diff --git a/apply.c b/apply.c
index bdc008fae2..144c19aaca 100644
--- a/apply.c
+++ b/apply.c
@@ -4349,7 +4349,7 @@ static int try_create_file(struct apply_state *state, const char *path,
 	if (fd < 0)
 		return 1;
 
-	if (convert_to_working_tree(state->repo->index, path, buf, size, &nbuf)) {
+	if (convert_to_working_tree(state->repo->index, path, buf, size, &nbuf, NULL)) {
 		size = nbuf.len;
 		buf  = nbuf.buf;
 	}
diff --git a/archive.c b/archive.c
index a8da0fcc4f..d9e92cce58 100644
--- a/archive.c
+++ b/archive.c
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ void *object_file_to_archive(const struct archiver_args *args,
 		size_t size = 0;
 
 		strbuf_attach(&buf, buffer, *sizep, *sizep + 1);
-		convert_to_working_tree(args->repo->index, path, buf.buf, buf.len, &buf);
+		convert_to_working_tree(args->repo->index, path, buf.buf, buf.len, &buf, NULL);
 		if (commit)
 			format_subst(commit, buf.buf, buf.len, &buf);
 		buffer = strbuf_detach(&buf, &size);
diff --git a/builtin/cat-file.c b/builtin/cat-file.c
index 272f9fc6d7..545fed4924 100644
--- a/builtin/cat-file.c
+++ b/builtin/cat-file.c
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ static int filter_object(const char *path, unsigned mode,
 			     oid_to_hex(oid), path);
 	if ((type == OBJ_BLOB) && S_ISREG(mode)) {
 		struct strbuf strbuf = STRBUF_INIT;
-		if (convert_to_working_tree(&the_index, path, *buf, *size, &strbuf)) {
+		if (convert_to_working_tree(&the_index, path, *buf, *size, &strbuf, NULL)) {
 			free(*buf);
 			*size = strbuf.len;
 			*buf = strbuf_detach(&strbuf, NULL);
diff --git a/convert.c b/convert.c
index 5ead3ce678..6261921cfb 100644
--- a/convert.c
+++ b/convert.c
@@ -797,6 +797,7 @@ static void handle_filter_error(const struct strbuf *filter_status,
 static int apply_multi_file_filter(const char *path, const char *src, size_t len,
 				   int fd, struct strbuf *dst, const char *cmd,
 				   const unsigned int wanted_capability,
+				   const struct checkout_metadata *meta,
 				   struct delayed_checkout *dco)
 {
 	int err;
@@ -855,6 +856,24 @@ static int apply_multi_file_filter(const char *path, const char *src, size_t len
 	if (err)
 		goto done;
 
+	if (meta && meta->refname) {
+		err = packet_write_fmt_gently(process->in, "ref=%s\n", meta->refname);
+		if (err)
+			goto done;
+	}
+
+	if (meta && !is_null_oid(&meta->treeish)) {
+		err = packet_write_fmt_gently(process->in, "treeish=%s\n", oid_to_hex(&meta->treeish));
+		if (err)
+			goto done;
+	}
+
+	if (meta && !is_null_oid(&meta->blob)) {
+		err = packet_write_fmt_gently(process->in, "blob=%s\n", oid_to_hex(&meta->blob));
+		if (err)
+			goto done;
+	}
+
 	if ((entry->supported_capabilities & CAP_DELAY) &&
 	    dco && dco->state == CE_CAN_DELAY) {
 		can_delay = 1;
@@ -971,6 +990,7 @@ static struct convert_driver {
 static int apply_filter(const char *path, const char *src, size_t len,
 			int fd, struct strbuf *dst, struct convert_driver *drv,
 			const unsigned int wanted_capability,
+			const struct checkout_metadata *meta,
 			struct delayed_checkout *dco)
 {
 	const char *cmd = NULL;
@@ -990,7 +1010,7 @@ static int apply_filter(const char *path, const char *src, size_t len,
 		return apply_single_file_filter(path, src, len, fd, dst, cmd);
 	else if (drv->process && *drv->process)
 		return apply_multi_file_filter(path, src, len, fd, dst,
-			drv->process, wanted_capability, dco);
+			drv->process, wanted_capability, meta, dco);
 
