
 			   const unsigned char *new_sha1,
-			   int flags, const char *msg,
+			   unsigned int flags, const char *msg,
 			   struct strbuf *err)
 {
+	if (!new_sha1 || is_null_sha1(new_sha1))
+		die("BUG: create called without valid new_sha1");
 	return ref_transaction_update(transaction, refname, new_sha1,
-				      null_sha1, flags, 1, msg, err);
+				      null_sha1, flags, msg, err);
 }
 
 int ref_transaction_delete(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 			   const char *refname,
 			   const unsigned char *old_sha1,
-			   int flags, int have_old, const char *msg,
+			   unsigned int flags, const char *msg,
 			   struct strbuf *err)
 {
-	return ref_transaction_update(transaction, refname, null_sha1,
-				      old_sha1, flags, have_old, msg, err);
+	if (old_sha1 && is_null_sha1(old_sha1))
+		die("BUG: delete called with old_sha1 set to zeros");
+	return ref_transaction_update(transaction, refname,
+				      null_sha1, old_sha1,
+				      flags, msg, err);
 }
 
-int update_ref(const char *action, const char *refname,
-	       const unsigned char *sha1, const unsigned char *oldval,
-	       int flags, enum action_on_err onerr)
+int ref_transaction_verify(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
+			   const char *refname,
+			   const unsigned char *old_sha1,
+			   unsigned int flags,
+			   struct strbuf *err)
+{
+	if (!old_sha1)
+		die("BUG: verify called with old_sha1 set to NULL");
+	return ref_transaction_update(transaction, refname,
+				      NULL, old_sha1,
+				      flags, NULL, err);
+}
+
+int update_ref(const char *msg, const char *refname,
+	       const unsigned char *new_sha1, const unsigned char *old_sha1,
+	       unsigned int flags, enum action_on_err onerr)
 {
 	struct ref_transaction *t;
 	struct strbuf err = STRBUF_INIT;
 
 	t = ref_transaction_begin(&err);
 	if (!t ||
-	    ref_transaction_update(t, refname, sha1, oldval, flags,
-				   !!oldval, action, &err) ||
+	    ref_transaction_update(t, refname, new_sha1, old_sha1,
+				   flags, msg, &err) ||
 	    ref_transaction_commit(t, &err)) {
 		const char *str = "update_ref failed for ref '%s': %s";
 
@@ -3774,17 +3824,17 @@ int ref_transaction_commit(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 	/* Acquire all locks while verifying old values */
 	for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
 		struct ref_update *update = updates[i];
-		int flags = update->flags;
+		unsigned int flags = update->flags;
 
-		if (is_null_sha1(update->new_sha1))
+		if ((flags & REF_HAVE_NEW) && is_null_sha1(update->new_sha1))
 			flags |= REF_DELETING;
-		update->lock = lock_ref_sha1_basic(update->refname,
-						   (update->have_old ?
-						    update->old_sha1 :
-						    NULL),
-						   NULL,
-						   flags,
-						   &update->type);
+		update->lock = lock_ref_sha1_basic(
+				update->refname,
+				((update->flags & REF_HAVE_OLD) ?
+				 update->old_sha1 : NULL),
+				NULL,
+				flags,
+				&update->type);
 		if (!update->lock) {
 			ret = (errno == ENOTDIR)
 				? TRANSACTION_NAME_CONFLICT
@@ -3798,8 +3848,9 @@ int ref_transaction_commit(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 	/* Perform updates first so live commits remain referenced */
 	for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
 		struct ref_update *update = updates[i];
+		int flags = update->flags;
 
-		if (!is_null_sha1(update->new_sha1)) {
+		if ((flags & REF_HAVE_NEW) && !is_null_sha1(update->new_sha1)) {
 			if (write_ref_sha1(update->lock, update->new_sha1,
 					   update->msg)) {
 				update->lock = NULL; /* freed by write_ref_sha1 */
@@ -3815,14 +3866,15 @@ int ref_transaction_commit(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 	/* Perform deletes now that updates are safely completed */
 	for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
 		struct ref_update *update = updates[i];
+		int flags = update->flags;
 
-		if (update->lock) {
+		if ((flags & REF_HAVE_NEW) && is_null_sha1(update->new_sha1)) {
 			if (delete_ref_loose(update->lock, update->type, err)) {
 				ret = TRANSACTION_GENERIC_ERROR;
 				goto cleanup;
 			}
 
