diff --git a/Documentation/RelNotes/2.55.0.adoc b/Documentation/RelNotes/2.55.0.adoc
index b2adfe51bf19e4..37f7a610a29b09 100644
--- a/Documentation/RelNotes/2.55.0.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/RelNotes/2.55.0.adoc
@@ -204,6 +204,10 @@ Performance, Internal Implementation, Development Support etc.
    rewritten to use the right repository structure instance in the
    unpack-trees.c codepath.
 
+ * "git index-pack" has been optimized by retaining child bases in the
+   delta cache instead of immediately freeing them, letting the existing
+   cache limit policy decide eviction.
+
 
 Fixes since v2.54
 -----------------
@@ -409,3 +413,4 @@ Fixes since v2.54
    (merge 83e7f3bd2b kh/free-commit-list later to maint).
    (merge d1b72b29e9 am/doc-tech-hash-typofix later to maint).
    (merge 014c454799 ak/typofixes later to maint).
+   (merge 522ea8ef7d js/osxkeychain-build-wo-rust later to maint).
diff --git a/GIT-VERSION-GEN b/GIT-VERSION-GEN
index 9448079974b61c..9bcfdb576eaf5b 100755
--- a/GIT-VERSION-GEN
+++ b/GIT-VERSION-GEN
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
-DEF_VER=v2.55.0-rc0
+DEF_VER=v2.55.0-rc1
 
 LF='
 '
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 0976a69b4ca424..1cec251f4387cf 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -4074,7 +4074,7 @@ contrib/libgit-sys/libgitpub.a: $(LIBGIT_HIDDEN_EXPORT)
 
 contrib/credential/osxkeychain/git-credential-osxkeychain: contrib/credential/osxkeychain/git-credential-osxkeychain.o $(LIB_FILE) GIT-LDFLAGS
 	$(QUIET_LINK)$(CC) $(ALL_CFLAGS) -o $@ $(ALL_LDFLAGS) \
-		$(filter %.o,$^) $(LIB_FILE) $(EXTLIBS) -framework Security -framework CoreFoundation
+		$(filter %.o,$^) $(LIBS) -framework Security -framework CoreFoundation
 
 contrib/credential/osxkeychain/git-credential-osxkeychain.o: contrib/credential/osxkeychain/git-credential-osxkeychain.c GIT-CFLAGS
 	$(QUIET_LINK)$(CC) -o $@ -c $(dep_args) $(compdb_args) $(ALL_CFLAGS) $(EXTRA_CPPFLAGS) $<
diff --git a/builtin/index-pack.c b/builtin/index-pack.c
index 2241ff13e4531b..0793dc595c997e 100644
--- a/builtin/index-pack.c
+++ b/builtin/index-pack.c
@@ -1212,7 +1212,6 @@ static void *threaded_second_pass(void *data)
 			list_add(&child->list, &work_head);
 			base_cache_used += child->size;
 			prune_base_data(NULL);
-			free_base_data(child);
 		} else if (child) {
 			/*
 			 * This child does not have its own children. It may be