diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index 120d337bd452a97cc6f70f6ae14ca0a6026945bb..1392be1030ebb9b5e83221e0fac821646d02d75d 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -289,6 +289,7 @@ static inline unsigned int canon_mode(unsigned int mode)
 #define RESOLVE_UNDO_CHANGED	(1 << 4)
 #define CACHE_TREE_CHANGED	(1 << 5)
 #define SPLIT_INDEX_ORDERED	(1 << 6)
+#define UNTRACKED_CHANGED	(1 << 7)
 
 struct split_index;
 struct untracked_cache;
diff --git a/dir.c b/dir.c
index 1cf1e3002ebef7cd0eec5f8a7409f4eda501e83a..592b5fa79567bac71ebd2c709f3712c817bc1417 100644
--- a/dir.c
+++ b/dir.c
@@ -1934,6 +1934,15 @@ int read_directory(struct dir_struct *dir, const char *path, int len, const stru
 				 dir->untracked->gitignore_invalidated,
 				 dir->untracked->dir_invalidated,
 				 dir->untracked->dir_opened);
+		if (dir->untracked == the_index.untracked &&
+		    (dir->untracked->dir_opened ||
+		     dir->untracked->gitignore_invalidated ||
+		     dir->untracked->dir_invalidated))
+			the_index.cache_changed |= UNTRACKED_CHANGED;
+		if (dir->untracked != the_index.untracked) {
+			free(dir->untracked);
+			dir->untracked = NULL;
+		}
 	}
 	return dir->nr;
 }
diff --git a/read-cache.c b/read-cache.c
index 57828bb3f3a4da75e7ce23346e8c9acede869068..705469eb7a90f3168acec47740d6b8b6b2661864 100644
--- a/read-cache.c
+++ b/read-cache.c
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ static struct cache_entry *refresh_cache_entry(struct cache_entry *ce,
 /* changes that can be kept in $GIT_DIR/index (basically all extensions) */
 #define EXTMASK (RESOLVE_UNDO_CHANGED | CACHE_TREE_CHANGED | \
 		 CE_ENTRY_ADDED | CE_ENTRY_REMOVED | CE_ENTRY_CHANGED | \
-		 SPLIT_INDEX_ORDERED)
+		 SPLIT_INDEX_ORDERED | UNTRACKED_CHANGED)
 
 struct index_state the_index;
 static const char *alternate_index_output;