diff --git a/gitk-git/gitk b/gitk-git/gitk
index d1d77d832ee0ed..834b3a856801a7 100755
--- a/gitk-git/gitk
+++ b/gitk-git/gitk
@@ -500,6 +500,44 @@ proc getcommits {selid} {
     }
 }
 
+proc updatecommits_command {args oldpos view} {
+    global have_tk86 show_notes vfilelimit
+
+    set command_head [concat git log --no-color -z --pretty=raw $show_notes --parents --boundary $args]
+
+    if {!$have_tk86} {
+        # "chan pipe" is added in tcl 8.6
+        return [open [concat | $command_head --not $oldpos -- $vfilelimit($view)] r]
+    } else {
+        set pIn [chan pipe]
+        set pOut [chan pipe]
+        set child [exec sh -c [concat $command_head --stdin] <@ [lindex $pIn 0] >@ [lindex $pOut 1] &]
+        close [lindex $pIn 0]
+        close [lindex $pOut 1]
+
+        foreach arg $oldpos {
+            if {![regexp {[0-9a-f]{16}} $arg]} {
+                puts "oops: unexpected refspec to ignore (only hashes are expected): $arg"
+            }
+            puts [lindex $pIn 1] "^$arg"
+        }
+        puts [lindex $pIn 1] "--"
+        foreach file_arg $vfilelimit($view) {
+            if {[string first "\n" $file_arg] > -1} {
+                # --stdin gets each line as argument, no quoting required
+                # this approach seems to miss newlines in file name
+                # which is unlikely
+                puts "oops: newlines in file names not supported"
+            } else {
+                puts [lindex $pIn 1] $file_arg
+            }
+        }
+        close [lindex $pIn 1]
+
+        return [lindex $pOut 0]
+    }
+}
+
 proc updatecommits {} {
     global curview vcanopt vorigargs vfilelimit viewinstances
     global viewactive viewcomplete tclencoding
@@ -507,7 +545,6 @@ proc updatecommits {} {
     global mainheadid viewmainheadid viewmainheadid_orig pending_select
     global hasworktree
     global varcid vposids vnegids vflags vrevs
-    global show_notes
 
     set hasworktree [hasworktree]
     rereadrefs
@@ -555,13 +592,13 @@ proc updatecommits {} {
 	    set revs $newrevs
 	    set vposids($view) [lsort -unique [concat $oldpos $vposids($view)]]
 	}
-	set args [concat $vflags($view) $revs --not $oldpos]
+	set args [concat $vflags($view) $revs]
     } else {
 	set args $vorigargs($view)
+        set oldpos {}
     }
     if {[catch {
-	set fd [open [concat | git log --no-color -z --pretty=raw $show_notes \
-			--parents --boundary $args "--" $vfilelimit($view)] r]
+	set fd [updatecommits_command $args $oldpos $view]
     } err]} {
 	error_popup "[mc "Error executing git log:"] $err"
 	return