diff --git a/fast-import.c b/fast-import.c
index ce47794db6..c45fe7474c 100644
--- a/fast-import.c
+++ b/fast-import.c
@@ -526,14 +526,6 @@ static unsigned int hc_str(const char *s, size_t len)
 	return r;
 }
 
-static char *pool_strdup(const char *s)
-{
-	size_t len = strlen(s) + 1;
-	char *r = mem_pool_alloc(&fi_mem_pool, len);
-	memcpy(r, s, len);
-	return r;
-}
-
 static void insert_mark(struct mark_set *s, uintmax_t idnum, struct object_entry *oe)
 {
 	while ((idnum >> s->shift) >= 1024) {
@@ -615,7 +607,7 @@ static struct branch *new_branch(const char *name)
 		die("Branch name doesn't conform to GIT standards: %s", name);
 
 	b = mem_pool_calloc(&fi_mem_pool, 1, sizeof(struct branch));
-	b->name = pool_strdup(name);
+	b->name = mem_pool_strdup(&fi_mem_pool, name);
 	b->table_next_branch = branch_table[hc];
 	b->branch_tree.versions[0].mode = S_IFDIR;
 	b->branch_tree.versions[1].mode = S_IFDIR;
@@ -2806,7 +2798,7 @@ static void parse_new_tag(const char *arg)
 
 	t = mem_pool_alloc(&fi_mem_pool, sizeof(struct tag));
 	memset(t, 0, sizeof(struct tag));
-	t->name = pool_strdup(arg);
+	t->name = mem_pool_strdup(&fi_mem_pool, arg);
 	if (last_tag)
 		last_tag->next_tag = t;
 	else
diff --git a/mem-pool.c b/mem-pool.c
index a2841a4a9a..8401761dda 100644
--- a/mem-pool.c
+++ b/mem-pool.c
@@ -12,11 +12,13 @@
  * `insert_after`. If `insert_after` is NULL, then insert block at the
  * head of the linked list.
  */
-static struct mp_block *mem_pool_alloc_block(struct mem_pool *mem_pool, size_t block_alloc, struct mp_block *insert_after)
+static struct mp_block *mem_pool_alloc_block(struct mem_pool *pool,
+					     size_t block_alloc,
+					     struct mp_block *insert_after)
 {
 	struct mp_block *p;
 
-	mem_pool->pool_alloc += sizeof(struct mp_block) + block_alloc;
+	pool->pool_alloc += sizeof(struct mp_block) + block_alloc;
 	p = xmalloc(st_add(sizeof(struct mp_block), block_alloc));
 
 	p->next_free = (char *)p->space;
@@ -26,35 +28,27 @@ static struct mp_block *mem_pool_alloc_block(struct mem_pool *mem_pool, size_t b
 		p->next_block = insert_after->next_block;
 		insert_after->next_block = p;
 	} else {
-		p->next_block = mem_pool->mp_block;
-		mem_pool->mp_block = p;
+		p->next_block = pool->mp_block;
+		pool->mp_block = p;
 	}
 
 	return p;
 }
 
-void mem_pool_init(struct mem_pool **mem_pool, size_t initial_size)
+void mem_pool_init(struct mem_pool *pool, size_t initial_size)
 {
-	struct mem_pool *pool;
-
-	if (*mem_pool)
-		return;
-
-	pool = xcalloc(1, sizeof(*pool));
-
+	memset(pool, 0, sizeof(*pool));
 	pool->block_alloc = BLOCK_GROWTH_SIZE;
 
 	if (initial_size > 0)
 		mem_pool_alloc_block(pool, initial_size, NULL);
-
-	*mem_pool = pool;
 }
 
-void mem_pool_discard(struct mem_pool *mem_pool, int invalidate_memory)
+void mem_pool_discard(struct mem_pool *pool, int invalidate_memory)
 {
 	struct mp_block *block, *block_to_free;
 
-	block = mem_pool->mp_block;
+	block = pool->mp_block;
 	while (block)
 	{
 		block_to_free = block;
@@ -66,10 +60,11 @@ void mem_pool_discard(struct mem_pool *mem_pool, int invalidate_memory)
 		free(block_to_free);
 	}
 
