diff --git a/swh/storage/in_memory.py b/swh/storage/in_memory.py
--- a/swh/storage/in_memory.py
+++ b/swh/storage/in_memory.py
@@ -150,6 +150,14 @@
 
         return count
 
+    def _content_to_model(self, contents):
+        """Takes a list of content dicts, optionally with an extra 'origin'
+        key, and yields tuples (model.Content, origin)."""
+        for content in contents:
+            content = content.copy()
+            content.pop('origin', None)
+            yield Content.from_dict(content)
+
     def content_add(self, content):
         """Add content blobs to the storage
 
@@ -179,7 +187,7 @@
                 skipped_content:add: New skipped contents (no data) added
 
         """
-        content = [Content.from_dict(c) for c in content]
+        content = list(self._content_to_model(content))
         now = datetime.datetime.now(tz=datetime.timezone.utc)
         for item in content:
             item.ctime = now
@@ -214,7 +222,7 @@
                 skipped_content:add: New skipped contents (no data) added
 
         """
-        content = [Content.from_dict(c) for c in content]
+        content = list(self._content_to_model(content))
         return self._content_add(content, with_data=False)
 
     def content_get(self, content):
diff --git a/swh/storage/storage.py b/swh/storage/storage.py
--- a/swh/storage/storage.py
+++ b/swh/storage/storage.py
@@ -198,6 +198,15 @@
                     raise
 
         if content_without_data:
+            content_without_data = \
+                [cont.copy() for cont in content_without_data]
+            origins = db.origin_get_by_url(
+                [cont.get('origin') for cont in content_without_data],
+                cur=cur)
+            for (cont, origin) in zip(content_without_data, origins):
+                origin = dict(zip(db.origin_cols, origin))
+                if 'origin' in cont:
+                    cont['origin'] = origin['id']
             db.mktemp('skipped_content', cur)
             db.copy_to(content_without_data, 'tmp_skipped_content',
                        db.skipped_content_keys, cur)
diff --git a/swh/storage/tests/test_storage.py b/swh/storage/tests/test_storage.py
--- a/swh/storage/tests/test_storage.py
+++ b/swh/storage/tests/test_storage.py
@@ -119,6 +119,7 @@
                 '2c772cc193778aac9a137b8dc5834b9b'),
             'reason': 'Content too long',
             'status': 'absent',
+            'origin': 'file:///dev/zero',
         }
 
         self.skipped_cont2 = {