diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index b333592153c..1e6b24365d0 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -21,4 +21,7 @@ integration-tests/bats/batsee_results
 CLAUDE.md
 
 *~
-.dir-locals.el
\ No newline at end of file
+.dir-locals.el
+.beads
+.gitattributes
+
diff --git a/go/store/blobstore/git_blobstore.go b/go/store/blobstore/git_blobstore.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c1e7055f2f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/store/blobstore/git_blobstore.go
@@ -0,0 +1,217 @@
+// Copyright 2026 Dolthub, Inc.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package blobstore
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"strings"
+
+	git "github.com/dolthub/dolt/go/store/blobstore/internal/git"
+)
+
+// GitBlobstore is a Blobstore implementation backed by a git repository's object
+// database (bare repo or .git directory). It stores keys as paths within the tree
+// of the commit referenced by a git ref (e.g. refs/dolt/data).
+//
+// This initial implementation is intentionally READ-ONLY. Write-path methods
+// (Put / CheckAndPut / Concatenate) return an explicit unimplemented error while
+// we lock down read behavior for manifests and table files.
+type GitBlobstore struct {
+	gitDir string
+	ref    string
+	runner *git.Runner
+}
+
+var _ Blobstore = (*GitBlobstore)(nil)
+
+// NewGitBlobstore creates a new read-only GitBlobstore rooted at |gitDir| and |ref|.
+// |gitDir| should point at a bare repo directory or a .git directory.
+func NewGitBlobstore(gitDir, ref string) (*GitBlobstore, error) {
+	r, err := git.NewRunner(gitDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return &GitBlobstore{gitDir: gitDir, ref: ref, runner: r}, nil
+}
+
+func (gbs *GitBlobstore) Path() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("%s@%s", gbs.gitDir, gbs.ref)
+}
+
+func (gbs *GitBlobstore) Exists(ctx context.Context, key string) (bool, error) {
+	key, err := normalizeGitTreePath(key)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	commit, ok, err := git.TryResolveRefCommit(ctx, gbs.runner, gbs.ref)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	if !ok {
+		return false, nil
+	}
+	_, err = git.ResolvePathBlob(ctx, gbs.runner, commit, key)
+	if err != nil {
+		if git.IsPathNotFound(err) {
+			return false, nil
+		}
+		return false, err
+	}
+	return true, nil
+}
+
+func (gbs *GitBlobstore) Get(ctx context.Context, key string, br BlobRange) (io.ReadCloser, uint64, string, error) {
+	key, err := normalizeGitTreePath(key)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, 0, "", err
+	}
+	commit, ok, err := git.TryResolveRefCommit(ctx, gbs.runner, gbs.ref)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, 0, "", err
+	}
+	if !ok {
+		// If the ref doesn't exist, treat the manifest as missing (empty store),
+		// but surface a hard error for other keys: the store itself is missing.
+		if key == "manifest" {
+			return nil, 0, "", NotFound{Key: key}
+		}
+		return nil, 0, "", &git.RefNotFoundError{Ref: gbs.ref}
+	}
+
+	blobOID, err := git.ResolvePathBlob(ctx, gbs.runner, commit, key)
+	if err != nil {
+		if git.IsPathNotFound(err) {
+			return nil, 0, commit.String(), NotFound{Key: key}
+		}
+		return nil, 0, commit.String(), err
+	}
+
+	sz, err := git.BlobSize(ctx, gbs.runner, blobOID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, 0, commit.String(), err
+	}
+
+	// TODO(gitblobstore): This streaming implementation is correct but may be slow for workloads
+	// that do many small ranged reads (e.g. table index/footer reads). Consider caching/materializing
+	// blobs to a local file (or using a batched git cat-file mode) to serve ranges efficiently.
+	rc, err := git.BlobReader(ctx, gbs.runner, blobOID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, 0, commit.String(), err
+	}
+
+	// Implement BlobRange by slicing the streamed blob contents.
+	if br.isAllRange() {
+		return rc, uint64(sz), commit.String(), nil
+	}
+
+	pos := br.positiveRange(sz)
+	if pos.offset < 0 || pos.offset > sz {
+		_ = rc.Close()
+		return nil, uint64(sz), commit.String(), fmt.Errorf("invalid BlobRange offset %d for blob of size %d", pos.offset, sz)
+	}
+	if pos.length < 0 {
+		_ = rc.Close()
+		return nil, uint64(sz), commit.String(), fmt.Errorf("invalid BlobRange length %d", pos.length)
+	}
+	if pos.length == 0 {
+		// Read from offset to end.
+		pos.length = sz - pos.offset
+	}
+	// Clamp to end (defensive; positiveRange should already do this).
+	if pos.offset+pos.length > sz {
+		pos.length = sz - pos.offset
+	}
+
+	// Skip to offset.
+	if pos.offset > 0 {
+		if _, err := io.CopyN(io.Discard, rc, pos.offset); err != nil {
+			_ = rc.Close()
+			return nil, uint64(sz), commit.String(), err
+		}
+	}
+
+	return &limitReadCloser{r: io.LimitReader(rc, pos.length), c: rc}, uint64(sz), commit.String(), nil
+}
+
+type limitReadCloser struct {
+	r io.Reader
+	c io.Closer
+}
+
+func (l *limitReadCloser) Read(p []byte) (int, error) { return l.r.Read(p) }
+func (l *limitReadCloser) Close() error               { return l.c.Close() }
+
+func (gbs *GitBlobstore) Put(ctx context.Context, key string, totalSize int64, reader io.Reader) (string, error) {
+	if _, err := normalizeGitTreePath(key); err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	return "", fmt.Errorf("%w: GitBlobstore.Put", git.ErrUnimplemented)
+}
+
+func (gbs *GitBlobstore) CheckAndPut(ctx context.Context, expectedVersion, key string, totalSize int64, reader io.Reader) (string, error) {
+	if _, err := normalizeGitTreePath(key); err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	return "", fmt.Errorf("%w: GitBlobstore.CheckAndPut", git.ErrUnimplemented)
+}
+
+func (gbs *GitBlobstore) Concatenate(ctx context.Context, key string, sources []string) (string, error) {
+	if _, err := normalizeGitTreePath(key); err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	for _, src := range sources {
+		if _, err := normalizeGitTreePath(src); err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+	}
+	return "", fmt.Errorf("%w: GitBlobstore.Concatenate", git.ErrUnimplemented)
+}
+
+// normalizeGitTreePath normalizes and validates a blobstore key for use as a git tree path.