-			if (!(update->flags & REF_ISPRUNING))
+			if (!(flags & REF_ISPRUNING))
 				string_list_append(&refs_to_delete,
 						   update->lock->ref_name);
 		}
diff --git a/refs.h b/refs.h
index afa3c4decd..cf642e6ddc 100644
--- a/refs.h
+++ b/refs.h
@@ -183,12 +183,10 @@ extern int peel_ref(const char *refname, unsigned char *sha1);
  * Flags controlling ref_transaction_update(), ref_transaction_create(), etc.
  * REF_NODEREF: act on the ref directly, instead of dereferencing
  *              symbolic references.
- * REF_DELETING: tolerate broken refs
  *
- * Flags >= 0x100 are reserved for internal use.
+ * Other flags are reserved for internal use.
  */
 #define REF_NODEREF	0x01
-#define REF_DELETING	0x02
 
 /*
  * Setup reflog before using. Set errno to something meaningful on failure.
@@ -257,57 +255,95 @@ enum action_on_err {
 struct ref_transaction *ref_transaction_begin(struct strbuf *err);
 
 /*
- * The following functions add a reference check or update to a
- * ref_transaction.  In all of them, refname is the name of the
- * reference to be affected.  The functions make internal copies of
- * refname and msg, so the caller retains ownership of these parameters.
- * flags can be REF_NODEREF; it is passed to update_ref_lock().
+ * Reference transaction updates
+ *
+ * The following four functions add a reference check or update to a
+ * ref_transaction.  They have some common similar parameters:
+ *
+ *     transaction -- a pointer to an open ref_transaction, obtained
+ *         from ref_transaction_begin().
+ *
+ *     refname -- the name of the reference to be affected.
+ *
+ *     flags -- flags affecting the update, passed to
+ *         update_ref_lock(). Can be REF_NODEREF, which means that
+ *         symbolic references should not be followed.
+ *
+ *     msg -- a message describing the change (for the reflog).
+ *
+ *     err -- a strbuf for receiving a description of any error that
+ *         might have occured.
+ *
+ * The functions make internal copies of refname and msg, so the
+ * caller retains ownership of these parameters.
+ *
+ * The functions return 0 on success and non-zero on failure. A
+ * failure means that the transaction as a whole has failed and needs
+ * to be rolled back.
  */
 
 /*
- * Add a reference update to transaction.  new_sha1 is the value that
- * the reference should have after the update, or null_sha1 if it should
- * be deleted.  If have_old is true, then old_sha1 holds the value
- * that the reference should have had before the update, or zeros if
- * it must not have existed beforehand.
- * Function returns 0 on success and non-zero on failure. A failure to update
- * means that the transaction as a whole has failed and will need to be
- * rolled back.
+ * Add a reference update to transaction. new_sha1 is the value that
+ * the reference should have after the update, or null_sha1 if it
+ * should be deleted. If new_sha1 is NULL, then the reference is not
+ * changed at all. old_sha1 is the value that the reference must have
+ * before the update, or null_sha1 if it must not have existed
+ * beforehand. The old value is checked after the lock is taken to
+ * prevent races. If the old value doesn't agree with old_sha1, the
+ * whole transaction fails. If old_sha1 is NULL, then the previous
+ * value is not checked.
+ *
+ * See the above comment "Reference transaction updates" for more
+ * information.
  */
 int ref_transaction_update(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 			   const char *refname,
 			   const unsigned char *new_sha1,
 			   const unsigned char *old_sha1,
-			   int flags, int have_old, const char *msg,
+			   unsigned int flags, const char *msg,
 			   struct strbuf *err);
 
 /*
- * Add a reference creation to transaction.  new_sha1 is the value
- * that the reference should have after the update; it must not be the
- * null SHA-1.  It is verified that the reference does not exist
+ * Add a reference creation to transaction. new_sha1 is the value that
+ * the reference should have after the update; it must not be
+ * null_sha1. It is verified that the reference does not exist
  * already.
- * Function returns 0 on success and non-zero on failure. A failure to create
- * means that the transaction as a whole has failed and will need to be
- * rolled back.
+ *
+ * See the above comment "Reference transaction updates" for more
+ * information.
  */
 int ref_transaction_create(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 			   const char *refname,
 			   const unsigned char *new_sha1,
-			   int flags, const char *msg,
+			   unsigned int flags, const char *msg,
 			   struct strbuf *err);
 
