diff --git a/refs/files-backend.c b/refs/files-backend.c
index bf2ffe062ea..a963d796a29 100644
--- a/refs/files-backend.c
+++ b/refs/files-backend.c
@@ -243,8 +243,9 @@ static void loose_fill_ref_dir_regular_file(struct files_ref_store *refs,
 {
 	struct object_id oid;
 	int flag;
+	const char* referent = NULL;
 
-	if (!refs_resolve_ref_unsafe(&refs->base, refname, NULL, RESOLVE_REF_READING,
+	if (!refs_resolve_ref_unsafe(&refs->base, refname, referent, RESOLVE_REF_READING,
 				     &oid, &flag)) {
 		oidclr(&oid);
 		flag |= REF_ISBROKEN;
@@ -266,7 +267,7 @@ static void loose_fill_ref_dir_regular_file(struct files_ref_store *refs,
 		oidclr(&oid);
 		flag |= REF_BAD_NAME | REF_ISBROKEN;
 	}
-	add_entry_to_dir(dir, create_ref_entry(refname, &oid, flag));
+	add_entry_to_dir(dir, create_ref_entry(refname, referent, &oid, flag));
 }
 
 /*
@@ -854,6 +855,9 @@ static int files_ref_iterator_advance(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator)
 		iter->base.refname = iter->iter0->refname;
 		iter->base.oid = iter->iter0->oid;
 		iter->base.flags = iter->iter0->flags;
+		if (iter->iter0->flags & REF_ISSYMREF)
+			iter->base.referent = iter->iter0->referent;
+
 		return ITER_OK;
 	}
 
diff --git a/refs/iterator.c b/refs/iterator.c
index d355ebf0d59..26acb6bd640 100644
--- a/refs/iterator.c
+++ b/refs/iterator.c
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 #include "refs.h"
 #include "refs/refs-internal.h"
 #include "iterator.h"
+#include "strbuf.h"
 
 int ref_iterator_advance(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator)
 {
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@ void base_ref_iterator_init(struct ref_iterator *iter,
 {
 	iter->vtable = vtable;
 	iter->refname = NULL;
+	iter->referent = NULL;
 	iter->oid = NULL;
 	iter->flags = 0;
 }
@@ -199,6 +201,7 @@ static int merge_ref_iterator_advance(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator)
 		}
 
 		if (selection & ITER_YIELD_CURRENT) {
+			iter->base.referent = (*iter->current)->referent;
 			iter->base.refname = (*iter->current)->refname;
 			iter->base.oid = (*iter->current)->oid;
 			iter->base.flags = (*iter->current)->flags;
diff --git a/refs/ref-cache.c b/refs/ref-cache.c
index b6c53fc8ed2..e8ce5822cc1 100644
--- a/refs/ref-cache.c
+++ b/refs/ref-cache.c
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include "refs-internal.h"
 #include "ref-cache.h"
 #include "../iterator.h"
+#include "../strbuf.h"
 
 void add_entry_to_dir(struct ref_dir *dir, struct ref_entry *entry)
 {
@@ -34,12 +35,16 @@ struct ref_dir *get_ref_dir(struct ref_entry *entry)
 }
 
 struct ref_entry *create_ref_entry(const char *refname,
+				   const char *referent,
 				   const struct object_id *oid, int flag)
 {
 	struct ref_entry *ref;
 
 	FLEX_ALLOC_STR(ref, name, refname);
 	oidcpy(&ref->u.value.oid, oid);
+	if (referent)
+		ref->u.value.referent = xstrdup(referent);
+
 	ref->flag = flag;
 	return ref;
 }
@@ -429,6 +434,7 @@ static int cache_ref_iterator_advance(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator)
 			level->index = -1;
 		} else {
 			iter->base.refname = entry->name;
+			iter->base.referent = entry->u.value.referent;
 			iter->base.oid = &entry->u.value.oid;
 			iter->base.flags = entry->flag;
 			return ITER_OK;
diff --git a/refs/ref-cache.h b/refs/ref-cache.h
index 95c76e27c83..12ddee4fddc 100644
--- a/refs/ref-cache.h
+++ b/refs/ref-cache.h
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ struct ref_value {
 	 * referred to by the last reference in the symlink chain.
 	 */
 	struct object_id oid;
+	const char *referent;
 };
 
 /*
@@ -173,6 +174,7 @@ struct ref_entry *create_dir_entry(struct ref_cache *cache,
 				   const char *dirname, size_t len);
 
 struct ref_entry *create_ref_entry(const char *refname,
+				   const char *referent,
 				   const struct object_id *oid, int flag);
 
 /*
diff --git a/refs/refs-internal.h b/refs/refs-internal.h
index 33749fbd839..07754514355 100644
--- a/refs/refs-internal.h
+++ b/refs/refs-internal.h
@@ -299,6 +299,7 @@ enum do_for_each_ref_flags {
 struct ref_iterator {
 	struct ref_iterator_vtable *vtable;
 	const char *refname;
+	const char *referent;
 	const struct object_id *oid;
 	unsigned int flags;
 };
diff --git a/refs/reftable-backend.c b/refs/reftable-backend.c
index 9e03582e7da..6328c0f77dc 100644
--- a/refs/reftable-backend.c
+++ b/refs/reftable-backend.c
@@ -438,7 +438,7 @@ static int reftable_ref_iterator_advance(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator)
 			oidread(&iter->oid, iter->ref.value.val2.value);
 			break;
 		case REFTABLE_REF_SYMREF:
-			if (!refs_resolve_ref_unsafe(&iter->refs->base, iter->ref.refname, NULL,
+			if (!refs_resolve_ref_unsafe(&iter->refs->base, iter->ref.refname, iter->base.referent,
 						     RESOLVE_REF_READING, &iter->oid, &flags))
 				oidclr(&iter->oid);
 			break;