+//
+// Rules:
+// - convert Windows-style separators: "\" -> "/"
+// - disallow absolute paths (leading "/")
+// - disallow empty segments and trailing "/"
+// - disallow "." and ".." segments
+// - disallow NUL bytes
+func normalizeGitTreePath(key string) (string, error) {
+	if strings.ContainsRune(key, '\x00') {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("invalid git blobstore key (NUL byte): %q", key)
+	}
+	key = strings.ReplaceAll(key, "\\", "/")
+	if key == "" {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("invalid git blobstore key (empty)")
+	}
+	if strings.HasPrefix(key, "/") {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("invalid git blobstore key (absolute path): %q", key)
+	}
+
+	parts := strings.Split(key, "/")
+	for _, p := range parts {
+		if p == "" {
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("invalid git blobstore key (empty path segment): %q", key)
+		}
+		if p == "." || p == ".." {
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("invalid git blobstore key (path traversal): %q", key)
+		}
+		if strings.ContainsRune(p, '\x00') {
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("invalid git blobstore key (NUL byte): %q", key)
+		}
+	}
+	return key, nil
+}
diff --git a/go/store/blobstore/git_blobstore_test.go b/go/store/blobstore/git_blobstore_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1d1b920f88a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/store/blobstore/git_blobstore_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,210 @@
+// Copyright 2026 Dolthub, Inc.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package blobstore
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"os/exec"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	git "github.com/dolthub/dolt/go/store/blobstore/internal/git"
+	"github.com/dolthub/dolt/go/store/testutils/gitrepo"
+)
+
+func TestGitBlobstore_RefMissingIsNotFound(t *testing.T) {
+	if _, err := exec.LookPath("git"); err != nil {
+		t.Skip("git not found on PATH")
+	}
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	repo, err := gitrepo.InitBare(ctx, t.TempDir()+"/repo.git")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	bs, err := NewGitBlobstore(repo.GitDir, "refs/dolt/data")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	ok, err := bs.Exists(ctx, "manifest")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.False(t, ok)
+
+	_, _, err = GetBytes(ctx, bs, "manifest", AllRange)
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	require.True(t, IsNotFoundError(err))
+
+	// For non-manifest keys, missing the ref is a hard error.
+	_, _, _, err = bs.Get(ctx, "table", AllRange)
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	require.False(t, IsNotFoundError(err))
+	var rnf *git.RefNotFoundError
+	require.True(t, errors.As(err, &rnf))
+}
+
+func TestGitBlobstore_ExistsAndGet_AllRange(t *testing.T) {
+	if _, err := exec.LookPath("git"); err != nil {
+		t.Skip("git not found on PATH")
+	}
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	repo, err := gitrepo.InitBare(ctx, t.TempDir()+"/repo.git")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	want := []byte("hello manifest\n")
+	commit, err := repo.SetRefToTree(ctx, "refs/dolt/data", map[string][]byte{
+		"manifest": want,
+		"dir/file": []byte("abc"),
+	}, "seed")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	bs, err := NewGitBlobstore(repo.GitDir, "refs/dolt/data")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	ok, err := bs.Exists(ctx, "manifest")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.True(t, ok)
+
+	ok, err = bs.Exists(ctx, "missing")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.False(t, ok)
+
+	// Validate key normalization: backslash -> slash.
+	ok, err = bs.Exists(ctx, "dir\\file")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.True(t, ok)
+
+	got, ver, err := GetBytes(ctx, bs, "manifest", AllRange)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, commit, ver)
+	require.Equal(t, want, got)
+
+	// Validate size + version on Get.
