diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsObjDatabase.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsObjDatabase.java
index b28519b16..538e69a17 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsObjDatabase.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsObjDatabase.java
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ boolean dirty() {
 		}
 
 		@Override
-		void markDirty() {
+		public void markDirty() {
 			// Always dirty.
 		}
 	};
@@ -186,7 +186,16 @@ public DfsPackFile[] getPacks() throws IOException {
 		return getPackList().packs;
 	}
 
-	PackList getPackList() throws IOException {
+	/**
+	 * Scan and list all available pack files in the repository.
+	 *
+	 * @return list of available packs, with some additional metadata. The
+	 *         returned array is shared with the implementation and must not be
+	 *         modified by the caller.
+	 * @throws IOException
+	 *             the pack list cannot be initialized.
+	 */
+	public PackList getPackList() throws IOException {
 		return scanPacks(NO_PACKS);
 	}
 
@@ -202,7 +211,18 @@ protected DfsRepository getRepository() {
 	 *         implementation and must not be modified by the caller.
 	 */
 	public DfsPackFile[] getCurrentPacks() {
-		return packList.get().packs;
+		return getCurrentPackList().packs;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * List currently known pack files in the repository, without scanning.
+	 *
+	 * @return list of available packs, with some additional metadata. The
+	 *         returned array is shared with the implementation and must not be
+	 *         modified by the caller.
+	 */
+	public PackList getCurrentPackList() {
+		return packList.get();
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -460,17 +480,6 @@ protected void clearCache() {
 		packList.set(NO_PACKS);
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * Mark object database as dirty.
-	 * <p>
-	 * Used when the caller knows that new data might have been written to the
-	 * repository that could invalidate open readers, for example if refs are
-	 * newly scanned.
-	 */
-	protected void markDirty() {
-		packList.get().markDirty();
-	}
-
 	@Override
 	public void close() {
 		// PackList packs = packList.get();
@@ -481,17 +490,25 @@ public void close() {
 		// p.close();
 	}
 
-	static abstract class PackList {
+	/** Snapshot of packs scanned in a single pass. */
+	public static abstract class PackList {
 		/** All known packs, sorted. */
-		final DfsPackFile[] packs;
+		public final DfsPackFile[] packs;
 
-		PackList(final DfsPackFile[] packs) {
+		PackList(DfsPackFile[] packs) {
 			this.packs = packs;
 		}
 
 		abstract boolean dirty();
 
-		abstract void markDirty();
+		/**
+		 * Mark pack list as dirty.
+		 * <p>
+		 * Used when the caller knows that new data might have been written to the
+		 * repository that could invalidate open readers depending on this pack list,
+		 * for example if refs are newly scanned.
+		 */
+		public abstract void markDirty();
 	}
 
 	private static final class PackListImpl extends PackList {
@@ -507,7 +524,7 @@ boolean dirty() {
 		}
 
 		@Override
-		void markDirty() {
+		public void markDirty() {
 			dirty = true;
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/InMemoryRepository.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/InMemoryRepository.java
index 5765399f6..2e1c90d3c 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/InMemoryRepository.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/InMemoryRepository.java
@@ -310,7 +310,7 @@ protected RefCache scanAllRefs() throws IOException {
 			}
 			ids.sort();
 			sym.sort();
-			objdb.markDirty();
+			objdb.getCurrentPackList().markDirty();
 			return new RefCache(ids.toRefList(), sym.toRefList());
 		}