diff --git a/Remote/Directory.hs b/Remote/Directory.hs
index cebd5e61fe..ae8b2cc803 100644
--- a/Remote/Directory.hs
+++ b/Remote/Directory.hs
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ locations d k = NE.map (d P.</>) (keyPaths k)
 locations' :: RawFilePath -> Key -> [RawFilePath]
 locations' d k = NE.toList (locations d k)
 
-{- Returns the location off a Key in the directory. If the key is
+{- Returns the location of a Key in the directory. If the key is
  - present, returns the location that is actually used, otherwise
  - returns the first, default location. -}
 getLocation :: RawFilePath -> Key -> IO RawFilePath
diff --git a/Remote/Directory/LegacyChunked.hs b/Remote/Directory/LegacyChunked.hs
index fe1065d76c..2268dc998a 100644
--- a/Remote/Directory/LegacyChunked.hs
+++ b/Remote/Directory/LegacyChunked.hs
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ store repotop chunksize finalizer k b p = storeHelper repotop finalizer k $ \des
  - :/ This is legacy code..
  -}
 retrieve :: (RawFilePath -> Key -> [RawFilePath]) -> RawFilePath -> Retriever
-retrieve locations d basek p miv c = withOtherTmp $ \tmpdir -> do
+retrieve locations d basek p _dest miv c = withOtherTmp $ \tmpdir -> do
 	showLongNote "This remote uses the deprecated chunksize setting. So this will be quite slow."
 	let tmp = tmpdir P.</> keyFile basek <> ".directorylegacy.tmp"
 	let tmp' = fromRawFilePath tmp
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ retrieve locations d basek p miv c = withOtherTmp $ \tmpdir -> do
 		b <- liftIO $ L.readFile tmp'
 		liftIO $ removeWhenExistsWith R.removeLink tmp
 		sink b
-	byteRetriever go basek p miv c
+	byteRetriever go basek p tmp miv c
 
 checkKey :: RawFilePath -> (RawFilePath -> Key -> [RawFilePath]) -> Key -> Annex Bool
 checkKey d locations k = liftIO $
diff --git a/Remote/GCrypt.hs b/Remote/GCrypt.hs
index 9ac6138639..e740d14535 100644
--- a/Remote/GCrypt.hs
+++ b/Remote/GCrypt.hs
@@ -409,9 +409,9 @@ store' repo r rsyncopts accessmethod
 	storersync = fileStorer $ Remote.Rsync.store rsyncopts
 
 retrieve :: Remote -> Remote.Rsync.RsyncOpts -> AccessMethod -> Retriever
-retrieve r rsyncopts accessmethod k p miv sink = do
+retrieve r rsyncopts accessmethod k p dest miv sink = do
 	repo <- getRepo r
-	retrieve' repo r rsyncopts accessmethod k p miv sink
+	retrieve' repo r rsyncopts accessmethod k p dest miv sink
 
 retrieve' :: Git.Repo -> Remote -> Remote.Rsync.RsyncOpts -> AccessMethod -> Retriever
 retrieve' repo r rsyncopts accessmethod
diff --git a/Remote/Glacier.hs b/Remote/Glacier.hs
index 7c0d94383f..e686b85c57 100644
--- a/Remote/Glacier.hs
+++ b/Remote/Glacier.hs
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ store' r k b p = go =<< glacierEnv c gc u
 		forceSuccessProcess cmd pid
 	go' _ _ _ _ _ = error "internal"
 
-retrieve :: forall a. Remote -> Key -> MeterUpdate -> Maybe IncrementalVerifier -> (ContentSource -> Annex a) -> Annex a
+retrieve :: forall a. Remote -> Key -> MeterUpdate -> RawFilePath -> Maybe IncrementalVerifier -> (ContentSource -> Annex a) -> Annex a
 retrieve = byteRetriever . retrieve'
 
 retrieve' :: forall a. Remote -> Key -> (L.ByteString -> Annex a) -> Annex a
diff --git a/Remote/Helper/Chunked.hs b/Remote/Helper/Chunked.hs
index 7a3b33066d..7ebdfdccef 100644
--- a/Remote/Helper/Chunked.hs
+++ b/Remote/Helper/Chunked.hs
@@ -294,8 +294,10 @@ retrieveChunks retriever u vc chunkconfig encryptor basek dest basep enc encc
 			let p = maybe basep
 				(offsetMeterUpdate basep . toBytesProcessed)
 				offset
-			v <- tryNonAsync $
-				retriever (encryptor k) p Nothing $ \content ->
+			v <- tryNonAsync $ do
+				let enck = encryptor k
+				objloc <- fromRepo $ gitAnnexTmpObjectLocation enck
+				retriever enck p objloc Nothing $ \content ->
 					bracket (maybe opennew openresume offset) (liftIO . hClose . fst) $ \(h, iv) -> do
 						retrieved iv (Just h) p content
 						let sz = toBytesProcessed $
@@ -316,7 +318,9 @@ retrieveChunks retriever u vc chunkconfig encryptor basek dest basep enc encc
 	getrest p h iv sz bytesprocessed (k:ks) = do
 		let p' = offsetMeterUpdate p bytesprocessed
 		liftIO $ p' zeroBytesProcessed
-		retriever (encryptor k) p' Nothing $ 
+		let enck = encryptor k
+		objloc <- fromRepo $ gitAnnexTmpObjectLocation enck
+		retriever enck p' objloc Nothing $ 
 			retrieved iv (Just h) p'
 		getrest p h iv sz (addBytesProcessed bytesprocessed sz) ks
 
