diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index 1ab0bb54d3..b8759116cd 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -1852,14 +1852,14 @@ static struct ref_store *ref_store_init(const char *gitdir,
 
 struct ref_store *get_main_ref_store(struct repository *r)
 {
-	if (r->refs)
-		return r->refs;
+	if (r->refs_private)
+		return r->refs_private;
 
 	if (!r->gitdir)
 		BUG("attempting to get main_ref_store outside of repository");
 
-	r->refs = ref_store_init(r->gitdir, REF_STORE_ALL_CAPS);
-	return r->refs;
+	r->refs_private = ref_store_init(r->gitdir, REF_STORE_ALL_CAPS);
+	return r->refs_private;
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/repository.h b/repository.h
index 040057dea6..6534fbb7b3 100644
--- a/repository.h
+++ b/repository.h
@@ -67,8 +67,12 @@ struct repository {
 	 */
 	struct parsed_object_pool *parsed_objects;
 
-	/* The store in which the refs are held. */
-	struct ref_store *refs;
+	/*
+	 * The store in which the refs are held. This should generally only be
+	 * accessed via get_main_ref_store(), as that will lazily initialize
+	 * the ref object.
+	 */
+	struct ref_store *refs_private;
 
 	/*
 	 * Contains path to often used file names.
diff --git a/sha1-name.c b/sha1-name.c
index 6561cd9097..0b8cb5247a 100644
--- a/sha1-name.c
+++ b/sha1-name.c
@@ -1815,8 +1815,8 @@ static enum get_oid_result get_oid_with_context_1(struct repository *repo,
 
 			cb.repo = repo;
 			cb.list = &list;
-			refs_for_each_ref(repo->refs, handle_one_ref, &cb);
-			refs_head_ref(repo->refs, handle_one_ref, &cb);
+			refs_for_each_ref(get_main_ref_store(repo), handle_one_ref, &cb);
+			refs_head_ref(get_main_ref_store(repo), handle_one_ref, &cb);
 			commit_list_sort_by_date(&list);
 			return get_oid_oneline(repo, name + 2, oid, list);
 		}
diff --git a/t/t4208-log-magic-pathspec.sh b/t/t4208-log-magic-pathspec.sh
index 4c8f3b8e1b..6cdbe4747a 100755
--- a/t/t4208-log-magic-pathspec.sh
+++ b/t/t4208-log-magic-pathspec.sh
@@ -55,6 +55,10 @@ test_expect_success '"git log -- :/a" should not be ambiguous' '
 	git log -- :/a
 '
 
+test_expect_success '"git log :/any/path/" should not segfault' '
+	test_must_fail git log :/any/path/
+'
+
 # This differs from the ":/a" check above in that :/in looks like a pathspec,
 # but doesn't match an actual file.
 test_expect_success '"git log :/in" should not be ambiguous' '