patchmulti-pack-index: add --no-progress

Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt, builtin/multi-pack-index.c, midx.c, midx.h, t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh

diff --git a/Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt b/Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt
index 233b2b7862..19a5a42dc0 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ git-multi-pack-index - Write and verify multi-pack-indexes
 SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
-'git multi-pack-index' [--object-dir=<dir>] <subcommand>
+'git multi-pack-index' [--object-dir=<dir>] <subcommand> [--[no-]progress]
 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ OPTIONS
 	`<dir>/packs/multi-pack-index` for the current MIDX file, and
 	`<dir>/packs` for the pack-files to index.
 
+--[no-]progress::
+	Turn progress on/off explicitly. If neither is specified, progress is 
+	shown if standard error is connected to a terminal.
+
 The following subcommands are available:
 
 write::
diff --git a/builtin/multi-pack-index.c b/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
index b1ea1a6aa1..f8b2a74179 100644
--- a/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
+++ b/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
@@ -6,34 +6,41 @@
 #include "trace2.h"
 
 static char const * const builtin_multi_pack_index_usage[] = {
-	N_("git multi-pack-index [--object-dir=<dir>] (write|verify|expire|repack --batch-size=<size>)"),
+	N_("git multi-pack-index [--object-dir=<dir>] (write|verify|expire|repack --batch-size=<size>) [--[no-]progress]"),
 	NULL
 };
 
 static struct opts_multi_pack_index {
 	const char *object_dir;
 	unsigned long batch_size;
+	int progress;
 } opts;
 
 int cmd_multi_pack_index(int argc, const char **argv,
 			 const char *prefix)
 {
+	unsigned flags = 0;
+
 	static struct option builtin_multi_pack_index_options[] = {
 		OPT_FILENAME(0, "object-dir", &opts.object_dir,
 		  N_("object directory containing set of packfile and pack-index pairs")),
 		OPT_MAGNITUDE(0, "batch-size", &opts.batch_size,
 		  N_("during repack, collect pack-files of smaller size into a batch that is larger than this size")),
+		OPT_BOOL(0, "progress", &opts.progress, N_("force progress reporting")),
 		OPT_END(),
 	};
 
 	git_config(git_default_config, NULL);
 
+	opts.progress = isatty(2);
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix,
 			     builtin_multi_pack_index_options,
 			     builtin_multi_pack_index_usage, 0);
 
 	if (!opts.object_dir)
 		opts.object_dir = get_object_directory();
+	if (opts.progress)
+		flags |= MIDX_PROGRESS;
 
 	if (argc == 0)
 		usage_with_options(builtin_multi_pack_index_usage,
@@ -47,14 +54,15 @@ int cmd_multi_pack_index(int argc, const char **argv,
 	trace2_cmd_mode(argv[0]);
 
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "repack"))
-		return midx_repack(the_repository, opts.object_dir, (size_t)opts.batch_size);
+		return midx_repack(the_repository, opts.object_dir, 
+			(size_t)opts.batch_size, flags);
 	if (opts.batch_size)
 		die(_("--batch-size option is only for 'repack' subcommand"));
 
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "write"))
 		return write_midx_file(opts.object_dir);
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "verify"))
-		return verify_midx_file(the_repository, opts.object_dir);
+		return verify_midx_file(the_repository, opts.object_dir, flags);
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "expire"))
 		return expire_midx_packs(the_repository, opts.object_dir);
 
diff --git a/midx.c b/midx.c
index d649644420..b1a9ad9e5b 100644
--- a/midx.c
+++ b/midx.c
@@ -1077,19 +1077,20 @@ static int compare_pair_pos_vs_id(const void *_a, const void *_b)
 			display_progress(progress, _n); \
 	} while (0)
 
-int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir)
+int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags)
 {
 	struct pair_pos_vs_id *pairs = NULL;
 	uint32_t i;
-	struct progress *progress;
+	struct progress *progress = NULL;
 	struct multi_pack_index *m = load_multi_pack_index(object_dir, 1);
 	verify_midx_error = 0;
 
 	if (!m)
 		return 0;
 
-	progress = start_progress(_("Looking for referenced packfiles"),
-				  m->num_packs);
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_progress(_("Looking for referenced packfiles"),
+				 	 m->num_packs);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_packs; i++) {
 		if (prepare_midx_pack(r, m, i))
 			midx_report("failed to load pack in position %d", i);
@@ -1107,8 +1108,9 @@ int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir)
 				    i, oid_fanout1, oid_fanout2, i + 1);
 	}
 
-	progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Verifying OID order in MIDX"),
-					 m->num_objects - 1);
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Verifying OID order in MIDX"),
+						 m->num_objects - 1);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_objects - 1; i++) {
 		struct object_id oid1, oid2;
 
@@ -1135,13 +1137,15 @@ int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir)
 		pairs[i].pack_int_id = nth_midxed_pack_int_id(m, i);
 	}
 
-	progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Sorting objects by packfile"),
-					 m->num_objects);
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Sorting objects by packfile"),
+						 m->num_objects);
 	display_progress(progress, 0); /* TODO: Measure QSORT() progress */
 	QSORT(pairs, m->num_objects, compare_pair_pos_vs_id);
 	stop_progress(&progress);
 
-	progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Verifying object offsets"), m->num_objects);
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Verifying object offsets"), m->num_objects);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_objects; i++) {
 		struct object_id oid;
 		struct pack_entry e;
@@ -1316,7 +1320,7 @@ static int fill_included_packs_batch(struct repository *r,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size)
+int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size, unsigned flags)
 {
 	int result = 0;
 	uint32_t i;
@@ -1341,6 +1345,12 @@ int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size)
 	strbuf_addstr(&base_name, object_dir);
 	strbuf_addstr(&base_name, "/pack/pack");
 	argv_array_push(&cmd.args, base_name.buf);
+
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		argv_array_push(&cmd.args, "--progress");
+	else
+		argv_array_push(&cmd.args, "-q");
+
 	strbuf_release(&base_name);
 
 	cmd.git_cmd = 1;
diff --git a/midx.h b/midx.h
index f0ae656b5d..88abc85bc3 100644
--- a/midx.h
+++ b/midx.h
@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ struct multi_pack_index {
 	char object_dir[FLEX_ARRAY];
 };
 
+#define MIDX_PROGRESS     (1 << 0)
+
 struct multi_pack_index *load_multi_pack_index(const char *object_dir, int local);
 int prepare_midx_pack(struct repository *r, struct multi_pack_index *m, uint32_t pack_int_id);
 int bsearch_midx(const struct object_id *oid, struct multi_pack_index *m, uint32_t *result);
@@ -49,9 +51,9 @@ int prepare_multi_pack_index_one(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, i
 
 int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir);
 void clear_midx_file(struct repository *r);
-int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir);
+int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags);
 int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir);
-int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size);
+int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size, unsigned flags);
 
 void close_midx(struct multi_pack_index *m);
 
diff --git a/t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh b/t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh
index c72ca04399..cdc09b85f1 100755
--- a/t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh
+++ b/t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh
@@ -169,6 +169,21 @@ test_expect_success 'verify multi-pack-index success' '
 	git multi-pack-index verify --object-dir=$objdir
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'verify progress off for redirected stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index verify --object-dir=$objdir 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'verify force progress on for stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index verify --object-dir=$objdir --progress 2>err &&
+	test_file_not_empty err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'verify with the --no-progress option' '
+	git multi-pack-index verify --object-dir=$objdir --no-progress 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
 # usage: corrupt_midx_and_verify <pos> <data> <objdir> <string>
 corrupt_midx_and_verify() {
 	POS=$1 &&
@@ -284,6 +299,21 @@ test_expect_success 'git-fsck incorrect offset' '
 		"git -c core.multipackindex=true fsck"
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'repack progress off for redirected stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index repack --object-dir=$objdir 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'repack force progress on for stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index repack --object-dir=$objdir --progress 2>err &&
+	test_file_not_empty err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'repack with the --no-progress option' '
+	git multi-pack-index repack --object-dir=$objdir --no-progress 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'repack removes multi-pack-index' '
 	test_path_is_file $objdir/pack/multi-pack-index &&
 	GIT_TEST_MULTI_PACK_INDEX=0 git repack -adf &&

builtin/multi-pack-index.c, builtin/repack.c, midx.c, midx.h

diff --git a/builtin/multi-pack-index.c b/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
index b1ea1a6aa1..e86b8cd17d 100644
--- a/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
+++ b/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
@@ -47,16 +47,16 @@ int cmd_multi_pack_index(int argc, const char **argv,
 	trace2_cmd_mode(argv[0]);
 