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -1368,7 +1388,7 @@ int would_convert_to_git_filter_fd(const struct index_state *istate, const char
 	if (!ca.drv->required)
 		return 0;
 
-	return apply_filter(path, NULL, 0, -1, NULL, ca.drv, CAP_CLEAN, NULL);
+	return apply_filter(path, NULL, 0, -1, NULL, ca.drv, CAP_CLEAN, NULL, NULL);
 }
 
 const char *get_convert_attr_ascii(const struct index_state *istate, const char *path)
@@ -1406,7 +1426,7 @@ int convert_to_git(const struct index_state *istate,
 
 	convert_attrs(istate, &ca, path);
 
-	ret |= apply_filter(path, src, len, -1, dst, ca.drv, CAP_CLEAN, NULL);
+	ret |= apply_filter(path, src, len, -1, dst, ca.drv, CAP_CLEAN, NULL, NULL);
 	if (!ret && ca.drv && ca.drv->required)
 		die(_("%s: clean filter '%s' failed"), path, ca.drv->name);
 
@@ -1441,7 +1461,7 @@ void convert_to_git_filter_fd(const struct index_state *istate,
 	assert(ca.drv);
 	assert(ca.drv->clean || ca.drv->process);
 
-	if (!apply_filter(path, NULL, 0, fd, dst, ca.drv, CAP_CLEAN, NULL))
+	if (!apply_filter(path, NULL, 0, fd, dst, ca.drv, CAP_CLEAN, NULL, NULL))
 		die(_("%s: clean filter '%s' failed"), path, ca.drv->name);
 
 	encode_to_git(path, dst->buf, dst->len, dst, ca.working_tree_encoding, conv_flags);
@@ -1452,7 +1472,9 @@ void convert_to_git_filter_fd(const struct index_state *istate,
 static int convert_to_working_tree_internal(const struct index_state *istate,
 					    const char *path, const char *src,
 					    size_t len, struct strbuf *dst,
-					    int normalizing, struct delayed_checkout *dco)
+					    int normalizing,
+					    const struct checkout_metadata *meta,
+					    struct delayed_checkout *dco)
 {
 	int ret = 0, ret_filter = 0;
 	struct conv_attrs ca;
@@ -1484,7 +1506,7 @@ static int convert_to_working_tree_internal(const struct index_state *istate,
 	}
 
 	ret_filter = apply_filter(
-		path, src, len, -1, dst, ca.drv, CAP_SMUDGE, dco);
+		path, src, len, -1, dst, ca.drv, CAP_SMUDGE, meta, dco);
 	if (!ret_filter && ca.drv && ca.drv->required)
 		die(_("%s: smudge filter %s failed"), path, ca.drv->name);
 
@@ -1494,22 +1516,24 @@ static int convert_to_working_tree_internal(const struct index_state *istate,
 int async_convert_to_working_tree(const struct index_state *istate,
 				  const char *path, const char *src,
 				  size_t len, struct strbuf *dst,
+				  const struct checkout_metadata *meta,
 				  void *dco)
 {
-	return convert_to_working_tree_internal(istate, path, src, len, dst, 0, dco);
+	return convert_to_working_tree_internal(istate, path, src, len, dst, 0, meta, dco);
 }
 
 int convert_to_working_tree(const struct index_state *istate,
 			    const char *path, const char *src,
-			    size_t len, struct strbuf *dst)
+			    size_t len, struct strbuf *dst,
+			    const struct checkout_metadata *meta)
 {
-	return convert_to_working_tree_internal(istate, path, src, len, dst, 0, NULL);
+	return convert_to_working_tree_internal(istate, path, src, len, dst, 0, meta, NULL);
 }
 
 int renormalize_buffer(const struct index_state *istate, const char *path,
 		       const char *src, size_t len, struct strbuf *dst)
 {
-	int ret = convert_to_working_tree_internal(istate, path, src, len, dst, 1, NULL);
+	int ret = convert_to_working_tree_internal(istate, path, src, len, dst, 1, NULL, NULL);
 	if (ret) {
 		src = dst->buf;
 		len = dst->len;
diff --git a/convert.h b/convert.h
index 3710969d43..894e01c38b 100644
--- a/convert.h
+++ b/convert.h
@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@
 #ifndef CONVERT_H
 #define CONVERT_H
 
