diff --git a/object-file.c b/object-file.c
index e24fc45..dd80d4b 100644
--- a/object-file.c
+++ b/object-file.c
@@ -2520,18 +2520,15 @@ static int check_stream_oid(git_zstream *stream,
 
 int read_loose_object(const char *path,
 		      const struct object_id *expected_oid,
-		      enum object_type *type,
-		      unsigned long *size,
-		      void **contents)
+		      void **contents,
+		      struct object_info *oi)
 {
 	int ret = -1;
 	void *map = NULL;
 	unsigned long mapsize;
 	git_zstream stream;
 	char hdr[MAX_HEADER_LEN];
-	struct object_info oi = OBJECT_INFO_INIT;
-	oi.typep = type;
-	oi.sizep = size;
+	unsigned long *size = oi->sizep;
 
 	*contents = NULL;
 
@@ -2547,15 +2544,13 @@ int read_loose_object(const char *path,
 		goto out;
 	}
 
-	if (parse_loose_header(hdr, &oi) < 0) {
+	if (parse_loose_header(hdr, oi) < 0) {
 		error(_("unable to parse header of %s"), path);
 		git_inflate_end(&stream);
 		goto out;
 	}
-	if (*type < 0)
-		die(_("invalid object type"));
 
-	if (*type == OBJ_BLOB && *size > big_file_threshold) {
+	if (*oi->typep == OBJ_BLOB && *size > big_file_threshold) {
 		if (check_stream_oid(&stream, hdr, *size, path, expected_oid) < 0)
 			goto out;
 	} else {
@@ -2566,8 +2561,7 @@ int read_loose_object(const char *path,
 			goto out;
 		}
 		if (check_object_signature(the_repository, expected_oid,
-					   *contents, *size,
-					   type_name(*type))) {
+					   *contents, *size, oi->type_name->buf)) {
 			error(_("hash mismatch for %s (expected %s)"), path,
 			      oid_to_hex(expected_oid));
 			free(*contents);