diff --git a/reftable/basics.c b/reftable/basics.c
index f761e48028..af9004cec2 100644
--- a/reftable/basics.c
+++ b/reftable/basics.c
@@ -89,17 +89,13 @@ void parse_names(char *buf, int size, char ***namesp)
 			next = end;
 		}
 		if (p < next) {
-			if (names_len == names_cap) {
-				names_cap = 2 * names_cap + 1;
-				names = reftable_realloc(
-					names, names_cap * sizeof(*names));
-			}
+			REFTABLE_ALLOC_GROW(names, names_len + 1, names_cap);
 			names[names_len++] = xstrdup(p);
 		}
 		p = next + 1;
 	}
 
-	names = reftable_realloc(names, (names_len + 1) * sizeof(*names));
+	REFTABLE_REALLOC_ARRAY(names, names_len + 1);
 	names[names_len] = NULL;
 	*namesp = names;
 }
diff --git a/reftable/basics.h b/reftable/basics.h
index 096b36862b..2f855cd724 100644
--- a/reftable/basics.h
+++ b/reftable/basics.h
@@ -53,6 +53,17 @@ void *reftable_realloc(void *p, size_t sz);
 void reftable_free(void *p);
 void *reftable_calloc(size_t sz);
 
+#define REFTABLE_REALLOC_ARRAY(x, alloc) (x) = reftable_realloc((x), st_mult(sizeof(*(x)), (alloc)))
+#define REFTABLE_ALLOC_GROW(x, nr, alloc) \
+	do { \
+		if ((nr) > alloc) { \
+			alloc = 2 * (alloc) + 1; \
+			if (alloc < (nr)) \
+				alloc = (nr); \
+			REFTABLE_REALLOC_ARRAY(x, alloc); \
+		} \
+	} while (0)
+
 /* Find the longest shared prefix size of `a` and `b` */
 struct strbuf;
 int common_prefix_size(struct strbuf *a, struct strbuf *b);
diff --git a/reftable/block.c b/reftable/block.c
index 1df3d8a0f0..6952d0facf 100644
--- a/reftable/block.c
+++ b/reftable/block.c
@@ -51,12 +51,7 @@ static int block_writer_register_restart(struct block_writer *w, int n,
 	if (2 + 3 * rlen + n > w->block_size - w->next)
 		return -1;
 	if (is_restart) {
-		if (w->restart_len == w->restart_cap) {
-			w->restart_cap = w->restart_cap * 2 + 1;
-			w->restarts = reftable_realloc(
-				w->restarts, sizeof(uint32_t) * w->restart_cap);
-		}
-
+		REFTABLE_ALLOC_GROW(w->restarts, w->restart_len + 1, w->restart_cap);
 		w->restarts[w->restart_len++] = w->next;
 	}
 
diff --git a/reftable/merged_test.c b/reftable/merged_test.c
index 46908f738f..e05351e035 100644
--- a/reftable/merged_test.c
+++ b/reftable/merged_test.c
@@ -231,14 +231,10 @@ static void test_merged(void)
 	while (len < 100) { /* cap loops/recursion. */
 		struct reftable_ref_record ref = { NULL };
 		int err = reftable_iterator_next_ref(&it, &ref);
-		if (err > 0) {
+		if (err > 0)
 			break;
-		}
-		if (len == cap) {
-			cap = 2 * cap + 1;
-			out = reftable_realloc(
-				out, sizeof(struct reftable_ref_record) * cap);
-		}
+
+		REFTABLE_ALLOC_GROW(out, len + 1, cap);
 		out[len++] = ref;
 	}
 	reftable_iterator_destroy(&it);
@@ -368,14 +364,10 @@ static void test_merged_logs(void)
 	while (len < 100) { /* cap loops/recursion. */
 		struct reftable_log_record log = { NULL };
 		int err = reftable_iterator_next_log(&it, &log);
-		if (err > 0) {
+		if (err > 0)
 			break;
-		}
-		if (len == cap) {
-			cap = 2 * cap + 1;
-			out = reftable_realloc(
-				out, sizeof(struct reftable_log_record) * cap);
-		}
+
+		REFTABLE_ALLOC_GROW(out, len + 1, cap);
 		out[len++] = log;
 	}
 	reftable_iterator_destroy(&it);
diff --git a/reftable/pq.c b/reftable/pq.c
index dcefeb793a..2461daf5ff 100644
--- a/reftable/pq.c
+++ b/reftable/pq.c
@@ -75,13 +75,9 @@ void merged_iter_pqueue_add(struct merged_iter_pqueue *pq, const struct pq_entry
 {
 	int i = 0;
 