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "repack"))
-		return midx_repack(the_repository, opts.object_dir, (size_t)opts.batch_size);
+		return midx_repack(the_repository, opts.object_dir, (size_t)opts.batch_size, 0);
 	if (opts.batch_size)
 		die(_("--batch-size option is only for 'repack' subcommand"));
 
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "write"))
-		return write_midx_file(opts.object_dir);
+		return write_midx_file(opts.object_dir, 0);
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "verify"))
-		return verify_midx_file(the_repository, opts.object_dir);
+		return verify_midx_file(the_repository, opts.object_dir, 0);
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "expire"))
-		return expire_midx_packs(the_repository, opts.object_dir);
+		return expire_midx_packs(the_repository, opts.object_dir, 0);
 
 	die(_("unrecognized subcommand: %s"), argv[0]);
 }
diff --git a/builtin/repack.c b/builtin/repack.c
index 632c0c0a79..5b3623337f 100644
--- a/builtin/repack.c
+++ b/builtin/repack.c
@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@ int cmd_repack(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	remove_temporary_files();
 
 	if (git_env_bool(GIT_TEST_MULTI_PACK_INDEX, 0))
-		write_midx_file(get_object_directory());
+		write_midx_file(get_object_directory(), 0);
 
 	string_list_clear(&names, 0);
 	string_list_clear(&rollback, 0);
diff --git a/midx.c b/midx.c
index d649644420..b2673f52e8 100644
--- a/midx.c
+++ b/midx.c
@@ -1017,7 +1017,7 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 	return result;
 }
 
-int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir)
+int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir, unsigned flags)
 {
 	return write_midx_internal(object_dir, NULL, NULL);
 }
@@ -1077,7 +1077,7 @@ static int compare_pair_pos_vs_id(const void *_a, const void *_b)
 			display_progress(progress, _n); \
 	} while (0)
 
-int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir)
+int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags)
 {
 	struct pair_pos_vs_id *pairs = NULL;
 	uint32_t i;
@@ -1184,7 +1184,7 @@ int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir)
 	return verify_midx_error;
 }
 
-int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir)
+int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags)
 {
 	uint32_t i, *count, result = 0;
 	struct string_list packs_to_drop = STRING_LIST_INIT_DUP;
@@ -1316,7 +1316,7 @@ static int fill_included_packs_batch(struct repository *r,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size)
+int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size, unsigned flags)
 {
 	int result = 0;
 	uint32_t i;
diff --git a/midx.h b/midx.h
index f0ae656b5d..e6fa356b5c 100644
--- a/midx.h
+++ b/midx.h
@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ struct multi_pack_index {
 	char object_dir[FLEX_ARRAY];
 };
 
+#define MIDX_PROGRESS     (1 << 0)
+
 struct multi_pack_index *load_multi_pack_index(const char *object_dir, int local);
 int prepare_midx_pack(struct repository *r, struct multi_pack_index *m, uint32_t pack_int_id);
 int bsearch_midx(const struct object_id *oid, struct multi_pack_index *m, uint32_t *result);
@@ -47,11 +49,11 @@ int fill_midx_entry(struct repository *r, const struct object_id *oid, struct pa
 int midx_contains_pack(struct multi_pack_index *m, const char *idx_or_pack_name);
 int prepare_multi_pack_index_one(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, int local);
 
-int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir);
+int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir, unsigned flags);
 void clear_midx_file(struct repository *r);
-int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir);
-int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir);
-int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size);
+int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags);
+int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags);
+int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size, unsigned flags);
 
 void close_midx(struct multi_pack_index *m);
 

diff --git a/midx.c b/midx.c
index dc7c5f43f8..106ccc4ab2 100644
--- a/midx.c
+++ b/midx.c
@@ -1374,6 +1374,12 @@ int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size,
 	strbuf_addstr(&base_name, object_dir);
 	strbuf_addstr(&base_name, "/pack/pack");
 	argv_array_push(&cmd.args, base_name.buf);
+
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		argv_array_push(&cmd.args, "--progress");
+	else
+		argv_array_push(&cmd.args, "-q");
+
 	strbuf_release(&base_name);
 
 	cmd.git_cmd = 1;

diff --git a/midx.c b/midx.c
index 3a0e161aea..dc7c5f43f8 100644
--- a/midx.c
+++ b/midx.c
@@ -1098,15 +1098,16 @@ int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flag
 {
 	struct pair_pos_vs_id *pairs = NULL;
 	uint32_t i;
-	struct progress *progress;
+	struct progress *progress = NULL;
 	struct multi_pack_index *m = load_multi_pack_index(object_dir, 1);
 	verify_midx_error = 0;
 
 	if (!m)
 		return 0;
 
-	progress = start_progress(_("Looking for referenced packfiles"),
-				  m->num_packs);
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_progress(_("Looking for referenced packfiles"),
+				 	  m->num_packs);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_packs; i++) {
 		if (prepare_midx_pack(r, m, i))
 			midx_report("failed to load pack in position %d", i);
@@ -1124,8 +1125,9 @@ int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flag
 				    i, oid_fanout1, oid_fanout2, i + 1);
 	}
 
-	progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Verifying OID order in MIDX"),
-					 m->num_objects - 1);
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Verifying OID order in multi-pack-index"),
+						 m->num_objects - 1);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_objects - 1; i++) {
 		struct object_id oid1, oid2;
 
@@ -1152,13 +1154,15 @@ int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flag
 		pairs[i].pack_int_id = nth_midxed_pack_int_id(m, i);
 	}
 
-	progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Sorting objects by packfile"),
-					 m->num_objects);
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Sorting objects by packfile"),
+						 m->num_objects);
 	display_progress(progress, 0); /* TODO: Measure QSORT() progress */
 	QSORT(pairs, m->num_objects, compare_pair_pos_vs_id);
 	stop_progress(&progress);
 
-	progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Verifying object offsets"), m->num_objects);
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Verifying object offsets"), m->num_objects);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_objects; i++) {
 		struct object_id oid;
 		struct pack_entry e;

diff --git a/midx.c b/midx.c
index b2673f52e8..54e4e93b2b 100644
--- a/midx.c
+++ b/midx.c
@@ -449,6 +449,8 @@ struct pack_list {
 	uint32_t nr;
 	uint32_t alloc;
 	struct multi_pack_index *m;
+	struct progress *progress;
+	uint32_t pack_paths_checked;
 };
 
 static void add_pack_to_midx(const char *full_path, size_t full_path_len,
@@ -457,6 +459,7 @@ static void add_pack_to_midx(const char *full_path, size_t full_path_len,
 	struct pack_list *packs = (struct pack_list *)data;
 
 	if (ends_with(file_name, ".idx")) {
+		display_progress(packs->progress, ++packs->pack_paths_checked);
 		if (packs->m && midx_contains_pack(packs->m, file_name))
 			return;
 
