diff --git a/crates/rustic_core/src/commands/cat.rs b/crates/rustic_core/src/commands/cat.rs
index e85217f..f558379 100644
--- a/crates/rustic_core/src/commands/cat.rs
+++ b/crates/rustic_core/src/commands/cat.rs
@@ -3,8 +3,9 @@ use std::path::Path;
 use bytes::Bytes;
 
 use crate::{
-    error::CommandErrorKind, BlobType, DecryptReadBackend, FileType, Id, IndexBackend,
-    IndexedBackend, OpenRepository, ProgressBars, ReadBackend, RusticResult, SnapshotFile, Tree,
+    error::CommandErrorKind, repository::IndexedRepository, BlobType, DecryptReadBackend, FileType,
+    Id, IndexedBackend, OpenRepository, ProgressBars, ReadBackend, RusticResult, SnapshotFile,
+    Tree,
 };
 
 pub fn cat_file(repo: &OpenRepository, tpe: FileType, id: &str) -> RusticResult<Bytes> {
@@ -13,31 +14,30 @@ pub fn cat_file(repo: &OpenRepository, tpe: FileType, id: &str) -> RusticResult<
     Ok(data)
 }
 
-pub fn cat_blob(
-    repo: &OpenRepository,
-    tpe: BlobType,
-    id: &str,
-    pb: &impl ProgressBars,
-) -> RusticResult<Bytes> {
+pub fn cat_blob(repo: &IndexedRepository, tpe: BlobType, id: &str) -> RusticResult<Bytes> {
     let id = Id::from_hex(id)?;
-    let data = IndexBackend::new(&repo.dbe, &pb.progress_hidden())?.blob_from_backend(tpe, &id)?;
+    let data = repo.index.blob_from_backend(tpe, &id)?;
 
     Ok(data)
 }
 
 pub fn cat_tree(
-    repo: &OpenRepository,
+    repo: &IndexedRepository,
     snap: &str,
     sn_filter: impl FnMut(&SnapshotFile) -> bool + Send + Sync,
     pb: &impl ProgressBars,
 ) -> RusticResult<Bytes> {
     let (id, path) = snap.split_once(':').unwrap_or((snap, ""));
-    let snap = SnapshotFile::from_str(&repo.dbe, id, sn_filter, &pb.progress_counter(""))?;
-    let index = IndexBackend::new(&repo.dbe, &pb.progress_counter(""))?;
-    let node = Tree::node_from_path(&index, snap.tree, Path::new(path))?;
+    let snap = SnapshotFile::from_str(
+        &repo.repo.dbe,
+        id,
+        sn_filter,
+        &pb.progress_counter("getting snapshot..."),
+    )?;
+    let node = Tree::node_from_path(&repo.index, snap.tree, Path::new(path))?;
     let id = node
         .subtree
         .ok_or_else(|| CommandErrorKind::PathIsNoDir(path.to_string()))?;
-    let data = index.blob_from_backend(BlobType::Tree, &id)?;
+    let data = repo.index.blob_from_backend(BlobType::Tree, &id)?;
     Ok(data)
 }
diff --git a/crates/rustic_core/src/commands/check.rs b/crates/rustic_core/src/commands/check.rs
index 2769b1f..1f9d6b7 100644
--- a/crates/rustic_core/src/commands/check.rs
+++ b/crates/rustic_core/src/commands/check.rs
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ pub struct CheckOpts {
 }
 
 impl CheckOpts {
-    pub fn run(&self, repo: &OpenRepository, pb: &impl ProgressBars) -> RusticResult<()> {
+    pub fn run(self, repo: &OpenRepository, pb: &impl ProgressBars) -> RusticResult<()> {
         let be = &repo.dbe;
         let cache = &repo.cache;
         let hot_be = &repo.be_hot;
diff --git a/crates/rustic_core/src/lib.rs b/crates/rustic_core/src/lib.rs
index 6ae6e09..b7d5389 100644
--- a/crates/rustic_core/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/rustic_core/src/lib.rs
@@ -120,10 +120,7 @@ pub use crate::{
         BlobLocation, BlobType, BlobTypeMap, Initialize, Sum,
     },
     chunker::random_poly,
-    commands::{
-        cat::{cat_blob, cat_file, cat_tree},
-        check::CheckOpts,
-    },
+    commands::check::CheckOpts,
     crypto::{aespoly1305::Key, hasher::hash},
     error::{RusticError, RusticResult},
     file::{AddFileResult, FileInfos, RestoreStats},
diff --git a/crates/rustic_core/src/repository.rs b/crates/rustic_core/src/repository.rs
index cf4927f..11d44ff 100644
--- a/crates/rustic_core/src/repository.rs
+++ b/crates/rustic_core/src/repository.rs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ use std::{
     process::Command,
 };
 
+use bytes::Bytes;
 use derive_more::Add;
 use log::{debug, info};
 
