diff --git a/reftable/readwrite_test.c b/reftable/readwrite_test.c
index fd5922e55f..35142eb070 100644
--- a/reftable/readwrite_test.c
+++ b/reftable/readwrite_test.c
@@ -667,6 +667,42 @@ static void test_write_empty_table(void)
 	strbuf_release(&buf);
 }
 
+static void test_write_object_id_min_length(void)
+{
+	struct reftable_write_options opts = {
+		.block_size = 75,
+	};
+	struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
+	struct reftable_writer *w =
+		reftable_new_writer(&strbuf_add_void, &buf, &opts);
+	uint8_t hash[GIT_SHA1_RAWSZ] = {42};
+	struct reftable_ref_record ref = {
+		.update_index = 1,
+		.value_type = REFTABLE_REF_VAL1,
+		.value.val1 = hash,
+	};
+	int err;
+	int i;
+
+	reftable_writer_set_limits(w, 1, 1);
+
+	/* Write the same hash in many refs. If there is only 1 hash, the
+	 * disambiguating prefix is length 0 */
+	for (i = 0; i < 256; i++) {
+		char name[256];
+		snprintf(name, sizeof(name), "ref%05d", i);
+		ref.refname = name;
+		err = reftable_writer_add_ref(w, &ref);
+		EXPECT_ERR(err);
+	}
+
+	err = reftable_writer_close(w);
+	EXPECT_ERR(err);
+	EXPECT(writer_stats(w)->object_id_len == 2);
+	reftable_writer_free(w);
+	strbuf_release(&buf);
+}
+
 static void test_write_empty_key(void)
 {
 	struct reftable_write_options opts = { 0 };
@@ -772,5 +808,6 @@ int readwrite_test_main(int argc, const char *argv[])
 	RUN_TEST(test_write_empty_key);
 	RUN_TEST(test_write_empty_table);
 	RUN_TEST(test_log_overflow);
+	RUN_TEST(test_write_object_id_min_length);
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/reftable/writer.c b/reftable/writer.c
index d54215a50d..5e4e6e9341 100644
--- a/reftable/writer.c
+++ b/reftable/writer.c
@@ -515,7 +515,9 @@ static void object_record_free(void *void_arg, void *key)
 static int writer_dump_object_index(struct reftable_writer *w)
 {
 	struct write_record_arg closure = { .w = w };
-	struct common_prefix_arg common = { NULL };
+	struct common_prefix_arg common = {
+		.max = 1,		/* obj_id_len should be >= 2. */
+	};
 	if (w->obj_index_tree) {
 		infix_walk(w->obj_index_tree, &update_common, &common);
 	}