diff --git a/builtin/submodule--helper.c b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
index 6d8e002be7..5551cf19c3 100644
--- a/builtin/submodule--helper.c
+++ b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
@@ -455,7 +455,7 @@ static void init_submodule(const char *path, const char *prefix,
 
 	displaypath = get_submodule_displaypath(path, prefix);
 
-	sub = submodule_from_path(&null_oid, path);
+	sub = submodule_from_path(the_repository, &null_oid, path);
 
 	if (!sub)
 		die(_("No url found for submodule path '%s' in .gitmodules"),
@@ -622,7 +622,7 @@ static void status_submodule(const char *path, const struct object_id *ce_oid,
 	struct rev_info rev;
 	int diff_files_result;
 
-	if (!submodule_from_path(&null_oid, path))
+	if (!submodule_from_path(the_repository, &null_oid, path))
 		die(_("no submodule mapping found in .gitmodules for path '%s'"),
 		      path);
 
@@ -742,7 +742,7 @@ static int module_name(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	if (argc != 2)
 		usage(_("git submodule--helper name <path>"));
 
-	sub = submodule_from_path(&null_oid, argv[1]);
+	sub = submodule_from_path(the_repository, &null_oid, argv[1]);
 
 	if (!sub)
 		die(_("no submodule mapping found in .gitmodules for path '%s'"),
@@ -773,7 +773,7 @@ static void sync_submodule(const char *path, const char *prefix,
 	if (!is_submodule_active(the_repository, path))
 		return;
 
-	sub = submodule_from_path(&null_oid, path);
+	sub = submodule_from_path(the_repository, &null_oid, path);
 
 	if (sub && sub->url) {
 		if (starts_with_dot_dot_slash(sub->url) ||
@@ -926,7 +926,7 @@ static void deinit_submodule(const char *path, const char *prefix,
 	struct strbuf sb_config = STRBUF_INIT;
 	char *sub_git_dir = xstrfmt("%s/.git", path);
 
-	sub = submodule_from_path(&null_oid, path);
+	sub = submodule_from_path(the_repository, &null_oid, path);
 
 	if (!sub || !sub->name)
 		goto cleanup;
@@ -1368,7 +1368,7 @@ static int prepare_to_clone_next_submodule(const struct cache_entry *ce,
 		goto cleanup;
 	}
 
-	sub = submodule_from_path(&null_oid, ce->name);
+	sub = submodule_from_path(the_repository, &null_oid, ce->name);
 
 	if (suc->recursive_prefix)
 		displaypath = relative_path(suc->recursive_prefix,
@@ -1651,7 +1651,7 @@ static const char *remote_submodule_branch(const char *path)
 	const char *branch = NULL;
 	char *key;
 
-	sub = submodule_from_path(&null_oid, path);
+	sub = submodule_from_path(the_repository, &null_oid, path);
 	if (!sub)
 		return NULL;
 
diff --git a/submodule-config.c b/submodule-config.c
index 5b4f0baae8..0ea1e927d2 100644
--- a/submodule-config.c
+++ b/submodule-config.c
@@ -619,18 +619,20 @@ static void gitmodules_read_check(struct repository *repo)
 		repo_read_gitmodules(repo);
 }
 
-const struct submodule *submodule_from_name(const struct object_id *treeish_name,
+const struct submodule *submodule_from_name(struct repository *r,
+					    const struct object_id *treeish_name,
 		const char *name)
 {
-	gitmodules_read_check(the_repository);
-	return config_from(the_repository->submodule_cache, treeish_name, name, lookup_name);
+	gitmodules_read_check(r);
+	return config_from(r->submodule_cache, treeish_name, name, lookup_name);
 }
 
-const struct submodule *submodule_from_path(const struct object_id *treeish_name,
+const struct submodule *submodule_from_path(struct repository *r,
+					    const struct object_id *treeish_name,
 		const char *path)
 {
-	gitmodules_read_check(the_repository);
-	return config_from(the_repository->submodule_cache, treeish_name, path, lookup_path);
+	gitmodules_read_check(r);
+	return config_from(r->submodule_cache, treeish_name, path, lookup_path);
 }
 
 const struct submodule *submodule_from_cache(struct repository *repo,
diff --git a/submodule-config.h b/submodule-config.h
index 6b71a8cd30..43dfe7dec0 100644
--- a/submodule-config.h
+++ b/submodule-config.h
@@ -39,10 +39,12 @@ extern int parse_update_recurse_submodules_arg(const char *opt, const char *arg)
 extern int parse_push_recurse_submodules_arg(const char *opt, const char *arg);
 extern void repo_read_gitmodules(struct repository *repo);
 extern void gitmodules_config_oid(const struct object_id *commit_oid);
-extern const struct submodule *submodule_from_name(
-		const struct object_id *commit_or_tree, const char *name);
-extern const struct submodule *submodule_from_path(
-		const struct object_id *commit_or_tree, const char *path);
+const struct submodule *submodule_from_name(struct repository *r,
+					    const struct object_id *commit_or_tree,
+					    const char *name);
+const struct submodule *submodule_from_path(struct repository *r,
+					    const struct object_id *commit_or_tree,
+					    const char *path);
 extern const struct submodule *submodule_from_cache(struct repository *repo,
 						    const struct object_id *treeish_name,
 						    const char *key);
diff --git a/submodule.c b/submodule.c
index b03e5f5045..9279cff2d7 100644
--- a/submodule.c
+++ b/submodule.c
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ int update_path_in_gitmodules(const char *oldpath, const char *newpath)
 	if (is_gitmodules_unmerged(&the_index))
 		die(_("Cannot change unmerged .gitmodules, resolve merge conflicts first"));
 
