diff --git a/waterbutler/core/cache.py b/waterbutler/core/cache.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..59e71cf87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/waterbutler/core/cache.py
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+import asyncio
+
+
+class CacheableMetadataProviderProxy:
+    """Wraps a provider so that folder ``metadata`` requests are cached and the
+    metadata of any child folders is prefetched concurrently.
+
+    When a folder is listed, a metadata task is scheduled for each of its child
+    folders without awaiting them. Those tasks run on the event loop while files
+    are being downloaded, so the generator can issue all of its metadata requests
+    up front instead of fetching folder listings strictly one-at-a-time.
+
+    Any attribute that is not overridden here (``download``, ``path_from_metadata``,
+    etc.) is delegated to the wrapped provider.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, provider):
+        self.provider = provider
+        self.__cache = dict[str, asyncio.Task]()
+
+    def metadata_task(self, path, **kwargs):
+        key = path.identifier or str(path)
+        if key not in self.__cache:
+            self.__cache[key] = asyncio.create_task(
+                self.provider.metadata(path, **kwargs)
+            )
+        return self.__cache[key]
+
+    async def metadata(self, path, **kwargs):
+        if path.is_file:
+            return await self.provider.metadata(path, **kwargs)
+
+        items = await self.metadata_task(path, **kwargs)
+
+        for item in items:
+            if item.is_folder:
+                child = self.provider.path_from_metadata(path, item)
+                self.metadata_task(child, **kwargs)
+
+        return items
+
+    def __getattr__(self, name):
+        return getattr(self.provider, name)
diff --git a/waterbutler/core/provider.py b/waterbutler/core/provider.py
index 9e5101063..70cdf9185 100644
--- a/waterbutler/core/provider.py
+++ b/waterbutler/core/provider.py
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 from waterbutler import settings as wb_settings
 from waterbutler.core.metrics import MetricsRecord
 from waterbutler.core import metadata as wb_metadata
+from waterbutler.core.cache import CacheableMetadataProviderProxy
 from waterbutler.core.utils import ZipStreamGenerator
 from waterbutler.core.utils import RequestHandlerContext
 
@@ -678,18 +679,17 @@ async def revalidate_path(self,
         """
         return base.child(path, folder=folder)
 
-    async def zip(self, path: wb_path.WaterButlerPath, **kwargs) -> asyncio.StreamReader:
+    async def zip(self, path: wb_path.WaterButlerPath, use_cache: bool = True, **kwargs) -> asyncio.StreamReader:
         """Streams a Zip archive of the given folder
 
         :param  path: ( :class:`.WaterButlerPath` ) The folder to compress
+        :param  use_cache: ( `bool` ) Whether to prefetch metadata requests for nested folders during zip
         """
+        provider = CacheableMetadataProviderProxy(self) if use_cache else self
 
-        meta_data = await self.metadata(path, **kwargs)  # type: ignore
-        if path.is_file:
-            meta_data = [meta_data]  # type: ignore
-            path = path.parent
-
-        return streams.ZipStreamReader(ZipStreamGenerator(self, path, *meta_data, **kwargs))  # type: ignore
+        return streams.ZipStreamReader(
+            await ZipStreamGenerator.create(provider, path, **kwargs)
+        )  # type: ignore
 
     def shares_storage_root(self, other: 'BaseProvider') -> bool:
         """Returns True if ``self`` and ``other`` both point to the same storage root.  Used to
diff --git a/waterbutler/core/utils.py b/waterbutler/core/utils.py
index 6c28abf75..512e95e2c 100644
--- a/waterbutler/core/utils.py
+++ b/waterbutler/core/utils.py
@@ -193,6 +193,7 @@ def make_disposition(filename):
 
 
 class ZipStreamGenerator:
+
     def __init__(self, provider, parent_path, *metadata_objs, **kwargs):
         self.provider = provider
         self.parent_path = parent_path
@@ -202,6 +203,14 @@ def __init__(self, provider, parent_path, *metadata_objs, **kwargs):
         ]
         self.kwargs = kwargs
 
+    @classmethod
+    async def create(cls, provider, path, **kwargs):
+        meta_data = await provider.metadata(path, **kwargs)
+        if path.is_file:
+            meta_data = [meta_data]
+            path = path.parent
+        return cls(provider, path, *meta_data, **kwargs)
+
     async def __aiter__(self):
         return self