diff --git a/builtin/fsck.c b/builtin/fsck.c
index 13b64f723f..cdf2218dfd 100644
--- a/builtin/fsck.c
+++ b/builtin/fsck.c
@@ -89,12 +89,13 @@ static int objerror(struct object *obj, const char *err)
 	return -1;
 }
 
-static int fsck_error_func(struct fsck_options *o UNUSED,
-			   const struct object_id *oid,
-			   enum object_type object_type,
-			   enum fsck_msg_type msg_type,
-			   enum fsck_msg_id msg_id UNUSED,
-			   const char *message)
+static int fsck_objects_error_func(struct fsck_options *o UNUSED,
+				   const struct object_id *oid,
+				   enum object_type object_type,
+				   const char *checked_ref_name UNUSED,
+				   enum fsck_msg_type msg_type,
+				   enum fsck_msg_id msg_id UNUSED,
+				   const char *message)
 {
 	switch (msg_type) {
 	case FSCK_WARN:
@@ -938,7 +939,7 @@ int cmd_fsck(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 
 	fsck_walk_options.objects_options.walk = mark_object;
 	fsck_obj_options.objects_options.walk = mark_used;
-	fsck_obj_options.error_func = fsck_error_func;
+	fsck_obj_options.error_func = fsck_objects_error_func;
 	if (check_strict)
 		fsck_obj_options.strict = 1;
 
diff --git a/builtin/mktag.c b/builtin/mktag.c
index c6fbeb58d4..d8e4b91134 100644
--- a/builtin/mktag.c
+++ b/builtin/mktag.c
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ static struct fsck_options fsck_options = FSCK_OBJECTS_OPTIONS_STRICT;
 static int mktag_fsck_error_func(struct fsck_options *o UNUSED,
 				 const struct object_id *oid UNUSED,
 				 enum object_type object_type UNUSED,
+				 const char *checked_ref_name UNUSED,
 				 enum fsck_msg_type msg_type,
 				 enum fsck_msg_id msg_id UNUSED,
 				 const char *message)
diff --git a/fsck.c b/fsck.c
index 04d0aa1766..31ae8d57ce 100644
--- a/fsck.c
+++ b/fsck.c
@@ -223,12 +223,18 @@ static int object_on_skiplist(struct fsck_options *opts,
 	return opts && oid && oidset_contains(&opts->oid_skiplist, oid);
 }
 
-__attribute__((format (printf, 5, 6)))
-static int report(struct fsck_options *options,
-		  const struct object_id *oid, enum object_type object_type,
-		  enum fsck_msg_id msg_id, const char *fmt, ...)
+/*
+ * Provide a unified interface for either fscking refs or objects.
+ * It will get the current msg error type and call the error_func callback
+ * which is registered in the "fsck_options" struct.
+ */
+static int vfsck_report(struct fsck_options *options,
+			const struct object_id *oid,
+			enum object_type object_type,
+			const char *checked_ref_name,
+			enum fsck_msg_id msg_id, const char *fmt, va_list ap)
 {
-	va_list ap;
+	va_list ap_copy;
 	struct strbuf sb = STRBUF_INIT;
 	enum fsck_msg_type msg_type = fsck_msg_type(msg_id, options);
 	int result;
@@ -247,9 +253,9 @@ static int report(struct fsck_options *options,
 	prepare_msg_ids();
 	strbuf_addf(&sb, "%s: ", msg_id_info[msg_id].camelcased);
 
-	va_start(ap, fmt);
-	strbuf_vaddf(&sb, fmt, ap);
-	result = options->error_func(options, oid, object_type,
+	va_copy(ap_copy, ap);
+	strbuf_vaddf(&sb, fmt, ap_copy);
+	result = options->error_func(options, oid, object_type, checked_ref_name,
 				     msg_type, msg_id, sb.buf);
 	strbuf_release(&sb);
 	va_end(ap);
@@ -257,6 +263,36 @@ static int report(struct fsck_options *options,
 	return result;
 }
 
