diff --git a/builtin/describe.c b/builtin/describe.c
index b43093c099f07a..9a49a2c9b5cb73 100644
--- a/builtin/describe.c
+++ b/builtin/describe.c
@@ -716,7 +716,7 @@ int cmd_describe(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 				BUG("malformed internal diff-index command line");
 			run_diff_index(&revs, 0);
 
-			if (!diff_result_code(&revs.diffopt))
+			if (!diff_result_code(&revs))
 				suffix = NULL;
 			else
 				suffix = dirty;
diff --git a/builtin/diff-files.c b/builtin/diff-files.c
index 018011f29ea26b..dd0b76e7d56460 100644
--- a/builtin/diff-files.c
+++ b/builtin/diff-files.c
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ int cmd_diff_files(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	if (repo_read_index_preload(the_repository, &rev.diffopt.pathspec, 0) < 0)
 		die_errno("repo_read_index_preload");
 	run_diff_files(&rev, options);
-	result = diff_result_code(&rev.diffopt);
+	result = diff_result_code(&rev);
 	release_revisions(&rev);
 	return result;
 }
diff --git a/builtin/diff-index.c b/builtin/diff-index.c
index 685b60284fd9e7..8bd5aa464bdd60 100644
--- a/builtin/diff-index.c
+++ b/builtin/diff-index.c
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ int cmd_diff_index(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		return -1;
 	}
 	run_diff_index(&rev, option);
-	result = diff_result_code(&rev.diffopt);
+	result = diff_result_code(&rev);
 	release_revisions(&rev);
 	return result;
 }
diff --git a/builtin/diff-tree.c b/builtin/diff-tree.c
index b8df1d4b79b981..dcaad567128ce9 100644
--- a/builtin/diff-tree.c
+++ b/builtin/diff-tree.c
@@ -167,13 +167,6 @@ int cmd_diff_tree(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 
 	opt->diffopt.rotate_to_strict = 1;
 
-	if (opt->remerge_diff) {
-		opt->remerge_objdir = tmp_objdir_create("remerge-diff");
-		if (!opt->remerge_objdir)
-			die(_("unable to create temporary object directory"));
-		tmp_objdir_replace_primary_odb(opt->remerge_objdir, 1);
-	}
-
 	/*
 	 * NOTE!  We expect "a..b" to expand to "^a b" but it is
 	 * perfectly valid for revision range parser to yield "b ^a",
@@ -238,10 +231,5 @@ int cmd_diff_tree(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		diff_free(&opt->diffopt);
 	}
 
-	if (opt->remerge_diff) {
-		tmp_objdir_destroy(opt->remerge_objdir);
-		opt->remerge_objdir = NULL;
-	}
-
-	return diff_result_code(&opt->diffopt);
+	return diff_result_code(opt);
 }
diff --git a/builtin/diff.c b/builtin/diff.c
index 6eac445579b22f..5fb8a5545e0329 100644
--- a/builtin/diff.c
+++ b/builtin/diff.c
@@ -619,7 +619,7 @@ int cmd_diff(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		builtin_diff_combined(&rev, argc, argv,
 				      ent.objects, ent.nr,
 				      first_non_parent);
-	result = diff_result_code(&rev.diffopt);
+	result = diff_result_code(&rev);
 	if (1 < rev.diffopt.skip_stat_unmatch)
 		refresh_index_quietly();
 	release_revisions(&rev);
diff --git a/builtin/log.c b/builtin/log.c
index 36769bab3b69a9..b49b59621f09ff 100644
--- a/builtin/log.c
+++ b/builtin/log.c
@@ -504,13 +504,7 @@ static int cmd_log_walk_no_free(struct rev_info *rev)
 	struct commit *commit;
 	int saved_nrl = 0;
 	int saved_dcctc = 0;
-
-	if (rev->remerge_diff) {
-		rev->remerge_objdir = tmp_objdir_create("remerge-diff");
-		if (!rev->remerge_objdir)
-			die(_("unable to create temporary object directory"));
-		tmp_objdir_replace_primary_odb(rev->remerge_objdir, 1);
-	}
+	int result;
 
 	if (rev->early_output)
 		setup_early_output();
@@ -551,16 +545,12 @@ static int cmd_log_walk_no_free(struct rev_info *rev)
 	rev->diffopt.degraded_cc_to_c = saved_dcctc;
 	rev->diffopt.needed_rename_limit = saved_nrl;
 
-	if (rev->remerge_diff) {
-		tmp_objdir_destroy(rev->remerge_objdir);
-		rev->remerge_objdir = NULL;
-	}
-
+	result = diff_result_code(rev);
 	if (rev->diffopt.output_format & DIFF_FORMAT_CHECKDIFF &&
 	    rev->diffopt.flags.check_failed) {
-		return 02;
+		result = 02;
 	}
-	return diff_result_code(&rev->diffopt);
+	return result;
 }
 
 static int cmd_log_walk(struct rev_info *rev)
diff --git a/builtin/stash.c b/builtin/stash.c
index be842258d06c90..4a2a633ce374f9 100644
--- a/builtin/stash.c
+++ b/builtin/stash.c
@@ -974,7 +974,7 @@ static int show_stash(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	}
 	log_tree_diff_flush(&rev);
 
