diff --git a/list-objects-filter-options.c b/list-objects-filter-options.c
index f02d8df1422..4b25287886d 100644
--- a/list-objects-filter-options.c
+++ b/list-objects-filter-options.c

@@ -285,6 +285,10 @@ int opt_parse_list_objects_filter(const struct option *opt,
 				  const char *arg, int unset)
 {
 	struct list_objects_filter_options *filter_options = opt->value;
+	opt_lof_init init = (opt_lof_init)opt->defval;
+
+	if (init)
+		filter_options = init(opt->value);
 
 	if (unset || !arg)
 		list_objects_filter_set_no_filter(filter_options);

diff --git a/list-objects-filter-options.h b/list-objects-filter-options.h
index 90e4bc96252..ffc02d77e76 100644
--- a/list-objects-filter-options.h
+++ b/list-objects-filter-options.h

@@ -104,13 +104,31 @@ void parse_list_objects_filter(
 	struct list_objects_filter_options *filter_options,
 	const char *arg);
 
+/**
+ * The opt->value to opt_parse_list_objects_filter() is either a
+ * "struct list_objects_filter_option *" when using
+ * OPT_PARSE_LIST_OBJECTS_FILTER().
+ *
+ * Or, if using no "struct option" field is used by the callback,
+ * except the "defval" which is expected to be an "opt_lof_init"
+ * function, which is called with the "opt->value" and must return a
+ * pointer to the ""struct list_objects_filter_option *" to be used.
+ *
+ * The OPT_PARSE_LIST_OBJECTS_FILTER_INIT() can be used e.g. the
+ * "struct list_objects_filter_option" is embedded in a "struct
+ * rev_info", which the "defval" could be tasked with lazily
+ * initializing. See cmd_pack_objects() for an example.
+ */
 int opt_parse_list_objects_filter(const struct option *opt,
 				  const char *arg, int unset);
+typedef struct list_objects_filter_options *(*opt_lof_init)(void *);
+#define OPT_PARSE_LIST_OBJECTS_FILTER_INIT(fo, init) \
+	{ OPTION_CALLBACK, 0, "filter", (fo), N_("args"), \
+	  N_("object filtering"), 0, opt_parse_list_objects_filter, \
+	  (intptr_t)(init) }
 
 #define OPT_PARSE_LIST_OBJECTS_FILTER(fo) \
-	OPT_CALLBACK(0, "filter", fo, N_("args"), \
-	  N_("object filtering"), \
-	  opt_parse_list_objects_filter)
+	OPT_PARSE_LIST_OBJECTS_FILTER_INIT((fo), NULL)