diff --git a/Annex/AdjustedBranch.hs b/Annex/AdjustedBranch.hs
index 5cef6ec29c..66d633d699 100644
--- a/Annex/AdjustedBranch.hs
+++ b/Annex/AdjustedBranch.hs
@@ -253,8 +253,8 @@ updateAdjustedBranch adj (AdjBranch currbranch) origbranch
 			-- has that have not yet been propigated back to the
 			-- origbranch.
 			_ <- propigateAdjustedCommits' origbranch adj commitlck
-				
-			origheadfile <- inRepo $ readFile . Git.Ref.headFile
+			
+			origheadfile <- inRepo $ readFileStrict . Git.Ref.headFile
 
 			-- Git normally won't do anything when asked to check
 			-- out the currently checked out branch, even when its
@@ -279,7 +279,7 @@ updateAdjustedBranch adj (AdjBranch currbranch) origbranch
 		unless ok $ case newheadfile of
 			Nothing -> noop
 			Just v -> preventCommits $ \_commitlck -> inRepo $ \r -> do
-				v' <- readFile (Git.Ref.headFile r)
+				v' <- readFileStrict (Git.Ref.headFile r)
 				when (v == v') $
 					writeFile (Git.Ref.headFile r) origheadfile
 
diff --git a/CHANGELOG b/CHANGELOG
index ff8ffdeb2a..2304c747c3 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG
+++ b/CHANGELOG
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ git-annex (10.20230330) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
   * git-annex.cabal: Prevent building with unix-compat 0.7 which
     removed System.PosixCompat.User.
   * Sped up sqlite inserts 2x when built with persistent 2.14.5.0
+  * Fix laziness bug introduced in last release that breaks use
+    of --unlock-present and --hide-missing adjusted branches.
 
  -- Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>  Fri, 31 Mar 2023 12:48:54 -0400