-	free(mem_pool);
+	pool->mp_block = NULL;
+	pool->pool_alloc = 0;
 }
 
-void *mem_pool_alloc(struct mem_pool *mem_pool, size_t len)
+void *mem_pool_alloc(struct mem_pool *pool, size_t len)
 {
 	struct mp_block *p = NULL;
 	void *r;
@@ -78,15 +73,15 @@ void *mem_pool_alloc(struct mem_pool *mem_pool, size_t len)
 	if (len & (sizeof(uintmax_t) - 1))
 		len += sizeof(uintmax_t) - (len & (sizeof(uintmax_t) - 1));
 
-	if (mem_pool->mp_block &&
-	    mem_pool->mp_block->end - mem_pool->mp_block->next_free >= len)
-		p = mem_pool->mp_block;
+	if (pool->mp_block &&
+	    pool->mp_block->end - pool->mp_block->next_free >= len)
+		p = pool->mp_block;
 
 	if (!p) {
-		if (len >= (mem_pool->block_alloc / 2))
-			return mem_pool_alloc_block(mem_pool, len, mem_pool->mp_block);
+		if (len >= (pool->block_alloc / 2))
+			return mem_pool_alloc_block(pool, len, pool->mp_block);
 
-		p = mem_pool_alloc_block(mem_pool, mem_pool->block_alloc, NULL);
+		p = mem_pool_alloc_block(pool, pool->block_alloc, NULL);
 	}
 
 	r = p->next_free;
@@ -94,20 +89,38 @@ void *mem_pool_alloc(struct mem_pool *mem_pool, size_t len)
 	return r;
 }
 
-void *mem_pool_calloc(struct mem_pool *mem_pool, size_t count, size_t size)
+void *mem_pool_calloc(struct mem_pool *pool, size_t count, size_t size)
 {
 	size_t len = st_mult(count, size);
-	void *r = mem_pool_alloc(mem_pool, len);
+	void *r = mem_pool_alloc(pool, len);
 	memset(r, 0, len);
 	return r;
 }
 
-int mem_pool_contains(struct mem_pool *mem_pool, void *mem)
+char *mem_pool_strdup(struct mem_pool *pool, const char *str)
+{
+	size_t len = strlen(str) + 1;
+	char *ret = mem_pool_alloc(pool, len);
+
+	return memcpy(ret, str, len);
+}
+
+char *mem_pool_strndup(struct mem_pool *pool, const char *str, size_t len)
+{
+	char *p = memchr(str, '\0', len);
+	size_t actual_len = (p ? p - str : len);
+	char *ret = mem_pool_alloc(pool, actual_len+1);
+
+	ret[actual_len] = '\0';
+	return memcpy(ret, str, actual_len);
+}
+
+int mem_pool_contains(struct mem_pool *pool, void *mem)
 {
 	struct mp_block *p;
 
 	/* Check if memory is allocated in a block */
-	for (p = mem_pool->mp_block; p; p = p->next_block)
+	for (p = pool->mp_block; p; p = p->next_block)
 		if ((mem >= ((void *)p->space)) &&
 		    (mem < ((void *)p->end)))
 			return 1;
diff --git a/mem-pool.h b/mem-pool.h
index 999d3c3a52..fe7507f022 100644
--- a/mem-pool.h
+++ b/mem-pool.h
@@ -24,12 +24,12 @@ struct mem_pool {
 /*
  * Initialize mem_pool with specified initial size.
  */
-void mem_pool_init(struct mem_pool **mem_pool, size_t initial_size);
+void mem_pool_init(struct mem_pool *pool, size_t initial_size);
 
 /*
- * Discard a memory pool and free all the memory it is responsible for.
+ * Discard all the memory the memory pool is responsible for.
  */
-void mem_pool_discard(struct mem_pool *mem_pool, int invalidate_memory);
+void mem_pool_discard(struct mem_pool *pool, int invalidate_memory);
 
 /*
  * Alloc memory from the mem_pool.
@@ -41,6 +41,12 @@ void *mem_pool_alloc(struct mem_pool *pool, size_t len);
  */
 void *mem_pool_calloc(struct mem_pool *pool, size_t count, size_t size);
 
