diff --git a/Annex/Direct.hs b/Annex/Direct.hs
index b66b2fdfd8..a6c30ad08d 100644
--- a/Annex/Direct.hs
+++ b/Annex/Direct.hs
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ import qualified Git.Merge
 import qualified Git.DiffTree as DiffTree
 import Git.Sha
 import Git.Types
-import Annex.CatFile
 import Git.FileMode
+import Annex.CatFile
 import qualified Annex.Queue
 import Logs.Location
 import Backend
@@ -45,8 +45,10 @@ stageDirect = do
 	{- Determine what kind of modified or deleted file this is, as
 	 - efficiently as we can, by getting any key that's associated
 	 - with it in git, as well as its stat info. -}
-	go (file, Just sha) = do
-		shakey <- catKey sha
+	go (file, Just sha, Just mode) = do
+		shakey <- if isSymLink mode
+			then catKey sha
+			else return Nothing
 		mstat <- liftIO $ catchMaybeIO $ getSymbolicLinkStatus file
 		filekey <- isAnnexLink file
 		case (shakey, filekey, mstat, toInodeCache =<< mstat) of
diff --git a/Command/Indirect.hs b/Command/Indirect.hs
index e63c4cb8a6..79e736d11f 100644
--- a/Command/Indirect.hs
+++ b/Command/Indirect.hs
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import Command
 import qualified Git
 import qualified Git.Command
 import qualified Git.LsFiles
+import Git.FileMode
 import Config
 import qualified Annex
 import Annex.Direct
@@ -67,8 +68,7 @@ perform = do
 	{- Walk tree from top and move all present direct mode files into
 	 - the annex, replacing with symlinks. Also delete direct mode
 	 - caches and mappings. -}
-	go (_, Nothing) = noop
-	go (f, Just sha) = do
+	go (f, Just sha, Just mode) | isSymLink mode = do
 		r <- liftIO $ catchMaybeIO $ getSymbolicLinkStatus f
 		case r of
 			Just s
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ perform = do
 					maybe noop (fromdirect f)
 						=<< catKey sha
 			_ -> noop
+	go _ = noop
 
 	fromdirect f k = do
 		showStart "indirect" f
diff --git a/Command/PreCommit.hs b/Command/PreCommit.hs
index c6d9dd278a..c35cf61e15 100644
--- a/Command/PreCommit.hs
+++ b/Command/PreCommit.hs
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import qualified Git.Ref
 import Annex.CatFile
 import Annex.Content.Direct
 import Git.Sha
+import Git.FileMode
 
 def :: [Command]
 def = [command "pre-commit" paramPaths seek SectionPlumbing
@@ -44,10 +45,10 @@ startDirect _ = next $ do
 	next $ liftIO clean
   where
 	go diff = do
-		withkey (Git.DiffTree.srcsha diff) removeAssociatedFile
-		withkey (Git.DiffTree.dstsha diff) addAssociatedFile
+		withkey (Git.DiffTree.srcsha diff) (Git.DiffTree.srcmode diff) removeAssociatedFile
+		withkey (Git.DiffTree.dstsha diff) (Git.DiffTree.dstmode diff) addAssociatedFile
 	  where
-		withkey sha a = when (sha /= nullSha) $ do
+		withkey sha mode a = when (sha /= nullSha && isSymLink mode) $ do
 			k <- catKey sha
 			case k of
 				Nothing -> noop
diff --git a/Git/LsFiles.hs b/Git/LsFiles.hs
index e2e29ea36f..8a5d4bd6a2 100644
--- a/Git/LsFiles.hs
+++ b/Git/LsFiles.hs
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@ import Git.Command
 import Git.Types
 import Git.Sha
 
+import Numeric
+import System.Posix.Types
+
 {- Scans for files that are checked into git at the specified locations. -}
 inRepo :: [FilePath] -> Repo -> IO ([FilePath], IO Bool)
 inRepo l = pipeNullSplit $ Params "ls-files --cached -z --" : map File l
@@ -78,16 +81,16 @@ staged' ps l = pipeNullSplit $ prefix ++ ps ++ suffix
 
 {- Returns details about files that are staged in the index,
  - as well as files not yet in git. Skips ignored files. -}
-stagedOthersDetails :: [FilePath] -> Repo -> IO ([(FilePath, Maybe Sha)], IO Bool)
+stagedOthersDetails :: [FilePath] -> Repo -> IO ([(FilePath, Maybe Sha, Maybe FileMode)], IO Bool)
 stagedOthersDetails = stagedDetails' [Params "--others --exclude-standard"]
 
 {- Returns details about all files that are staged in the index. -}
-stagedDetails :: [FilePath] -> Repo -> IO ([(FilePath, Maybe Sha)], IO Bool)
+stagedDetails :: [FilePath] -> Repo -> IO ([(FilePath, Maybe Sha, Maybe FileMode)], IO Bool)
 stagedDetails = stagedDetails' []
 
 {- Gets details about staged files, including the Sha of their staged
  - contents. -}
-stagedDetails' :: [CommandParam] -> [FilePath] -> Repo -> IO ([(FilePath, Maybe Sha)], IO Bool)
+stagedDetails' :: [CommandParam] -> [FilePath] -> Repo -> IO ([(FilePath, Maybe Sha, Maybe FileMode)], IO Bool)
 stagedDetails' ps l repo = do
 	(ls, cleanup) <- pipeNullSplit params repo
 	return (map parse ls, cleanup)
@@ -95,10 +98,12 @@ stagedDetails' ps l repo = do
 	params = Params "ls-files --stage -z" : ps ++ 
 		Param "--" : map File l
 	parse s
-		| null file = (s, Nothing)
-		| otherwise = (file, extractSha $ take shaSize $ drop 7 metadata)
+		| null file = (s, Nothing, Nothing)
+		| otherwise = (file, extractSha $ take shaSize rest, readmode mode)
 	  where
 		(metadata, file) = separate (== '\t') s
+		(mode, rest) = separate (== ' ') metadata
+		readmode = headMaybe . readOct >=*> fst
 
 {- Returns a list of the files in the specified locations that are staged
  - for commit, and whose type has changed. -}
diff --git a/Logs/Web.hs b/Logs/Web.hs
index 0239f23350..ede600ec28 100644
--- a/Logs/Web.hs
+++ b/Logs/Web.hs
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ module Logs.Web (
 ) where
 
 import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy.Char8 as L
+import Data.Tuple.Utils
 
 import Common.Annex
 import Logs
@@ -70,7 +71,7 @@ knownUrls = do
 	Annex.Branch.withIndex $ do
 		top <- fromRepo Git.repoPath
 		(l, cleanup) <- inRepo $ Git.LsFiles.stagedDetails [top]
-		r <- mapM (geturls . snd) $ filter (isUrlLog . fst) l
+		r <- mapM (geturls . snd3) $ filter (isUrlLog . fst3) l
 		void $ liftIO cleanup
 		return $ concat r
   where
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 1fd1375189..6cc20e4128 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ git-annex (4.20130912) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
     numcopies levels. (--fast avoids calculating these)
   * gcrypt: Ensure that signing key is set to one of the participants keys.
   * webapp: Show encryption information when editing a remote.
+  * sync, pre-commit, indirect: Avoid unnecessarily catting non-symlink
+    files from git, which can be so large it runs out of memory.
 
  -- Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>  Thu, 12 Sep 2013 12:14:46 -0400