diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/github/jengelman/gradle/plugins/shadow/internal/RelocatorRemapper.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/github/jengelman/gradle/plugins/shadow/internal/RelocatorRemapper.kt
index bc3c1e688..dbb743c41 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/github/jengelman/gradle/plugins/shadow/internal/RelocatorRemapper.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/github/jengelman/gradle/plugins/shadow/internal/RelocatorRemapper.kt
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
 package com.github.jengelman.gradle.plugins.shadow.internal
 
 import com.github.jengelman.gradle.plugins.shadow.relocation.Relocator
-import com.github.jengelman.gradle.plugins.shadow.relocation.relocatePath
-import org.apache.tools.zip.UnixStat
-import org.apache.tools.zip.ZipOutputStream
 import org.gradle.api.GradleException
 import org.gradle.api.file.FileCopyDetails
 import org.vafer.jdeb.shaded.objectweb.asm.ClassReader
@@ -13,15 +10,10 @@ import org.vafer.jdeb.shaded.objectweb.asm.commons.ClassRemapper
 import org.vafer.jdeb.shaded.objectweb.asm.commons.Remapper
 
 /**
- * Applies remapping to the given class with the specified relocation path. The remapped class is
- * then written to the zip file.
+ * Applies remapping to the given class file using the provided relocators and returns the
+ * (possibly) remapped class bytes. If no remapping is required, the original bytes are returned.
  */
-internal fun FileCopyDetails.remapClass(
-  relocators: Set<Relocator>,
-  zipOutStr: ZipOutputStream,
-  preserveFileTimestamps: Boolean,
-  lastModified: Long,
-) =
+internal fun FileCopyDetails.remapClass(relocators: Set<Relocator>): ByteArray =
   file.readBytes().let { bytes ->
     var modified = false
     val remapper = RelocatorRemapper(relocators) { modified = true }
@@ -42,20 +34,7 @@ internal fun FileCopyDetails.remapClass(
     }
 
     // If we didn't need to change anything, keep the original bytes as-is.
-    val newBytes = if (modified) cw.toByteArray() else bytes
-
-    // Temporarily remove the multi-release prefix.
-    val multiReleasePrefix = "^META-INF/versions/\\d+/".toRegex().find(path)?.value.orEmpty()
-    val newPath = path.replace(multiReleasePrefix, "")
-    val relocatedPath = multiReleasePrefix + relocators.relocatePath(newPath)
-    val entry =
-      zipEntry(relocatedPath, preserveFileTimestamps, lastModified) {
-        unixMode = UnixStat.FILE_FLAG or permissions.toUnixNumeric()
-      }
-    // Now we put it back on so the class file is written out with the right extension.
-    zipOutStr.putNextEntry(entry)
-    zipOutStr.write(newBytes)
-    zipOutStr.closeEntry()
+    if (modified) cw.toByteArray() else bytes
   }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/github/jengelman/gradle/plugins/shadow/tasks/ShadowCopyAction.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/github/jengelman/gradle/plugins/shadow/tasks/ShadowCopyAction.kt
index 4e445d102..1cb0039c3 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/github/jengelman/gradle/plugins/shadow/tasks/ShadowCopyAction.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/github/jengelman/gradle/plugins/shadow/tasks/ShadowCopyAction.kt
@@ -174,12 +174,13 @@ constructor(
           if (relocators.isEmpty()) {
             fileDetails.writeToZip(path)
           } else {
-            fileDetails.remapClass(
-              relocators = relocators,
-              zipOutStr = zipOutStr,
-              preserveFileTimestamps = preserveFileTimestamps,
-              lastModified = fileDetails.lastModified,
-            )
+            with(fileDetails) {
+              // Temporarily remove the multi-release prefix.
+              val multiReleasePrefix = multiReleaseRegex.find(path)?.value.orEmpty()
+              val newPath = path.replace(multiReleasePrefix, "")
+              val relocatedPath = multiReleasePrefix + relocators.relocatePath(newPath)
+              writeToZip(entryName = relocatedPath, bytes = remapClass(relocators = relocators))
+            }
           }
         }
         enableKotlinModuleRemapping && path.endsWith(".kotlin_module") -> {
@@ -246,13 +247,7 @@ constructor(
             // matter to the compiler.
             else -> path.replace(".kotlin_module", ".shadow.kotlin_module")
           }
-        val entry =
-          zipEntry(entryName, preserveFileTimestamps, lastModified) {
-            unixMode = UnixStat.FILE_FLAG or permissions.toUnixNumeric()
-          }
-        zipOutStr.putNextEntry(entry)
-        zipOutStr.write(newBytes)
-        zipOutStr.closeEntry()
+        writeToZip(entryName = entryName, bytes = newBytes)
       }
 
     private fun transform(fileDetails: FileCopyDetails, path: String): Boolean {
@@ -265,19 +260,24 @@ constructor(
       return true
     }
 
-    private fun FileCopyDetails.writeToZip(entryName: String) {
+    private fun FileCopyDetails.writeToZip(entryName: String, bytes: ByteArray? = null) {
       val entry =
         zipEntry(entryName, preserveFileTimestamps, lastModified) {
           unixMode = UnixStat.FILE_FLAG or permissions.toUnixNumeric()
         }
       zipOutStr.putNextEntry(entry)
-      copyTo(zipOutStr)
+      if (bytes == null) {
+        copyTo(zipOutStr)
+      } else {
+        zipOutStr.write(bytes)
+      }
       zipOutStr.closeEntry()
     }
   }
 
   public companion object {
     private val logger = Logging.getLogger(ShadowCopyAction::class.java)
+    private val multiReleaseRegex = "^META-INF/versions/\\d+/".toRegex()
 
     private val ZipOutputStream.entries: List<ZipEntry>
       get() =