-	if (pq->len == pq->cap) {
-		pq->cap = 2 * pq->cap + 1;
-		pq->heap = reftable_realloc(pq->heap,
-					    pq->cap * sizeof(struct pq_entry));
-	}
-
+	REFTABLE_ALLOC_GROW(pq->heap, pq->len + 1, pq->cap);
 	pq->heap[pq->len++] = *e;
+
 	i = pq->len - 1;
 	while (i > 0) {
 		int j = (i - 1) / 2;
diff --git a/reftable/stack.c b/reftable/stack.c
index bf3869ce70..1dfab99e96 100644
--- a/reftable/stack.c
+++ b/reftable/stack.c
@@ -551,7 +551,7 @@ struct reftable_addition {
 	struct reftable_stack *stack;
 
 	char **new_tables;
-	int new_tables_len;
+	size_t new_tables_len, new_tables_cap;
 	uint64_t next_update_index;
 };
 
@@ -602,8 +602,9 @@ done:
 
 static void reftable_addition_close(struct reftable_addition *add)
 {
-	int i = 0;
 	struct strbuf nm = STRBUF_INIT;
+	size_t i;
+
 	for (i = 0; i < add->new_tables_len; i++) {
 		stack_filename(&nm, add->stack, add->new_tables[i]);
 		unlink(nm.buf);
@@ -613,6 +614,7 @@ static void reftable_addition_close(struct reftable_addition *add)
 	reftable_free(add->new_tables);
 	add->new_tables = NULL;
 	add->new_tables_len = 0;
+	add->new_tables_cap = 0;
 
 	delete_tempfile(&add->lock_file);
 	strbuf_release(&nm);
@@ -631,8 +633,8 @@ int reftable_addition_commit(struct reftable_addition *add)
 {
 	struct strbuf table_list = STRBUF_INIT;
 	int lock_file_fd = get_tempfile_fd(add->lock_file);
-	int i = 0;
 	int err = 0;
+	size_t i;
 
 	if (add->new_tables_len == 0)
 		goto done;
@@ -660,12 +662,12 @@ int reftable_addition_commit(struct reftable_addition *add)
 	}
 
 	/* success, no more state to clean up. */
-	for (i = 0; i < add->new_tables_len; i++) {
+	for (i = 0; i < add->new_tables_len; i++)
 		reftable_free(add->new_tables[i]);
-	}
 	reftable_free(add->new_tables);
 	add->new_tables = NULL;
 	add->new_tables_len = 0;
+	add->new_tables_cap = 0;
 
 	err = reftable_stack_reload_maybe_reuse(add->stack, 1);
 	if (err)
@@ -792,11 +794,9 @@ int reftable_addition_add(struct reftable_addition *add,
 		goto done;
 	}
 
-	add->new_tables = reftable_realloc(add->new_tables,
-					   sizeof(*add->new_tables) *
-						   (add->new_tables_len + 1));
-	add->new_tables[add->new_tables_len] = strbuf_detach(&next_name, NULL);
-	add->new_tables_len++;
+	REFTABLE_ALLOC_GROW(add->new_tables, add->new_tables_len + 1,
+			    add->new_tables_cap);
+	add->new_tables[add->new_tables_len++] = strbuf_detach(&next_name, NULL);
 done:
 	if (tab_fd > 0) {
 		close(tab_fd);
@@ -1367,17 +1367,12 @@ static int stack_check_addition(struct reftable_stack *st,
 	while (1) {
 		struct reftable_ref_record ref = { NULL };
 		err = reftable_iterator_next_ref(&it, &ref);
-		if (err > 0) {
+		if (err > 0)
 			break;
-		}
 		if (err < 0)
 			goto done;
 
-		if (len >= cap) {
-			cap = 2 * cap + 1;
-			refs = reftable_realloc(refs, cap * sizeof(refs[0]));
-		}
-
+		REFTABLE_ALLOC_GROW(refs, len + 1, cap);
 		refs[len++] = ref;
 	}
 
diff --git a/reftable/writer.c b/reftable/writer.c
index ee4590e20f..4483bb21c3 100644
--- a/reftable/writer.c
+++ b/reftable/writer.c
@@ -200,12 +200,7 @@ static void writer_index_hash(struct reftable_writer *w, struct strbuf *hash)
 		return;
 	}
 
-	if (key->offset_len == key->offset_cap) {
-		key->offset_cap = 2 * key->offset_cap + 1;
-		key->offsets = reftable_realloc(
-			key->offsets, sizeof(uint64_t) * key->offset_cap);
-	}
-
+	REFTABLE_ALLOC_GROW(key->offsets, key->offset_len + 1, key->offset_cap);
 	key->offsets[key->offset_len++] = off;
 }
 
@@ -674,12 +669,7 @@ static int writer_flush_nonempty_block(struct reftable_writer *w)
 	if (err < 0)
 		return err;
 
-	if (w->index_cap == w->index_len) {
-		w->index_cap = 2 * w->index_cap + 1;
-		w->index = reftable_realloc(
-			w->index,
-			sizeof(struct reftable_index_record) * w->index_cap);
-	}
+	REFTABLE_ALLOC_GROW(w->index, w->index_len + 1, w->index_cap);
 
 	ir.offset = w->next;
 	strbuf_reset(&ir.last_key);