diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevBlob.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevBlob.java
index 5bf0ad146..4245fcab9 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevBlob.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevBlob.java
@@ -45,6 +45,10 @@
 
 package org.eclipse.jgit.revwalk;
 
+import java.io.IOException;
+
+import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.IncorrectObjectTypeException;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.MissingObjectException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.AnyObjectId;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Constants;
 
@@ -64,4 +68,20 @@ protected RevBlob(final AnyObjectId id) {
 	public final int getType() {
 		return Constants.OBJ_BLOB;
 	}
+
+	@Override
+	void parseHeaders(RevWalk walk) throws MissingObjectException,
+			IncorrectObjectTypeException, IOException {
+		if (walk.reader.has(this))
+			flags |= PARSED;
+		else
+			throw new MissingObjectException(this, getType());
+	}
+
+	@Override
+	void parseBody(RevWalk walk) throws MissingObjectException,
+			IncorrectObjectTypeException, IOException {
+		if ((flags & PARSED) == 0)
+			parseHeaders(walk);
+	}
 }
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevCommit.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevCommit.java
index 9e018b7a0..05c173888 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevCommit.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevCommit.java
@@ -133,14 +133,14 @@ protected RevCommit(final AnyObjectId id) {
 	@Override
 	void parseHeaders(final RevWalk walk) throws MissingObjectException,
 			IncorrectObjectTypeException, IOException {
-		parseCanonical(walk, loadCanonical(walk));
+		parseCanonical(walk, walk.getCachedBytes(this));
 	}
 
 	@Override
 	void parseBody(final RevWalk walk) throws MissingObjectException,
 			IncorrectObjectTypeException, IOException {
 		if (buffer == null) {
-			buffer = loadCanonical(walk);
+			buffer = walk.getCachedBytes(this);
 			if ((flags & PARSED) == 0)
 				parseCanonical(walk, buffer);
 		}
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevObject.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevObject.java
index b31bc3768..f343c1373 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevObject.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevObject.java
@@ -45,64 +45,27 @@
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 
-import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.CorruptObjectException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.IncorrectObjectTypeException;
-import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.LargeObjectException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.MissingObjectException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.AnyObjectId;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Constants;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectId;
-import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectLoader;
-import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectStream;
-import org.eclipse.jgit.util.IO;
 
 /** Base object type accessed during revision walking. */
 public abstract class RevObject extends ObjectId {
 	static final int PARSED = 1;
 
-	static byte[] asByteArray(RevObject obj, ObjectLoader loader) throws IOException {
-		if (loader.isLarge()) {
-			ObjectStream in = loader.openStream();
-			try {
-				long sz = in.getSize();
-				if (Integer.MAX_VALUE <= sz){
-					if (obj != null)
-						throw new LargeObjectException(obj.copy());
-					throw new LargeObjectException();
-				}
-				byte[] buf = new byte[(int) sz];
-				IO.readFully(in, buf, 0, buf.length);
-				return buf;
-			} finally {
-				in.close();
-			}
-		}
-		return loader.getCachedBytes();
-	}
-
 	int flags;
 
 	RevObject(final AnyObjectId name) {
 		super(name);
 	}
 
-	void parseHeaders(final RevWalk walk) throws MissingObjectException,
-			IncorrectObjectTypeException, IOException {
-		loadCanonical(walk);
-		flags |= PARSED;
-	}
+	abstract void parseHeaders(RevWalk walk) throws MissingObjectException,
+			IncorrectObjectTypeException, IOException;
 
-	void parseBody(final RevWalk walk) throws MissingObjectException,
-			IncorrectObjectTypeException, IOException {
-		if ((flags & PARSED) == 0)
-			parseHeaders(walk);
-	}
-
-	final byte[] loadCanonical(final RevWalk walk) throws IOException,
-			MissingObjectException, IncorrectObjectTypeException,
-			CorruptObjectException {
-		return asByteArray(this, walk.reader.open(this, getType()));
-	}
+	abstract void parseBody(RevWalk walk) throws MissingObjectException,
+			IncorrectObjectTypeException, IOException;
 
 	/**
 	 * Get Git object type. See {@link Constants}.
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevTag.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevTag.java
index aa33d91a5..bc53c28cc 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevTag.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevTag.java
@@ -131,14 +131,14 @@ protected RevTag(final AnyObjectId id) {
 	@Override
 	void parseHeaders(final RevWalk walk) throws MissingObjectException,
 			IncorrectObjectTypeException, IOException {
-		parseCanonical(walk, loadCanonical(walk));
+		parseCanonical(walk, walk.getCachedBytes(this));
 	}
 
 	@Override
 	void parseBody(final RevWalk walk) throws MissingObjectException,
 			IncorrectObjectTypeException, IOException {
 		if (buffer == null) {
-			buffer = loadCanonical(walk);
+			buffer = walk.getCachedBytes(this);
 			if ((flags & PARSED) == 0)
 				parseCanonical(walk, buffer);
 		}
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevTree.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevTree.java
index 76ec28362..d37040903 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevTree.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevTree.java
@@ -45,6 +45,10 @@
 
 package org.eclipse.jgit.revwalk;
 
+import java.io.IOException;
+
+import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.IncorrectObjectTypeException;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.MissingObjectException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.AnyObjectId;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Constants;
 
@@ -64,4 +68,20 @@ protected RevTree(final AnyObjectId id) {
 	public final int getType() {
 		return Constants.OBJ_TREE;
 	}
+
+	@Override
+	void parseHeaders(RevWalk walk) throws MissingObjectException,
+			IncorrectObjectTypeException, IOException {
+		if (walk.reader.has(this))
+			flags |= PARSED;
+		else
+			throw new MissingObjectException(this, getType());
+	}
+
+	@Override
+	void parseBody(RevWalk walk) throws MissingObjectException,
+			IncorrectObjectTypeException, IOException {
+		if ((flags & PARSED) == 0)
+			parseHeaders(walk);
+	}
 }
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevWalk.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevWalk.java
index e39f8b325..dd513d8a9 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevWalk.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/revwalk/RevWalk.java
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.AnyObjectId;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.AsyncObjectLoaderQueue;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Constants;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.CoreConfig;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.MutableObjectId;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectId;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectIdSubclassMap;
@@ -170,6 +171,9 @@ public class RevWalk implements Iterable<RevCommit> {
 
 	private final ObjectIdSubclassMap<RevObject> objects;
 
+	/** Largest commit or annotated tag we are willing to touch. */
+	private final int bigFileThreshold;
+
 	private int freeFlags = APP_FLAGS;
 
 	private int delayFreeFlags;
@@ -226,6 +230,13 @@ private RevWalk(final Repository repo, final ObjectReader or) {
 		filter = RevFilter.ALL;
 		treeFilter = TreeFilter.ALL;
 		retainBody = true;
+
+		if (repo != null) {
+			CoreConfig cfg = repo.getConfig().get(CoreConfig.KEY);
+			bigFileThreshold = cfg.getStreamFileThreshold();
+		} else {
+			bigFileThreshold = 15 * 1024 * 1024;
+		}
 	}
 
 	/** @return the reader this walker is using to load objects. */
@@ -813,13 +824,14 @@ public RevObject parseAny(final AnyObjectId id)
 	}
 
 	private RevObject parseNew(AnyObjectId id, ObjectLoader ldr)
-			throws CorruptObjectException, LargeObjectException {
+			throws LargeObjectException, CorruptObjectException,
+			MissingObjectException, IOException {
 		RevObject r;
 		int type = ldr.getType();
 		switch (type) {
 		case Constants.OBJ_COMMIT: {
 			final RevCommit c = createCommit(id);
-			c.parseCanonical(this, ldr.getCachedBytes());
+			c.parseCanonical(this, getCachedBytes(c, ldr));
 			r = c;
 			break;
 		}
@@ -835,7 +847,7 @@ private RevObject parseNew(AnyObjectId id, ObjectLoader ldr)
 		}
 		case Constants.OBJ_TAG: {
 			final RevTag t = new RevTag(id);
-			t.parseCanonical(this, ldr.getCachedBytes());
+			t.parseCanonical(this, getCachedBytes(t, ldr));
 			r = t;
 			break;
 		}
@@ -847,6 +859,21 @@ private RevObject parseNew(AnyObjectId id, ObjectLoader ldr)
 		return r;
 	}
 
+	byte[] getCachedBytes(RevObject obj) throws LargeObjectException,
+			MissingObjectException, IncorrectObjectTypeException, IOException {
+		return getCachedBytes(obj, reader.open(obj, obj.getType()));
+	}
+
+	byte[] getCachedBytes(RevObject obj, ObjectLoader ldr)
+			throws LargeObjectException, MissingObjectException, IOException {
+		try {
+			return ldr.getCachedBytes(bigFileThreshold);
+		} catch (LargeObjectException tooBig) {
+			tooBig.setObjectId(obj);
+			throw tooBig;
+		}
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Asynchronous object parsing.
 	 *