+__attribute__((format (printf, 5, 6)))
+static int report(struct fsck_options *options,
+		  const struct object_id *oid, enum object_type object_type,
+		  enum fsck_msg_id msg_id, const char *fmt, ...)
+{
+	va_list ap;
+	int result;
+	va_start(ap, fmt);
+	result = vfsck_report(options, oid, object_type, NULL,
+			      msg_id, fmt, ap);
+	va_end(ap);
+	return result;
+}
+
+
+
+int fsck_refs_report(struct fsck_options *options,
+		     const struct object_id *oid,
+		     const char *checked_ref_name,
+		     enum fsck_msg_id msg_id, const char *fmt, ...)
+{
+	va_list ap;
+	int result;
+	va_start(ap, fmt);
+	result = vfsck_report(options, oid, OBJ_NONE,
+			      checked_ref_name, msg_id, fmt, ap);
+	va_end(ap);
+	return result;
+}
+
 void fsck_enable_object_names(struct fsck_options *options)
 {
 	if (!options->objects_options.object_names)
@@ -1199,12 +1235,13 @@ int fsck_buffer(const struct object_id *oid, enum object_type type,
 		      type);
 }
 
-int fsck_error_function(struct fsck_options *o,
-			const struct object_id *oid,
-			enum object_type object_type UNUSED,
-			enum fsck_msg_type msg_type,
-			enum fsck_msg_id msg_id UNUSED,
-			const char *message)
+int fsck_objects_error_function(struct fsck_options *o,
+				const struct object_id *oid,
+				enum object_type object_type UNUSED,
+				const char *checked_ref_name UNUSED,
+				enum fsck_msg_type msg_type,
+				enum fsck_msg_id msg_id UNUSED,
+				const char *message)
 {
 	if (msg_type == FSCK_WARN) {
 		warning("object %s: %s", fsck_describe_object(o, oid), message);
@@ -1305,16 +1342,18 @@ int git_fsck_config(const char *var, const char *value,
  * Custom error callbacks that are used in more than one place.
  */
 
-int fsck_error_cb_print_missing_gitmodules(struct fsck_options *o,
-					   const struct object_id *oid,
-					   enum object_type object_type,
-					   enum fsck_msg_type msg_type,
-					   enum fsck_msg_id msg_id,
-					   const char *message)
+int fsck_objects_error_cb_print_missing_gitmodules(struct fsck_options *o,
+						   const struct object_id *oid,
+						   enum object_type object_type,
+						   const char *checked_ref_name,
+						   enum fsck_msg_type msg_type,
+						   enum fsck_msg_id msg_id,
+						   const char *message)
 {
 	if (msg_id == FSCK_MSG_GITMODULES_MISSING) {
 		puts(oid_to_hex(oid));
 		return 0;
 	}
-	return fsck_error_function(o, oid, object_type, msg_type, msg_id, message);
+	return fsck_objects_error_function(o, oid, object_type, checked_ref_name,
+					   msg_type, msg_id, message);
 }
diff --git a/fsck.h b/fsck.h
index ff7281b410..e611b3b65b 100644
--- a/fsck.h
+++ b/fsck.h
@@ -114,22 +114,27 @@ int is_valid_msg_type(const char *msg_id, const char *msg_type);
 typedef int (*fsck_walk_func)(struct object *obj, enum object_type object_type,
 			      void *data, struct fsck_options *options);
 
-/* callback for fsck_object, type is FSCK_ERROR or FSCK_WARN */
+/*
+ * callback function for reporting errors when checking either objects or refs
+ */
 typedef int (*fsck_error)(struct fsck_options *o,
 			  const struct object_id *oid, enum object_type object_type,
+			  const char *checked_ref_name,
 			  enum fsck_msg_type msg_type, enum fsck_msg_id msg_id,
 			  const char *message);
 
