diff --git a/src/libostree/ostree-core.c b/src/libostree/ostree-core.c
index a0fe8bde..91cf2998 100644
--- a/src/libostree/ostree-core.c
+++ b/src/libostree/ostree-core.c
@@ -190,10 +190,14 @@ checksum_directory (GFile          *f,
   gboolean ret = FALSE;
   GVariant *dirmeta = NULL;
   GVariant *packed = NULL;
+  GVariant *xattrs = NULL;
   GChecksum *ret_checksum = NULL;
 
-  if (!ostree_get_directory_metadata (f, f_info, &dirmeta, cancellable, error))
+  xattrs = ostree_get_xattrs_for_file (f, error);
+  if (!xattrs)
     goto out;
+
+  dirmeta = ostree_create_directory_metadata (f_info, xattrs);
   packed = ostree_wrap_metadata_variant (OSTREE_SERIALIZED_DIRMETA_VARIANT, dirmeta);
   ret_checksum = g_checksum_new (G_CHECKSUM_SHA256);
   g_checksum_update (ret_checksum, g_variant_get_data (packed),
@@ -206,6 +210,7 @@ checksum_directory (GFile          *f,
   ot_clear_checksum (&ret_checksum);
   ot_clear_gvariant (&dirmeta);
   ot_clear_gvariant (&packed);
+  ot_clear_gvariant (&xattrs);
   return ret;
 }
 
@@ -421,21 +426,12 @@ ostree_checksum_file_async_finish (GFile          *f,
   return TRUE;
 }
 
-gboolean
-ostree_get_directory_metadata (GFile        *dir,
-                               GFileInfo    *dir_info,
-                               GVariant    **out_metadata,
-                               GCancellable *cancellable,
-                               GError      **error)
+GVariant *
+ostree_create_directory_metadata (GFileInfo    *dir_info,
+                                  GVariant     *xattrs)
 {
-  gboolean ret = FALSE;
-  GVariant *xattrs = NULL;
   GVariant *ret_metadata = NULL;
 
-  xattrs = ostree_get_xattrs_for_file (dir, error);
-  if (!xattrs)
-    goto out;
-
   ret_metadata = g_variant_new ("(uuuu@a(ayay))",
                                 OSTREE_DIR_META_VERSION,
                                 GUINT32_TO_BE (g_file_info_get_attribute_uint32 (dir_info, "unix::uid")),
@@ -444,13 +440,7 @@ ostree_get_directory_metadata (GFile        *dir,
                                 xattrs);
   g_variant_ref_sink (ret_metadata);
 
-  ret = TRUE;
-  *out_metadata = ret_metadata;
-  ret_metadata = NULL;
- out:
-  ot_clear_gvariant (&ret_metadata);
-  ot_clear_gvariant (&xattrs);
-  return ret;
+  return ret_metadata;
 }
 
 gboolean
diff --git a/src/libostree/ostree-core.h b/src/libostree/ostree-core.h
index 640ec712..5318deb8 100644
--- a/src/libostree/ostree-core.h
+++ b/src/libostree/ostree-core.h
@@ -128,11 +128,8 @@ gboolean ostree_checksum_file_async_finish (GFile          *f,
                                             GChecksum     **out_checksum,
                                             GError        **error);
 
-gboolean ostree_get_directory_metadata (GFile *dir,
-                                        GFileInfo *dir_info,
-                                        GVariant  **out_metadata,
-                                        GCancellable *cancellable,
-                                        GError **error);
+GVariant *ostree_create_directory_metadata (GFileInfo *dir_info,
+                                            GVariant  *xattrs);
 
 /* Packed files:
  *
diff --git a/src/libostree/ostree-repo.c b/src/libostree/ostree-repo.c
index c1ff605d..e4a6c928 100644
--- a/src/libostree/ostree-repo.c
+++ b/src/libostree/ostree-repo.c
@@ -735,44 +735,30 @@ ostree_repo_load_variant_checked (OstreeRepo  *self,
 }
 
 static gboolean
-import_directory_meta (OstreeRepo  *self,
-                       GFile       *f,
-                       GVariant  **out_variant,
-                       GChecksum **out_checksum,
+import_directory_meta (OstreeRepo   *self,
+                       GFileInfo    *file_info,
+                       GVariant     *xattrs,
+                       GChecksum   **out_checksum,
                        GCancellable *cancellable,
-                       GError    **error)
+                       GError      **error)
 {
   gboolean ret = FALSE;
   GChecksum *ret_checksum = NULL;
   GVariant *dirmeta = NULL;
-  GFileInfo *f_info = NULL;
 
-  f_info = g_file_query_info (f, OSTREE_GIO_FAST_QUERYINFO,
-                              G_FILE_QUERY_INFO_NOFOLLOW_SYMLINKS,
-                              cancellable, error);
-  if (!f_info)
-    goto out;
-
-  if (!ostree_get_directory_metadata (f, f_info, &dirmeta, cancellable, error))
-    goto out;
+  dirmeta = ostree_create_directory_metadata (file_info, xattrs);
   
   if (!import_gvariant_object (self, OSTREE_SERIALIZED_DIRMETA_VARIANT, 
                                dirmeta, &ret_checksum, cancellable, error))
     goto out;
 
   ret = TRUE;
-  if (out_variant)
-    {
-      *out_variant = dirmeta;
-      dirmeta = NULL;
-    }
   if (out_checksum)
     {
       *out_checksum = ret_checksum;
       ret_checksum = NULL;
     }
  out:
-  g_clear_object (&f_info);
   ot_clear_checksum (&ret_checksum);
   ot_clear_gvariant (&dirmeta);
   return ret;
@@ -1114,12 +1100,25 @@ import_directory_recurse (OstreeRepo           *self,
   GHashTableIter hash_iter;
   GSList *sorted_filenames = NULL;
   GSList *iter;
+  GVariant *dir_xattrs = NULL;
   GVariant *serialized_tree = NULL;
   gpointer key, value;
 
-  if (!import_directory_meta (self, dir, NULL, &ret_metadata_checksum, cancellable, error))
+  child_info = g_file_query_info (dir, OSTREE_GIO_FAST_QUERYINFO,
+                                  G_FILE_QUERY_INFO_NOFOLLOW_SYMLINKS,
+                                  cancellable, error);
+  if (!child_info)
     goto out;
 
+  dir_xattrs = ostree_get_xattrs_for_file (dir, error);
+  if (!dir_xattrs)
+    goto out;
+
+  if (!import_directory_meta (self, child_info, dir_xattrs, &ret_metadata_checksum, cancellable, error))
+    goto out;
+  
+  g_clear_object (&child_info);
+
   dir_enum = g_file_enumerate_children ((GFile*)dir, OSTREE_GIO_FAST_QUERYINFO, 
                                         G_FILE_QUERY_INFO_NOFOLLOW_SYMLINKS,
                                         cancellable,