diff --git a/Annex/Content.hs b/Annex/Content.hs
index 9c5d01cd83..995eb6ed15 100644
--- a/Annex/Content.hs
+++ b/Annex/Content.hs
@@ -751,7 +751,7 @@ downloadUrl :: Bool -> Key -> MeterUpdate -> Maybe IncrementalVerifier -> [Url.U
 downloadUrl listfailedurls k p iv urls file uo = 
 	-- Poll the file to handle configurations where an external
 	-- download command is used.
-	meteredFile file (Just p) k (go urls [])
+	meteredFile (toRawFilePath file) (Just p) k (go urls [])
   where
 	go (u:us) errs p' = Url.download' p' iv u file uo >>= \case
 		Right () -> return True
diff --git a/Annex/CopyFile.hs b/Annex/CopyFile.hs
index 176f71c076..55c7d908e2 100644
--- a/Annex/CopyFile.hs
+++ b/Annex/CopyFile.hs
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ tryCopyCoW (CopyCoWTried copycowtried) src dest meterupdate =
 			)
 		)
   where
-	docopycow = watchFileSize dest meterupdate $ const $
+	docopycow = watchFileSize dest' meterupdate $ const $
 		copyCoW CopyTimeStamps src dest
 	
 	dest' = toRawFilePath dest
diff --git a/Messages/Progress.hs b/Messages/Progress.hs
index 6392f12fa2..c726149d18 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 -> (MeterUpdate -> Annex a) -> Annex a
+meteredFile :: RawFilePath -> 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 b97516cb1a..0b7097b732 100644
--- a/Utility/Metered.hs
+++ b/Utility/Metered.hs
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ defaultChunkSize = 32 * k - chunkOverhead
  -}
 watchFileSize
 	:: (MonadIO m, MonadMask m)
-	=> FilePath
+	=> RawFilePath
 	-> MeterUpdate
 	-> (MeterUpdate -> m a)
 	-> m a
@@ -245,8 +245,7 @@ watchFileSize f p a = do
 			p' sz
 		watcher p' sz
 	getsz = catchDefaultIO zeroBytesProcessed $
-		toBytesProcessed <$> getFileSize f'
-	f' = toRawFilePath f
+		toBytesProcessed <$> getFileSize f
 
 	meterupdate sizevar preventbacktracking n
 		| preventbacktracking = do