@@ -786,7 +789,7 @@ static size_t write_midx_large_offsets(struct hashfile *f, uint32_t nr_large_off
 }
 
 static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *m,
-			       struct string_list *packs_to_drop)
+			       struct string_list *packs_to_drop, unsigned flags)
 {
 	unsigned char cur_chunk, num_chunks = 0;
 	char *midx_name;
@@ -800,6 +803,7 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 	uint64_t chunk_offsets[MIDX_MAX_CHUNKS + 1];
 	uint32_t nr_entries, num_large_offsets = 0;
 	struct pack_midx_entry *entries = NULL;
+	struct progress *progress = NULL;
 	int large_offsets_needed = 0;
 	int pack_name_concat_len = 0;
 	int dropped_packs = 0;
@@ -833,8 +837,15 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 			packs.nr++;
 		}
 	}
+	
+	packs.pack_paths_checked = 0;
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		packs.progress = start_progress(_("Adding packfiles to multi-pack-index"), 0);
+	else
+		packs.progress = NULL;
 
 	for_each_file_in_pack_dir(object_dir, add_pack_to_midx, &packs);
+	stop_progress(&packs.progress);
 
 	if (packs.m && packs.nr == packs.m->num_packs && !packs_to_drop)
 		goto cleanup;
@@ -959,6 +970,9 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 		written += MIDX_CHUNKLOOKUP_WIDTH;
 	}
 
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_progress(_("Writing chunks to multi-pack-index"),
+					  num_chunks);
 	for (i = 0; i < num_chunks; i++) {
 		if (written != chunk_offsets[i])
 			BUG("incorrect chunk offset (%"PRIu64" != %"PRIu64") for chunk id %"PRIx32,
@@ -991,7 +1005,10 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 				BUG("trying to write unknown chunk id %"PRIx32,
 				    chunk_ids[i]);
 		}
+
+		display_progress(progress, i + 1);
 	}
+	stop_progress(&progress);
 
 	if (written != chunk_offsets[num_chunks])
 		BUG("incorrect final offset %"PRIu64" != %"PRIu64,
@@ -1019,7 +1036,7 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 
 int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir, unsigned flags)
 {
-	return write_midx_internal(object_dir, NULL, NULL);
+	return write_midx_internal(object_dir, NULL, NULL, flags);
 }
 
 void clear_midx_file(struct repository *r)
@@ -1222,7 +1239,7 @@ int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned fla
 	free(count);
 
 	if (packs_to_drop.nr)
-		result = write_midx_internal(object_dir, m, &packs_to_drop);
+		result = write_midx_internal(object_dir, m, &packs_to_drop, flags);
 
 	string_list_clear(&packs_to_drop, 0);
 	return result;
@@ -1371,7 +1388,7 @@ int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size,
 		goto cleanup;
 	}
 
-	result = write_midx_internal(object_dir, m, NULL);
+	result = write_midx_internal(object_dir, m, NULL, flags);
 	m = NULL;
 
 cleanup:

diff --git a/midx.c b/midx.c
index 54e4e93b2b..3a0e161aea 100644
--- a/midx.c
+++ b/midx.c
@@ -1206,18 +1206,29 @@ int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned fla
 	uint32_t i, *count, result = 0;
 	struct string_list packs_to_drop = STRING_LIST_INIT_DUP;
 	struct multi_pack_index *m = load_multi_pack_index(object_dir, 1);
+	struct progress *progress = NULL;
 
 	if (!m)
 		return 0;
 
 	count = xcalloc(m->num_packs, sizeof(uint32_t));
+
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_progress(_("Counting referenced objects"), 
+					  m->num_objects);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_objects; i++) {
 		int pack_int_id = nth_midxed_pack_int_id(m, i);
 		count[pack_int_id]++;
+		display_progress(progress, i + 1);
 	}
+	stop_progress(&progress);
 
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_progress(_("Finding and deleting unreferenced packfiles"),
+					  m->num_packs);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_packs; i++) {
 		char *pack_name;
+		display_progress(progress, i + 1);
 
 		if (count[i])
 			continue;
@@ -1235,6 +1246,7 @@ int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned fla
 		unlink_pack_path(pack_name, 0);
 		free(pack_name);
 	}
+	stop_progress(&progress);
 
 	free(count);
 

Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt, builtin/multi-pack-index.c, t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh

diff --git a/Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt b/Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt
index 233b2b7862..d7a02cc6fa 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ git-multi-pack-index - Write and verify multi-pack-indexes
 SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
-'git multi-pack-index' [--object-dir=<dir>] <subcommand>
+'git multi-pack-index' [--object-dir=<dir>] [--[no-]progress] <subcommand>
 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ OPTIONS
 	`<dir>/packs/multi-pack-index` for the current MIDX file, and
 	`<dir>/packs` for the pack-files to index.
 
+--[no-]progress::
+	Turn progress on/off explicitly. If neither is specified, progress is 
+	shown if standard error is connected to a terminal.
+
 The following subcommands are available:
 
 write::
diff --git a/builtin/multi-pack-index.c b/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
index e86b8cd17d..1730b21901 100644
--- a/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
+++ b/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
@@ -6,21 +6,25 @@
 #include "trace2.h"
 
 static char const * const builtin_multi_pack_index_usage[] = {
-	N_("git multi-pack-index [--object-dir=<dir>] (write|verify|expire|repack --batch-size=<size>)"),
+	N_("git multi-pack-index [<options>] (write|verify|expire|repack --batch-size=<size>)"),
 	NULL
 };
 
 static struct opts_multi_pack_index {
 	const char *object_dir;
 	unsigned long batch_size;
+	int progress;
 } opts;
 
 int cmd_multi_pack_index(int argc, const char **argv,
 			 const char *prefix)
 {
+	unsigned flags = 0;
+
 	static struct option builtin_multi_pack_index_options[] = {
 		OPT_FILENAME(0, "object-dir", &opts.object_dir,
 		  N_("object directory containing set of packfile and pack-index pairs")),
+		OPT_BOOL(0, "progress", &opts.progress, N_("force progress reporting")),
 		OPT_MAGNITUDE(0, "batch-size", &opts.batch_size,
 		  N_("during repack, collect pack-files of smaller size into a batch that is larger than this size")),
 		OPT_END(),
@@ -28,12 +32,15 @@ int cmd_multi_pack_index(int argc, const char **argv,
 
 	git_config(git_default_config, NULL);
 
+	opts.progress = isatty(2);
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix,
 			     builtin_multi_pack_index_options,
 			     builtin_multi_pack_index_usage, 0);
 
 	if (!opts.object_dir)
 		opts.object_dir = get_object_directory();
+	if (opts.progress)
+		flags |= MIDX_PROGRESS;
 
 	if (argc == 0)
 		usage_with_options(builtin_multi_pack_index_usage,
@@ -47,16 +54,17 @@ int cmd_multi_pack_index(int argc, const char **argv,
 	trace2_cmd_mode(argv[0]);
 
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "repack"))
-		return midx_repack(the_repository, opts.object_dir, (size_t)opts.batch_size, 0);
+		return midx_repack(the_repository, opts.object_dir, 
+			(size_t)opts.batch_size, flags);
 	if (opts.batch_size)
 		die(_("--batch-size option is only for 'repack' subcommand"));
 