-int fsck_error_function(struct fsck_options *o,
-			const struct object_id *oid, enum object_type object_type,
-			enum fsck_msg_type msg_type, enum fsck_msg_id msg_id,
-			const char *message);
-int fsck_error_cb_print_missing_gitmodules(struct fsck_options *o,
-					   const struct object_id *oid,
-					   enum object_type object_type,
-					   enum fsck_msg_type msg_type,
-					   enum fsck_msg_id msg_id,
-					   const char *message);
+int fsck_objects_error_function(struct fsck_options *o,
+				const struct object_id *oid, enum object_type object_type,
+				const char *checked_ref_name,
+				enum fsck_msg_type msg_type, enum fsck_msg_id msg_id,
+				const char *message);
+int fsck_objects_error_cb_print_missing_gitmodules(struct fsck_options *o,
+						   const struct object_id *oid,
+						   enum object_type object_type,
+						   const char *checked_ref_name,
+						   enum fsck_msg_type msg_type,
+						   enum fsck_msg_id msg_id,
+						   const char *message);
 
 struct fsck_refs_options {
 	unsigned verbose:1;
@@ -155,7 +160,7 @@ struct fsck_options {
 
 #define FSCK_OBJECTS_OPTIONS_DEFAULT { \
 	.oid_skiplist = OIDSET_INIT, \
-	.error_func = fsck_error_function, \
+	.error_func = fsck_objects_error_function, \
 	.objects_options = { \
 		.gitmodules_found = OIDSET_INIT, \
 		.gitmodules_done = OIDSET_INIT, \
@@ -165,7 +170,7 @@ struct fsck_options {
 }
 #define FSCK_OBJECTS_OPTIONS_STRICT { \
 	.strict = 1, \
-	.error_func = fsck_error_function, \
+	.error_func = fsck_objects_error_function, \
 	.objects_options = { \
 		.gitmodules_found = OIDSET_INIT, \
 		.gitmodules_done = OIDSET_INIT, \
@@ -175,7 +180,7 @@ struct fsck_options {
 }
 #define FSCK_OBJECTS_OPTIONS_MISSING_GITMODULES { \
 	.strict = 1, \
-	.error_func = fsck_error_cb_print_missing_gitmodules, \
+	.error_func = fsck_objects_error_cb_print_missing_gitmodules, \
 	.objects_options = { \
 		.gitmodules_found = OIDSET_INIT, \
 		.gitmodules_done = OIDSET_INIT, \
@@ -224,6 +229,13 @@ int fsck_tag_standalone(const struct object_id *oid, const char *buffer,
  */
 int fsck_finish(struct fsck_options *options);
 
+__attribute__((format (printf, 5, 6)))
+int fsck_refs_report(struct fsck_options *options,
+		     const struct object_id *oid,
+		     const char *checked_ref_name,
+		     enum fsck_msg_id msg_id,
+		     const char *fmt, ...);
+
 /*
  * Subsystem for storing human-readable names for each object.
  *
diff --git a/object-file.c b/object-file.c
index 4e10dd9804..a681087625 100644
--- a/object-file.c
+++ b/object-file.c
@@ -2473,11 +2473,12 @@ int repo_has_object_file(struct repository *r,
  * give more context.
  */
 static int hash_format_check_report(struct fsck_options *opts UNUSED,
-				     const struct object_id *oid UNUSED,
-				     enum object_type object_type UNUSED,
-				     enum fsck_msg_type msg_type UNUSED,
-				     enum fsck_msg_id msg_id UNUSED,
-				     const char *message)
+				    const struct object_id *oid UNUSED,
+				    enum object_type object_type UNUSED,
+				    const char *ref_checked_name UNUSED,
+				    enum fsck_msg_type msg_type UNUSED,
+				    enum fsck_msg_id msg_id UNUSED,
+				    const char *message)
 {
 	error(_("object fails fsck: %s"), message);
 	return 1;
