@@ -86,7 +86,8 @@ static int reftable_backend_read_ref(struct reftable_backend *be,
 	if (ret)
 		goto done;
 
-	if (strcmp(ref.refname, refname)) {
+	if (strcmp(ref.refname, refname) ||
+	    reftable_ref_record_is_deletion(&ref)) {
 		ret = 1;
 		goto done;
 	}

@@ -112,7 +113,6 @@ static int reftable_backend_read_ref(struct reftable_backend *be,
 		oidread(oid, reftable_ref_record_val1(&ref),
 			&hash_algos[hash_id]);
 	} else {
-		/* We got a tombstone, which should not happen. */
 		BUG("unhandled reference value type %d", ref.value_type);
 	}
 

@@ -633,6 +633,9 @@ static int reftable_ref_iterator_advance(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator)
 			break;
 		}
 
+		if (iter->ref.value_type == REFTABLE_REF_DELETION)
+			continue;
+
 		if (iter->exclude_patterns && should_exclude_current_ref(iter))
 			continue;
 

@@ -1492,6 +1495,8 @@ static int write_transaction_table(struct reftable_writer *writer, void *cb_data
 					ret = 0;
 					break;
 				}
+				if (reftable_log_record_is_deletion(&log))
+					continue;
 
 				ALLOC_GROW(logs, logs_nr + 1, logs_alloc);
 				tombstone = &logs[logs_nr++];

@@ -1889,6 +1894,8 @@ static int write_copy_table(struct reftable_writer *writer, void *cb_data)
 			ret = 0;
 			break;
 		}
+		if (reftable_log_record_is_deletion(&old_log))
+			continue;
 
 		free(old_log.refname);
 

@@ -2019,6 +2026,9 @@ static int reftable_reflog_iterator_advance(struct ref_iterator *ref_iterator)
 		if (iter->err)
 			break;
 
+		if (reftable_log_record_is_deletion(&iter->log))
+			continue;
+
 		/*
 		 * We want the refnames that we have reflogs for, so we skip if
 		 * we've already produced this name. This could be faster by

@@ -2178,6 +2188,8 @@ static int reftable_be_for_each_reflog_ent_reverse(struct ref_store *ref_store,
 			ret = 0;
 			break;
 		}
+		if (reftable_log_record_is_deletion(&log))
+			continue;
 
 		ret = yield_log_record(refs, &log, fn, cb_data);
 		if (ret)

@@ -2230,6 +2242,10 @@ static int reftable_be_for_each_reflog_ent(struct ref_store *ref_store,
 			ret = 0;
 			break;
 		}
+		if (reftable_log_record_is_deletion(&log)) {
+			reftable_log_record_release(&log);
+			continue;
+		}
 
 		ALLOC_GROW(logs, logs_nr + 1, logs_alloc);
 		logs[logs_nr++] = log;

@@ -2276,18 +2292,26 @@ static int reftable_be_reflog_exists(struct ref_store *ref_store,
 		goto done;
 
 	/*
-	 * Check whether we get at least one log record for the given ref name.
-	 * If so, the reflog exists, otherwise it doesn't.
+	 * Check whether we get at least one non-deleted log record for the
+	 * given ref name.  If so, the reflog exists, otherwise it doesn't.
 	 */
-	ret = reftable_iterator_next_log(&it, &log);
-	if (ret < 0)
-		goto done;
-	if (ret > 0) {
-		ret = 0;
-		goto done;
+	while (1) {
+		ret = reftable_iterator_next_log(&it, &log);
+		if (ret < 0)
+			goto done;
+		if (ret > 0) {
+			ret = 0;
+			goto done;
+		}
+		if (strcmp(log.refname, refname)) {
+			ret = 0;
+			goto done;
+		}
+		if (!reftable_log_record_is_deletion(&log))
+			break;
 	}
 
-	ret = strcmp(log.refname, refname) == 0;
+	ret = 1;
 
 done:
 	reftable_iterator_destroy(&it);

@@ -2399,6 +2423,8 @@ static int write_reflog_delete_table(struct reftable_writer *writer, void *cb_da
 			ret = 0;
 			break;
 		}
+		if (reftable_log_record_is_deletion(&log))
+			continue;
 
 		tombstone.refname = (char *)arg->refname;
 		tombstone.value_type = REFTABLE_LOG_DELETION;

@@ -2580,6 +2606,10 @@ static int reftable_be_reflog_expire(struct ref_store *ref_store,
 			reftable_log_record_release(&log);
 			break;
 		}
+		if (reftable_log_record_is_deletion(&log)) {
+			reftable_log_record_release(&log);
+			continue;
+		}
 
 		oidread(&old_oid, log.value.update.old_hash,
 			ref_store->repo->hash_algo);

@@ -2746,6 +2776,8 @@ static int reftable_be_fsck(struct ref_store *ref_store, struct fsck_options *o,
 		report.path = refname.buf;
 
 		switch (ref.value_type) {
+		case REFTABLE_REF_DELETION:
+			continue;
 		case REFTABLE_REF_VAL1:
 		case REFTABLE_REF_VAL2: {
 			struct object_id oid;

@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ struct merged_iter {
 	struct merged_subiter *subiters;
 	struct merged_iter_pqueue pq;
 	size_t subiters_len;
-	int suppress_deletions;
 	ssize_t advance_index;
 };
 

@@ -166,15 +165,7 @@ static int merged_iter_seek_void(void *it, struct reftable_record *want)
 
 static int merged_iter_next_void(void *p, struct reftable_record *rec)
 {
-	struct merged_iter *mi = p;
-	while (1) {
-		int err = merged_iter_next_entry(mi, rec);
-		if (err)
-			return err;
-		if (mi->suppress_deletions && reftable_record_is_deletion(rec))
-			continue;
-		return 0;
-	}
+	return merged_iter_next_entry(p, rec);
 }
 
 static struct reftable_iterator_vtable merged_iter_vtable = {

@@ -278,7 +269,6 @@ int merged_table_init_iter(struct reftable_merged_table *mt,
 		goto out;
 	}
 	mi->advance_index = -1;
-	mi->suppress_deletions = mt->suppress_deletions;
 	mi->subiters = subiters;
 	mi->subiters_len = mt->tables_len;
 

@@ -17,10 +17,6 @@ struct reftable_merged_table {
 	size_t tables_len;
 	enum reftable_hash hash_id;
 
-	/* If unset, produce deletions. This is useful for compaction. For the
-	 * full stack, deletions should be produced. */
-	int suppress_deletions;
-
 	uint64_t min;
 	uint64_t max;
 };

@@ -337,7 +337,6 @@ static int reftable_stack_reload_once(struct reftable_stack *st,
 	/* Update the stack to point to the new tables. */
 	if (st->merged)
 		reftable_merged_table_free(st->merged);
-	new_merged->suppress_deletions = 1;
 	st->merged = new_merged;
 
 	if (st->tables)