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "write"))
-		return write_midx_file(opts.object_dir, 0);
+		return write_midx_file(opts.object_dir, flags);
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "verify"))
-		return verify_midx_file(the_repository, opts.object_dir, 0);
+		return verify_midx_file(the_repository, opts.object_dir, flags);
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "expire"))
-		return expire_midx_packs(the_repository, opts.object_dir, 0);
+		return expire_midx_packs(the_repository, opts.object_dir, flags);
 
 	die(_("unrecognized subcommand: %s"), argv[0]);
 }
diff --git a/t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh b/t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh
index c72ca04399..cd2f87be6a 100755
--- a/t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh
+++ b/t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh
@@ -147,6 +147,21 @@ test_expect_success 'write midx with two packs' '
 
 compare_results_with_midx "two packs"
 
+test_expect_success 'write progress off for redirected stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir write 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'write force progress on for stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir --progress write 2>err &&
+	test_file_not_empty err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'write with the --no-progress option' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir --no-progress write 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'add more packs' '
 	for j in $(test_seq 11 20)
 	do
@@ -169,6 +184,21 @@ test_expect_success 'verify multi-pack-index success' '
 	git multi-pack-index verify --object-dir=$objdir
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'verify progress off for redirected stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index verify --object-dir=$objdir 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'verify force progress on for stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index verify --object-dir=$objdir --progress 2>err &&
+	test_file_not_empty err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'verify with the --no-progress option' '
+	git multi-pack-index verify --object-dir=$objdir --no-progress 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
 # usage: corrupt_midx_and_verify <pos> <data> <objdir> <string>
 corrupt_midx_and_verify() {
 	POS=$1 &&
@@ -284,6 +314,21 @@ test_expect_success 'git-fsck incorrect offset' '
 		"git -c core.multipackindex=true fsck"
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'repack progress off for redirected stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir repack 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'repack force progress on for stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir --progress repack 2>err &&
+	test_file_not_empty err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'repack with the --no-progress option' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir --no-progress repack 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'repack removes multi-pack-index' '
 	test_path_is_file $objdir/pack/multi-pack-index &&
 	GIT_TEST_MULTI_PACK_INDEX=0 git repack -adf &&
@@ -413,6 +458,30 @@ test_expect_success 'expire does not remove any packs' '
 	)
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'expire progress off for redirected stderr' '
+	(
+		cd dup &&
+		git multi-pack-index expire 2>err &&
+		test_line_count = 0 err
+	)
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'expire force progress on for stderr' '
+	(
+		cd dup &&
+		git multi-pack-index --progress expire 2>err &&
+		test_file_not_empty err
+	)
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'expire with the --no-progress option' '
+	(
+		cd dup &&
+		git multi-pack-index --no-progress expire 2>err &&
+		test_line_count = 0 err
+	)
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'expire removes unreferenced packs' '
 	(
 		cd dup &&

builtin/multi-pack-index.c, builtin/repack.c, midx.c, midx.h

diff --git a/builtin/multi-pack-index.c b/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
index b1ea1a6aa1..e86b8cd17d 100644
--- a/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
+++ b/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
@@ -47,16 +47,16 @@ int cmd_multi_pack_index(int argc, const char **argv,
 	trace2_cmd_mode(argv[0]);
 
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "repack"))
-		return midx_repack(the_repository, opts.object_dir, (size_t)opts.batch_size);
+		return midx_repack(the_repository, opts.object_dir, (size_t)opts.batch_size, 0);
 	if (opts.batch_size)
 		die(_("--batch-size option is only for 'repack' subcommand"));
 
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "write"))
-		return write_midx_file(opts.object_dir);
+		return write_midx_file(opts.object_dir, 0);
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "verify"))
-		return verify_midx_file(the_repository, opts.object_dir);
+		return verify_midx_file(the_repository, opts.object_dir, 0);
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "expire"))
-		return expire_midx_packs(the_repository, opts.object_dir);
+		return expire_midx_packs(the_repository, opts.object_dir, 0);
 
 	die(_("unrecognized subcommand: %s"), argv[0]);
 }
diff --git a/builtin/repack.c b/builtin/repack.c
index 632c0c0a79..5b3623337f 100644
--- a/builtin/repack.c
+++ b/builtin/repack.c
@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@ int cmd_repack(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	remove_temporary_files();
 
 	if (git_env_bool(GIT_TEST_MULTI_PACK_INDEX, 0))
-		write_midx_file(get_object_directory());
+		write_midx_file(get_object_directory(), 0);
 
 	string_list_clear(&names, 0);
 	string_list_clear(&rollback, 0);
diff --git a/midx.c b/midx.c
index d649644420..b2673f52e8 100644
--- a/midx.c
+++ b/midx.c
@@ -1017,7 +1017,7 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 	return result;
 }
 
-int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir)
+int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir, unsigned flags)
 {
 	return write_midx_internal(object_dir, NULL, NULL);
 }
@@ -1077,7 +1077,7 @@ static int compare_pair_pos_vs_id(const void *_a, const void *_b)
 			display_progress(progress, _n); \
 	} while (0)
 
-int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir)
+int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags)
 {
 	struct pair_pos_vs_id *pairs = NULL;
 	uint32_t i;
@@ -1184,7 +1184,7 @@ int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir)
 	return verify_midx_error;
 }
 
-int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir)
+int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags)
 {
 	uint32_t i, *count, result = 0;
 	struct string_list packs_to_drop = STRING_LIST_INIT_DUP;
@@ -1316,7 +1316,7 @@ static int fill_included_packs_batch(struct repository *r,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size)
+int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size, unsigned flags)
 {
 	int result = 0;
 	uint32_t i;
diff --git a/midx.h b/midx.h
index f0ae656b5d..e6fa356b5c 100644
--- a/midx.h
+++ b/midx.h
@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ struct multi_pack_index {
 	char object_dir[FLEX_ARRAY];
 };
 
+#define MIDX_PROGRESS     (1 << 0)
+
 struct multi_pack_index *load_multi_pack_index(const char *object_dir, int local);
 int prepare_midx_pack(struct repository *r, struct multi_pack_index *m, uint32_t pack_int_id);
 int bsearch_midx(const struct object_id *oid, struct multi_pack_index *m, uint32_t *result);
@@ -47,11 +49,11 @@ int fill_midx_entry(struct repository *r, const struct object_id *oid, struct pa
 int midx_contains_pack(struct multi_pack_index *m, const char *idx_or_pack_name);
 int prepare_multi_pack_index_one(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, int local);
 
-int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir);
+int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir, unsigned flags);
 void clear_midx_file(struct repository *r);
-int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir);
-int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir);
-int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size);
+int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags);
+int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags);
+int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size, unsigned flags);
 
 void close_midx(struct multi_pack_index *m);
 

diff --git a/midx.c b/midx.c
index 0808a40dd4..f14bebb092 100644
--- a/midx.c
+++ b/midx.c
@@ -1206,18 +1206,29 @@ int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned fla
 	uint32_t i, *count, result = 0;
 	struct string_list packs_to_drop = STRING_LIST_INIT_DUP;
 	struct multi_pack_index *m = load_multi_pack_index(object_dir, 1);
+	struct progress *progress = NULL;
 
 	if (!m)
 		return 0;
 
 	count = xcalloc(m->num_packs, sizeof(uint32_t));
+
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_progress(_("Counting referenced objects"), 
+					  m->num_objects);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_objects; i++) {
 		int pack_int_id = nth_midxed_pack_int_id(m, i);
 		count[pack_int_id]++;
+		display_progress(progress, i + 1);
 	}
+	stop_progress(&progress);
 
