diff --git a/src/index.c b/src/index.c
index f6f282d32..905e9c522 100644
--- a/src/index.c
+++ b/src/index.c
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 #include "common.h"
 #include "repository.h"
 #include "index.h"
+#include "tree-cache.h"
 #include "hash.h"
 #include "git2/odb.h"
 #include "git2/blob.h"
@@ -80,9 +81,6 @@ static size_t read_extension(git_index *index, const char *buffer, size_t buffer
 static size_t read_entry(git_index_entry *dest, const void *buffer, size_t buffer_size);
 static int read_header(struct index_header *dest, const void *buffer);
 
-static int read_tree(git_index *index, const char *buffer, size_t buffer_size);
-static int read_tree_internal(git_index_tree **, const char **, const char *, git_index_tree *);
-
 static int parse_index(git_index *index, const char *buffer, size_t buffer_size);
 static int is_index_extended(git_index *index);
 static int write_index(git_index *index, git_filebuf *file);
@@ -185,21 +183,6 @@ void git_index_free(git_index *index)
 	free(index);
 }
 
-static void free_tree(git_index_tree *tree)
-{
-	unsigned int i;
-
-	if (tree == NULL)
-		return;
-
-	for (i = 0; i < tree->children_count; ++i)
-		free_tree(tree->children[i]);
-
-	free(tree->name);
-	free(tree->children);
-	free(tree);
-}
-
 void git_index_clear(git_index *index)
 {
 	unsigned int i;
@@ -224,7 +207,7 @@ void git_index_clear(git_index *index)
 	git_vector_clear(&index->unmerged);
 	index->last_modified = 0;
 
-	free_tree(index->tree);
+	git_tree_cache_free(index->tree);
 	index->tree = NULL;
 }
 
@@ -537,125 +520,6 @@ const git_index_entry_unmerged *git_index_get_unmerged_byindex(git_index *index,
 	return git_vector_get(&index->unmerged, n);
 }
 
