diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 1f1a117..80e33de 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -11,9 +11,6 @@ edition = "2018"
 readme = "changelog.md"
 include = ["src/**/*", "LICENSE.md", "README.md", "CHANGELOG.md"]
 
-[lib]
-test = false
-
 [[test]]
 name = "baseline"
 path = "tests/baseline.rs"
@@ -46,6 +43,7 @@ bstr = "1.0.1"
 thiserror = "1.0.32"
 ahash = "0.8.0"
 hashbrown = { version = "0.14.0", features = ["raw"] }
+reqwest = { version = "0.12", features = ["blocking"] }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 gix-testtools = "0.15.0"
diff --git a/src/index/diff/github.rs b/src/index/diff/github.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6dd684c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/index/diff/github.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+use reqwest::{StatusCode, Url};
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub(crate) enum FastPath {
+    UpToDate,
+    NeedsFetch,
+    Indeterminate,
+}
+
+/// extract username & repository from a fetch URL, only if it's on Github.
+fn user_and_repo_from_url_if_github(fetch_url: &gix::Url) -> Option<(String, String)> {
+    let url = Url::parse(&fetch_url.to_string()).ok()?;
+    if !(url.host_str() == Some("github.com")) {
+        return None;
+    }
+
+    // This expects GitHub urls in the form `github.com/user/repo` and nothing
+    // else
+    let mut pieces = url.path_segments()?;
+    let username = pieces.next()?;
+    let repository = pieces.next()?;
+    let repository = repository.strip_suffix(".git").unwrap_or(repository);
+    if pieces.next().is_some() {
+        return None;
+    }
+    Some((username.to_string(), repository.to_string()))
+}
+
+/// use github fast-path to check if the repository has any changes
+/// since the last seen reference.
+///
+/// To save server side resources on github side, we can use an API
+/// to check if there are any changes in the repository before we
+/// actually run `git fetch`.
+///
+/// On non-github fetch URLs we don't do anything and always run the fetch.
+///
+/// Code gotten and adapted from
+/// https://github.com/rust-lang/cargo/blob/edd36eba5e0d6e0cfcb84bd0cc651ba8bf5e7f83/src/cargo/sources/git/utils.rs#L1396
+///
+/// GitHub documentation:
+/// https://docs.github.com/en/rest/commits/commits?apiVersion=2022-11-28#get-a-commit
+/// specifically using `application/vnd.github.sha`
+pub(crate) fn has_changes(
+    fetch_url: &gix::Url,
+    last_seen_reference: &gix::ObjectId,
+    branch_name: &str,
+) -> Result<FastPath, reqwest::Error> {
+    let (username, repository) = match user_and_repo_from_url_if_github(fetch_url) {
+        Some(url) => url,
+        None => return Ok(FastPath::Indeterminate),
+    };
+
+    let url = format!(
+        "https://api.github.com/repos/{}/{}/commits/{}",
+        username, repository, branch_name,
+    );
+
+    let client = reqwest::blocking::Client::builder()
+        .user_agent("crates-index-diff")
+        .build()?;
+    let response = client
+        .get(&url)
+        .header("Accept", "application/vnd.github.sha")
+        .header("If-None-Match", format!("\"{}\"", last_seen_reference))
+        .send()?;
+
+    let status = response.status();
+    if status == StatusCode::NOT_MODIFIED {
+        Ok(FastPath::UpToDate)
+    } else if status.is_success() {
+        Ok(FastPath::NeedsFetch)
+    } else {
+        // Usually response_code == 404 if the repository does not exist, and
+        // response_code == 422 if exists but GitHub is unable to resolve the
+        // requested rev.
+        Ok(FastPath::Indeterminate)
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use std::convert::TryFrom;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_github_http_url() {
+        let (user, repo) = user_and_repo_from_url_if_github(
+            &gix::Url::try_from("https://github.com/some_user/some_repo.git").unwrap(),
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(user, "some_user");
+        assert_eq!(repo, "some_repo");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_github_ssh_url() {
+        let (user, repo) = user_and_repo_from_url_if_github(
+            &gix::Url::try_from("ssh://git@github.com/some_user/some_repo.git").unwrap(),
+        )
+        .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(user, "some_user");
+        assert_eq!(repo, "some_repo");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_non_github_url() {
+        assert!(user_and_repo_from_url_if_github(
+            &gix::Url::try_from("https://not_github.com/some_user/some_repo.git").unwrap(),
+        )
+        .is_none());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/index/diff/mod.rs b/src/index/diff/mod.rs
index 8096713..c8e17cd 100644
--- a/src/index/diff/mod.rs
+++ b/src/index/diff/mod.rs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ use gix::prelude::ObjectIdExt;
 use std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool;
 
 mod delegate;
+mod github;
 
 use delegate::Delegate;
 
@@ -66,6 +67,8 @@ pub enum Error {
         name: String,
         mappings: Vec<gix::remote::fetch::Mapping>,
     },
+    #[error("Error when fetching GitHub fastpath.")]
+    GithubFetch(#[from] reqwest::Error),
 }
 
 /// Find changes without modifying the underling repository
@@ -175,30 +178,39 @@ impl Index {
                     .replace_refspecs(Some(spec.as_str()), gix::remote::Direction::Fetch)
                     .expect("valid statically known refspec");
             }
-            let res: gix::remote::fetch::Outcome = remote
-                .connect(gix::remote::Direction::Fetch)?
-                .prepare_fetch(&mut progress, Default::default())?
-                .receive(&mut progress, should_interrupt)?;
-            let branch_name = format!("refs/heads/{}", self.branch_name);
-            let local_tracking = res
-                .ref_map
-                .mappings
-                .iter()
-                .find_map(|m| match &m.remote {
-                    gix::remote::fetch::Source::Ref(r) => (r.unpack().0 == branch_name)
-                        .then_some(m.local.as_ref())
-                        .flatten(),
-                    _ => None,
-                })
-                .ok_or_else(|| Error::NoMatchingBranch {
-                    name: branch_name,
-                    mappings: res.ref_map.mappings.clone(),
-                })?;
-            self.repo
-                .find_reference(local_tracking)
-                .expect("local tracking branch exists if we see it here")
-                .id()
-                .detach()
+
+            let (url, _) = remote.sanitized_url_and_version(gix::remote::Direction::Fetch)?;
+            if matches!(
+                github::has_changes(&url, &from, self.branch_name)?,
+                github::FastPath::UpToDate
+            ) {
+                from.clone()
+            } else {
+                let res: gix::remote::fetch::Outcome = remote
+                    .connect(gix::remote::Direction::Fetch)?
+                    .prepare_fetch(&mut progress, Default::default())?
+                    .receive(&mut progress, should_interrupt)?;
+                let branch_name = format!("refs/heads/{}", self.branch_name);
+                let local_tracking = res
+                    .ref_map
+                    .mappings
+                    .iter()
+                    .find_map(|m| match &m.remote {
+                        gix::remote::fetch::Source::Ref(r) => (r.unpack().0 == branch_name)
+                            .then_some(m.local.as_ref())
+                            .flatten(),
+                        _ => None,
+                    })
+                    .ok_or_else(|| Error::NoMatchingBranch {
+                        name: branch_name,
+                        mappings: res.ref_map.mappings.clone(),
+                    })?;
+                self.repo
+                    .find_reference(local_tracking)
+                    .expect("local tracking branch exists if we see it here")
+                    .id()
+                    .detach()
+            }
         };
 
         Ok((