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_progress(_("Finding and deleting unreferenced packfiles"),
+					  m->num_packs);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_packs; i++) {
 		char *pack_name;
+		display_progress(progress, i + 1);
 
 		if (count[i])
 			continue;
@@ -1235,6 +1246,7 @@ int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned fla
 		unlink_pack_path(pack_name, 0);
 		free(pack_name);
 	}
+	stop_progress(&progress);
 
 	free(count);
 

diff --git a/midx.c b/midx.c
index b2673f52e8..0808a40dd4 100644
--- a/midx.c
+++ b/midx.c
@@ -449,6 +449,8 @@ struct pack_list {
 	uint32_t nr;
 	uint32_t alloc;
 	struct multi_pack_index *m;
+	struct progress *progress;
+	unsigned pack_paths_checked;
 };
 
 static void add_pack_to_midx(const char *full_path, size_t full_path_len,
@@ -457,6 +459,7 @@ static void add_pack_to_midx(const char *full_path, size_t full_path_len,
 	struct pack_list *packs = (struct pack_list *)data;
 
 	if (ends_with(file_name, ".idx")) {
+		display_progress(packs->progress, ++packs->pack_paths_checked);
 		if (packs->m && midx_contains_pack(packs->m, file_name))
 			return;
 
@@ -786,7 +789,7 @@ static size_t write_midx_large_offsets(struct hashfile *f, uint32_t nr_large_off
 }
 
 static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *m,
-			       struct string_list *packs_to_drop)
+			       struct string_list *packs_to_drop, unsigned flags)
 {
 	unsigned char cur_chunk, num_chunks = 0;
 	char *midx_name;
@@ -800,6 +803,7 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 	uint64_t chunk_offsets[MIDX_MAX_CHUNKS + 1];
 	uint32_t nr_entries, num_large_offsets = 0;
 	struct pack_midx_entry *entries = NULL;
+	struct progress *progress = NULL;
 	int large_offsets_needed = 0;
 	int pack_name_concat_len = 0;
 	int dropped_packs = 0;
@@ -833,8 +837,15 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 			packs.nr++;
 		}
 	}
+	
+	packs.pack_paths_checked = 0;
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		packs.progress = start_progress(_("Adding packfiles to multi-pack-index"), 0);
+	else
+		packs.progress = NULL;
 
 	for_each_file_in_pack_dir(object_dir, add_pack_to_midx, &packs);
+	stop_progress(&packs.progress);
 
 	if (packs.m && packs.nr == packs.m->num_packs && !packs_to_drop)
 		goto cleanup;
@@ -959,6 +970,9 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 		written += MIDX_CHUNKLOOKUP_WIDTH;
 	}
 
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_progress(_("Writing chunks to multi-pack-index"),
+					  num_chunks);
 	for (i = 0; i < num_chunks; i++) {
 		if (written != chunk_offsets[i])
 			BUG("incorrect chunk offset (%"PRIu64" != %"PRIu64") for chunk id %"PRIx32,
@@ -991,7 +1005,10 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 				BUG("trying to write unknown chunk id %"PRIx32,
 				    chunk_ids[i]);
 		}
+
+		display_progress(progress, i + 1);
 	}
+	stop_progress(&progress);
 
 	if (written != chunk_offsets[num_chunks])
 		BUG("incorrect final offset %"PRIu64" != %"PRIu64,
@@ -1019,7 +1036,7 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 
 int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir, unsigned flags)
 {
-	return write_midx_internal(object_dir, NULL, NULL);
+	return write_midx_internal(object_dir, NULL, NULL, flags);
 }
 
 void clear_midx_file(struct repository *r)
@@ -1222,7 +1239,7 @@ int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned fla
 	free(count);
 
 	if (packs_to_drop.nr)
-		result = write_midx_internal(object_dir, m, &packs_to_drop);
+		result = write_midx_internal(object_dir, m, &packs_to_drop, flags);
 
 	string_list_clear(&packs_to_drop, 0);
 	return result;
@@ -1371,7 +1388,7 @@ int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size,
 		goto cleanup;
 	}
 
-	result = write_midx_internal(object_dir, m, NULL);
+	result = write_midx_internal(object_dir, m, NULL, flags);
 	m = NULL;
 
 cleanup:

diff --git a/midx.c b/midx.c
index ced5898bbf..1c5ddeb007 100644
--- a/midx.c
+++ b/midx.c
@@ -1374,6 +1374,12 @@ int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size,
 	strbuf_addstr(&base_name, object_dir);
 	strbuf_addstr(&base_name, "/pack/pack");
 	argv_array_push(&cmd.args, base_name.buf);
+
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		argv_array_push(&cmd.args, "--progress");
+	else
+		argv_array_push(&cmd.args, "-q");
+
 	strbuf_release(&base_name);
 
 	cmd.git_cmd = 1;

diff --git a/midx.c b/midx.c
index f14bebb092..ced5898bbf 100644
--- a/midx.c
+++ b/midx.c
@@ -1098,15 +1098,16 @@ int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flag
 {
 	struct pair_pos_vs_id *pairs = NULL;
 	uint32_t i;
-	struct progress *progress;
+	struct progress *progress = NULL;
 	struct multi_pack_index *m = load_multi_pack_index(object_dir, 1);
 	verify_midx_error = 0;
 
 	if (!m)
 		return 0;
 
-	progress = start_progress(_("Looking for referenced packfiles"),
-				  m->num_packs);
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_progress(_("Looking for referenced packfiles"),
+				 	  m->num_packs);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_packs; i++) {
 		if (prepare_midx_pack(r, m, i))
 			midx_report("failed to load pack in position %d", i);
@@ -1124,8 +1125,9 @@ int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flag
 				    i, oid_fanout1, oid_fanout2, i + 1);
 	}
 
-	progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Verifying OID order in MIDX"),
-					 m->num_objects - 1);
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Verifying OID order in multi-pack-index"),
+						 m->num_objects - 1);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_objects - 1; i++) {
 		struct object_id oid1, oid2;
 
@@ -1152,13 +1154,15 @@ int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flag
 		pairs[i].pack_int_id = nth_midxed_pack_int_id(m, i);
 	}
 
-	progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Sorting objects by packfile"),
-					 m->num_objects);
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Sorting objects by packfile"),
+						 m->num_objects);
 	display_progress(progress, 0); /* TODO: Measure QSORT() progress */
 	QSORT(pairs, m->num_objects, compare_pair_pos_vs_id);
 	stop_progress(&progress);
 
-	progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Verifying object offsets"), m->num_objects);
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Verifying object offsets"), m->num_objects);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_objects; i++) {
 		struct object_id oid;
 		struct pack_entry e;

Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt, builtin/multi-pack-index.c, t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh

diff --git a/Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt b/Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt
index 233b2b7862..d7a02cc6fa 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ git-multi-pack-index - Write and verify multi-pack-indexes
 SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
-'git multi-pack-index' [--object-dir=<dir>] <subcommand>
+'git multi-pack-index' [--object-dir=<dir>] [--[no-]progress] <subcommand>
 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ OPTIONS
 	`<dir>/packs/multi-pack-index` for the current MIDX file, and
 	`<dir>/packs` for the pack-files to index.
 
