diff --git a/lisp/emacs-lisp/package-vc.el b/lisp/emacs-lisp/package-vc.el
index ef056c7909b..4e88964ecd0 100644
--- a/lisp/emacs-lisp/package-vc.el
+++ b/lisp/emacs-lisp/package-vc.el
@@ -810,8 +810,9 @@ package-vc-upgrade
                   (remove-hook 'vc-post-command-functions post-upgrade))))))
     (add-hook 'vc-post-command-functions post-upgrade)
     (with-demoted-errors "Failed to fetch: %S"
-      (let ((default-directory pkg-dir))
-        (vc-pull)))))
+      (with-temp-buffer
+        (let ((default-directory pkg-dir))
+          (vc-pull))))))
 
 (defun package-vc--archives-initialize ()
   "Initialize package.el and fetch package specifications."