diff --git a/commit-graph.c b/commit-graph.c
index b0a55ad128..e9786fa864 100644
--- a/commit-graph.c
+++ b/commit-graph.c
@@ -233,6 +233,24 @@ static int prepare_commit_graph(struct repository *r)
 	return !!r->objects->commit_graph;
 }
 
+int generation_numbers_enabled(struct repository *r)
+{
+	uint32_t first_generation;
+	struct commit_graph *g;
+	if (!prepare_commit_graph(r))
+	       return 0;
+
+	g = r->objects->commit_graph;
+
+	if (!g->num_commits)
+		return 0;
+
+	first_generation = get_be32(g->chunk_commit_data +
+				    g->hash_len + 8) >> 2;
+
+	return !!first_generation;
+}
+
 static void close_commit_graph(void)
 {
 	free_commit_graph(the_repository->objects->commit_graph);
diff --git a/commit-graph.h b/commit-graph.h
index 76e098934a..0de8f88316 100644
--- a/commit-graph.h
+++ b/commit-graph.h
@@ -51,6 +51,12 @@ struct commit_graph {
 
 struct commit_graph *load_commit_graph_one(const char *graph_file);
 
+/*
+ * Return 1 if and only if the repository has a commit-graph
+ * file and generation numbers are computed in that file.
+ */
+int generation_numbers_enabled(struct repository *r);
+
 void write_commit_graph_reachable(const char *obj_dir, int append);
 void write_commit_graph(const char *obj_dir,
 			struct string_list *pack_indexes,
diff --git a/commit-reach.c b/commit-reach.c
index bc522d6840..c996524032 100644
--- a/commit-reach.c
+++ b/commit-reach.c
@@ -277,15 +277,25 @@ int is_descendant_of(struct commit *commit, struct commit_list *with_commit)
 {
 	if (!with_commit)
 		return 1;
-	while (with_commit) {
-		struct commit *other;
 
-		other = with_commit->item;
-		with_commit = with_commit->next;
-		if (in_merge_bases(other, commit))
-			return 1;
+	if (generation_numbers_enabled(the_repository)) {
+		struct commit_list *from_list = NULL;
+		int result;
+		commit_list_insert(commit, &from_list);
+		result = can_all_from_reach(from_list, with_commit, 0);
+		free_commit_list(from_list);
+		return result;
+	} else {
+		while (with_commit) {
+			struct commit *other;
+
+			other = with_commit->item;
+			with_commit = with_commit->next;
+			if (in_merge_bases(other, commit))
+				return 1;
+		}
+		return 0;
 	}
-	return 0;
 }
 
 /*