+	rc, sz, ver2, err := bs.Get(ctx, "manifest", NewBlobRange(0, 5))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, uint64(len(want)), sz)
+	require.Equal(t, commit, ver2)
+	_ = rc.Close()
+}
+
+func TestGitBlobstore_Get_NotFoundMissingKey(t *testing.T) {
+	if _, err := exec.LookPath("git"); err != nil {
+		t.Skip("git not found on PATH")
+	}
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	repo, err := gitrepo.InitBare(ctx, t.TempDir()+"/repo.git")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	_, err = repo.SetRefToTree(ctx, "refs/dolt/data", map[string][]byte{
+		"present": []byte("x"),
+	}, "seed")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	bs, err := NewGitBlobstore(repo.GitDir, "refs/dolt/data")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	_, _, err = GetBytes(ctx, bs, "missing", AllRange)
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	require.True(t, IsNotFoundError(err))
+}
+
+func TestGitBlobstore_BlobRangeSemantics(t *testing.T) {
+	if _, err := exec.LookPath("git"); err != nil {
+		t.Skip("git not found on PATH")
+	}
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	repo, err := gitrepo.InitBare(ctx, t.TempDir()+"/repo.git")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	maxValue := int64(16 * 1024)
+	testData := rangeData(0, maxValue)
+
+	commit, err := repo.SetRefToTree(ctx, "refs/dolt/data", map[string][]byte{
+		"range": testData,
+	}, "range fixture")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	bs, err := NewGitBlobstore(repo.GitDir, "refs/dolt/data")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// full range
+	got, ver, err := GetBytes(ctx, bs, "range", AllRange)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, commit, ver)
+	require.Equal(t, rangeData(0, maxValue), got)
+
+	// first 2048 bytes (1024 shorts)
+	got, ver, err = GetBytes(ctx, bs, "range", NewBlobRange(0, 2048))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, commit, ver)
+	require.Equal(t, rangeData(0, 1024), got)
+
+	// bytes 2048..4096 of original
+	got, ver, err = GetBytes(ctx, bs, "range", NewBlobRange(2*1024, 2*1024))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, commit, ver)
+	require.Equal(t, rangeData(1024, 2048), got)
+
+	// last 2048 bytes
+	got, ver, err = GetBytes(ctx, bs, "range", NewBlobRange(-2*1024, 0))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, commit, ver)
+	require.Equal(t, rangeData(maxValue-1024, maxValue), got)
+
+	// tail slice: beginning 2048 bytes from end, size 512
+	got, ver, err = GetBytes(ctx, bs, "range", NewBlobRange(-2*1024, 512))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, commit, ver)
+	require.Equal(t, rangeData(maxValue-1024, maxValue-768), got)
+}
+
+func TestGitBlobstore_InvalidKeysError(t *testing.T) {
+	if _, err := exec.LookPath("git"); err != nil {
+		t.Skip("git not found on PATH")
+	}
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	repo, err := gitrepo.InitBare(ctx, t.TempDir()+"/repo.git")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	_, err = repo.SetRefToTree(ctx, "refs/dolt/data", map[string][]byte{"ok": []byte("x")}, "seed")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	bs, err := NewGitBlobstore(repo.GitDir, "refs/dolt/data")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	invalid := []string{
+		"",
+		"/abs",
+		"../x",
+		"a/../b",
+		"a//b",
+		"a/",
+		".",
+		"..",
+		"a/./b",
+		"a/\x00/b",
+	}
+
+	for _, k := range invalid {
+		_, err := bs.Exists(ctx, k)
+		require.Error(t, err, "expected error for key %q", k)
+
+		_, _, _, err = bs.Get(ctx, k, AllRange)
+		require.Error(t, err, "expected error for key %q", k)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/go/store/blobstore/internal/git/errors.go b/go/store/blobstore/internal/git/errors.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e72bd28977c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/store/blobstore/internal/git/errors.go
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+// Copyright 2026 Dolthub, Inc.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package git
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+)
+
+// ErrUnimplemented is returned by stubbed write-path APIs. It is intentionally
+// exported so higher layers (e.g. GitBlobstore) can wrap or match it.
+var ErrUnimplemented = errors.New("unimplemented")
+
+// RefNotFoundError indicates that a ref (e.g. refs/dolt/data) could not be resolved.
+type RefNotFoundError struct {
+	Ref string
+}
+
+func (e *RefNotFoundError) Error() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("git ref not found: %s", e.Ref)
+}
+
+// PathNotFoundError indicates that a tree path could not be resolved within a commit.
+type PathNotFoundError struct {
+	Commit string
+	Path   string
+}
+
+func (e *PathNotFoundError) Error() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("git path not found: %s:%s", e.Commit, e.Path)
+}
+
+// NotBlobError indicates that a resolved path did not refer to a blob object.
+type NotBlobError struct {
+	Commit string
+	Path   string
+	Type   string
+}
+
+func (e *NotBlobError) Error() string {
+	if e.Type == "" {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("git path is not a blob: %s:%s", e.Commit, e.Path)
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("git path is not a blob (%s): %s:%s", e.Type, e.Commit, e.Path)
+}
+
+func IsRefNotFound(err error) bool {
+	var e *RefNotFoundError
+	return errors.As(err, &e)
+}
+
+func IsPathNotFound(err error) bool {
+	var e *PathNotFoundError
+	return errors.As(err, &e)
+}
diff --git a/go/store/blobstore/internal/git/read.go b/go/store/blobstore/internal/git/read.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4a6b16f09ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/store/blobstore/internal/git/read.go
@@ -0,0 +1,176 @@
+// Copyright 2026 Dolthub, Inc.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package git
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// OID is a git object id in hex (typically 40-char SHA1).
+type OID string
+
+func (o OID) String() string { return string(o) }
+
+// TryResolveRefCommit resolves |ref| to a commit OID. Returns ok=false if the ref does not exist.
+func TryResolveRefCommit(ctx context.Context, r *Runner, ref string) (oid OID, ok bool, err error) {
+	out, err := r.Run(ctx, RunOptions{}, "rev-parse", "--verify", "--quiet", ref+"^{commit}")
+	if err == nil {
+		s := strings.TrimSpace(string(out))
+		if s == "" {
+			// Shouldn't happen, but treat as missing.
+			return "", false, nil
+		}
+		return OID(s), true, nil
+	}
+
+	if isRefNotFoundErr(err) {
+		return "", false, nil
+	}
+	return "", false, err
+}
+
+// ResolveRefCommit resolves |ref| to a commit OID.
+func ResolveRefCommit(ctx context.Context, r *Runner, ref string) (OID, error) {
+	oid, ok, err := TryResolveRefCommit(ctx, r, ref)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	if !ok {
+		return "", &RefNotFoundError{Ref: ref}
+	}
+	return oid, nil
+}
+
+// ResolvePathBlob resolves |path| within |commit| to a blob OID.
+// It returns PathNotFoundError if the path does not exist, and NotBlobError if the
+// path resolves to a non-blob object (e.g. a tree).
+func ResolvePathBlob(ctx context.Context, r *Runner, commit OID, path string) (OID, error) {
+	spec := commit.String() + ":" + path
+	out, err := r.Run(ctx, RunOptions{}, "rev-parse", "--verify", spec)
+	if err != nil {
+		if isPathNotFoundErr(err) {
+			return "", &PathNotFoundError{Commit: commit.String(), Path: path}
+		}
+		return "", err
+	}
+	oid := strings.TrimSpace(string(out))
+	if oid == "" {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("git rev-parse returned empty oid for %q", spec)
+	}
+
+	typ, err := CatFileType(ctx, r, OID(oid))
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	if typ != "blob" {
+		return "", &NotBlobError{Commit: commit.String(), Path: path, Type: typ}
+	}
+	return OID(oid), nil
+}
+
+// CatFileType returns the git object type for |oid| (e.g. "blob", "tree", "commit").
