diff --git a/Annex/Branch.hs b/Annex/Branch.hs
index 16f5b6840c..2ee7c2fd18 100644
--- a/Annex/Branch.hs
+++ b/Annex/Branch.hs
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ module Annex.Branch (
 	updateTo,
 	get,
 	getHistorical,
+	getUnmergedRefs,
 	RegardingUUID(..),
 	change,
 	maybeChange,
@@ -281,6 +282,12 @@ get file = do
 		bs <- forM refs $ \ref -> getRef ref file
 		return (l <> mconcat bs)
 
+{- When the git-annex branch is unable to be updated due to permissions,
+ - and there are other git-annex branches that have not been merged into
+ - it, this gets the refs of those branches. -}
+getUnmergedRefs :: Annex [Git.Ref]
+getUnmergedRefs = unmergedRefs <$> update
+
 {- Used to cache the value of a file, which has been read from the branch
  - using some optimised method. The journal has to be checked, in case
  - it has a newer version of the file that has not reached the branch yet.
diff --git a/CmdLine/Seek.hs b/CmdLine/Seek.hs
index 096c588485..87eb1e333b 100644
--- a/CmdLine/Seek.hs
+++ b/CmdLine/Seek.hs
@@ -361,13 +361,14 @@ seekFilteredKeys seeker listfs = do
 				(process mi ofeeder mdfeeder mdcloser False l)
 			mdprocessertid <- liftIO . async =<< forkState
 				(mdprocess mi mdreader ofeeder ocloser)
-			if usesLocationLog seeker || matcherNeedsLocationLog mi
-				then catObjectStream g $ \lfeeder lcloser lreader -> do
+			ifM (precachell mi)
+				( catObjectStream g $ \lfeeder lcloser lreader -> do
 					precachertid <- liftIO . async =<< forkState
 						(precacher mi config oreader lfeeder lcloser)
 					precachefinisher mi lreader checktimelimit
 					join (liftIO (wait precachertid))
-				else finisher mi oreader checktimelimit
+				, finisher mi oreader checktimelimit
+				)
 			join (liftIO (wait mdprocessertid))
 			join (liftIO (wait processertid))
 	liftIO $ void cleanup
@@ -467,6 +468,16 @@ seekFilteredKeys seeker listfs = do
 		Just _ -> mdprocess mi mdreader ofeeder ocloser
 		Nothing -> liftIO $ void ocloser
 
+	-- Precache location logs if it will speed things up.
+	--
+	-- When there are git-annex branches that are not able to be
+	-- merged, the precaching is disabled, since it only looks at the
+	-- git-annex branch and not at those.
+	precachell mi
+		| usesLocationLog seeker || matcherNeedsLocationLog mi =
+			null <$> Annex.Branch.getUnmergedRefs
+		| otherwise = pure False
+
 seekHelper :: (a -> RawFilePath) -> WarnUnmatchWhen -> ([LsFiles.Options] -> [RawFilePath] -> Git.Repo -> IO ([a], IO Bool)) -> WorkTreeItems -> Annex ([(SeekInput, a)], IO Bool)
 seekHelper c ww a (WorkTreeItems l) = do
 	os <- seekOptions ww