diff --git a/swh/indexer/metadata.py b/swh/indexer/metadata.py
--- a/swh/indexer/metadata.py
+++ b/swh/indexer/metadata.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 # See top-level LICENSE file for more information
 
 from copy import deepcopy
+import hashlib
 import itertools
 import logging
 import time
@@ -109,7 +110,14 @@
             raise NotImplementedError(
                 "ExtrinsicMetadataIndexer.index() without RawExtrinsicMetadata data"
             )
-        if data.target.object_type != ExtendedObjectType.ORIGIN:
+        if data.target.object_type == ExtendedObjectType.ORIGIN:
+            origin_sha1 = data.target.object_id
+        elif data.origin is not None:
+            # HACK: As swh-search does (yet?) not support searching on directories
+            # and traversing back to origins, we index metadata on non-origins with
+            # an origin context as if they were on the origin itself.
+            origin_sha1 = hashlib.sha1(data.origin.encode()).digest()
+        else:
             # other types are not supported yet
             return []
 
@@ -136,7 +144,7 @@
 
         # TODO: batch requests to origin_get_by_sha1()
         for _ in range(6):
-            origins = self.storage.origin_get_by_sha1([data.target.object_id])
+            origins = self.storage.origin_get_by_sha1([origin_sha1])
             try:
                 (origin,) = origins
                 if origin is not None:
diff --git a/swh/indexer/tests/test_metadata.py b/swh/indexer/tests/test_metadata.py
--- a/swh/indexer/tests/test_metadata.py
+++ b/swh/indexer/tests/test_metadata.py
@@ -61,8 +61,8 @@
 
 DEPOSIT_REMD = RawExtrinsicMetadata(
     target=ExtendedSWHID(
-        object_type=ExtendedObjectType.ORIGIN,
-        object_id=b"\x01" * 20,
+        object_type=ExtendedObjectType.DIRECTORY,
+        object_id=b"\x02" * 20,
     ),
     discovery_date=datetime.datetime.now(tz=datetime.timezone.utc),
     authority=MetadataAuthority(
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@
           </author>
         </atom:entry>
     """.encode(),
+    origin="https://example.org/jdoe/myrepo",
 )
 
 GITHUB_REMD = RawExtrinsicMetadata(
@@ -295,7 +296,9 @@
         ) == {"status": "eventful", "origin_extrinsic_metadata:add": 1}
 
         assert metadata_indexer.storage.method_calls == [
-            call.origin_get_by_sha1([b"\x01" * 20])
+            call.origin_get_by_sha1(
+                [b"\xb1\x0c\\\xd2w\x1b\xdd\xac\x07\xdb\xdf>\x93O1\xd0\xc9L\x0c\xcf"]
+            )
         ]
 
         results = list(
@@ -337,7 +340,9 @@
         ) == {"status": "uneventful", "origin_extrinsic_metadata:add": 0}
 
         assert metadata_indexer.storage.method_calls == [
-            call.origin_get_by_sha1([b"\x01" * 20])
+            call.origin_get_by_sha1(
+                [b"\xb1\x0c\\\xd2w\x1b\xdd\xac\x07\xdb\xdf>\x93O1\xd0\xc9L\x0c\xcf"]
+            )
         ]
 
         results = list(