+func CatFileType(ctx context.Context, r *Runner, oid OID) (string, error) {
+	out, err := r.Run(ctx, RunOptions{}, "cat-file", "-t", oid.String())
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	return strings.TrimSpace(string(out)), nil
+}
+
+// BlobSize returns the size in bytes of the blob object |oid|.
+func BlobSize(ctx context.Context, r *Runner, oid OID) (int64, error) {
+	out, err := r.Run(ctx, RunOptions{}, "cat-file", "-s", oid.String())
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
+	s := strings.TrimSpace(string(out))
+	n, err := strconv.ParseInt(s, 10, 64)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("git cat-file -s parse error (%q): %w", s, err)
+	}
+	return n, nil
+}
+
+// BlobReader returns a reader for blob contents. The returned ReadCloser will wait for
+// the git process to exit when closed, returning a CmdError if the process fails.
+func BlobReader(ctx context.Context, r *Runner, oid OID) (io.ReadCloser, error) {
+	rc, _, err := r.Start(ctx, RunOptions{}, "cat-file", "blob", oid.String())
+	return rc, err
+}
+
+func isRefNotFoundErr(err error) bool {
+	ce, ok := err.(*CmdError)
+	if !ok {
+		return false
+	}
+	// For `git rev-parse --verify --quiet <ref>^{commit}`, a missing ref typically yields exit 1 and no output.
+	if ce.ExitCode == 1 && len(bytes.TrimSpace(ce.Output)) == 0 {
+		return true
+	}
+	// Some git versions may still emit "fatal: Needed a single revision" without --quiet; keep a defensive check.
+	msg := strings.ToLower(string(ce.Output))
+	return strings.Contains(msg, "needed a single revision") ||
+		strings.Contains(msg, "unknown revision") ||
+		strings.Contains(msg, "not a valid object name")
+}
+
+func isPathNotFoundErr(err error) bool {
+	ce, ok := err.(*CmdError)
+	if !ok {
+		return false
+	}
+	if ce.ExitCode == 128 || ce.ExitCode == 1 {
+		msg := strings.ToLower(string(ce.Output))
+		// Common patterns:
+		// - "fatal: Path 'x' does not exist in 'HEAD'"
+		// - "fatal: invalid object name 'HEAD:x'"
+		// - "fatal: Needed a single revision"
+		// - "fatal: ambiguous argument '...': unknown revision or path not in the working tree."
+		if strings.Contains(msg, "does not exist in") ||
+			strings.Contains(msg, "invalid object name") ||
+			strings.Contains(msg, "needed a single revision") ||
+			strings.Contains(msg, "unknown revision or path not in the working tree") {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// ReadAllBytes is a small helper for read-path callers that want a whole object.
+// This is not used by GitBlobstore.Get (which must support BlobRange), but it is useful in tests.
+func ReadAllBytes(ctx context.Context, r *Runner, oid OID) ([]byte, error) {
+	rc, err := BlobReader(ctx, r, oid)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	defer rc.Close()
+	return io.ReadAll(rc)
+}
+
+// NormalizeGitPlumbingError unwraps CmdError wrappers, returning the underlying error.
+// Mostly useful for callers that want to compare against context cancellation.
+func NormalizeGitPlumbingError(err error) error {
+	var ce *CmdError
+	if errors.As(err, &ce) && ce.Cause != nil {
+		return ce.Cause
+	}
+	return err
+}
diff --git a/go/store/blobstore/internal/git/runner.go b/go/store/blobstore/internal/git/runner.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..02a4353709b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/store/blobstore/internal/git/runner.go
@@ -0,0 +1,255 @@
+// Copyright 2026 Dolthub, Inc.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+// Package git provides helpers for invoking git plumbing commands against a bare
+// repository or .git directory without a working tree checkout.
+package git
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+const maxCapturedOutputBytes = 64 * 1024
+
+// Runner executes git commands with GIT_DIR set (and optionally GIT_INDEX_FILE).
+// It is intended for git plumbing usage and should not require a working tree.
+type Runner struct {
+	gitPath string
+	gitDir  string
+	// extraEnv is appended to os.Environ() for every command.
+	extraEnv []string
+}
+
+// NewRunner creates a Runner using the git binary on PATH.
+func NewRunner(gitDir string) (*Runner, error) {
+	p, err := exec.LookPath("git")
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("git not found on PATH: %w", err)
+	}
+	return NewRunnerWithGitPath(gitDir, p), nil
+}
+
+// NewRunnerWithGitPath creates a Runner using an explicit git binary path.
+func NewRunnerWithGitPath(gitDir, gitPath string) *Runner {
+	return &Runner{
+		gitPath: gitPath,
+		gitDir:  gitDir,
+	}
+}
+
+// WithExtraEnv returns a copy of r that appends env entries (e.g. "K=V") to all commands.
+func (r *Runner) WithExtraEnv(env ...string) *Runner {
+	cp := *r
+	cp.extraEnv = append(append([]string(nil), r.extraEnv...), env...)
+	return &cp
+}
+
+// RunOptions control a single git invocation.
+type RunOptions struct {
+	// Dir is the working directory for the git process. Optional.
+	Dir string
+	// IndexFile sets GIT_INDEX_FILE for the git process. Optional.
+	IndexFile string
+	// Stdin provides stdin to the git process. Optional.
+	Stdin io.Reader
+	// Stdout and Stderr override output destinations. If both are nil, output is captured and returned.
+	Stdout io.Writer
+	Stderr io.Writer
+	// Env is appended to the process environment.