-
-static int read_tree_internal(git_index_tree **out,
-		const char **buffer_in, const char *buffer_end, git_index_tree *parent)
-{
-	git_index_tree *tree;
-	const char *name_start, *buffer;
-	int count;
-	int error = GIT_SUCCESS;
-
-	if ((tree = git__malloc(sizeof(git_index_tree))) == NULL)
-		return GIT_ENOMEM;
-
-	memset(tree, 0x0, sizeof(git_index_tree));
-	tree->parent = parent;
-
-	buffer = name_start = *buffer_in;
-
-	if ((buffer = memchr(buffer, '\0', buffer_end - buffer)) == NULL) {
-		error = GIT_EOBJCORRUPTED;
-		goto cleanup;
-	}
-
-	/* NUL-terminated tree name */
-	tree->name = git__strdup(name_start);
-	if (tree->name == NULL) {
-		error = GIT_ENOMEM;
-		goto cleanup;
-	}
-
-	if (++buffer >= buffer_end) {
-		error = GIT_EOBJCORRUPTED;
-		goto cleanup;
-	}
-
-	/* Blank-terminated ASCII decimal number of entries in this tree */
-	if (git__strtol32(&count, buffer, &buffer, 10) < GIT_SUCCESS || count < -1) {
-		error = GIT_EOBJCORRUPTED;
-		goto cleanup;
-	}
-
-	/* Invalidated TREE. Free the tree but report success */
-	if (count == -1) {
-		/* FIXME: return buffer_end or the end position for
-		 * this single tree entry */
-		*buffer_in = buffer_end;
-		*out = NULL;
-		free_tree(tree); /* Needs to be done manually */
-		return GIT_SUCCESS;
-	}
-
-	tree->entries = count;
-
-	if (*buffer != ' ' || ++buffer >= buffer_end) {
-		error = GIT_EOBJCORRUPTED;
-		goto cleanup;
-	}
-
-	 /* Number of children of the tree, newline-terminated */
-	if (git__strtol32(&count, buffer, &buffer, 10) < GIT_SUCCESS ||
-		count < 0) {
-		error = GIT_EOBJCORRUPTED;
-		goto cleanup;
-	}
-
-	tree->children_count = count;
-
-	if (*buffer != '\n' || ++buffer >= buffer_end) {
-		error = GIT_EOBJCORRUPTED;
-		goto cleanup;
-	}
-
-	/* 160-bit SHA-1 for this tree and it's children */
-	if (buffer + GIT_OID_RAWSZ > buffer_end) {
-		error = GIT_EOBJCORRUPTED;
-		goto cleanup;
-	}
-
-	git_oid_fromraw(&tree->oid, (const unsigned char *)buffer);
-	buffer += GIT_OID_RAWSZ;
-
-	/* Parse children: */
-	if (tree->children_count > 0) {
-		unsigned int i;
-		int err;
-
-		tree->children = git__malloc(tree->children_count * sizeof(git_index_tree *));
-		if (tree->children == NULL)
-			goto cleanup;
-
-		for (i = 0; i < tree->children_count; ++i) {
-			err = read_tree_internal(&tree->children[i], &buffer, buffer_end, tree);
-
-			if (err < GIT_SUCCESS)
-				goto cleanup;
-		}
-	}
-
-	*buffer_in = buffer;
-	*out = tree;
-	return GIT_SUCCESS;
-
- cleanup:
-	free_tree(tree);
-	return error;
-}
-
-static int read_tree(git_index *index, const char *buffer, size_t buffer_size)
-{
-	const char *buffer_end = buffer + buffer_size;
-	int error;
-
-	error = read_tree_internal(&index->tree, &buffer, buffer_end, NULL);
-
-	if (buffer < buffer_end)
-		return GIT_EOBJCORRUPTED;
-
-	return error;
-}
-
 static int read_unmerged(git_index *index, const char *buffer, size_t size)
 {
 	const char *endptr;
@@ -814,7 +678,7 @@ static size_t read_extension(git_index *index, const char *buffer, size_t buffer
 	if (dest.signature[0] >= 'A' && dest.signature[0] <= 'Z') {
 		/* tree cache */
 		if (memcmp(dest.signature, INDEX_EXT_TREECACHE_SIG, 4) == 0) {
-			if (read_tree(index, buffer + 8, dest.extension_size) < GIT_SUCCESS)
+			if (git_tree_cache_read(&index->tree, buffer + 8, dest.extension_size) < GIT_SUCCESS)
 				return 0;
 		} else if (memcmp(dest.signature, INDEX_EXT_UNMERGED_SIG, 4) == 0) {
 			if (read_unmerged(index, buffer + 8, dest.extension_size) < GIT_SUCCESS)
diff --git a/src/index.h b/src/index.h
index 76633a96a..e912770b7 100644
--- a/src/index.h
+++ b/src/index.h
@@ -10,22 +10,10 @@
 #include "fileops.h"
 #include "filebuf.h"
 #include "vector.h"
+#include "tree-cache.h"
 #include "git2/odb.h"
 #include "git2/index.h"
 
-struct git_index_tree {
-	char *name;
-
-	struct git_index_tree *parent;
-	struct git_index_tree **children;
-	size_t children_count;
-
-	size_t entries;
-	git_oid oid;
-};
-
-typedef struct git_index_tree git_index_tree;
-
 struct git_index {
 	git_repository *repository;
 	char *index_file_path;
@@ -34,7 +22,7 @@ struct git_index {
 	git_vector entries;
 
 	unsigned int on_disk:1;
-	git_index_tree *tree;
+	git_tree_cache *tree;
 
