diff --git a/builtin/pack-objects.c b/builtin/pack-objects.c
index dfb4d84caa..541667f102 100644
--- a/builtin/pack-objects.c
+++ b/builtin/pack-objects.c
@@ -737,8 +737,6 @@ static void write_pack_file(void)
 			f = create_tmp_packfile(&pack_tmp_name);
 
 		offset = write_pack_header(f, nr_remaining);
-		if (!offset)
-			die_errno("unable to write pack header");
 		nr_written = 0;
 		for (; i < nr_objects; i++) {
 			struct object_entry *e = write_order[i];
diff --git a/csum-file.c b/csum-file.c
index 465971c7f3..b00b215031 100644
--- a/csum-file.c
+++ b/csum-file.c
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ int sha1close(struct sha1file *f, unsigned char *result, unsigned int flags)
 	return fd;
 }
 
-int sha1write(struct sha1file *f, const void *buf, unsigned int count)
+void sha1write(struct sha1file *f, const void *buf, unsigned int count)
 {
 	while (count) {
 		unsigned offset = f->offset;
@@ -116,7 +116,6 @@ int sha1write(struct sha1file *f, const void *buf, unsigned int count)
 		}
 		f->offset = offset;
 	}
-	return 0;
 }
 
 struct sha1file *sha1fd(int fd, const char *name)
diff --git a/csum-file.h b/csum-file.h
index 9dedb038ea..bb543d52f1 100644
--- a/csum-file.h
+++ b/csum-file.h
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ extern struct sha1file *sha1fd(int fd, const char *name);
 extern struct sha1file *sha1fd_check(const char *name);
 extern struct sha1file *sha1fd_throughput(int fd, const char *name, struct progress *tp);
 extern int sha1close(struct sha1file *, unsigned char *, unsigned int);
-extern int sha1write(struct sha1file *, const void *, unsigned int);
+extern void sha1write(struct sha1file *, const void *, unsigned int);
 extern void sha1flush(struct sha1file *f);
 extern void crc32_begin(struct sha1file *);
 extern uint32_t crc32_end(struct sha1file *);
diff --git a/pack-write.c b/pack-write.c
index ddc174e1ad..605d01b25c 100644
--- a/pack-write.c
+++ b/pack-write.c
@@ -183,8 +183,7 @@ off_t write_pack_header(struct sha1file *f, uint32_t nr_entries)
 	hdr.hdr_signature = htonl(PACK_SIGNATURE);
 	hdr.hdr_version = htonl(PACK_VERSION);
 	hdr.hdr_entries = htonl(nr_entries);
-	if (sha1write(f, &hdr, sizeof(hdr)))
-		return 0;
+	sha1write(f, &hdr, sizeof(hdr));
 	return sizeof(hdr);
 }