+	Env []string
+}
+
+// CmdError represents a failed git invocation with captured output.
+type CmdError struct {
+	Args     []string
+	Dir      string
+	ExitCode int
+	Output   []byte
+	Cause    error
+}
+
+func (e *CmdError) Error() string {
+	var b strings.Builder
+	b.WriteString("git command failed")
+	if e.ExitCode != 0 {
+		b.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf(" (exit %d)", e.ExitCode))
+	}
+	if len(e.Args) > 0 {
+		b.WriteString("\ncommand: git ")
+		b.WriteString(strings.Join(e.Args, " "))
+	}
+	if e.Dir != "" {
+		b.WriteString("\ndir: ")
+		b.WriteString(e.Dir)
+	}
+	b.WriteString("\noutput:\n")
+	b.WriteString(formatOutput(e.Output))
+	if e.Cause != nil {
+		b.WriteString("\nerror: ")
+		b.WriteString(e.Cause.Error())
+	}
+	return b.String()
+}
+
+func (e *CmdError) Unwrap() error { return e.Cause }
+
+// Run executes "git <args...>" with GIT_DIR set and returns captured combined output
+// when Stdout/Stderr are not supplied.
+func (r *Runner) Run(ctx context.Context, opts RunOptions, args ...string) ([]byte, error) {
+	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, r.gitPath, args...) //nolint:gosec // args are controlled by caller; used for internal plumbing.
+	if opts.Dir != "" {
+		cmd.Dir = opts.Dir
+	}
+	cmd.Env = r.env(opts)
+
+	if opts.Stdin != nil {
+		cmd.Stdin = opts.Stdin
+	}
+
+	// Capture combined output unless caller provided destinations.
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	if opts.Stdout == nil && opts.Stderr == nil {
+		cmd.Stdout = &buf
+		cmd.Stderr = &buf
+	} else {
+		if opts.Stdout != nil {
+			cmd.Stdout = opts.Stdout
+		}
+		if opts.Stderr != nil {
+			cmd.Stderr = opts.Stderr
+		} else if opts.Stdout != nil {
+			// Reasonable default: if only Stdout is set, send stderr there too.
+			cmd.Stderr = opts.Stdout
+		}
+	}
+
+	err := cmd.Run()
+	out := buf.Bytes()
+	if err == nil {
+		return out, nil
+	}
+
+	exitCode := 0
+	var ee *exec.ExitError
+	if errors.As(err, &ee) {
+		exitCode = ee.ExitCode()
+	}
+	return out, &CmdError{
+		Args:     append([]string(nil), args...),
+		Dir:      cmd.Dir,
+		ExitCode: exitCode,
+		Output:   out,
+		Cause:    err,
+	}
+}
+
+// Start starts "git <args...>" and returns a ReadCloser for stdout.
+//
+// Resource management:
+//   - Call Close() on the returned ReadCloser to ensure the underlying git process
+//     is waited (cmd.Wait()) and resources are released.
+//   - The returned *exec.Cmd is provided for advanced uses (e.g. signals), but most
+//     callers should not call Wait() directly.
+func (r *Runner) Start(ctx context.Context, opts RunOptions, args ...string) (io.ReadCloser, *exec.Cmd, error) {
+	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, r.gitPath, args...) //nolint:gosec // args are controlled by caller; used for internal plumbing.
+	if opts.Dir != "" {
+		cmd.Dir = opts.Dir
+	}
+	cmd.Env = r.env(opts)
+	if opts.Stdin != nil {
+		cmd.Stdin = opts.Stdin
+	}
+
+	stdout, err := cmd.StdoutPipe()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, err
+	}
+	// Capture stderr into a buffer so failures have actionable output.
+	var stderr bytes.Buffer
+	cmd.Stderr = &stderr
+
+	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+		_ = stdout.Close()
+		return nil, nil, err
+	}
+
+	// Wrap stdout so that Close also waits to avoid zombies if callers bail early.
+	rc := &cmdReadCloser{
+		r:      stdout,
+		cmd:    cmd,
+		stderr: &stderr,
+		args:   append([]string(nil), args...),
+		dir:    cmd.Dir,
+	}
+	return rc, cmd, nil
+}
+
+type cmdReadCloser struct {
+	r      io.ReadCloser
+	cmd    *exec.Cmd
+	stderr *bytes.Buffer
+	args   []string
+	dir    string
+}
+
+func (c *cmdReadCloser) Read(p []byte) (int, error) { return c.r.Read(p) }
+
+func (c *cmdReadCloser) Close() error {
+	_ = c.r.Close()
+	err := c.cmd.Wait()
+	if err == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	exitCode := 0
+	var ee *exec.ExitError
+	if errors.As(err, &ee) {
+		exitCode = ee.ExitCode()
+	}
+	return &CmdError{
+		Args:     c.args,
+		Dir:      c.dir,
+		ExitCode: exitCode,
+		Output:   c.stderr.Bytes(),
+		Cause:    err,
+	}
+}
+
+func (r *Runner) env(opts RunOptions) []string {
+	env := append([]string(nil), os.Environ()...)
+	env = append(env, "GIT_DIR="+r.gitDir)
+	if opts.IndexFile != "" {
+		env = append(env, "GIT_INDEX_FILE="+opts.IndexFile)
+	}
+	env = append(env, r.extraEnv...)
+	env = append(env, opts.Env...)
+	return env
+}
+
+func formatOutput(out []byte) string {
+	if len(out) == 0 {
+		return "(no output)"
+	}
+	if len(out) <= maxCapturedOutputBytes {
+		return strings.TrimRight(string(out), "\n")
+	}
+	trimmed := out[len(out)-maxCapturedOutputBytes:]
+	return fmt.Sprintf("... (truncated; showing last %d bytes)\n%s", maxCapturedOutputBytes, strings.TrimRight(string(trimmed), "\n"))
+}
diff --git a/go/store/blobstore/internal/git/write.go b/go/store/blobstore/internal/git/write.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a3d7a09c1ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/store/blobstore/internal/git/write.go
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+// Copyright 2026 Dolthub, Inc.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package git
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+)
+
+// WriteAPI defines the git plumbing operations needed for Approach A (temporary index
+// via GIT_INDEX_FILE) to perform updates without a working tree checkout.
