diff --git a/odb.c b/odb.c
index b94f2077272513..7ed8acec7eab3c 100644
--- a/odb.c
+++ b/odb.c
@@ -756,6 +756,19 @@ static int register_all_submodule_sources(struct object_database *odb)
 	return ret;
 }
 
+static int read_object_info_from_sources(struct object_database *odb,
+					 const struct object_id *oid,
+					 struct object_info *oi,
+					 enum object_info_flags flags)
+{
+	struct odb_source *source;
+
+	for (source = odb->sources; source; source = source->next)
+		if (!odb_source_read_object_info(source, oid, oi, flags))
+			return 0;
+	return -1;
+}
+
 static int do_oid_object_info_extended(struct object_database *odb,
 				       const struct object_id *oid,
 				       struct object_info *oi, unsigned flags)
@@ -781,9 +794,28 @@ static int do_oid_object_info_extended(struct object_database *odb,
 		extern int core_use_gvfs_helper;
 		struct odb_source *source;
 
-		for (source = odb->sources; source; source = source->next)
-			if (!odb_source_read_object_info(source, real, oi, flags))
+		/*
+		 * With one or more alternates, scan the packfiles of
+		 * every source before consulting any source's loose
+		 * object store. Otherwise a primary-source loose lookup
+		 * -- a filesystem stat that, without OBJECT_INFO_QUICK,
+		 * bypasses the cached loose index -- runs for every
+		 * object that resides in an alternate's packfile.
+		 * cache_tree_fully_valid() checks many tree objects that
+		 * live in an alternate, so this avoids a stat() per
+		 * object.
+		 */
+		if (odb->sources && odb->sources->next) {
+			if (!read_object_info_from_sources(odb, real, oi,
+					flags | OBJECT_INFO_SKIP_LOOSE))
 				return 0;
+			if (!read_object_info_from_sources(odb, real, oi,
+					flags | OBJECT_INFO_SKIP_PACKED))
+				return 0;
+		} else if (!read_object_info_from_sources(odb, real, oi,
+							  flags)) {
+			return 0;
+		}
 
 		if (core_use_gvfs_helper && !tried_gvfs_helper) {
 			enum gh_client__created ghc;
diff --git a/odb.h b/odb.h
index d84e4ccc626af2..64cc3f48b321a6 100644
--- a/odb.h
+++ b/odb.h
@@ -332,6 +332,18 @@ enum object_info_flags {
 	 */
 	OBJECT_INFO_SECOND_READ = (1 << 4),
 
+	/*
+	 * Only consult the packed object store of a source, skipping its loose
+	 * object store (OBJECT_INFO_SKIP_LOOSE), or vice versa
+	 * (OBJECT_INFO_SKIP_PACKED). These are used by
+	 * odb_read_object_info_extended() to scan the packfiles of all sources
+	 * before consulting any source's loose object store, so that an object
+	 * that resides in an alternate's packfile is not preceded by a spurious
+	 * loose-object lookup on an earlier source.
+	 */
+	OBJECT_INFO_SKIP_LOOSE = (1 << 5),
+	OBJECT_INFO_SKIP_PACKED = (1 << 6),
+
 	/*
 	 * This is meant for bulk prefetching of missing blobs in a partial
 	 * clone. Implies OBJECT_INFO_SKIP_FETCH_OBJECT and OBJECT_INFO_QUICK.
diff --git a/odb/source-files.c b/odb/source-files.c
index 1b90ccf346008b..6d6a3864812534 100644
--- a/odb/source-files.c
+++ b/odb/source-files.c
@@ -55,7 +55,11 @@ static int odb_source_files_read_object_info(struct odb_source *source,
 {
 	struct odb_source_files *files = odb_source_files_downcast(source);
 
-	if (!packfile_store_read_object_info(files->packed, oid, oi, flags) ||
+	if (!(flags & OBJECT_INFO_SKIP_PACKED) &&
+	    !packfile_store_read_object_info(files->packed, oid, oi, flags))
+		return 0;
+
+	if (!(flags & OBJECT_INFO_SKIP_LOOSE) &&
 	    !odb_source_read_object_info(&files->loose->base, oid, oi, flags))
 		return 0;
 
diff --git a/t/t5615-alternate-env.sh b/t/t5615-alternate-env.sh
index 1bfeccdeb49958..d82dba65d94b14 100755
--- a/t/t5615-alternate-env.sh
+++ b/t/t5615-alternate-env.sh
@@ -88,4 +88,47 @@ test_expect_success !MINGW 'broken quoting falls back to interpreting raw' '
 	EOF
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'packs across sources are checked before loose objects' '
+	# Regression test for a performance issue in which an object that
+	# resides in an alternate as a packed object caused a spurious loose
+	# object lookup (a filesystem stat) on the main object store before the
+	# alternate packfile was consulted. Reading such an object must resolve
+	# to the alternate packfile, never to a loose copy in the main store.
+	#
+	# Build an alternate whose object "B" is stored as a delta in a
+	# packfile. git deltifies successive versions of a tracked file, so the
+	# older, shorter blob "B" becomes a delta against the newer, longer
+	# blob "O". A loose object has no delta base, so %(deltabase) tells us
+	# which store answered the read: the alternate pack (O) or a loose copy
+	# (the zero oid).
+	git init alt-src &&
+	test_seq 1 200 >alt-src/file &&
+	git -C alt-src add file &&
+	git -C alt-src commit -q -m base &&
+	B=$(git -C alt-src rev-parse HEAD:file) &&
+	git -C alt-src cat-file blob "$B" >b-content &&
+	test_seq 1 210 >alt-src/file &&
+	git -C alt-src add file &&
+	git -C alt-src commit -q -m more &&
+	O=$(git -C alt-src rev-parse HEAD:file) &&
+	git -C alt-src repack -adf --window=10 --depth=50 &&
+
+	# Precondition: in the alternate, B is a delta based on O.
+	echo "$B" >in &&
+	echo "$O" >expect &&
+	git -C alt-src cat-file --batch-check="%(deltabase)" <in >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+
+	# Main repo: write B as a loose object, before any alternate is active.
+	git init main &&
+	git -C main hash-object -w --stdin <b-content >/dev/null &&
+	test -e "main/.git/objects/$(test_oid_to_path "$B")" &&
+
+	# With the alternate active, B must resolve to the alternate packfile
+	# (deltabase O), not to the main store loose copy (deltabase zero oid).
+	GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES="$PWD/alt-src/.git/objects" \
+		git -C main cat-file --batch-check="%(deltabase)" <in >actual &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
 test_done