diff --git a/builtin/pack-objects.c b/builtin/pack-objects.c
index 2fe2ab0603d6b0a426e6ba8a9f1f559665ecd07f..4df9499040d4b740906f3a74c0217295371c4272 100644
--- a/builtin/pack-objects.c
+++ b/builtin/pack-objects.c
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@
 #include "streaming.h"
 #include "thread-utils.h"
 #include "pack-bitmap.h"
+#include "reachable.h"
+#include "sha1-array.h"
 
 static const char *pack_usage[] = {
 	N_("git pack-objects --stdout [options...] [< ref-list | < object-list]"),
@@ -2407,6 +2409,15 @@ static int has_sha1_pack_kept_or_nonlocal(const unsigned char *sha1)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Store a list of sha1s that are should not be discarded
+ * because they are either written too recently, or are
+ * reachable from another object that was.
+ *
+ * This is filled by get_object_list.
+ */
+static struct sha1_array recent_objects;
+
 static int loosened_object_can_be_discarded(const unsigned char *sha1,
 					    unsigned long mtime)
 {
@@ -2414,6 +2425,8 @@ static int loosened_object_can_be_discarded(const unsigned char *sha1,
 		return 0;
 	if (mtime > unpack_unreachable_expiration)
 		return 0;
+	if (sha1_array_lookup(&recent_objects, sha1) >= 0)
+		return 0;
 	return 1;
 }
 
@@ -2470,6 +2483,19 @@ static int get_object_list_from_bitmap(struct rev_info *revs)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static void record_recent_object(struct object *obj,
+				 const struct name_path *path,
+				 const char *last,
+				 void *data)
+{
+	sha1_array_append(&recent_objects, obj->sha1);
+}
+
+static void record_recent_commit(struct commit *commit, void *data)
+{
+	sha1_array_append(&recent_objects, commit->object.sha1);
+}
+
 static void get_object_list(int ac, const char **av)
 {
 	struct rev_info revs;
@@ -2517,10 +2543,23 @@ static void get_object_list(int ac, const char **av)
 	mark_edges_uninteresting(&revs, show_edge);
 	traverse_commit_list(&revs, show_commit, show_object, NULL);
 
+	if (unpack_unreachable_expiration) {
+		revs.ignore_missing_links = 1;
+		if (add_unseen_recent_objects_to_traversal(&revs,
+				unpack_unreachable_expiration))
+			die("unable to add recent objects");
+		if (prepare_revision_walk(&revs))
+			die("revision walk setup failed");
+		traverse_commit_list(&revs, record_recent_commit,
+				     record_recent_object, NULL);
+	}
+
 	if (keep_unreachable)
 		add_objects_in_unpacked_packs(&revs);
 	if (unpack_unreachable)
 		loosen_unused_packed_objects(&revs);
+
+	sha1_array_clear(&recent_objects);
 }
 
 static int option_parse_index_version(const struct option *opt,
diff --git a/reachable.c b/reachable.c
index 55589a02eb86590a399082742673b51b559f1651..0176a88b816ec76ccd6a6b0faf3f026132d8ae21 100644
--- a/reachable.c
+++ b/reachable.c
@@ -183,8 +183,8 @@ static int add_recent_packed(const unsigned char *sha1,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static int add_unseen_recent_objects_to_traversal(struct rev_info *revs,
-						  unsigned long timestamp)
+int add_unseen_recent_objects_to_traversal(struct rev_info *revs,
+					   unsigned long timestamp)
 {
 	struct recent_data data;
 	int r;
diff --git a/reachable.h b/reachable.h
index 141fe308790eddfda3e731453dd92e2eb8ef0c01..d23efc36ec5f198b9edab76f2aadff9461b83f45 100644
--- a/reachable.h
+++ b/reachable.h
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 #define REACHEABLE_H
 
 struct progress;
+extern int add_unseen_recent_objects_to_traversal(struct rev_info *revs,
+						  unsigned long timestamp);
 extern void mark_reachable_objects(struct rev_info *revs, int mark_reflog,
 				   unsigned long mark_recent, struct progress *);
 
diff --git a/t/t6501-freshen-objects.sh b/t/t6501-freshen-objects.sh
index de941c2cb2211f01a06c5a6dcc60fbefd65f6c7c..e25c47dd5cd9dde18a6cba978f01fee61f994f57 100755
--- a/t/t6501-freshen-objects.sh
+++ b/t/t6501-freshen-objects.sh
@@ -39,50 +39,67 @@ commit () {
 	git commit -m "$1"
 }
 
-test_expect_success 'disable reflogs' '
-	git config core.logallrefupdates false &&
-	rm -rf .git/logs
-'
+maybe_repack () {
+	if test -n "$repack"; then
+		git repack -ad
+	fi
+}
+
+for repack in '' true; do
+	title=${repack:+repack}
+	title=${title:-loose}
+
+	test_expect_success "make repo completely empty ($title)" '
+		rm -rf .git &&
+		git init
+	'
+
+	test_expect_success "disable reflogs ($title)" '
+		git config core.logallrefupdates false &&
+		rm -rf .git/logs
+	'
 
-test_expect_success 'setup basic history' '
-	commit base
-'
+	test_expect_success "setup basic history ($title)" '
+		commit base
+	'
 
-test_expect_success 'create and abandon some objects' '
-	git checkout -b experiment &&
-	commit abandon &&
-	git checkout master &&
-	git branch -D experiment
-'
+	test_expect_success "create and abandon some objects ($title)" '
+		git checkout -b experiment &&
+		commit abandon &&
+		maybe_repack &&
+		git checkout master &&
+		git branch -D experiment
+	'
 
-test_expect_success 'simulate time passing' '
-	find .git/objects -type f |
-	xargs test-chmtime -v -86400
-'
+	test_expect_success "simulate time passing ($title)" '
+		find .git/objects -type f |
+		xargs test-chmtime -v -86400
+	'
 
-test_expect_success 'start writing new commit with old blob' '
-	tree=$(
-		GIT_INDEX_FILE=index.tmp &&
-		export GIT_INDEX_FILE &&
-		git read-tree HEAD &&
-		add unrelated &&
-		add abandon &&
-		git write-tree
-	)
-'
+	test_expect_success "start writing new commit with old blob ($title)" '
+		tree=$(
+			GIT_INDEX_FILE=index.tmp &&
+			export GIT_INDEX_FILE &&
+			git read-tree HEAD &&
+			add unrelated &&
+			add abandon &&
+			git write-tree
+		)
+	'
 
-test_expect_success 'simultaneous gc' '
-	git gc --prune=12.hours.ago
-'
+	test_expect_success "simultaneous gc ($title)" '
+		git gc --prune=12.hours.ago
+	'
 
-test_expect_success 'finish writing out commit' '
-	commit=$(echo foo | git commit-tree -p HEAD $tree) &&
-	git update-ref HEAD $commit
-'
+	test_expect_success "finish writing out commit ($title)" '
+		commit=$(echo foo | git commit-tree -p HEAD $tree) &&
+		git update-ref HEAD $commit
+	'
 
-# "abandon" blob should have been rescued by reference from new tree
-test_expect_success 'repository passes fsck' '
-	git fsck
-'
+	# "abandon" blob should have been rescued by reference from new tree
+	test_expect_success "repository passes fsck ($title)" '
+		git fsck
+	'
+done
 
 test_done