diff --git a/builtin/update-index.c b/builtin/update-index.c
index 187203e8bb..dc7368bb1e 100644
--- a/builtin/update-index.c
+++ b/builtin/update-index.c
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
  */
 #define USE_THE_INDEX_COMPATIBILITY_MACROS
 #include "cache.h"
+#include "bulk-checkin.h"
 #include "config.h"
 #include "lockfile.h"
 #include "quote.h"
@@ -1088,6 +1089,9 @@ int cmd_update_index(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 
 	the_index.updated_skipworktree = 1;
 
+	/* we might be adding many objects to the object database */
+	plug_bulk_checkin();
+
 	/*
 	 * Custom copy of parse_options() because we want to handle
 	 * filename arguments as they come.
@@ -1168,6 +1172,8 @@ int cmd_update_index(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		strbuf_release(&buf);
 	}
 
+	/* by now we must have added all of the new objects */
+	unplug_bulk_checkin();
 	if (split_index > 0) {
 		if (git_config_get_split_index() == 0)
 			warning(_("core.splitIndex is set to false; "