+--[no-]progress::
+	Turn progress on/off explicitly. If neither is specified, progress is 
+	shown if standard error is connected to a terminal.
+
 The following subcommands are available:
 
 write::
diff --git a/builtin/multi-pack-index.c b/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
index e86b8cd17d..1730b21901 100644
--- a/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
+++ b/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
@@ -6,21 +6,25 @@
 #include "trace2.h"
 
 static char const * const builtin_multi_pack_index_usage[] = {
-	N_("git multi-pack-index [--object-dir=<dir>] (write|verify|expire|repack --batch-size=<size>)"),
+	N_("git multi-pack-index [<options>] (write|verify|expire|repack --batch-size=<size>)"),
 	NULL
 };
 
 static struct opts_multi_pack_index {
 	const char *object_dir;
 	unsigned long batch_size;
+	int progress;
 } opts;
 
 int cmd_multi_pack_index(int argc, const char **argv,
 			 const char *prefix)
 {
+	unsigned flags = 0;
+
 	static struct option builtin_multi_pack_index_options[] = {
 		OPT_FILENAME(0, "object-dir", &opts.object_dir,
 		  N_("object directory containing set of packfile and pack-index pairs")),
+		OPT_BOOL(0, "progress", &opts.progress, N_("force progress reporting")),
 		OPT_MAGNITUDE(0, "batch-size", &opts.batch_size,
 		  N_("during repack, collect pack-files of smaller size into a batch that is larger than this size")),
 		OPT_END(),
@@ -28,12 +32,15 @@ int cmd_multi_pack_index(int argc, const char **argv,
 
 	git_config(git_default_config, NULL);
 
+	opts.progress = isatty(2);
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix,
 			     builtin_multi_pack_index_options,
 			     builtin_multi_pack_index_usage, 0);
 
 	if (!opts.object_dir)
 		opts.object_dir = get_object_directory();
+	if (opts.progress)
+		flags |= MIDX_PROGRESS;
 
 	if (argc == 0)
 		usage_with_options(builtin_multi_pack_index_usage,
@@ -47,16 +54,17 @@ int cmd_multi_pack_index(int argc, const char **argv,
 	trace2_cmd_mode(argv[0]);
 
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "repack"))
-		return midx_repack(the_repository, opts.object_dir, (size_t)opts.batch_size, 0);
+		return midx_repack(the_repository, opts.object_dir, 
+			(size_t)opts.batch_size, flags);
 	if (opts.batch_size)
 		die(_("--batch-size option is only for 'repack' subcommand"));
 
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "write"))
-		return write_midx_file(opts.object_dir, 0);
+		return write_midx_file(opts.object_dir, flags);
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "verify"))
-		return verify_midx_file(the_repository, opts.object_dir, 0);
+		return verify_midx_file(the_repository, opts.object_dir, flags);
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "expire"))
-		return expire_midx_packs(the_repository, opts.object_dir, 0);
+		return expire_midx_packs(the_repository, opts.object_dir, flags);
 
 	die(_("unrecognized subcommand: %s"), argv[0]);
 }
diff --git a/t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh b/t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh
index c72ca04399..cd2f87be6a 100755
--- a/t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh
+++ b/t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh
@@ -147,6 +147,21 @@ test_expect_success 'write midx with two packs' '
 
 compare_results_with_midx "two packs"
 
+test_expect_success 'write progress off for redirected stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir write 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'write force progress on for stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir --progress write 2>err &&
+	test_file_not_empty err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'write with the --no-progress option' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir --no-progress write 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'add more packs' '
 	for j in $(test_seq 11 20)
 	do
@@ -169,6 +184,21 @@ test_expect_success 'verify multi-pack-index success' '
 	git multi-pack-index verify --object-dir=$objdir
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'verify progress off for redirected stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index verify --object-dir=$objdir 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'verify force progress on for stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index verify --object-dir=$objdir --progress 2>err &&
+	test_file_not_empty err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'verify with the --no-progress option' '
+	git multi-pack-index verify --object-dir=$objdir --no-progress 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
 # usage: corrupt_midx_and_verify <pos> <data> <objdir> <string>
 corrupt_midx_and_verify() {
 	POS=$1 &&
@@ -284,6 +314,21 @@ test_expect_success 'git-fsck incorrect offset' '
 		"git -c core.multipackindex=true fsck"
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'repack progress off for redirected stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir repack 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'repack force progress on for stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir --progress repack 2>err &&
+	test_file_not_empty err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'repack with the --no-progress option' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir --no-progress repack 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'repack removes multi-pack-index' '
 	test_path_is_file $objdir/pack/multi-pack-index &&
 	GIT_TEST_MULTI_PACK_INDEX=0 git repack -adf &&
@@ -413,6 +458,30 @@ test_expect_success 'expire does not remove any packs' '
 	)
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'expire progress off for redirected stderr' '
+	(
+		cd dup &&
+		git multi-pack-index expire 2>err &&
+		test_line_count = 0 err
+	)
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'expire force progress on for stderr' '
+	(
+		cd dup &&
+		git multi-pack-index --progress expire 2>err &&
+		test_file_not_empty err
+	)
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'expire with the --no-progress option' '
+	(
+		cd dup &&
+		git multi-pack-index --no-progress expire 2>err &&
+		test_line_count = 0 err
+	)
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'expire removes unreferenced packs' '
 	(
 		cd dup &&

diff --git a/midx.c b/midx.c
index 006f36b570..7157259ca2 100644
--- a/midx.c
+++ b/midx.c
@@ -1205,18 +1205,29 @@ int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned fla
 	uint32_t i, *count, result = 0;
 	struct string_list packs_to_drop = STRING_LIST_INIT_DUP;
 	struct multi_pack_index *m = load_multi_pack_index(object_dir, 1);
+	struct progress *progress = NULL;
 
 	if (!m)
 		return 0;
 
 	count = xcalloc(m->num_packs, sizeof(uint32_t));
+
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_progress(_("Counting referenced objects"), 
+					  m->num_objects);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_objects; i++) {
 		int pack_int_id = nth_midxed_pack_int_id(m, i);
 		count[pack_int_id]++;
+		display_progress(progress, i + 1);
 	}
+	stop_progress(&progress);
 
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_progress(_("Finding and deleting unreferenced packfiles"),
+					  m->num_packs);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_packs; i++) {
 		char *pack_name;
+		display_progress(progress, i + 1);
 
 		if (count[i])
 			continue;
@@ -1234,6 +1245,7 @@ int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned fla
 		unlink_pack_path(pack_name, 0);
 		free(pack_name);
 	}
+	stop_progress(&progress);
 
 	free(count);
 

builtin/multi-pack-index.c, builtin/repack.c, midx.c, midx.h

diff --git a/builtin/multi-pack-index.c b/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
index b1ea1a6aa1..e86b8cd17d 100644
--- a/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
+++ b/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
@@ -47,16 +47,16 @@ int cmd_multi_pack_index(int argc, const char **argv,
 	trace2_cmd_mode(argv[0]);
 
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "repack"))
-		return midx_repack(the_repository, opts.object_dir, (size_t)opts.batch_size);
+		return midx_repack(the_repository, opts.object_dir, (size_t)opts.batch_size, 0);
 	if (opts.batch_size)
 		die(_("--batch-size option is only for 'repack' subcommand"));
 
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "write"))
-		return write_midx_file(opts.object_dir);
+		return write_midx_file(opts.object_dir, 0);
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "verify"))
-		return verify_midx_file(the_repository, opts.object_dir);
+		return verify_midx_file(the_repository, opts.object_dir, 0);
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "expire"))
-		return expire_midx_packs(the_repository, opts.object_dir);
+		return expire_midx_packs(the_repository, opts.object_dir, 0);
 
 	die(_("unrecognized subcommand: %s"), argv[0]);
 }
diff --git a/builtin/repack.c b/builtin/repack.c
index 094c2f8ea4..397081d568 100644
--- a/builtin/repack.c
+++ b/builtin/repack.c
@@ -562,7 +562,7 @@ int cmd_repack(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	remove_temporary_files();
 
 	if (git_env_bool(GIT_TEST_MULTI_PACK_INDEX, 0))
-		write_midx_file(get_object_directory());
+		write_midx_file(get_object_directory(), 0);
 
 	string_list_clear(&names, 0);
 	string_list_clear(&rollback, 0);
diff --git a/midx.c b/midx.c
index f29afc0d2d..f169a681dd 100644
--- a/midx.c
+++ b/midx.c
@@ -1016,7 +1016,7 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 	return result;
 }
 
