diff --git a/dump_things_service/audit/gitaudit.py b/dump_things_service/audit/gitaudit.py
index 5feeefe..60cf4a1 100644
--- a/dump_things_service/audit/gitaudit.py
+++ b/dump_things_service/audit/gitaudit.py
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ from datetime import datetime
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import yaml
-from datalad_core.git_utils import apply_changeset
 from datalad_core.repo import Repo
 from datalad_core.runners import (
     call_git,
@@ -21,6 +20,7 @@ from datalad_core.runners import (
 )
 
 from . import AuditBackend
+from .gitutils import apply_changeset
 
 
 class GitAuditBackend(AuditBackend):
diff --git a/dump_things_service/audit/gitutils.py b/dump_things_service/audit/gitutils.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cd42dce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dump_things_service/audit/gitutils.py
@@ -0,0 +1,300 @@
+# This is taken from the minilad-branch of `datalad-core`, i.e.:
+#
+#   https://hub.datalad.org/datalad/datalad-core/src/branch/minilad/datalad_core/git_utils/apply_changeset.py#
+#
+# which is not yet released. Once the `minilad`-branch is merged, this
+# should be removed and `apply_changeset` should be imported from
+# `datalad_core.gitutils`.
+
+import os
+import tempfile
+from collections.abc import Mapping
+from pathlib import (
+    Path,
+    PurePosixPath,
+)
+
+from datalad_core.git_utils import types as gt
+from datalad_core.git_utils.interrogators import get_object_name
+from datalad_core.git_utils.status import iter_repo_status
+from datalad_core.repo import (
+    Repo,
+    Worktree,
+)
+from datalad_core.runners import (
+    call_git,
+    call_git_oneline,
+)
+
+
+def apply_changeset(
+        target: Repo | Worktree,
+        changes: Mapping[
+            PurePosixPath | str, None | str | Path | tuple[gt.GitObjectMode, str]
+        ],
+        *,
+        message: str,
+        branch: str | None = None,
+        force: bool = False,
+        restage: bool = False,
+) -> str | None:
+    """Apply a changeset to a (bare) repository
+
+    The ``target`` parameter identified the repository or worktree
+    to apply the changeset to. When an effective change was made,
+    it is committed with ``message`` as the commit message.
+    When the changeset is not to be applied on top of ``HEAD``,
+    a different ref can be given via ``branch``. ``HEAD`` need not
+    exist for using this function (i.e., can be used for an initial
+    commit too).
+
+    A changeset (``changes``) is a mapping from a path (relative to the
+    repository root), to change specification. The following specification
+    values are supported:
+
+    - ``None``: remove content
+    - any ``str``-type value: point to (new) blob created from this string
+    - any ``Path`` instance: point to (new) blob created from the content
+      of this file
+    - ``tuple[GitObjectMode, str]``: point to Git object of a mode given
+      by the first tuple item. The nature of the second value is determined
+      by the object mode:
+
+      - file|executable: <object name>
+      - symlink: <target path>
+      - tree: <object name>
+      - submodule: <subproject commit>
+
+    Returns the ID of a created commit, or ``None`` if not commit was made.
+
+    Removed files are not deleted from a worktree, but are left as untracked
+    content.
+    """
+    if not changes:
+        # nothing to do, early exit
+        return None
+
+    repo = target.repo if isinstance(target, Worktree) else target
+
+    # look for any parent commit. will fail with an unknown branch
+    # (should have created it before)
+    try:
+        parent = get_object_name(repo.path, branch or 'HEAD')
+    except ValueError:
+        if branch:
+            # only tolerate an absent HEAD
+            raise
+        parent = None
+
+    # 1. If not bare, store the state of the index to be able to
+    #    restage content
+    # restage is the same format as `index_info`, directly prepared for
+    # git-update-index
+    restage_items = _check_for_conflicts(
+        target, changes, branch=branch, force=force, restage=restage
+    )
+    # 2. Create a temporary index to build the commit
+    with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory(
+            prefix='index',
+            dir=target.git_dir,
+    ) as tmpdir:
+        index_file = Path(tmpdir) / 'index'
+        env = dict(os.environ, GIT_INDEX_FILE=str(index_file))
+        # 3. Read any parent state into the TMP index
+        if parent:
+            call_git(['read-tree', '-q', parent], env=env, cwd=repo.path)
+        # 4. Apply the changes
+        index_info: list[str] = []
+        for path, spec in changes.items():
+            _prep_update_item(
+                cwd=repo.path,
+                env=env,
+                index_info=index_info,
+                path=path,
+                spec=spec,
+            )
+        call_git(
+            ['update-index', '-q', '-z', '--index-info'],
+            inputs='\0'.join(index_info),
+            env=env,
+            text=True,
+            cwd=repo.path,
+        )
+        # 5. Commit the changes
+        tree_id = call_git_oneline(['write-tree'], env=env, cwd=repo.path)
+
+    # avoid empty commit by comparing the tree we ended up with, with the tree
+    # linked to the parent state
+    if (
+            parent
+            and call_git_oneline(['rev-parse', f'{parent}^{{tree}}'], cwd=repo.path)
+            == tree_id
+    ):
+        return None
+
+    commit_cmd = ['commit-tree', tree_id, '-m', message]
+    if parent:
+        commit_cmd.extend(('-p', parent))
+    commit_id = call_git_oneline(commit_cmd, cwd=repo.path)