+/*
+ * Allocate memory from the memory pool and copy str into it.
+ */
+char *mem_pool_strdup(struct mem_pool *pool, const char *str);
+char *mem_pool_strndup(struct mem_pool *pool, const char *str, size_t len);
+
 /*
  * Move the memory associated with the 'src' pool to the 'dst' pool. The 'src'
  * pool will be empty and not contain any memory. It still needs to be free'd
@@ -52,6 +58,6 @@ void mem_pool_combine(struct mem_pool *dst, struct mem_pool *src);
  * Check if a memory pointed at by 'mem' is part of the range of
  * memory managed by the specified mem_pool.
  */
-int mem_pool_contains(struct mem_pool *mem_pool, void *mem);
+int mem_pool_contains(struct mem_pool *pool, void *mem);
 
 #endif
diff --git a/read-cache.c b/read-cache.c
index 8ed1c29b54..fa291cdbee 100644
--- a/read-cache.c
+++ b/read-cache.c
@@ -89,8 +89,10 @@ static struct mem_pool *find_mem_pool(struct index_state *istate)
 	else
 		pool_ptr = &istate->ce_mem_pool;
 
-	if (!*pool_ptr)
-		mem_pool_init(pool_ptr, 0);
+	if (!*pool_ptr) {
+		*pool_ptr = xmalloc(sizeof(**pool_ptr));
+		mem_pool_init(*pool_ptr, 0);
+	}
 
 	return *pool_ptr;
 }
@@ -2006,11 +2008,12 @@ static unsigned long load_all_cache_entries(struct index_state *istate,
 {
 	unsigned long consumed;
 
+	istate->ce_mem_pool = xmalloc(sizeof(*istate->ce_mem_pool));
 	if (istate->version == 4) {
-		mem_pool_init(&istate->ce_mem_pool,
+		mem_pool_init(istate->ce_mem_pool,
 				estimate_cache_size_from_compressed(istate->cache_nr));
 	} else {
-		mem_pool_init(&istate->ce_mem_pool,
+		mem_pool_init(istate->ce_mem_pool,
 				estimate_cache_size(mmap_size, istate->cache_nr));
 	}
 
@@ -2070,7 +2073,8 @@ static unsigned long load_cache_entries_threaded(struct index_state *istate, con
 	if (istate->name_hash_initialized)
 		BUG("the name hash isn't thread safe");
 
-	mem_pool_init(&istate->ce_mem_pool, 0);
+	istate->ce_mem_pool = xmalloc(sizeof(*istate->ce_mem_pool));
+	mem_pool_init(istate->ce_mem_pool, 0);
 
 	/* ensure we have no more threads than we have blocks to process */
 	if (nr_threads > ieot->nr)
@@ -2097,11 +2101,12 @@ static unsigned long load_cache_entries_threaded(struct index_state *istate, con
 		nr = 0;
 		for (j = p->ieot_start; j < p->ieot_start + p->ieot_blocks; j++)
 			nr += p->ieot->entries[j].nr;
+		istate->ce_mem_pool = xmalloc(sizeof(*istate->ce_mem_pool));
 		if (istate->version == 4) {
-			mem_pool_init(&p->ce_mem_pool,
+			mem_pool_init(p->ce_mem_pool,
 				estimate_cache_size_from_compressed(nr));
 		} else {
-			mem_pool_init(&p->ce_mem_pool,
+			mem_pool_init(p->ce_mem_pool,
 				estimate_cache_size(mmap_size, nr));
 		}
 
@@ -2358,7 +2363,7 @@ int discard_index(struct index_state *istate)
 
 	if (istate->ce_mem_pool) {
 		mem_pool_discard(istate->ce_mem_pool, should_validate_cache_entries());
-		istate->ce_mem_pool = NULL;
+		FREE_AND_NULL(istate->ce_mem_pool);
 	}
 
 	return 0;
diff --git a/split-index.c b/split-index.c
index e6154e4ea9..c0e8ad670d 100644
--- a/split-index.c
+++ b/split-index.c
@@ -79,8 +79,10 @@ void move_cache_to_base_index(struct index_state *istate)
 	if (si->base &&
 		si->base->ce_mem_pool) {
 
-		if (!istate->ce_mem_pool)
-			mem_pool_init(&istate->ce_mem_pool, 0);
+		if (!istate->ce_mem_pool) {
+			istate->ce_mem_pool = xmalloc(sizeof(struct mem_pool));
+			mem_pool_init(istate->ce_mem_pool, 0);
+		}
 
 		mem_pool_combine(istate->ce_mem_pool, istate->split_index->base->ce_mem_pool);
 	}