+//
+// This file intentionally does not implement these operations yet; the current
+// GitBlobstore milestone is read-only. All methods on the default implementation
+// return ErrUnimplemented.
+type WriteAPI interface {
+	// ReadTree populates |indexFile| with the entries from |commit|'s root tree.
+	// Equivalent plumbing:
+	//   GIT_DIR=... GIT_INDEX_FILE=<indexFile> git read-tree <commit>^{tree}
+	ReadTree(ctx context.Context, commit OID, indexFile string) error
+
+	// ReadTreeEmpty initializes |indexFile| to an empty index.
+	// Equivalent plumbing:
+	//   GIT_DIR=... GIT_INDEX_FILE=<indexFile> git read-tree --empty
+	ReadTreeEmpty(ctx context.Context, indexFile string) error
+
+	// UpdateIndexCacheInfo adds or replaces |path| in |indexFile| with the given blob |oid| and filemode.
+	// Equivalent plumbing:
+	//   GIT_DIR=... GIT_INDEX_FILE=<indexFile> git update-index --add --cacheinfo <mode> <oid> <path>
+	UpdateIndexCacheInfo(ctx context.Context, indexFile string, mode string, oid OID, path string) error
+
+	// WriteTree writes a tree object from the contents of |indexFile| and returns its oid.
+	// Equivalent plumbing:
+	//   GIT_DIR=... GIT_INDEX_FILE=<indexFile> git write-tree
+	WriteTree(ctx context.Context, indexFile string) (OID, error)
+
+	// CommitTree creates a commit object from |tree| with optional |parent| and returns its oid.
+	// Equivalent plumbing:
+	//   GIT_DIR=... git commit-tree <tree> [-p <parent>] -m <message>
+	CommitTree(ctx context.Context, tree OID, parent *OID, message string, author *Identity) (OID, error)
+
+	// UpdateRefCAS atomically updates |ref| from |old| to |new|.
+	// Equivalent plumbing:
+	//   GIT_DIR=... git update-ref -m <msg> <ref> <new> <old>
+	UpdateRefCAS(ctx context.Context, ref string, newOID OID, oldOID OID, msg string) error
+
+	// UpdateRef updates |ref| to |new| without a compare-and-swap.
+	// Equivalent plumbing:
+	//   GIT_DIR=... git update-ref -m <msg> <ref> <new>
+	UpdateRef(ctx context.Context, ref string, newOID OID, msg string) error
+}
+
+// Identity represents git author/committer metadata. A future implementation
+// may set this via environment variables (GIT_AUTHOR_NAME, etc.).
+type Identity struct {
+	Name  string
+	Email string
+}
+
+// UnimplementedWriteAPI is the default write API for the read-only milestone.
+// It can be embedded or returned by constructors to make write paths fail fast.
+type UnimplementedWriteAPI struct{}
+
+var _ WriteAPI = UnimplementedWriteAPI{}
+
+func (UnimplementedWriteAPI) ReadTree(ctx context.Context, commit OID, indexFile string) error {
+	return fmt.Errorf("%w: ReadTree", ErrUnimplemented)
+}
+
+func (UnimplementedWriteAPI) ReadTreeEmpty(ctx context.Context, indexFile string) error {
+	return fmt.Errorf("%w: ReadTreeEmpty", ErrUnimplemented)
+}
+
+func (UnimplementedWriteAPI) UpdateIndexCacheInfo(ctx context.Context, indexFile string, mode string, oid OID, path string) error {
+	return fmt.Errorf("%w: UpdateIndexCacheInfo", ErrUnimplemented)
+}
+
+func (UnimplementedWriteAPI) WriteTree(ctx context.Context, indexFile string) (OID, error) {
+	return "", fmt.Errorf("%w: WriteTree", ErrUnimplemented)
+}
+
+func (UnimplementedWriteAPI) CommitTree(ctx context.Context, tree OID, parent *OID, message string, author *Identity) (OID, error) {
+	return "", fmt.Errorf("%w: CommitTree", ErrUnimplemented)
+}
+
+func (UnimplementedWriteAPI) UpdateRefCAS(ctx context.Context, ref string, newOID OID, oldOID OID, msg string) error {
+	return fmt.Errorf("%w: UpdateRefCAS", ErrUnimplemented)
+}
+
+func (UnimplementedWriteAPI) UpdateRef(ctx context.Context, ref string, newOID OID, msg string) error {
+	return fmt.Errorf("%w: UpdateRef", ErrUnimplemented)
+}
diff --git a/go/store/nbs/git_blobstore_read_smoke_test.go b/go/store/nbs/git_blobstore_read_smoke_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..590f39588df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/store/nbs/git_blobstore_read_smoke_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+// Copyright 2026 Dolthub, Inc.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package nbs
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"io"
+	"os/exec"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	"github.com/dolthub/dolt/go/store/blobstore"
+	"github.com/dolthub/dolt/go/store/hash"
+	"github.com/dolthub/dolt/go/store/testutils/gitrepo"
+	"github.com/dolthub/dolt/go/store/types"
+)
+
+func TestGitBlobstoreReadSmoke_ManifestAndTableAccessPatterns(t *testing.T) {
+	if _, err := exec.LookPath("git"); err != nil {
+		t.Skip("git not found on PATH")
+	}
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	repo, err := gitrepo.InitBare(ctx, t.TempDir()+"/repo.git")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Seed a valid v5 manifest with no tables. This should allow NBS to open
+	// without triggering any write paths.
