diff --git a/tests/diff/submodules.c b/tests/diff/submodules.c
index 2881f74be..02870ac86 100644
--- a/tests/diff/submodules.c
+++ b/tests/diff/submodules.c
@@ -131,8 +131,6 @@ void test_diff_submodules__dirty_submodule_2(void)
 
 	g_repo = setup_fixture_submodules();
 
-	cl_git_pass(git_submodule_reload_all(g_repo, 1));
-
 	opts.flags = GIT_DIFF_INCLUDE_UNTRACKED |
 		GIT_DIFF_SHOW_UNTRACKED_CONTENT |
 		GIT_DIFF_RECURSE_UNTRACKED_DIRS |
@@ -165,8 +163,6 @@ void test_diff_submodules__dirty_submodule_2(void)
 
 	git_diff_free(diff);
 
-	cl_git_pass(git_submodule_reload_all(g_repo, 1));
-
 	cl_git_pass(git_diff_index_to_workdir(&diff, g_repo, NULL, &opts));
 	check_diff_patches(diff, expected_dirty);
 	git_diff_free(diff);
@@ -299,7 +295,6 @@ void test_diff_submodules__invalid_cache(void)
 
 	git_submodule_free(sm);
 
-	cl_git_pass(git_submodule_reload_all(g_repo, 1));
 	cl_git_pass(git_submodule_lookup(&sm, g_repo, smpath));
 
 	cl_git_pass(git_diff_index_to_workdir(&diff, g_repo, NULL, &opts));
diff --git a/tests/submodule/lookup.c b/tests/submodule/lookup.c
index 36bde4f6e..86ba25c3a 100644
--- a/tests/submodule/lookup.c
+++ b/tests/submodule/lookup.c
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #include "clar_libgit2.h"
 #include "submodule_helpers.h"
-#include "posix.h"
 #include "git2/sys/repository.h"
+#include "fileops.h"
 
 static git_repository *g_repo = NULL;
 
@@ -115,13 +115,7 @@ void test_submodule_lookup__lookup_even_with_unborn_head(void)
 		&head, g_repo, "HEAD", "refs/heads/garbage", 1, NULL, NULL));
 	git_reference_free(head);
 
-	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_unchanged");
-	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_added_and_uncommited");
-	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_gitmodules_only");
-	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "not-submodule", GIT_EEXISTS);
-	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "just_a_dir", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
-	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "just_a_file", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
-	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "no_such_file", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
+	test_submodule_lookup__simple_lookup(); /* baseline should still pass */
 }
 
 void test_submodule_lookup__lookup_even_with_missing_index(void)
@@ -133,44 +127,62 @@ void test_submodule_lookup__lookup_even_with_missing_index(void)
 	git_repository_set_index(g_repo, idx);
 	git_index_free(idx);
 
-	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_unchanged");
-	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_added_and_uncommited");
-	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_gitmodules_only");
-	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "not-submodule", GIT_EEXISTS);
-	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "just_a_dir", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
-	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "just_a_file", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
-	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "no_such_file", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
+	test_submodule_lookup__simple_lookup(); /* baseline should still pass */
 }
 
 void test_submodule_lookup__just_added(void)
 {
 	git_submodule *sm;
+	git_buf snap1 = GIT_BUF_INIT, snap2 = GIT_BUF_INIT;
 
-	cl_git_pass(git_submodule_add_setup(&sm, g_repo, "https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2.git", "sm_just_added", 1));
+	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_just_added", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
+	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_just_added_2", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
+	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "mismatch_name", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
+	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "mismatch_path", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
+	test_submodule_lookup__simple_lookup(); /* baseline */
+
+	cl_git_pass(git_futils_readbuffer(&snap1, "submod2/.gitmodules"));
+
+	cl_git_pass(git_submodule_add_setup(&sm, g_repo,
+		"https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2.git", "sm_just_added", 1));
 	git_submodule_free(sm);
 	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_just_added");
 
-	cl_git_pass(git_submodule_add_setup(&sm, g_repo, "https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2.git", "sm_just_added_2", 1));
+	cl_git_pass(git_submodule_add_setup(&sm, g_repo,
+		"https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2.git", "sm_just_added_2", 1));
 	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_just_added_2");
 	git_submodule_free(sm);
 