-int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir)
+int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir, unsigned flags)
 {
 	return write_midx_internal(object_dir, NULL, NULL);
 }
@@ -1076,7 +1076,7 @@ static int compare_pair_pos_vs_id(const void *_a, const void *_b)
 			display_progress(progress, _n); \
 	} while (0)
 
-int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir)
+int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags)
 {
 	struct pair_pos_vs_id *pairs = NULL;
 	uint32_t i;
@@ -1183,7 +1183,7 @@ int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir)
 	return verify_midx_error;
 }
 
-int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir)
+int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags)
 {
 	uint32_t i, *count, result = 0;
 	struct string_list packs_to_drop = STRING_LIST_INIT_DUP;
@@ -1315,7 +1315,7 @@ static int fill_included_packs_batch(struct repository *r,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size)
+int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size, unsigned flags)
 {
 	int result = 0;
 	uint32_t i;
diff --git a/midx.h b/midx.h
index f0ae656b5d..e6fa356b5c 100644
--- a/midx.h
+++ b/midx.h
@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ struct multi_pack_index {
 	char object_dir[FLEX_ARRAY];
 };
 
+#define MIDX_PROGRESS     (1 << 0)
+
 struct multi_pack_index *load_multi_pack_index(const char *object_dir, int local);
 int prepare_midx_pack(struct repository *r, struct multi_pack_index *m, uint32_t pack_int_id);
 int bsearch_midx(const struct object_id *oid, struct multi_pack_index *m, uint32_t *result);
@@ -47,11 +49,11 @@ int fill_midx_entry(struct repository *r, const struct object_id *oid, struct pa
 int midx_contains_pack(struct multi_pack_index *m, const char *idx_or_pack_name);
 int prepare_multi_pack_index_one(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, int local);
 
-int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir);
+int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir, unsigned flags);
 void clear_midx_file(struct repository *r);
-int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir);
-int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir);
-int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size);
+int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags);
+int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags);
+int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size, unsigned flags);
 
 void close_midx(struct multi_pack_index *m);
 

diff --git a/midx.c b/midx.c
index 35bdc5f72c..b5f7f1c54a 100644
--- a/midx.c
+++ b/midx.c
@@ -1373,6 +1373,12 @@ int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size,
 	strbuf_addstr(&base_name, object_dir);
 	strbuf_addstr(&base_name, "/pack/pack");
 	argv_array_push(&cmd.args, base_name.buf);
+
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		argv_array_push(&cmd.args, "--progress");
+	else
+		argv_array_push(&cmd.args, "-q");
+
 	strbuf_release(&base_name);
 
 	cmd.git_cmd = 1;

diff --git a/midx.c b/midx.c
index 7157259ca2..35bdc5f72c 100644
--- a/midx.c
+++ b/midx.c
@@ -1097,15 +1097,16 @@ int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flag
 {
 	struct pair_pos_vs_id *pairs = NULL;
 	uint32_t i;
-	struct progress *progress;
+	struct progress *progress = NULL;
 	struct multi_pack_index *m = load_multi_pack_index(object_dir, 1);
 	verify_midx_error = 0;
 
 	if (!m)
 		return 0;
 
-	progress = start_progress(_("Looking for referenced packfiles"),
-				  m->num_packs);
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_progress(_("Looking for referenced packfiles"),
+				 	  m->num_packs);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_packs; i++) {
 		if (prepare_midx_pack(r, m, i))
 			midx_report("failed to load pack in position %d", i);
@@ -1123,8 +1124,9 @@ int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flag
 				    i, oid_fanout1, oid_fanout2, i + 1);
 	}
 
-	progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Verifying OID order in MIDX"),
-					 m->num_objects - 1);
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Verifying OID order in multi-pack-index"),
+						 m->num_objects - 1);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_objects - 1; i++) {
 		struct object_id oid1, oid2;
 
@@ -1151,13 +1153,15 @@ int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flag
 		pairs[i].pack_int_id = nth_midxed_pack_int_id(m, i);
 	}
 
-	progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Sorting objects by packfile"),
-					 m->num_objects);
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Sorting objects by packfile"),
+						 m->num_objects);
 	display_progress(progress, 0); /* TODO: Measure QSORT() progress */
 	QSORT(pairs, m->num_objects, compare_pair_pos_vs_id);
 	stop_progress(&progress);
 
-	progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Verifying object offsets"), m->num_objects);
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_sparse_progress(_("Verifying object offsets"), m->num_objects);
 	for (i = 0; i < m->num_objects; i++) {
 		struct object_id oid;
 		struct pack_entry e;

Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt, builtin/multi-pack-index.c, t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh

diff --git a/Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt b/Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt
index 233b2b7862..d7a02cc6fa 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-multi-pack-index.txt
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ git-multi-pack-index - Write and verify multi-pack-indexes
 SYNOPSIS
 --------
 [verse]
-'git multi-pack-index' [--object-dir=<dir>] <subcommand>
+'git multi-pack-index' [--object-dir=<dir>] [--[no-]progress] <subcommand>
 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ OPTIONS
 	`<dir>/packs/multi-pack-index` for the current MIDX file, and
 	`<dir>/packs` for the pack-files to index.
 
+--[no-]progress::
+	Turn progress on/off explicitly. If neither is specified, progress is 
+	shown if standard error is connected to a terminal.
+
 The following subcommands are available:
 
 write::
diff --git a/builtin/multi-pack-index.c b/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
index e86b8cd17d..1730b21901 100644
--- a/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
+++ b/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
@@ -6,21 +6,25 @@
 #include "trace2.h"
 
 static char const * const builtin_multi_pack_index_usage[] = {
-	N_("git multi-pack-index [--object-dir=<dir>] (write|verify|expire|repack --batch-size=<size>)"),
+	N_("git multi-pack-index [<options>] (write|verify|expire|repack --batch-size=<size>)"),
 	NULL
 };
 
 static struct opts_multi_pack_index {
 	const char *object_dir;
 	unsigned long batch_size;
+	int progress;
 } opts;
 
 int cmd_multi_pack_index(int argc, const char **argv,
 			 const char *prefix)
 {
+	unsigned flags = 0;
+
 	static struct option builtin_multi_pack_index_options[] = {
 		OPT_FILENAME(0, "object-dir", &opts.object_dir,
 		  N_("object directory containing set of packfile and pack-index pairs")),
+		OPT_BOOL(0, "progress", &opts.progress, N_("force progress reporting")),
 		OPT_MAGNITUDE(0, "batch-size", &opts.batch_size,
 		  N_("during repack, collect pack-files of smaller size into a batch that is larger than this size")),
 		OPT_END(),
@@ -28,12 +32,15 @@ int cmd_multi_pack_index(int argc, const char **argv,
 
 	git_config(git_default_config, NULL);
 