-	ret = diff_result_code(&rev.diffopt);
+	ret = diff_result_code(&rev);
 
 cleanup:
 	strvec_clear(&revision_args);
@@ -1126,13 +1126,13 @@ static int check_changes_tracked_files(const struct pathspec *ps)
 	diff_setup_done(&rev.diffopt);
 
 	run_diff_index(&rev, DIFF_INDEX_CACHED);
-	if (diff_result_code(&rev.diffopt)) {
+	if (diff_result_code(&rev)) {
 		ret = 1;
 		goto done;
 	}
 
 	run_diff_files(&rev, 0);
-	if (diff_result_code(&rev.diffopt)) {
+	if (diff_result_code(&rev)) {
 		ret = 1;
 		goto done;
 	}
diff --git a/builtin/submodule--helper.c b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
index a46ffd49b34458..3e0b6c45c03139 100644
--- a/builtin/submodule--helper.c
+++ b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
@@ -672,7 +672,7 @@ static void status_submodule(const char *path, const struct object_id *ce_oid,
 	setup_revisions(diff_files_args.nr, diff_files_args.v, &rev, &opt);
 	run_diff_files(&rev, 0);
 
-	if (!diff_result_code(&rev.diffopt)) {
+	if (!diff_result_code(&rev)) {
 		print_status(flags, ' ', path, ce_oid,
 			     displaypath);
 	} else if (!(flags & OPT_CACHED)) {
diff --git a/diff-no-index.c b/diff-no-index.c
index 3a8965672c5e90..c5fb06e6d1a90d 100644
--- a/diff-no-index.c
+++ b/diff-no-index.c
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ int diff_no_index(struct rev_info *revs,
 	 * The return code for --no-index imitates diff(1):
 	 * 0 = no changes, 1 = changes, else error
 	 */
-	ret = diff_result_code(&revs->diffopt);
+	ret = diff_result_code(revs);
 
 out:
 	for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(to_free); i++)
diff --git a/diff.c b/diff.c
index 472479eb101c88..3be927b0739311 100644
--- a/diff.c
+++ b/diff.c
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 #include "environment.h"
 #include "gettext.h"
 #include "tempfile.h"
+#include "revision.h"
 #include "quote.h"
 #include "diff.h"
 #include "diffcore.h"
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@
 #include "merge-ll.h"
 #include "string-list.h"
 #include "strvec.h"
+#include "tmp-objdir.h"
 #include "graph.h"
 #include "oid-array.h"
 #include "packfile.h"
@@ -7088,10 +7090,16 @@ void diffcore_std(struct diff_options *options)
 	options->found_follow = 0;
 }
 
-int diff_result_code(struct diff_options *opt)
+int diff_result_code(struct rev_info *revs)
 {
+	struct diff_options *opt = &revs->diffopt;
 	int result = 0;
 
+	if (revs->remerge_diff) {
+		tmp_objdir_destroy(revs->remerge_objdir);
+		revs->remerge_objdir = NULL;
+	}
+
 	diff_warn_rename_limit("diff.renameLimit",
 			       opt->needed_rename_limit,
 			       opt->degraded_cc_to_c);
diff --git a/diff.h b/diff.h
index 9901c8ca8c8e49..fb40c6e6d60eb0 100644
--- a/diff.h
+++ b/diff.h
@@ -648,7 +648,7 @@ int do_diff_cache(const struct object_id *, struct diff_options *);
 int diff_flush_patch_id(struct diff_options *, struct object_id *, int);
 void flush_one_hunk(struct object_id *result, git_hash_ctx *ctx);
 
-int diff_result_code(struct diff_options *);
+int diff_result_code(struct rev_info *);
 
 int diff_no_index(struct rev_info *,
 		  int implicit_no_index, int, const char **);
diff --git a/log-tree.c b/log-tree.c
index 04cef08b830d7c..3758e0d3b8e415 100644
--- a/log-tree.c
+++ b/log-tree.c
@@ -1015,6 +1015,17 @@ static int do_remerge_diff(struct rev_info *opt,
 	struct strbuf parent1_desc = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct strbuf parent2_desc = STRBUF_INIT;
 
+	/*
+	 * Lazily prepare a temporary object directory and rotate it
+	 * into the alternative object store list as the primary.
+	 */
+	if (opt->remerge_diff && !opt->remerge_objdir) {
+		opt->remerge_objdir = tmp_objdir_create("remerge-diff");
+		if (!opt->remerge_objdir)
+			return error(_("unable to create temporary object directory"));
+		tmp_objdir_replace_primary_odb(opt->remerge_objdir, 1);
+	}
+
 	/* Setup merge options */
 	init_ui_merge_options(&o, the_repository);
 	o.show_rename_progress = 0;
@@ -1051,10 +1062,7 @@ static int do_remerge_diff(struct rev_info *opt,
 	merge_finalize(&o, &res);
 
 	/* Clean up the contents of the temporary object directory */
-	if (opt->remerge_objdir)
-		tmp_objdir_discard_objects(opt->remerge_objdir);
-	else
-		BUG("did a remerge diff without remerge_objdir?!?");
+	tmp_objdir_discard_objects(opt->remerge_objdir);
 
 	return !opt->loginfo;
 }
diff --git a/wt-status.c b/wt-status.c
index b477239039dd93..3e16491d0aba29 100644
--- a/wt-status.c
+++ b/wt-status.c
@@ -2595,7 +2595,7 @@ int has_unstaged_changes(struct repository *r, int ignore_submodules)
 	rev_info.diffopt.flags.quick = 1;
 	diff_setup_done(&rev_info.diffopt);
 	run_diff_files(&rev_info, 0);
-	result = diff_result_code(&rev_info.diffopt);
+	result = diff_result_code(&rev_info);
 	release_revisions(&rev_info);
 	return result;
 }
@@ -2629,7 +2629,7 @@ int has_uncommitted_changes(struct repository *r,
 
 	diff_setup_done(&rev_info.diffopt);
 	run_diff_index(&rev_info, DIFF_INDEX_CACHED);
-	result = diff_result_code(&rev_info.diffopt);
+	result = diff_result_code(&rev_info);
 	release_revisions(&rev_info);
 	return result;
 }