diff --git a/src/libostree/ostree-repo-commit.c b/src/libostree/ostree-repo-commit.c
index 0bdb70038b..45aec5e589 100644
--- a/src/libostree/ostree-repo-commit.c
+++ b/src/libostree/ostree-repo-commit.c
@@ -589,6 +589,31 @@ create_regular_tmpfile_linkable_with_content (OstreeRepo *self,
   return TRUE;
 }
 
+static gboolean
+_create_payload_link (OstreeRepo   *self,
+                      const char   *actual_checksum,
+                      const char   *actual_payload_checksum,
+                      GFileInfo    *file_info,
+                      GCancellable *cancellable,
+                      GError       **error)
+{
+  if (actual_payload_checksum && g_file_info_get_size (file_info) >= self->payload_link_threshold)
+    {
+      if (symlinkat (actual_checksum, commit_tmp_dfd (self), actual_payload_checksum) < 0)
+        {
+          if (errno != EEXIST)
+            return glnx_throw_errno (error);
+        }
+      else
+        {
+          g_auto(OtCleanupUnlinkat) tmp_unlinker = { commit_tmp_dfd (self), g_strdup (actual_payload_checksum) };
+          if (!commit_path_final (self, actual_payload_checksum, OSTREE_OBJECT_TYPE_PAYLOAD_LINK, &tmp_unlinker, cancellable, error))
+            return FALSE;
+        }
+    }
+  return TRUE;
+}
+
 /* The main driver for writing a content (regfile or symlink) object.
  * There are a variety of tricky cases here; for example, bare-user
  * repos store symlinks as regular files.  Computing checksums
@@ -806,6 +831,10 @@ write_content_object (OstreeRepo         *self,
       g_mutex_lock (&self->txn_lock);
       self->txn.stats.content_objects_total++;
       g_mutex_unlock (&self->txn_lock);
+
+      if (!_create_payload_link (self, actual_checksum, actual_payload_checksum, file_info, cancellable, error))
+        return FALSE;
+
       if (out_csum)
         *out_csum = ostree_checksum_to_bytes (actual_checksum);
       /* Note early return */
@@ -919,20 +948,8 @@ write_content_object (OstreeRepo         *self,
                                         cancellable, error))
         return FALSE;
 
-      if (!has_payload_object && actual_payload_checksum && g_file_info_get_size (file_info) >= self->payload_link_threshold)
-        {
-          if (symlinkat (actual_checksum, commit_tmp_dfd (self), actual_payload_checksum) < 0)
-            {
-              if (errno != EEXIST)
-                return glnx_throw_errno (error);
-            }
-          else
-            {
-              g_auto(OtCleanupUnlinkat) tmp_unlinker = { commit_tmp_dfd (self), g_strdup (actual_payload_checksum) };
-              if (!commit_path_final (self, actual_payload_checksum, OSTREE_OBJECT_TYPE_PAYLOAD_LINK, &tmp_unlinker, cancellable, error))
-                return FALSE;
-            }
-        }
+      if (!_create_payload_link (self, actual_checksum, actual_payload_checksum, file_info, cancellable, error))
+        return FALSE;
     }
 
   /* Update statistics */