+	opts.progress = isatty(2);
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix,
 			     builtin_multi_pack_index_options,
 			     builtin_multi_pack_index_usage, 0);
 
 	if (!opts.object_dir)
 		opts.object_dir = get_object_directory();
+	if (opts.progress)
+		flags |= MIDX_PROGRESS;
 
 	if (argc == 0)
 		usage_with_options(builtin_multi_pack_index_usage,
@@ -47,16 +54,17 @@ int cmd_multi_pack_index(int argc, const char **argv,
 	trace2_cmd_mode(argv[0]);
 
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "repack"))
-		return midx_repack(the_repository, opts.object_dir, (size_t)opts.batch_size, 0);
+		return midx_repack(the_repository, opts.object_dir, 
+			(size_t)opts.batch_size, flags);
 	if (opts.batch_size)
 		die(_("--batch-size option is only for 'repack' subcommand"));
 
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "write"))
-		return write_midx_file(opts.object_dir, 0);
+		return write_midx_file(opts.object_dir, flags);
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "verify"))
-		return verify_midx_file(the_repository, opts.object_dir, 0);
+		return verify_midx_file(the_repository, opts.object_dir, flags);
 	if (!strcmp(argv[0], "expire"))
-		return expire_midx_packs(the_repository, opts.object_dir, 0);
+		return expire_midx_packs(the_repository, opts.object_dir, flags);
 
 	die(_("unrecognized subcommand: %s"), argv[0]);
 }
diff --git a/t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh b/t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh
index c72ca04399..cd2f87be6a 100755
--- a/t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh
+++ b/t/t5319-multi-pack-index.sh
@@ -147,6 +147,21 @@ test_expect_success 'write midx with two packs' '
 
 compare_results_with_midx "two packs"
 
+test_expect_success 'write progress off for redirected stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir write 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'write force progress on for stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir --progress write 2>err &&
+	test_file_not_empty err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'write with the --no-progress option' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir --no-progress write 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'add more packs' '
 	for j in $(test_seq 11 20)
 	do
@@ -169,6 +184,21 @@ test_expect_success 'verify multi-pack-index success' '
 	git multi-pack-index verify --object-dir=$objdir
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'verify progress off for redirected stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index verify --object-dir=$objdir 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'verify force progress on for stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index verify --object-dir=$objdir --progress 2>err &&
+	test_file_not_empty err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'verify with the --no-progress option' '
+	git multi-pack-index verify --object-dir=$objdir --no-progress 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
 # usage: corrupt_midx_and_verify <pos> <data> <objdir> <string>
 corrupt_midx_and_verify() {
 	POS=$1 &&
@@ -284,6 +314,21 @@ test_expect_success 'git-fsck incorrect offset' '
 		"git -c core.multipackindex=true fsck"
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'repack progress off for redirected stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir repack 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'repack force progress on for stderr' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir --progress repack 2>err &&
+	test_file_not_empty err
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'repack with the --no-progress option' '
+	git multi-pack-index --object-dir=$objdir --no-progress repack 2>err &&
+	test_line_count = 0 err
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'repack removes multi-pack-index' '
 	test_path_is_file $objdir/pack/multi-pack-index &&
 	GIT_TEST_MULTI_PACK_INDEX=0 git repack -adf &&
@@ -413,6 +458,30 @@ test_expect_success 'expire does not remove any packs' '
 	)
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'expire progress off for redirected stderr' '
+	(
+		cd dup &&
+		git multi-pack-index expire 2>err &&
+		test_line_count = 0 err
+	)
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'expire force progress on for stderr' '
+	(
+		cd dup &&
+		git multi-pack-index --progress expire 2>err &&
+		test_file_not_empty err
+	)
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'expire with the --no-progress option' '
+	(
+		cd dup &&
+		git multi-pack-index --no-progress expire 2>err &&
+		test_line_count = 0 err
+	)
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'expire removes unreferenced packs' '
 	(
 		cd dup &&

diff --git a/midx.c b/midx.c
index f169a681dd..006f36b570 100644
--- a/midx.c
+++ b/midx.c
@@ -448,6 +448,8 @@ struct pack_list {
 	uint32_t nr;
 	uint32_t alloc;
 	struct multi_pack_index *m;
+	struct progress *progress;
+	unsigned pack_paths_checked;
 };
 
 static void add_pack_to_midx(const char *full_path, size_t full_path_len,
@@ -456,6 +458,7 @@ static void add_pack_to_midx(const char *full_path, size_t full_path_len,
 	struct pack_list *packs = (struct pack_list *)data;
 
 	if (ends_with(file_name, ".idx")) {
+		display_progress(packs->progress, ++packs->pack_paths_checked);
 		if (packs->m && midx_contains_pack(packs->m, file_name))
 			return;
 
@@ -785,7 +788,7 @@ static size_t write_midx_large_offsets(struct hashfile *f, uint32_t nr_large_off
 }
 
 static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *m,
-			       struct string_list *packs_to_drop)
+			       struct string_list *packs_to_drop, unsigned flags)
 {
 	unsigned char cur_chunk, num_chunks = 0;
 	char *midx_name;
@@ -799,6 +802,7 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 	uint64_t chunk_offsets[MIDX_MAX_CHUNKS + 1];
 	uint32_t nr_entries, num_large_offsets = 0;
 	struct pack_midx_entry *entries = NULL;
+	struct progress *progress = NULL;
 	int large_offsets_needed = 0;
 	int pack_name_concat_len = 0;
 	int dropped_packs = 0;
@@ -832,8 +836,15 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 			packs.nr++;
 		}
 	}
+	
+	packs.pack_paths_checked = 0;
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		packs.progress = start_progress(_("Adding packfiles to multi-pack-index"), 0);
+	else
+		packs.progress = NULL;
 
 	for_each_file_in_pack_dir(object_dir, add_pack_to_midx, &packs);
+	stop_progress(&packs.progress);
 
 	if (packs.m && packs.nr == packs.m->num_packs && !packs_to_drop)
 		goto cleanup;
@@ -958,6 +969,9 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 		written += MIDX_CHUNKLOOKUP_WIDTH;
 	}
 
+	if (flags & MIDX_PROGRESS)
+		progress = start_progress(_("Writing chunks to multi-pack-index"),
+					  num_chunks);
 	for (i = 0; i < num_chunks; i++) {
 		if (written != chunk_offsets[i])
 			BUG("incorrect chunk offset (%"PRIu64" != %"PRIu64") for chunk id %"PRIx32,
@@ -990,7 +1004,10 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 				BUG("trying to write unknown chunk id %"PRIx32,
 				    chunk_ids[i]);
 		}
+
+		display_progress(progress, i + 1);
 	}
+	stop_progress(&progress);
 
 	if (written != chunk_offsets[num_chunks])
 		BUG("incorrect final offset %"PRIu64" != %"PRIu64,
@@ -1018,7 +1035,7 @@ static int write_midx_internal(const char *object_dir, struct multi_pack_index *
 
 int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir, unsigned flags)
 {
-	return write_midx_internal(object_dir, NULL, NULL);
+	return write_midx_internal(object_dir, NULL, NULL, flags);
 }
 
 void clear_midx_file(struct repository *r)
@@ -1221,7 +1238,7 @@ int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned fla
 	free(count);
 
 	if (packs_to_drop.nr)
-		result = write_midx_internal(object_dir, m, &packs_to_drop);
+		result = write_midx_internal(object_dir, m, &packs_to_drop, flags);
 
 	string_list_clear(&packs_to_drop, 0);
 	return result;
@@ -1370,7 +1387,7 @@ int midx_repack(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, size_t batch_size,
 		goto cleanup;
 	}
 
-	result = write_midx_internal(object_dir, m, NULL);
+	result = write_midx_internal(object_dir, m, NULL, flags);
 	m = NULL;
 
 cleanup: