diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsInserterTest.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsInserterTest.java
index 11a092468..74790f72c 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsInserterTest.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsInserterTest.java
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@
 
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertSame;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
@@ -97,6 +98,7 @@ public void testReadFromInserterSmallObjects() throws IOException {
 		assertEquals(0, db.getObjectDatabase().listPacks().size());
 
 		ObjectReader reader = ins.newReader();
+		assertSame(ins, reader.getCreatedFromInserter());
 		assertEquals("foo", readString(reader.open(id1)));
 		assertEquals("bar", readString(reader.open(id2)));
 		assertEquals(0, db.getObjectDatabase().listPacks().size());
@@ -118,6 +120,7 @@ public void testReadFromInserterLargerObjects() throws IOException {
 		assertEquals(0, db.getObjectDatabase().listPacks().size());
 
 		ObjectReader reader = ins.newReader();
+		assertSame(ins, reader.getCreatedFromInserter());
 		assertTrue(Arrays.equals(data, readStream(reader.open(id1))));
 		assertEquals(0, db.getObjectDatabase().listPacks().size());
 		ins.flush();
@@ -136,6 +139,7 @@ public void testReadFromFallback() throws IOException {
 		assertEquals(1, db.getObjectDatabase().listPacks().size());
 
 		ObjectReader reader = ins.newReader();
+		assertSame(ins, reader.getCreatedFromInserter());
 		assertEquals("foo", readString(reader.open(id1)));
 		assertEquals("bar", readString(reader.open(id2)));
 		assertEquals(1, db.getObjectDatabase().listPacks().size());
@@ -154,6 +158,7 @@ public void testReaderResolve() throws IOException {
 		assertFalse(abbr1.equals(abbr2));
 
 		ObjectReader reader = ins.newReader();
+		assertSame(ins, reader.getCreatedFromInserter());
 		Collection<ObjectId> objs;
 		objs = reader.resolve(AbbreviatedObjectId.fromString(abbr1));
 		assertEquals(1, objs.size());
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsInserter.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsInserter.java
index e5ae9800f..f5673e83d 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsInserter.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsInserter.java
@@ -600,6 +600,11 @@ public Set<ObjectId> getShallowCommits() throws IOException {
 			return ctx.getShallowCommits();
 		}
 
+		@Override
+		public ObjectInserter getCreatedFromInserter() {
+			return DfsInserter.this;
+		}
+
 		@Override
 		public void close() {
 			ctx.close();
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/ObjectDirectoryInserter.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/ObjectDirectoryInserter.java
index fb411722b..9820e0ea3 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/ObjectDirectoryInserter.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/ObjectDirectoryInserter.java
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ public PackParser newPackParser(InputStream in) throws IOException {
 
 	@Override
 	public ObjectReader newReader() {
-		return new WindowCursor(db);
+		return new WindowCursor(db, this);
 	}
 
 	@Override
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/WindowCursor.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/WindowCursor.java
index a555e10d4..a2c0561ae 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/WindowCursor.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/file/WindowCursor.java
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@
 import java.util.zip.DataFormatException;
 import java.util.zip.Inflater;
 
+import org.eclipse.jgit.annotations.Nullable;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.IncorrectObjectTypeException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.MissingObjectException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.StoredObjectRepresentationNotAvailableException;
@@ -69,6 +70,7 @@
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.Constants;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.InflaterCache;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectId;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectInserter;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectLoader;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectReader;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ProgressMonitor;
@@ -84,10 +86,20 @@ final class WindowCursor extends ObjectReader implements ObjectReuseAsIs {
 
 	private DeltaBaseCache baseCache;
 
+	@Nullable
+	private final ObjectInserter createdFromInserter;
+
 	final FileObjectDatabase db;
 
 	WindowCursor(FileObjectDatabase db) {
 		this.db = db;
+		this.createdFromInserter = null;
+	}
+
+	WindowCursor(FileObjectDatabase db,
+			@Nullable ObjectDirectoryInserter createdFromInserter) {
+		this.db = db;
+		this.createdFromInserter = createdFromInserter;
 	}
 
 	DeltaBaseCache getDeltaBaseCache() {
@@ -329,6 +341,12 @@ int getStreamFileThreshold() {
 		return WindowCache.getStreamFileThreshold();
 	}
 
+	@Override
+	@Nullable
+	public ObjectInserter getCreatedFromInserter() {
+		return createdFromInserter;
+	}
+
 	/** Release the current window cursor. */
 	@Override
 	public void close() {
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/ObjectInserter.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/ObjectInserter.java
index d9da65f03..4c51279d0 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/ObjectInserter.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/ObjectInserter.java
@@ -143,7 +143,18 @@ public PackParser newPackParser(InputStream in) throws IOException {
 		}
 
 		public ObjectReader newReader() {
-			return delegate().newReader();
+			final ObjectReader dr = delegate().newReader();
+			return new ObjectReader.Filter() {
+				@Override
+				protected ObjectReader delegate() {
+					return dr;
+				}
+
+				@Override
+				public ObjectInserter getCreatedFromInserter() {
+					return ObjectInserter.Filter.this;
+				}
+			};
 		}
 
 		public void flush() throws IOException {
@@ -398,6 +409,9 @@ public abstract ObjectId insert(int objectType, long length, InputStream in)
 	 * visible to the repository. The returned reader should only be used from
 	 * the same thread as the inserter. Objects written by this inserter may not
 	 * be visible to {@code this.newReader().newReader()}.
+	 * <p>
+	 * The returned reader should return this inserter instance from {@link
+	 * ObjectReader#getCreatedFromInserter()}.
 	 *
 	 * @since 3.5
 	 * @return reader for any object, including an object recently inserted by
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/ObjectReader.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/ObjectReader.java
index 99661a8d6..b23145d79 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/ObjectReader.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/lib/ObjectReader.java
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Set;
 
+import org.eclipse.jgit.annotations.Nullable;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.IncorrectObjectTypeException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.MissingObjectException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.internal.storage.pack.ObjectReuseAsIs;
@@ -421,6 +422,17 @@ public BitmapIndex getBitmapIndex() throws IOException {
 		return null;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * @return the {@link ObjectInserter} from which this reader was created
+	 *         using {@code inserter.newReader()}, or null if this reader was not
+	 *         created from an inserter.
+	 * @since 4.4
+	 */
+	@Nullable
+	public ObjectInserter getCreatedFromInserter() {
+		return null;
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * Release any resources used by this reader.
 	 * <p>
@@ -524,6 +536,12 @@ public BitmapIndex getBitmapIndex() throws IOException {
 			return delegate().getBitmapIndex();
 		}
 
+		@Override
+		@Nullable
+		public ObjectInserter getCreatedFromInserter() {
+			return delegate().getCreatedFromInserter();
+		}
+
 		@Override
 		public void close() {
 			delegate().close();