+	mc := manifestContents{
+		nbfVers: types.Format_DOLT.VersionString(),
+		lock:    hash.Of([]byte("lock")),
+		root:    hash.Of([]byte("root")),
+		gcGen:   hash.Of([]byte("gcgen")),
+		specs:   nil,
+	}
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	require.NoError(t, writeManifest(&buf, mc))
+
+	// Seed a "table-like" blob to exercise the same access patterns NBS uses:
+	// - tail reads via negative BlobRange offsets
+	// - ReadAt-style ranged reads (ReadAtWithStats)
+	table := make([]byte, 64*1024)
+	for i := range table {
+		table[i] = byte(i % 251)
+	}
+
+	commit, err := repo.SetRefToTree(ctx, "refs/dolt/data", map[string][]byte{
+		"manifest": buf.Bytes(),
+		"table":    table,
+	}, "seed refs/dolt/data for smoke test")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NotEmpty(t, commit)
+
+	bs, err := blobstore.NewGitBlobstore(repo.GitDir, "refs/dolt/data")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// 1) Manifest read path via blobstoreManifest.ParseIfExists.
+	stats := NewStats()
+	exists, got, err := blobstoreManifest{bs: bs}.ParseIfExists(ctx, stats, nil)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.True(t, exists)
+	require.Equal(t, mc.nbfVers, got.nbfVers)
+	require.Equal(t, mc.root, got.root)
+	require.Equal(t, mc.lock, got.lock)
+	require.Equal(t, mc.gcGen, got.gcGen)
+	require.Len(t, got.specs, 0)
+
+	// 2) Tail-read pattern used by table index/footer loads:
+	//    bs.Get(key, NewBlobRange(-N, 0)) and io.ReadFull.
+	const tailN = 1024
+	rc, totalSz, ver, err := bs.Get(ctx, "table", blobstore.NewBlobRange(-tailN, 0))
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, uint64(len(table)), totalSz)
+	require.Equal(t, commit, ver)
+	tail := make([]byte, tailN)
+	_, err = io.ReadFull(rc, tail)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NoError(t, rc.Close())
+	require.Equal(t, table[len(table)-tailN:], tail)
+
+	// 3) ReadAt-style ranged reads used by table readers.
+	tr := &bsTableReaderAt{bs: bs, key: "table"}
+	out := make([]byte, 4096)
+	n, err := tr.ReadAtWithStats(ctx, out, 1234, stats)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, len(out), n)
+	require.Equal(t, table[1234:1234+int64(len(out))], out)
+
+	// Near-end reads should return short read without error.
+	out2 := make([]byte, 4096)
+	start := int64(len(table) - 100)
+	n, err = tr.ReadAtWithStats(ctx, out2, start, stats)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, 100, n)
+	require.Equal(t, table[start:], out2[:n])
+}
diff --git a/go/store/testutils/gitrepo/gitrepo.go b/go/store/testutils/gitrepo/gitrepo.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..31113c356d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/store/testutils/gitrepo/gitrepo.go
@@ -0,0 +1,211 @@
+// Copyright 2026 Dolthub, Inc.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+// Package gitrepo contains test helpers for creating and manipulating git repositories
+// using plumbing commands without requiring a working tree checkout.
+//
+// This package is intended for tests of GitBlobstore and related read paths. It
+// deliberately uses the git CLI (not a Go git library) to keep the harness small
+// and to match how the initial GitBlobstore implementation interacts with git.
+package gitrepo
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"sort"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// Repo is a test-only handle to a bare git repository (its directory is the GIT_DIR).
+type Repo struct {
+	// GitDir is the path to the bare repository directory.
+	GitDir string
+}
+
+// InitBare initializes a new bare git repository at |dir|.
+// For portability across git versions, callers should generally pass a path that
+// does not exist yet.
+func InitBare(ctx context.Context, dir string) (*Repo, error) {
+	if err := runGit(ctx, "", "", "", "init", "--bare", dir); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return &Repo{GitDir: dir}, nil
+}
+
+// InitBareTemp creates and initializes a new bare git repository under |parentDir|
+// (or os.TempDir if empty).
+func InitBareTemp(ctx context.Context, parentDir string) (*Repo, error) {
+	if parentDir == "" {
+		parentDir = os.TempDir()
+	}
+	dir, err := os.MkdirTemp(parentDir, "gitrepo-bare-")
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	// git init --bare expects the target directory to not exist in some versions;
+	// to avoid that, create a child directory.
+	bareDir := filepath.Join(dir, "repo.git")
+	return InitBare(ctx, bareDir)
+}
+
+// SetRefToTree writes a commit whose tree contains |files| and updates |ref| to point at it.
+// This is done without a working tree checkout using a temporary index (GIT_INDEX_FILE).
+//
+// - |ref| example: "refs/dolt/data"
+// - |files| keys are tree paths (e.g. "manifest", "a/b/c")
+// - |message| becomes the commit message (defaults to "test commit" if empty)
+func (r *Repo) SetRefToTree(ctx context.Context, ref string, files map[string][]byte, message string) (commitOID string, err error) {
+	if message == "" {
+		message = "test commit"
+	}
+
+	indexDir, err := os.MkdirTemp("", "gitrepo-index-")
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	defer func() {
+		_ = os.RemoveAll(indexDir)
+	}()
+
+	indexFile := filepath.Join(indexDir, "index")
+
+	// Empty index.
+	if err := runGit(ctx, r.GitDir, indexFile, "", "read-tree", "--empty"); err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	// Add paths. Sort for determinism.
+	paths := make([]string, 0, len(files))
+	for p := range files {
+		paths = append(paths, p)
+	}
+	sort.Strings(paths)
+
+	for _, p := range paths {
+		oid, err := hashObject(ctx, r.GitDir, files[p])
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+		if err := runGit(ctx, r.GitDir, indexFile, "", "update-index", "--add", "--cacheinfo", "100644", oid, p); err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+	}
+
+	treeOID, err := outputGit(ctx, r.GitDir, indexFile, nil, "write-tree")
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	treeOID = strings.TrimSpace(treeOID)
+	if treeOID == "" {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("write-tree returned empty oid")
+	}
+
+	commitOID, err = outputGit(ctx, r.GitDir, "", commitEnv(), "commit-tree", treeOID, "-m", message)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	commitOID = strings.TrimSpace(commitOID)
+	if commitOID == "" {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("commit-tree returned empty oid")
+	}
+
+	if err := runGit(ctx, r.GitDir, "", "", "update-ref", ref, commitOID); err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	return commitOID, nil
+}
+
+func commitEnv() []string {
+	// Deterministic-ish author/committer identity for tests.
+	return []string{
+		"GIT_AUTHOR_NAME=gitrepo test",
+		"GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL=gitrepo@test.invalid",
+		"GIT_COMMITTER_NAME=gitrepo test",
+		"GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL=gitrepo@test.invalid",
+	}
+}
+
+func hashObject(ctx context.Context, gitDir string, data []byte) (string, error) {
+	out, err := outputGitWithStdin(ctx, gitDir, "", "", bytes.NewReader(data), "hash-object", "-w", "--stdin")
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	oid := strings.TrimSpace(out)
+	if oid == "" {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("hash-object returned empty oid")
+	}
+	return oid, nil
+}
+
+func runGit(ctx context.Context, gitDir, indexFile string, extraEnv string, args ...string) error {
+	_, err := outputGit(ctx, gitDir, indexFile, splitEnv(extraEnv), args...)
+	return err
+}
+
+func outputGit(ctx context.Context, gitDir, indexFile string, extraEnv []string, args ...string) (string, error) {
+	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, "git", args...) //nolint:gosec // test harness invokes git with controlled args.
+	cmd.Env = envForGit(gitDir, indexFile, extraEnv)
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	cmd.Stdout = &buf
+	cmd.Stderr = &buf
+	if err := cmd.Run(); err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("%w\ncommand: %s\noutput:\n%s", err, cmd.String(), strings.TrimRight(buf.String(), "\n"))
+	}
+	return buf.String(), nil
+}
+
+func outputGitWithStdin(ctx context.Context, gitDir, indexFile string, extraEnv string, stdin *bytes.Reader, args ...string) (string, error) {
+	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, "git", args...) //nolint:gosec // test harness invokes git with controlled args.
+	cmd.Env = envForGit(gitDir, indexFile, splitEnv(extraEnv))
+	cmd.Stdin = stdin
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	cmd.Stdout = &buf
+	cmd.Stderr = &buf
+	if err := cmd.Run(); err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("%w\ncommand: %s\noutput:\n%s", err, cmd.String(), strings.TrimRight(buf.String(), "\n"))
+	}
+	return buf.String(), nil
+}
+
+func envForGit(gitDir, indexFile string, extra []string) []string {
+	env := append([]string(nil), os.Environ()...)
+	if gitDir != "" {
+		env = append(env, "GIT_DIR="+gitDir)
+	}
+	if indexFile != "" {
+		env = append(env, "GIT_INDEX_FILE="+indexFile)
+	}
+	env = append(env, extra...)
+	return env
+}
+
+func splitEnv(extraEnv string) []string {
+	if extraEnv == "" {
+		return nil
+	}
+	// Allow callers to pass "K=V\nK2=V2" style strings.
+	lines := strings.Split(extraEnv, "\n")
+	out := lines[:0]
+	for _, l := range lines {
+		l = strings.TrimSpace(l)
+		if l != "" {
+			out = append(out, l)
+		}
+	}
+	return out
+}
diff --git a/go/store/testutils/gitrepo/gitrepo_test.go b/go/store/testutils/gitrepo/gitrepo_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b7438712c31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go/store/testutils/gitrepo/gitrepo_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+// Copyright 2026 Dolthub, Inc.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package gitrepo
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestInitBareAndSetRefToTree(t *testing.T) {
+	if _, err := exec.LookPath("git"); err != nil {
+		t.Skip("git not found on PATH")
+	}
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	bareDir := filepath.Join(root, "repo.git")
+
+	repo, err := InitBare(ctx, bareDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("InitBare failed: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	commit, err := repo.SetRefToTree(ctx, "refs/dolt/data", map[string][]byte{
+		"manifest":   []byte("hello\n"),
+		"dir/file":   []byte("abc"),
+		"dir/file2":  []byte("def"),
+		"dir2/x.txt": []byte("xyz"),
+	}, "seed refs/dolt/data")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SetRefToTree failed: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(strings.TrimSpace(commit)) == 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected non-empty commit oid")
+	}
+
+	// Validate the path exists in the commit.
+	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, "git", "--git-dir", repo.GitDir, "cat-file", "-e", commit+":manifest") //nolint:gosec
+	if out, err := cmd.CombinedOutput(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("cat-file -e failed: %v\n%s", err, string(out))
+	}
+}
diff --git a/go/utils/repofmt/format_repo.sh b/go/utils/repofmt/format_repo.sh
index 64bf3292d88..6a0edd26751 100755
--- a/go/utils/repofmt/format_repo.sh
+++ b/go/utils/repofmt/format_repo.sh
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ paths=`find . -maxdepth 1 -mindepth 1 \( -type d -print -o -type f -name '*.go'
 goimports -w -local github.com/dolthub/dolt,github.com/dolthub/eventsapi_schema $paths
 
 bad_files=$(find $paths -name '*.go' | while read f; do
-    if [[ $(awk '/import \(/{flag=1;next}/\)/{flag=0}flag' < $f | egrep -c '$^') -gt 2 ]]; then
+    if [[ $(awk '/import \(/{flag=1;next}/\)/{flag=0}flag' < $f | grep -Ec '$^') -gt 2 ]]; then
         echo $f
     fi
 done)