+#include "hash.h"
 #include "string-list.h"
 
 struct index_state;
-struct object_id;
 struct strbuf;
 
 #define CONV_EOL_RNDTRP_DIE   (1<<0) /* Die if CRLF to LF to CRLF is different */
@@ -57,6 +57,12 @@ struct delayed_checkout {
 	struct string_list paths;
 };
 
+struct checkout_metadata {
+	const char *refname;
+	struct object_id treeish;
+	struct object_id blob;
+};
+
 extern enum eol core_eol;
 extern char *check_roundtrip_encoding;
 const char *get_cached_convert_stats_ascii(const struct index_state *istate,
@@ -71,10 +77,12 @@ int convert_to_git(const struct index_state *istate,
 		   struct strbuf *dst, int conv_flags);
 int convert_to_working_tree(const struct index_state *istate,
 			    const char *path, const char *src,
-			    size_t len, struct strbuf *dst);
+			    size_t len, struct strbuf *dst,
+			    const struct checkout_metadata *meta);
 int async_convert_to_working_tree(const struct index_state *istate,
 				  const char *path, const char *src,
 				  size_t len, struct strbuf *dst,
+				  const struct checkout_metadata *meta,
 				  void *dco);
 int async_query_available_blobs(const char *cmd,
 				struct string_list *available_paths);
diff --git a/diff.c b/diff.c
index f2cfbf2214..12761c8017 100644
--- a/diff.c
+++ b/diff.c
@@ -4071,7 +4071,7 @@ static void prep_temp_blob(struct index_state *istate,
 	if (!temp->tempfile)
 		die_errno("unable to create temp-file");
 	if (convert_to_working_tree(istate, path,
-			(const char *)blob, (size_t)size, &buf)) {
+			(const char *)blob, (size_t)size, &buf, NULL)) {
 		blob = buf.buf;
 		size = buf.len;
 	}
diff --git a/entry.c b/entry.c
index 53380bb614..4b2d9b2dad 100644
--- a/entry.c
+++ b/entry.c
@@ -315,13 +315,13 @@ static int write_entry(struct cache_entry *ce,
 		 */
 		if (dco && dco->state != CE_NO_DELAY) {
 			ret = async_convert_to_working_tree(state->istate, ce->name, new_blob,
-							    size, &buf, dco);
+							    size, &buf, NULL, dco);
 			if (ret && string_list_has_string(&dco->paths, ce->name)) {
 				free(new_blob);
 				goto delayed;
 			}
 		} else
-			ret = convert_to_working_tree(state->istate, ce->name, new_blob, size, &buf);
+			ret = convert_to_working_tree(state->istate, ce->name, new_blob, size, &buf, NULL);
 
 		if (ret) {
 			free(new_blob);
diff --git a/merge-recursive.c b/merge-recursive.c
index 7a4e6f20fa..d92e2acf1e 100644
--- a/merge-recursive.c
+++ b/merge-recursive.c
@@ -958,7 +958,7 @@ static int update_file_flags(struct merge_options *opt,
 		if (S_ISREG(contents->mode)) {
 			struct strbuf strbuf = STRBUF_INIT;
 			if (convert_to_working_tree(opt->repo->index,
-						    path, buf, size, &strbuf)) {
+						    path, buf, size, &strbuf, NULL)) {
 				free(buf);
 				size = strbuf.len;
 				buf = strbuf_detach(&strbuf, NULL);