 	git_vector unmerged;
 };
diff --git a/src/tree-cache.c b/src/tree-cache.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b3e8a5824
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tree-cache.c
@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2011 the libgit2 contributors
+ *
+ * This file is part of libgit2, distributed under the GNU GPL v2 with
+ * a Linking Exception. For full terms see the included COPYING file.
+ */
+
+#include "tree-cache.h"
+
+static int read_tree_internal(git_tree_cache **out,
+		const char **buffer_in, const char *buffer_end, git_tree_cache *parent)
+{
+	git_tree_cache *tree;
+	const char *name_start, *buffer;
+	int count;
+	int error = GIT_SUCCESS;
+
+	if ((tree = git__malloc(sizeof(git_tree_cache))) == NULL)
+		return GIT_ENOMEM;
+
+	memset(tree, 0x0, sizeof(git_tree_cache));
+	tree->parent = parent;
+
+	buffer = name_start = *buffer_in;
+
+	if ((buffer = memchr(buffer, '\0', buffer_end - buffer)) == NULL) {
+		error = GIT_EOBJCORRUPTED;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+
+	/* NUL-terminated tree name */
+	tree->name = git__strdup(name_start);
+	if (tree->name == NULL) {
+		error = GIT_ENOMEM;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+
+	if (++buffer >= buffer_end) {
+		error = GIT_EOBJCORRUPTED;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+
+	/* Blank-terminated ASCII decimal number of entries in this tree */
+	if (git__strtol32(&count, buffer, &buffer, 10) < GIT_SUCCESS || count < -1) {
+		error = GIT_EOBJCORRUPTED;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+
+	/* Invalidated TREE. Free the tree but report success */
+	if (count == -1) {
+		/* FIXME: return buffer_end or the end position for
+		 * this single tree entry */
+		*buffer_in = buffer_end;
+		*out = NULL;
+		git_tree_cache_free(tree); /* Needs to be done manually */
+		return GIT_SUCCESS;
+	}
+
+	tree->entries = count;
+
+	if (*buffer != ' ' || ++buffer >= buffer_end) {
+		error = GIT_EOBJCORRUPTED;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+
+	 /* Number of children of the tree, newline-terminated */
+	if (git__strtol32(&count, buffer, &buffer, 10) < GIT_SUCCESS ||
+		count < 0) {
+		error = GIT_EOBJCORRUPTED;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+
+	tree->children_count = count;
+
+	if (*buffer != '\n' || ++buffer >= buffer_end) {
+		error = GIT_EOBJCORRUPTED;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+
+	/* 160-bit SHA-1 for this tree and it's children */
+	if (buffer + GIT_OID_RAWSZ > buffer_end) {
+		error = GIT_EOBJCORRUPTED;
+		goto cleanup;
+	}
+
+	git_oid_fromraw(&tree->oid, (const unsigned char *)buffer);
+	buffer += GIT_OID_RAWSZ;
+
+	/* Parse children: */
+	if (tree->children_count > 0) {
+		unsigned int i;
+		int err;
+
+		tree->children = git__malloc(tree->children_count * sizeof(git_tree_cache *));
+		if (tree->children == NULL)
+			goto cleanup;
+
+		for (i = 0; i < tree->children_count; ++i) {
+			err = read_tree_internal(&tree->children[i], &buffer, buffer_end, tree);
+
+			if (err < GIT_SUCCESS)
+				goto cleanup;
+		}
+	}
+
+	*buffer_in = buffer;
+	*out = tree;
+	return GIT_SUCCESS;
+
+ cleanup:
+	git_tree_cache_free(tree);
+	return error;
+}
+
+int git_tree_cache_read(git_tree_cache **tree, const char *buffer, size_t buffer_size)
+{
+	const char *buffer_end = buffer + buffer_size;
+	int error;
+
+	error = read_tree_internal(tree, &buffer, buffer_end, NULL);
+
+	if (buffer < buffer_end)
+		return GIT_EOBJCORRUPTED;
+
+	return error;
+}
+
+void git_tree_cache_free(git_tree_cache *tree)
+{
+	unsigned int i;
+
+	if (tree == NULL)
+		return;
+
+	for (i = 0; i < tree->children_count; ++i)
+		git_tree_cache_free(tree->children[i]);
+
+	free(tree->name);
+	free(tree->children);
+	free(tree);
+}
diff --git a/src/tree-cache.h b/src/tree-cache.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a9e6d2dc7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tree-cache.h
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2009-2011 the libgit2 contributors
+ *
+ * This file is part of libgit2, distributed under the GNU GPL v2 with
+ * a Linking Exception. For full terms see the included COPYING file.
+ */
+
+#ifndef INCLUDE_tree_cache_h__
+#define INCLUDE_tree_cache_h__
+
+#include "common.h"
+#include "git2/oid.h"
+
+struct git_tree_cache {
+	char *name;
+
+	struct git_tree_cache *parent;
+	struct git_tree_cache **children;
+	size_t children_count;
+
+	ssize_t entries;
+	git_oid oid;
+};
+
+typedef struct git_tree_cache git_tree_cache;
+
+int git_tree_cache_read(git_tree_cache **tree, const char *buffer, size_t buffer_size);
+void git_tree_cache_free(git_tree_cache *tree);
+
+#endif