diff --git a/reftable/record.c b/reftable/record.c
index 6b5a075b921..60fd33c9c94 100644
--- a/reftable/record.c
+++ b/reftable/record.c
@@ -215,13 +215,14 @@ static void reftable_ref_record_key(const void *r, struct strbuf *dest)
 	strbuf_addstr(dest, rec->refname);
 }
 
-static void reftable_ref_record_copy_from(void *rec, const void *src_rec,
-					  int hash_size)
+static int reftable_ref_record_copy_from(void *rec, const void *src_rec,
+					 int hash_size)
 {
 	struct reftable_ref_record *ref = rec;
 	const struct reftable_ref_record *src = src_rec;
 	char *refname = NULL;
 	size_t refname_cap = 0;
+	int err;
 
 	assert(hash_size > 0);
 
@@ -236,6 +237,11 @@ static void reftable_ref_record_copy_from(void *rec, const void *src_rec,
 
 		REFTABLE_ALLOC_GROW(ref->refname, refname_len + 1,
 				    ref->refname_cap);
+		if (!ref->refname) {
+			err = REFTABLE_OUT_OF_MEMORY_ERROR;
+			goto out;
+		}
+
 		memcpy(ref->refname, src->refname, refname_len);
 		ref->refname[refname_len] = 0;
 	}
@@ -254,9 +260,17 @@ static void reftable_ref_record_copy_from(void *rec, const void *src_rec,
 		       src->value.val2.target_value, hash_size);
 		break;
 	case REFTABLE_REF_SYMREF:
-		ref->value.symref = xstrdup(src->value.symref);
+		ref->value.symref = reftable_strdup(src->value.symref);
+		if (!ref->value.symref) {
+			err = REFTABLE_OUT_OF_MEMORY_ERROR;
+			goto out;
+		}
 		break;
 	}
+
+	err = 0;
+out:
+	return err;
 }
 
 static void reftable_ref_record_release_void(void *rec)
@@ -457,23 +471,28 @@ static void reftable_obj_record_release(void *rec)
 	memset(obj, 0, sizeof(struct reftable_obj_record));
 }
 
-static void reftable_obj_record_copy_from(void *rec, const void *src_rec,
-					  int hash_size UNUSED)
+static int reftable_obj_record_copy_from(void *rec, const void *src_rec,
+					 int hash_size UNUSED)
 {
 	struct reftable_obj_record *obj = rec;
-	const struct reftable_obj_record *src =
-		(const struct reftable_obj_record *)src_rec;
+	const struct reftable_obj_record *src = src_rec;
 
 	reftable_obj_record_release(obj);
 
 	REFTABLE_ALLOC_ARRAY(obj->hash_prefix, src->hash_prefix_len);
+	if (!obj->hash_prefix)
+		return REFTABLE_OUT_OF_MEMORY_ERROR;
 	obj->hash_prefix_len = src->hash_prefix_len;
 	if (src->hash_prefix_len)
 		memcpy(obj->hash_prefix, src->hash_prefix, obj->hash_prefix_len);
 
 	REFTABLE_ALLOC_ARRAY(obj->offsets, src->offset_len);
+	if (!obj->offsets)
+		return REFTABLE_OUT_OF_MEMORY_ERROR;
 	obj->offset_len = src->offset_len;
 	COPY_ARRAY(obj->offsets, src->offsets, src->offset_len);
+
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static uint8_t reftable_obj_record_val_type(const void *rec)
@@ -646,33 +665,44 @@ static void reftable_log_record_key(const void *r, struct strbuf *dest)
 	strbuf_add(dest, i64, sizeof(i64));
 }
 
-static void reftable_log_record_copy_from(void *rec, const void *src_rec,
-					  int hash_size)
+static int reftable_log_record_copy_from(void *rec, const void *src_rec,
+					 int hash_size)
 {
 	struct reftable_log_record *dst = rec;
 	const struct reftable_log_record *src =
 		(const struct reftable_log_record *)src_rec;
+	int ret;
 