@@ -324,7 +328,7 @@ retrieveChunks retriever u vc chunkconfig encryptor basek dest basep enc encc
 		iv <- startVerifyKeyContentIncrementally vc basek
 		case enc of
 			Just _ -> do
-				retriever (encryptor basek) basep Nothing $
+				retriever (encryptor basek) basep (toRawFilePath dest) Nothing $
 					retrieved iv Nothing basep
 				return (Right iv)
 			-- Not chunked and not encrypted, so ask the
@@ -333,7 +337,7 @@ retrieveChunks retriever u vc chunkconfig encryptor basek dest basep enc encc
 			-- passing the whole file content to the
 			-- incremental verifier though.
 			Nothing -> do
-				retriever (encryptor basek) basep iv $
+				retriever (encryptor basek) basep (toRawFilePath dest) iv $
 					retrieved iv Nothing basep
 				return $ case iv of
 					Nothing -> Right iv
diff --git a/Remote/Helper/Special.hs b/Remote/Helper/Special.hs
index 19d5abd310..1a3c88ab1d 100644
--- a/Remote/Helper/Special.hs
+++ b/Remote/Helper/Special.hs
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ import Types.StoreRetrieve
 import Types.Remote
 import Annex.Verify
 import Annex.UUID
+import Annex.Perms
 import Config
 import Config.Cost
 import Utility.Metered
@@ -106,10 +107,10 @@ byteStorer a k c m = withBytes c $ \b -> a k b m
 -- A Retriever that generates a lazy ByteString containing the Key's
 -- content, and passes it to a callback action which will fully consume it
 -- before returning.
-byteRetriever :: (Key -> (L.ByteString -> Annex a) -> Annex a) -> Key -> MeterUpdate -> Maybe IncrementalVerifier -> (ContentSource -> Annex a) -> Annex a
-byteRetriever a k _m _miv callback = a k (callback . ByteContent)
+byteRetriever :: (Key -> (L.ByteString -> Annex a) -> Annex a) -> Key -> MeterUpdate -> RawFilePath -> Maybe IncrementalVerifier -> (ContentSource -> Annex a) -> Annex a
+byteRetriever a k _m _dest _miv callback = a k (callback . ByteContent)
 
--- A Retriever that writes the content of a Key to a provided file.
+-- A Retriever that writes the content of a Key to a file.
 -- The action is responsible for updating the progress meter as it 
 -- retrieves data. The incremental verifier is updated in the background as
 -- the action writes to the file, but may not be updated with the entire
@@ -119,15 +120,15 @@ fileRetriever a = fileRetriever' $ \f k m miv ->
 	let retrieve = a f k m
 	in tailVerify miv f retrieve
 
-{- A Retriever that writes the content of a Key to a provided file.
+{- A Retriever that writes the content of a Key to a file.
  - The action is responsible for updating the progress meter and the 
  - incremental verifier as it retrieves data.
  -}
 fileRetriever' :: (RawFilePath -> Key -> MeterUpdate -> Maybe IncrementalVerifier -> Annex ()) -> Retriever
-fileRetriever' a k m miv callback = do
-	f <- prepTmp k
-	a f k m miv
-	pruneTmpWorkDirBefore f (callback . FileContent . fromRawFilePath)
+fileRetriever' a k m dest miv callback = do
+	createAnnexDirectory (parentDir dest)
+	a dest k m miv
+	pruneTmpWorkDirBefore dest (callback . FileContent . fromRawFilePath)
 
 {- The base Remote that is provided to specialRemote needs to have
  - storeKey, retrieveKeyFile, removeKey, and checkPresent methods,
diff --git a/Types/StoreRetrieve.hs b/Types/StoreRetrieve.hs
index 985d5adbec..ce7d228d74 100644
--- a/Types/StoreRetrieve.hs
+++ b/Types/StoreRetrieve.hs
@@ -35,12 +35,15 @@ type Storer = Key -> ContentSource -> MeterUpdate -> Annex ()
 -- Throws exception if key is not present, or remote is not accessible.
 --
 -- When it retrieves FileContent, it is responsible for updating the
--- MeterUpdate. And when the IncrementalVerifier is passed to it,
+-- MeterUpdate, and the provided FilePath can be used to store the file
+-- it retrieves. 
+--
+-- When the IncrementalVerifier is passed to it,
 -- and it retrieves FileContent, it can feed some or all of the file's
 -- content to the verifier before running the callback.
 -- This should not be done when it retrieves ByteContent.
 type Retriever = forall a.
-	Key -> MeterUpdate -> Maybe IncrementalVerifier
+	Key -> MeterUpdate -> RawFilePath -> Maybe IncrementalVerifier
 		-> (ContentSource -> Annex a) -> Annex a
 
 -- Action that removes a Key's content from a remote.
diff --git a/doc/todo/git-annex_proxies.mdwn b/doc/todo/git-annex_proxies.mdwn
index 668ea642ce..b7112b96b8 100644
--- a/doc/todo/git-annex_proxies.mdwn
+++ b/doc/todo/git-annex_proxies.mdwn
@@ -30,11 +30,6 @@ Planned schedule of work:
 
 * Currently working on streaming download via proxy from special remote.
 
-* Remotes using fileRetriever retrieve to the temp object file,
-  before it is renamed to the requested file. In the case of a proxy,
-  that is a different file, and so it won't see the file until it's all
-  been transferred and renamed.
-
 ## completed items for September's work on proving behavior of preferred content
 
 * Static analysis to detect "not present", "not balanced", and similar