diff --git a/Annex/Content.hs b/Annex/Content.hs
index 4fddf43b51..9c5d01cd83 100644
--- a/Annex/Content.hs
+++ b/Annex/Content.hs
@@ -753,7 +753,7 @@ downloadUrl listfailedurls k p iv urls file uo =
 	-- download command is used.
 	meteredFile file (Just p) k (go urls [])
   where
-	go (u:us) errs = Url.download' p iv u file uo >>= \case
+	go (u:us) errs p' = Url.download' p' iv u file uo >>= \case
 		Right () -> return True
 		Left err -> do
 			-- If the incremental verifier was fed anything
@@ -765,9 +765,9 @@ downloadUrl listfailedurls k p iv urls file uo =
 					Just n | n > 0 -> unableIncrementalVerifier iv'
 					_ -> noop
 				Nothing -> noop
-			go us ((u, err) : errs)
-	go [] [] = return False
-	go [] errs@((_, err):_) = do
+			go us ((u, err) : errs) p'
+	go [] [] _ = return False
+	go [] errs@((_, err):_) _ = do
 		if listfailedurls
 			then warning $ UnquotedString $
 				unlines $ flip map errs $ \(u, err') ->
diff --git a/Annex/CopyFile.hs b/Annex/CopyFile.hs
index 0be9debd5f..176f71c076 100644
--- a/Annex/CopyFile.hs
+++ b/Annex/CopyFile.hs
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ tryCopyCoW (CopyCoWTried copycowtried) src dest meterupdate =
 			)
 		)
   where
-	docopycow = watchFileSize dest meterupdate $
+	docopycow = watchFileSize dest meterupdate $ const $
 		copyCoW CopyTimeStamps src dest
 	
 	dest' = toRawFilePath dest
diff --git a/Messages/Progress.hs b/Messages/Progress.hs
index 4327e1970f..6392f12fa2 100644
--- a/Messages/Progress.hs
+++ b/Messages/Progress.hs
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ metered' st setclear othermeterupdate msize bwlimit showoutput a = go st
 	minratelimit = min consoleratelimit jsonratelimit
 		
 {- Poll file size to display meter. -}
-meteredFile :: FilePath -> Maybe MeterUpdate -> Key -> Annex a -> Annex a
+meteredFile :: FilePath -> Maybe MeterUpdate -> Key -> (MeterUpdate -> Annex a) -> Annex a
 meteredFile file combinemeterupdate key a = 
 	metered combinemeterupdate key Nothing $ \_ p ->
 		watchFileSize file p a
diff --git a/Utility/Metered.hs b/Utility/Metered.hs
index 7be8c9ec61..b97516cb1a 100644
--- a/Utility/Metered.hs
+++ b/Utility/Metered.hs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {- Metered IO and actions
  -
- - Copyright 2012-2021 Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>
+ - Copyright 2012-2024 Joey Hess <id@joeyh.name>
  -
  - License: BSD-2-clause
  -}
@@ -218,23 +218,49 @@ defaultChunkSize = 32 * k - chunkOverhead
  - away and start over. To avoid reporting the original file size followed
  - by a smaller size in that case, wait until the file starts growing
  - before updating the meter for the first time.
+ -
+ - An updated version of the MeterUpdate is passed to the action, and the
+ - action should use that for any updates that it makes. This allows for
+ - eg, the action updating the meter before a write is flushed to the file.
+ - In that situation, this avoids the meter being set back to the size of
+ - the file when it's gotten ahead of that point.
  -}
-watchFileSize :: (MonadIO m, MonadMask m) => FilePath -> MeterUpdate -> m a -> m a
-watchFileSize f p a = bracket 
-	(liftIO $ forkIO $ watcher =<< getsz)
-	(liftIO . void . tryIO . killThread)
-	(const a)
+watchFileSize
+	:: (MonadIO m, MonadMask m)
+	=> FilePath
+	-> MeterUpdate
+	-> (MeterUpdate -> m a)
+	-> m a
+watchFileSize f p a = do
+	sizevar <- liftIO $ newMVar zeroBytesProcessed
+	bracket 
+		(liftIO $ forkIO $ watcher (meterupdate sizevar True) =<< getsz)
+		(liftIO . void . tryIO . killThread)
+		(const (a (meterupdate sizevar False)))
   where
-	watcher oldsz = do
+	watcher p' oldsz = do
 		threadDelay 500000 -- 0.5 seconds
 		sz <- getsz
 		when (sz > oldsz) $
-			p sz
-		watcher sz
+			p' sz
+		watcher p' sz
 	getsz = catchDefaultIO zeroBytesProcessed $
 		toBytesProcessed <$> getFileSize f'
 	f' = toRawFilePath f
 
+	meterupdate sizevar preventbacktracking n
+		| preventbacktracking = do
+			old <- takeMVar sizevar
+			if old > n
+				then putMVar sizevar old
+				else do
+					putMVar sizevar n
+					p n
+		| otherwise = do
+			void $ takeMVar sizevar
+			putMVar sizevar n
+			p n
+
 data OutputHandler = OutputHandler
 	{ quietMode :: Bool
 	, stderrHandler :: String -> IO ()