diff --git a/builtin/pack-objects.c b/builtin/pack-objects.c
index 214d7ef2b1..0e81673118 100644
--- a/builtin/pack-objects.c
+++ b/builtin/pack-objects.c
@@ -1529,6 +1529,8 @@ static void try_to_free_from_threads(size_t size)
 	read_unlock();
 }
 
+try_to_free_t old_try_to_free_routine;
+
 /*
  * The main thread waits on the condition that (at least) one of the workers
  * has stopped working (which is indicated in the .working member of
@@ -1563,12 +1565,12 @@ static void init_threaded_search(void)
 	pthread_mutex_init(&cache_mutex, NULL);
 	pthread_mutex_init(&progress_mutex, NULL);
 	pthread_cond_init(&progress_cond, NULL);
-	set_try_to_free_routine(try_to_free_from_threads);
+	old_try_to_free_routine = set_try_to_free_routine(try_to_free_from_threads);
 }
 
 static void cleanup_threaded_search(void)
 {
-	set_try_to_free_routine(NULL);
+	set_try_to_free_routine(old_try_to_free_routine);
 	pthread_cond_destroy(&progress_cond);
 	pthread_mutex_destroy(&read_mutex);
 	pthread_mutex_destroy(&cache_mutex);
diff --git a/git-compat-util.h b/git-compat-util.h
index c0198dde4c..81ceb7f906 100644
--- a/git-compat-util.h
+++ b/git-compat-util.h
@@ -363,7 +363,8 @@ static inline void *gitmempcpy(void *dest, const void *src, size_t n)
 
 extern void release_pack_memory(size_t, int);
 
-extern void set_try_to_free_routine(void (*routine)(size_t));
+typedef void (*try_to_free_t)(size_t);
+extern try_to_free_t set_try_to_free_routine(try_to_free_t);
 
 extern char *xstrdup(const char *str);
 extern void *xmalloc(size_t size);
diff --git a/trace.c b/trace.c
index 4229ae1231..1e560cb0b9 100644
--- a/trace.c
+++ b/trace.c
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@
 #include "cache.h"
 #include "quote.h"
 
+void do_nothing(size_t unused)
+{
+}
+
 /* Get a trace file descriptor from GIT_TRACE env variable. */
 static int get_trace_fd(int *need_close)
 {
@@ -72,6 +76,7 @@ void trace_printf(const char *fmt, ...)
 	if (!fd)
 		return;
 
+	set_try_to_free_routine(do_nothing);	/* is never reset */
 	strbuf_init(&buf, 64);
 	va_start(ap, fmt);
 	len = vsnprintf(buf.buf, strbuf_avail(&buf), fmt, ap);
@@ -103,6 +108,7 @@ void trace_argv_printf(const char **argv, const char *fmt, ...)
 	if (!fd)
 		return;
 
+	set_try_to_free_routine(do_nothing);	/* is never reset */
 	strbuf_init(&buf, 64);
 	va_start(ap, fmt);
 	len = vsnprintf(buf.buf, strbuf_avail(&buf), fmt, ap);
diff --git a/wrapper.c b/wrapper.c
index 58201b6bcb..afb4f6f773 100644
--- a/wrapper.c
+++ b/wrapper.c
@@ -10,9 +10,11 @@ static void try_to_free_builtin(size_t size)
 
 static void (*try_to_free_routine)(size_t size) = try_to_free_builtin;
 
-void set_try_to_free_routine(void (*routine)(size_t))
+try_to_free_t set_try_to_free_routine(try_to_free_t routine)
 {
-	try_to_free_routine = (routine) ? routine : try_to_free_builtin;
+	try_to_free_t old = try_to_free_routine;
+	try_to_free_routine = routine;
+	return old;
 }
 
 char *xstrdup(const char *str)