-	cl_git_append2file("submod2/.gitmodules", "\n[submodule \"mismatch_name\"]\n\tpath = mismatch_path\n\turl = https://example.com/example.git\n\n");
+	cl_git_pass(git_futils_readbuffer(&snap2, "submod2/.gitmodules"));
 
-	cl_git_pass(git_submodule_reload_all(g_repo, 1));
+	cl_git_append2file(
+		"submod2/.gitmodules",
+		"\n[submodule \"mismatch_name\"]\n"
+		"\tpath = mismatch_path\n"
+		"\turl = https://example.com/example.git\n\n");
 
 	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "mismatch_name");
 	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "mismatch_path");
-
 	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_just_added");
 	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_just_added_2");
+	test_submodule_lookup__simple_lookup();
 
-	/* all the regular ones should still be working right, too */
+	cl_git_rewritefile("submod2/.gitmodules", snap2.ptr);
+	git_buf_free(&snap2);
 
-	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_unchanged");
-	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_added_and_uncommited");
-	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_gitmodules_only");
-	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "not-submodule", GIT_EEXISTS);
-	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "just_a_dir", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
-	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "just_a_file", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
-	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "no_such_file", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
+	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "mismatch_name", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
+	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "mismatch_path", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
+	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_just_added");
+	assert_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_just_added_2");
+	test_submodule_lookup__simple_lookup();
+
+	cl_git_rewritefile("submod2/.gitmodules", snap1.ptr);
+	git_buf_free(&snap1);
+
+	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "mismatch_name", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
+	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "mismatch_path", GIT_ENOTFOUND);
+	/* note error code change, because add_setup made a repo in the workdir */
+	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_just_added", GIT_EEXISTS);
+	refute_submodule_exists(g_repo, "sm_just_added_2", GIT_EEXISTS);
+	test_submodule_lookup__simple_lookup();
 }
diff --git a/tests/submodule/nosubs.c b/tests/submodule/nosubs.c
index cabb53ead..e343c1620 100644
--- a/tests/submodule/nosubs.c
+++ b/tests/submodule/nosubs.c
@@ -69,7 +69,10 @@ void test_submodule_nosubs__reload_add_reload(void)
 
 	cl_git_pass(git_submodule_reload_all(repo, 0));
 
-	cl_git_pass(git_submodule_add_setup(&sm, repo, "https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2.git", "submodules/libgit2", 1));
+	/* try one add with a reload (to make sure no errors happen) */
+
+	cl_git_pass(git_submodule_add_setup(&sm, repo,
+		"https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2.git", "submodules/libgit2", 1));
 
 	cl_git_pass(git_submodule_reload_all(repo, 0));
 
@@ -79,6 +82,17 @@ void test_submodule_nosubs__reload_add_reload(void)
 	cl_git_pass(git_submodule_lookup(&sm, repo, "submodules/libgit2"));
 	cl_assert_equal_s("submodules/libgit2", git_submodule_name(sm));
 	git_submodule_free(sm);
+
+	/* try one add without a reload (to make sure cache inval works, too) */
+
+	cl_git_pass(git_submodule_add_setup(&sm, repo,
+		"https://github.com/libgit2/libgit2.git", "libgit2-again", 1));
+	cl_assert_equal_s("libgit2-again", git_submodule_name(sm));
+	git_submodule_free(sm);
+
+	cl_git_pass(git_submodule_lookup(&sm, repo, "libgit2-again"));
+	cl_assert_equal_s("libgit2-again", git_submodule_name(sm));
+	git_submodule_free(sm);
 }
 
 void test_submodule_nosubs__bad_gitmodules(void)
@@ -101,7 +115,7 @@ void test_submodule_nosubs__add_and_delete(void)
 	git_submodule *sm;
 	git_buf buf = GIT_BUF_INIT;
 
-	/* note the lack of calls to git_submodule_reload - this *should* work */
+	/* note lack of calls to git_submodule_reload_all - this *should* work */
 
 	cl_git_fail(git_submodule_lookup(NULL, repo, "libgit2"));
 	cl_git_fail(git_submodule_lookup(NULL, repo, "submodules/libgit2"));