+    # 6. Update the ref to point to the new commit
+    call_git(
+        [
+            'update-ref',
+            # using HEAD will run with whatever is the default branch name,
+            # also works in bare repos
+            f'refs/heads/{branch}' if branch else 'HEAD',
+            commit_id,
+        ],
+        cwd=repo.path,
+    )
+
+    if isinstance(target, Repo) or branch is not None:
+        return commit_id
+
+    # 7. If not bare and not branch, merge commit into index
+    # read-tree will unavoidably cause staged content to be unstaged
+    call_git(['read-tree', '-m', branch or 'HEAD'], cwd=target.path)
+    # 8. If not bare and not branch, restage content
+    if restage:
+        call_git(
+            ['update-index', '-q', '-z', '--index-info'],
+            inputs='\0'.join(restage_items),
+            text=True,
+            cwd=repo.path,
+        )
+    # 9. If not bare and not branch, update checkout
+    call_git(['checkout-index', '-f', '-u', '-a'], cwd=target.path)
+    return commit_id
+
+
+def _prep_update_item(
+        cwd: Path,
+        env: Mapping[str, str],
+        index_info: list[str],
+        path: PurePosixPath | str,
+        spec: None | str | Path | tuple[gt.GitObjectMode, str],
+):
+    if not isinstance(path, (str, PurePosixPath)):
+        msg = f'Unsupported path type in change specification {path!r}'
+        raise TypeError(msg)
+    path_str = str(path)
+    match spec:
+        case None:
+            # use magic mode '0' to remove from index
+            index_info.append(f'0 {40 * "0"}\t{path_str}')
+        case str():
+            oid = call_git_oneline(
+                ['hash-object', '-t', 'blob', '-w', '--stdin'],
+                inputs=spec,
+                cwd=cwd,
+                env=env,
+            )
+            index_info.append(f'{gt.GitObjectMode.FILE} {oid} 0\t{path_str}')
+        case Path():
+            oid = call_git_oneline(
+                [
+                    'hash-object',
+                    '-t',
+                    'blob',
+                    '-w',
+                    # use --path to enable filters (think EOL conversion)
+                    f'--path={spec}',
+                    str(spec),
+                ],
+                cwd=cwd,
+                env=env,
+            )
+            index_info.append(f'{gt.GitObjectMode.FILE} {oid} 0\t{path_str}')
+        case tuple() if spec[0] is gt.GitObjectMode.SYMLINK:
+            oid = call_git_oneline(
+                ['hash-object', '-t', 'blob', '-w', '--stdin'],
+                inputs=spec[1],
+                cwd=cwd,
+                env=env,
+            )
+            index_info.append(f'{gt.GitObjectMode.SYMLINK} {oid} 0\t{path_str}')
+        case tuple():
+            index_info.append(f'{spec[0]} {spec[1]} 0\t{path_str}')
+        case _:
+            msg = f'Unsupported change specification {spec!r}'
+            raise ValueError(msg)
+
+
+def _check_for_conflicts(
+        target: Repo | Worktree,
+        changes: Mapping[
+            PurePosixPath | str, None | str | Path | tuple[gt.GitObjectMode, str]
+        ],
+        *,
+        branch: str | None = None,
+        force: bool = False,
+        restage: bool = False,
+) -> list[str]:
+    if not isinstance(target, Worktree):
+        # no worktree, no chance for conflicts
+        return []
+
+    if force and not restage:
+        # we can fully ignore the state of the worktree and that of the index
+        return []
+
+    if (
+            branch
+            and call_git_oneline(['branch', '--show-current'], cwd=target.path) != branch
+    ):
+        # the changeset targets a branch/ref that is not the current branch.
+        # no chance for conflicts with the worktree
+        return []
+
+    status = {
+        r.path: r
+        for r in iter_repo_status(
+            target.path,
+            untracked_files=gt.UntrackedFilesMode.ALL,
+            # we do not care about submodules, but we want them
+            # listed of the subproject commit is modified, to
+            # be able to detect conflicts.
+            ignore_submodules=gt.IgnoreSubmodulesMode.DIRTY,
+        )
+    }
+    if not force:
+        # abort for untracked content that conflicts with changeset
+        untracked_content: set[PurePosixPath] = {
+            PurePosixPath(r.path)
+            for r in status.values()
+            if isinstance(r, gt.RepoUntrackedRecord)
+        }
+        untracked_conflict = untracked_content.intersection(
+            PurePosixPath(r) for r in changes
+        )
+        if untracked_conflict:
+            msg = (
+                'Refuse to apply changeset with conflicting untracked worktree content'
+            )
+            raise ValueError(msg)
+
+    # abort for unstaged modifications of the worktree (would be lost by the
+    # final sync of the worktree with the index)
+    if any(
+            r.modification.unstaged != gt.ModificationStateType.UNMODIFIED
+            for r in status.values()
+            if isinstance(r, gt.RepoModificationRecord)
+    ):
+        msg = (
+            'Refuse to apply changeset to worktree with '
+            'unstaged/uncommitted modifications'
+        )
+        raise ValueError(msg)
+
+    # restage is the same format as `index_info`, directly prepared for
+    # git-update-index
+    return [
+        f'{r.mode_index} {r.name_index} 0\t{r.path}'
+        for r in status.values()
+        if isinstance(r, gt.RepoModificationRecord)
+           and r.modification.staged
+           in (
+               gt.ModificationStateType.ADDED,
+               gt.ModificationStateType.MODIFIED,
+           )
+    ]