@@ -28,11 +29,12 @@ use crate::{
         decrypt::DecryptReadBackend, decrypt::DecryptWriteBackend, hotcold::HotColdBackend,
         FileType, ReadBackend,
     },
+    commands::{self, check::CheckOpts},
     crypto::aespoly1305::Key,
     error::RepositoryErrorKind,
     index::IndexEntry,
     repofile::{configfile::ConfigFile, indexfile::IndexPack, keyfile::find_key_in_backend},
-    RusticResult,
+    BlobType, IndexBackend, ProgressBars, RusticResult, SnapshotFile,
 };
 
 pub(super) mod constants {
@@ -331,18 +333,6 @@ impl Repository {
     }
 }
 
-#[derive(Debug)]
-pub struct OpenRepository {
-    pub name: String,
-    pub be: HotColdBackend<ChooseBackend>,
-    pub be_hot: Option<ChooseBackend>,
-    pub key: Key,
-    pub cache: Option<Cache>,
-    pub dbe: DecryptBackend<CachedBackend<HotColdBackend<ChooseBackend>>, Key>,
-    pub config: ConfigFile,
-    pub opts: RepositoryOptions,
-}
-
 pub(crate) fn get_key(be: &impl ReadBackend, password: Option<String>) -> RusticResult<Key> {
     for _ in 0..constants::MAX_PASSWORD_RETRIES {
         match password {
@@ -365,3 +355,51 @@ pub(crate) fn get_key(be: &impl ReadBackend, password: Option<String>) -> Rustic
     }
     Err(RepositoryErrorKind::IncorrectPassword.into())
 }
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct OpenRepository {
+    pub name: String,
+    pub be: HotColdBackend<ChooseBackend>,
+    pub be_hot: Option<ChooseBackend>,
+    pub key: Key,
+    pub cache: Option<Cache>,
+    pub dbe: DecryptBackend<CachedBackend<HotColdBackend<ChooseBackend>>, Key>,
+    pub config: ConfigFile,
+    pub opts: RepositoryOptions,
+}
+
+impl OpenRepository {
+    pub fn cat_file(&self, tpe: FileType, id: &str) -> RusticResult<Bytes> {
+        commands::cat::cat_file(self, tpe, id)
+    }
+
+    pub fn check(&self, opts: CheckOpts, pb: &impl ProgressBars) -> RusticResult<()> {
+        opts.run(self, pb)
+    }
+
+    pub fn to_indexed(self, pb: &impl ProgressBars) -> RusticResult<IndexedRepository> {
+        let index = IndexBackend::new(&self.dbe, &pb.progress_counter(""))?;
+        Ok(IndexedRepository { repo: self, index })
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct IndexedRepository {
+    pub(crate) repo: OpenRepository,
+    pub(crate) index:
+        IndexBackend<DecryptBackend<CachedBackend<HotColdBackend<ChooseBackend>>, Key>>,
+}
+
+impl IndexedRepository {
+    pub fn cat_blob(&self, tpe: BlobType, id: &str) -> RusticResult<Bytes> {
+        commands::cat::cat_blob(self, tpe, id)
+    }
+    pub fn cat_tree(
+        &self,
+        snap: &str,
+        sn_filter: impl FnMut(&SnapshotFile) -> bool + Send + Sync,
+        pb: &impl ProgressBars,
+    ) -> RusticResult<Bytes> {
+        commands::cat::cat_tree(self, snap, sn_filter, pb)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/commands/cat.rs b/src/commands/cat.rs
index 17a342f..3628b11 100644
--- a/src/commands/cat.rs
+++ b/src/commands/cat.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ use abscissa_core::{Command, Runnable, Shutdown};
 
 use anyhow::Result;
 
-use rustic_core::{cat_blob, cat_file, cat_tree, BlobType, FileType};
+use rustic_core::{BlobType, FileType};
 
 /// `cat` subcommand
 #[derive(clap::Parser, Command, Debug)]
@@ -66,15 +66,14 @@ impl CatCmd {
         let repo = open_repository(get_repository(&config));
 
         let data = match &self.cmd {
-            CatSubCmd::Config => cat_file(&repo, FileType::Config, "")?,
-            CatSubCmd::Index(opt) => cat_file(&repo, FileType::Index, &opt.id)?,
-            CatSubCmd::Snapshot(opt) => cat_file(&repo, FileType::Snapshot, &opt.id)?,
+            CatSubCmd::Config => repo.cat_file(FileType::Config, "")?,
+            CatSubCmd::Index(opt) => repo.cat_file(FileType::Index, &opt.id)?,
+            CatSubCmd::Snapshot(opt) => repo.cat_file(FileType::Snapshot, &opt.id)?,
             // special treatment for cating blobs: read the index and use it to locate the blob
-            CatSubCmd::TreeBlob(opt) => cat_blob(&repo, BlobType::Tree, &opt.id, &po)?,
-            CatSubCmd::DataBlob(opt) => cat_blob(&repo, BlobType::Data, &opt.id, &po)?,
+            CatSubCmd::TreeBlob(opt) => repo.to_indexed(&po)?.cat_blob(BlobType::Tree, &opt.id)?,
+            CatSubCmd::DataBlob(opt) => repo.to_indexed(&po)?.cat_blob(BlobType::Data, &opt.id)?,
             // special treatment for cating a tree within a snapshot
-            CatSubCmd::Tree(opt) => cat_tree(
-                &repo,
+            CatSubCmd::Tree(opt) => repo.to_indexed(&po)?.cat_tree(
                 &opt.snap,
                 |sn| config.snapshot_filter.matches(sn),
                 &po,
diff --git a/src/commands/check.rs b/src/commands/check.rs
index b0efc2b..4bf8faa 100644
--- a/src/commands/check.rs
+++ b/src/commands/check.rs
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ impl Runnable for CheckCmd {
         let progress_options = config.global.progress_options;
 
         let repo = open_repository(get_repository(&config));
-        if let Err(err) = self.opts.run(&repo, &progress_options) {
+        if let Err(err) = repo.check(self.opts, &progress_options) {
             status_err!("{}", err);
             RUSTIC_APP.shutdown(Shutdown::Crash);
         };