 /*
- * Add a reference deletion to transaction.  If have_old is true, then
- * old_sha1 holds the value that the reference should have had before
- * the update (which must not be the null SHA-1).
- * Function returns 0 on success and non-zero on failure. A failure to delete
- * means that the transaction as a whole has failed and will need to be
- * rolled back.
+ * Add a reference deletion to transaction. If old_sha1 is non-NULL,
+ * then it holds the value that the reference should have had before
+ * the update (which must not be null_sha1).
+ *
+ * See the above comment "Reference transaction updates" for more
+ * information.
  */
 int ref_transaction_delete(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
 			   const char *refname,
 			   const unsigned char *old_sha1,
-			   int flags, int have_old, const char *msg,
+			   unsigned int flags, const char *msg,
+			   struct strbuf *err);
+
+/*
+ * Verify, within a transaction, that refname has the value old_sha1,
+ * or, if old_sha1 is null_sha1, then verify that the reference
+ * doesn't exist. old_sha1 must be non-NULL.
+ *
+ * See the above comment "Reference transaction updates" for more
+ * information.
+ */
+int ref_transaction_verify(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
+			   const char *refname,
+			   const unsigned char *old_sha1,
+			   unsigned int flags,
 			   struct strbuf *err);
 
 /*
@@ -328,10 +364,17 @@ int ref_transaction_commit(struct ref_transaction *transaction,
  */
 void ref_transaction_free(struct ref_transaction *transaction);
 
-/** Lock a ref and then write its file */
-int update_ref(const char *action, const char *refname,
-		const unsigned char *sha1, const unsigned char *oldval,
-		int flags, enum action_on_err onerr);
+/**
+ * Lock, update, and unlock a single reference. This function
+ * basically does a transaction containing a single call to
+ * ref_transaction_update(). The parameters to this function have the
+ * same meaning as the corresponding parameters to
+ * ref_transaction_update(). Handle errors as requested by the `onerr`
+ * argument.
+ */
+int update_ref(const char *msg, const char *refname,
+	       const unsigned char *new_sha1, const unsigned char *old_sha1,
+	       unsigned int flags, enum action_on_err onerr);
 
 extern int parse_hide_refs_config(const char *var, const char *value, const char *);
 extern int ref_is_hidden(const char *);
diff --git a/sequencer.c b/sequencer.c
index 77a1266760..32aa05ed82 100644
--- a/sequencer.c
+++ b/sequencer.c
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ static int fast_forward_to(const unsigned char *to, const unsigned char *from,
 	if (!transaction ||
 	    ref_transaction_update(transaction, "HEAD",
 				   to, unborn ? null_sha1 : from,
-				   0, 1, sb.buf, &err) ||
+				   0, sb.buf, &err) ||
 	    ref_transaction_commit(transaction, &err)) {
 		ref_transaction_free(transaction);
 		error("%s", err.buf);
diff --git a/t/t7516-commit-races.sh b/t/t7516-commit-races.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..f2ce14e907
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/t7516-commit-races.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+test_description='git commit races'
+. ./test-lib.sh
+
+test_expect_success 'race to create orphan commit' '
+	write_script hare-editor <<-\EOF &&
+	git commit --allow-empty -m hare
+	EOF
+	test_must_fail env EDITOR=./hare-editor git commit --allow-empty -m tortoise -e &&
+	git show -s --pretty=format:%s >subject &&
+	grep hare subject &&
+	test -z "$(git show -s --pretty=format:%P)"
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'race to create non-orphan commit' '
+	write_script airplane-editor <<-\EOF &&
+	git commit --allow-empty -m airplane
+	EOF
+	git checkout --orphan branch &&
+	git commit --allow-empty -m base &&
+	git rev-parse HEAD >base &&
+	test_must_fail env EDITOR=./airplane-editor git commit --allow-empty -m ship -e &&
+	git show -s --pretty=format:%s >subject &&
+	grep airplane subject &&
+	git rev-parse HEAD^ >parent &&
+	test_cmp base parent
+'
+
+test_done
diff --git a/walker.c b/walker.c
index 483da4e0fb..58ffeca264 100644
--- a/walker.c
+++ b/walker.c
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ int walker_fetch(struct walker *walker, int targets, char **target,
 		strbuf_reset(&refname);
 		strbuf_addf(&refname, "refs/%s", write_ref[i]);
 		if (ref_transaction_update(transaction, refname.buf,
-					   &sha1[20 * i], NULL, 0, 0,
+					   &sha1[20 * i], NULL, 0,
 					   msg ? msg : "fetch (unknown)",
 					   &err)) {
 			error("%s", err.buf);