 	reftable_log_record_release(dst);
 	*dst = *src;
+
 	if (dst->refname) {
-		dst->refname = xstrdup(dst->refname);
+		dst->refname = reftable_strdup(dst->refname);
+		if (!dst->refname) {
+			ret = REFTABLE_OUT_OF_MEMORY_ERROR;
+			goto out;
+		}
 	}
+
 	switch (dst->value_type) {
 	case REFTABLE_LOG_DELETION:
 		break;
 	case REFTABLE_LOG_UPDATE:
-		if (dst->value.update.email) {
+		if (dst->value.update.email)
 			dst->value.update.email =
-				xstrdup(dst->value.update.email);
-		}
-		if (dst->value.update.name) {
+				reftable_strdup(dst->value.update.email);
+		if (dst->value.update.name)
 			dst->value.update.name =
-				xstrdup(dst->value.update.name);
-		}
-		if (dst->value.update.message) {
+				reftable_strdup(dst->value.update.name);
+		if (dst->value.update.message)
 			dst->value.update.message =
-				xstrdup(dst->value.update.message);
+				reftable_strdup(dst->value.update.message);
+
+		if (!dst->value.update.email ||
+		    !dst->value.update.name ||
+		    !dst->value.update.message) {
+			ret = REFTABLE_OUT_OF_MEMORY_ERROR;
+			goto out;
 		}
 
 		memcpy(dst->value.update.new_hash,
@@ -681,6 +711,10 @@ static void reftable_log_record_copy_from(void *rec, const void *src_rec,
 		       src->value.update.old_hash, hash_size);
 		break;
 	}
+
+	ret = 0;
+out:
+	return ret;
 }
 
 static void reftable_log_record_release_void(void *rec)
@@ -954,8 +988,8 @@ static void reftable_index_record_key(const void *r, struct strbuf *dest)
 	strbuf_addbuf(dest, &rec->last_key);
 }
 
-static void reftable_index_record_copy_from(void *rec, const void *src_rec,
-					    int hash_size UNUSED)
+static int reftable_index_record_copy_from(void *rec, const void *src_rec,
+					   int hash_size UNUSED)
 {
 	struct reftable_index_record *dst = rec;
 	const struct reftable_index_record *src = src_rec;
@@ -963,6 +997,8 @@ static void reftable_index_record_copy_from(void *rec, const void *src_rec,
 	strbuf_reset(&dst->last_key);
 	strbuf_addbuf(&dst->last_key, &src->last_key);
 	dst->offset = src->offset;
+
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static void reftable_index_record_release(void *rec)
@@ -1054,14 +1090,14 @@ int reftable_record_encode(struct reftable_record *rec, struct string_view dest,
 						   dest, hash_size);
 }
 
-void reftable_record_copy_from(struct reftable_record *rec,
+int reftable_record_copy_from(struct reftable_record *rec,
 			       struct reftable_record *src, int hash_size)
 {
 	assert(src->type == rec->type);
 
-	reftable_record_vtable(rec)->copy_from(reftable_record_data(rec),
-					       reftable_record_data(src),
-					       hash_size);
+	return reftable_record_vtable(rec)->copy_from(reftable_record_data(rec),
+						      reftable_record_data(src),
+						      hash_size);
 }
 
 uint8_t reftable_record_val_type(struct reftable_record *rec)
diff --git a/reftable/record.h b/reftable/record.h
index 5003bacdb0c..0f53ba54434 100644
--- a/reftable/record.h
+++ b/reftable/record.h
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ struct reftable_record_vtable {
 	/* The record type of ('r' for ref). */
 	uint8_t type;
 
-	void (*copy_from)(void *dest, const void *src, int hash_size);
+	int (*copy_from)(void *dest, const void *src, int hash_size);
 
 	/* a value of [0..7], indicating record subvariants (eg. ref vs. symref
 	 * vs ref deletion) */
@@ -137,8 +137,8 @@ void reftable_record_init(struct reftable_record *rec, uint8_t typ);
 int reftable_record_cmp(struct reftable_record *a, struct reftable_record *b);
 int reftable_record_equal(struct reftable_record *a, struct reftable_record *b, int hash_size);
 void reftable_record_key(struct reftable_record *rec, struct strbuf *dest);
-void reftable_record_copy_from(struct reftable_record *rec,
-			       struct reftable_record *src, int hash_size);
+int reftable_record_copy_from(struct reftable_record *rec,
+			      struct reftable_record *src, int hash_size);
 uint8_t reftable_record_val_type(struct reftable_record *rec);
 int reftable_record_encode(struct reftable_record *rec, struct string_view dest,
 			   int hash_size);
