diff --git a/owners_client.py b/owners_client.py
index 6f6ecf29c..fc756928b 100644
--- a/owners_client.py
+++ b/owners_client.py
@@ -135,10 +135,14 @@ class DepotToolsClient(OwnersClient):
     self._branch = branch
     self._fopen = fopen
     self._os_path = os_path
+    self._db = None
+    self._db_lock = threading.Lock()
 
-    self._db = owners_db.Database(root, fopen, os_path)
+  def _ensure_db(self):
+    if self._db is not None:
+      return
+    self._db = owners_db.Database(self._root, self._fopen, self._os_path)
     self._db.override_files = self._GetOriginalOwnersFiles()
-    self._db_lock = threading.Lock()
 
   def _GetOriginalOwnersFiles(self):
     return {
@@ -150,6 +154,7 @@ class DepotToolsClient(OwnersClient):
   def ListOwners(self, path):
     # all_possible_owners is not thread safe.
     with self._db_lock:
+      self._ensure_db()
       # all_possible_owners returns a dict {owner: [(path, distance)]}. We want
       # to return a list of owners sorted by increasing distance.
       distance_by_owner = self._db.all_possible_owners([path], None)
diff --git a/tests/git_cl_test.py b/tests/git_cl_test.py
index 00564cf7e..3ed937132 100755
--- a/tests/git_cl_test.py
+++ b/tests/git_cl_test.py
@@ -3922,12 +3922,21 @@ class CMDStatusTestCase(CMDTestCaseBase):
 class CMDOwnersTestCase(CMDTestCaseBase):
   def setUp(self):
     super(CMDOwnersTestCase, self).setUp()
+    self.owners_by_path = {
+      'foo': ['a@example.com'],
+      'bar': ['b@example.com', 'c@example.com'],
+    }
     mock.patch('git_cl.Settings.GetRoot', return_value='root').start()
     mock.patch('git_cl.Changelist.GetAuthor', return_value='author').start()
+    mock.patch(
+        'git_cl.Changelist.GetAffectedFiles',
+        return_value=list(self.owners_by_path)).start()
     mock.patch(
         'git_cl.Changelist.GetCommonAncestorWithUpstream',
         return_value='upstream').start()
-    mock.patch('owners_client.DepotToolsClient').start()
+    mock.patch(
+        'owners_client.DepotToolsClient.BatchListOwners',
+        return_value=self.owners_by_path).start()
     self.addCleanup(mock.patch.stopall)
 
   def testShowAllNoArgs(self):
@@ -3937,15 +3946,11 @@ class CMDOwnersTestCase(CMDTestCaseBase):
         git_cl.sys.stdout.getvalue())
 
   def testShowAll(self):
-    batch_mock = owners_client.DepotToolsClient.return_value.BatchListOwners
-    batch_mock.return_value = {
-      'foo': ['a@example.com'],
-      'bar': ['b@example.com', 'c@example.com'],
-    }
     self.assertEqual(
         0,
         git_cl.main(['owners', '--show-all', 'foo', 'bar', 'baz']))
-    batch_mock.assert_called_once_with(['foo', 'bar', 'baz'])
+    owners_client.DepotToolsClient.BatchListOwners.assert_called_once_with(
+        ['foo', 'bar', 'baz'])
     self.assertEqual(
         '\n'.join([
           'Owners for foo:',
@@ -3959,6 +3964,11 @@ class CMDOwnersTestCase(CMDTestCaseBase):
         ]),
         sys.stdout.getvalue())
 
+  def testBatch(self):
+    self.assertEqual(0, git_cl.main(['owners', '--batch']))
+    self.assertIn('a@example.com', sys.stdout.getvalue())
+    self.assertIn('b@example.com', sys.stdout.getvalue())
+
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
   logging.basicConfig(