diff --git a/icechunk/src/ops/mod.rs b/icechunk/src/ops/mod.rs
index 1a004eccb..9dcf3212f 100644
--- a/icechunk/src/ops/mod.rs
+++ b/icechunk/src/ops/mod.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
-use std::{collections::HashSet, future::ready, sync::Arc};
+use std::{collections::HashSet, sync::Arc};
 
+use async_stream::try_stream;
 use futures::{Stream, StreamExt as _, TryStreamExt as _, stream};
+use tokio::pin;
 use tracing::instrument;
 
 use crate::{
@@ -21,8 +23,6 @@ pub async fn all_roots<'a>(
     extra_roots: &'a HashSet<SnapshotId>,
 ) -> RefResult<impl Stream<Item = RefResult<SnapshotId>> + 'a> {
     let all_refs = list_refs(storage, storage_settings).await?;
-    // TODO: this could be optimized by not following the ancestry of snapshots that we have
-    // already seen
     let roots = stream::iter(all_refs)
         .then(move |r| async move {
             r.fetch(storage, storage_settings).await.map(|ref_data| ref_data.snapshot)
@@ -39,21 +39,73 @@ pub async fn pointed_snapshots<'a>(
     asset_manager: Arc<AssetManager>,
     extra_roots: &'a HashSet<SnapshotId>,
 ) -> RepositoryResult<impl Stream<Item = RepositoryResult<SnapshotId>> + 'a> {
-    let roots = all_roots(storage, storage_settings, extra_roots)
-        .await?
-        .err_into::<RepositoryError>();
-    Ok(roots
-        .and_then(move |snap_id| {
+    let mut seen: HashSet<SnapshotId> = HashSet::new();
+    let res = try_stream! {
+        let roots = all_roots(storage, storage_settings, extra_roots)
+            .await?
+            .err_into::<RepositoryError>();
+        pin!(roots);
+
+        while let Some(pointed_snap_id) = roots.try_next().await? {
             let asset_manager = Arc::clone(&asset_manager.clone());
-            async move {
-                let snap = asset_manager.fetch_snapshot(&snap_id).await?;
-                let parents = Arc::clone(&asset_manager)
-                    .snapshot_ancestry(&snap.id())
-                    .await?
-                    .map_ok(|parent| parent.id)
-                    .err_into();
-                Ok(stream::once(ready(Ok(snap_id))).chain(parents))
+            if ! seen.contains(&pointed_snap_id) {
+                let parents = asset_manager.snapshot_ancestry(&pointed_snap_id).await?;
+                for await parent in parents {
+                    let snap_id = parent?.id;
+                    if seen.insert(snap_id.clone()) {
+                        // it's a new snapshot
+                        yield snap_id
+                    } else {
+                        // as soon as we find a repeated snapshot
+                        // there is no point in continuing to retrieve
+                        // the rest of the ancestry, it must be already
+                        // retrieved from other ref
+                        break
+                    }
+                }
             }
-        })
-        .try_flatten())
+        }
+    };
+    Ok(res)
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+#[allow(clippy::panic, clippy::unwrap_used, clippy::expect_used)]
+mod tests {
+    use futures::TryStreamExt as _;
+    use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
+
+    use bytes::Bytes;
+
+    use crate::{
+        Repository, format::Path, new_in_memory_storage, ops::pointed_snapshots,
+    };
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_pointed_snapshots_duplicate() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>>
+    {
+        let storage = new_in_memory_storage().await?;
+        let repo = Repository::create(None, storage.clone(), HashMap::new()).await?;
+        let mut session = repo.writable_session("main").await?;
+        session.add_group(Path::root(), Bytes::new()).await?;
+        let snap = session.commit("commit", None).await?;
+        repo.create_tag("tag1", &snap).await?;
+        let mut session = repo.writable_session("main").await?;
+        session.add_group("/foo".try_into().unwrap(), Bytes::new()).await?;
+        let snap = session.commit("commit", None).await?;
+        repo.create_tag("tag2", &snap).await?;
+
+        let all_snaps = pointed_snapshots(
+            storage.as_ref(),
+            &storage.default_settings(),
+            repo.asset_manager().clone(),
+            &HashSet::new(),
+        )
+        .await?
+        .try_collect::<Vec<_>>()
+        .await?;
+
+        assert_eq!(all_snaps.len(), 3);
+        Ok(())
+    }
 }