-	submodule = submodule_from_path(&null_oid, oldpath);
+	submodule = submodule_from_path(the_repository, &null_oid, oldpath);
 	if (!submodule || !submodule->name) {
 		warning(_("Could not find section in .gitmodules where path=%s"), oldpath);
 		return -1;
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ int remove_path_from_gitmodules(const char *path)
 	if (is_gitmodules_unmerged(&the_index))
 		die(_("Cannot change unmerged .gitmodules, resolve merge conflicts first"));
 
-	submodule = submodule_from_path(&null_oid, path);
+	submodule = submodule_from_path(the_repository, &null_oid, path);
 	if (!submodule || !submodule->name) {
 		warning(_("Could not find section in .gitmodules where path=%s"), path);
 		return -1;
@@ -174,7 +174,8 @@ static int add_submodule_odb(const char *path)
 void set_diffopt_flags_from_submodule_config(struct diff_options *diffopt,
 					     const char *path)
 {
-	const struct submodule *submodule = submodule_from_path(&null_oid, path);
+	const struct submodule *submodule = submodule_from_path(the_repository,
+								&null_oid, path);
 	if (submodule) {
 		const char *ignore;
 		char *key;
@@ -674,7 +675,7 @@ const struct submodule *submodule_from_ce(const struct cache_entry *ce)
 	if (!should_update_submodules())
 		return NULL;
 
-	return submodule_from_path(&null_oid, ce->name);
+	return submodule_from_path(the_repository, &null_oid, ce->name);
 }
 
 static struct oid_array *submodule_commits(struct string_list *submodules,
@@ -731,13 +732,14 @@ static void collect_changed_submodules_cb(struct diff_queue_struct *q,
 		if (!S_ISGITLINK(p->two->mode))
 			continue;
 
-		submodule = submodule_from_path(commit_oid, p->two->path);
+		submodule = submodule_from_path(the_repository,
+						commit_oid, p->two->path);
 		if (submodule)
 			name = submodule->name;
 		else {
 			name = default_name_or_path(p->two->path);
 			/* make sure name does not collide with existing one */
-			submodule = submodule_from_name(commit_oid, name);
+			submodule = submodule_from_name(the_repository, commit_oid, name);
 			if (submodule) {
 				warning("Submodule in commit %s at path: "
 					"'%s' collides with a submodule named "
@@ -945,7 +947,7 @@ int find_unpushed_submodules(struct oid_array *commits,
 		const struct submodule *submodule;
 		const char *path = NULL;
 
-		submodule = submodule_from_name(&null_oid, name->string);
+		submodule = submodule_from_name(the_repository, &null_oid, name->string);
 		if (submodule)
 			path = submodule->path;
 		else
@@ -1113,7 +1115,7 @@ static void calculate_changed_submodule_paths(void)
 	const struct string_list_item *name;
 
 	/* No need to check if there are no submodules configured */
-	if (!submodule_from_path(NULL, NULL))
+	if (!submodule_from_path(the_repository, NULL, NULL))
 		return;
 
 	argv_array_push(&argv, "--"); /* argv[0] program name */
@@ -1134,7 +1136,7 @@ static void calculate_changed_submodule_paths(void)
 		const struct submodule *submodule;
 		const char *path = NULL;
 
-		submodule = submodule_from_name(&null_oid, name->string);
+		submodule = submodule_from_name(the_repository, &null_oid, name->string);
 		if (submodule)
 			path = submodule->path;
 		else
@@ -1162,7 +1164,7 @@ int submodule_touches_in_range(struct object_id *excl_oid,
 	int ret;
 
 	/* No need to check if there are no submodules configured */
-	if (!submodule_from_path(NULL, NULL))
+	if (!submodule_from_path(the_repository, NULL, NULL))
 		return 0;
 
 	argv_array_push(&args, "--"); /* args[0] program name */
@@ -1604,7 +1606,7 @@ int submodule_move_head(const char *path,
 	if (old && !is_submodule_populated_gently(path, error_code_ptr))
 		return 0;
 
-	sub = submodule_from_path(&null_oid, path);
+	sub = submodule_from_path(the_repository, &null_oid, path);
 
 	if (!sub)
 		die("BUG: could not get submodule information for '%s'", path);
@@ -1886,7 +1888,7 @@ static void relocate_single_git_dir_into_superproject(const char *prefix,
 
 	real_old_git_dir = real_pathdup(old_git_dir, 1);
 
-	sub = submodule_from_path(&null_oid, path);
+	sub = submodule_from_path(the_repository, &null_oid, path);
 	if (!sub)
 		die(_("could not lookup name for submodule '%s'"), path);
 
@@ -1942,7 +1944,7 @@ void absorb_git_dir_into_superproject(const char *prefix,
 		* superproject did not rewrite the git file links yet,
 		* fix it now.
 		*/
-		sub = submodule_from_path(&null_oid, path);
+		sub = submodule_from_path(the_repository, &null_oid, path);
 		if (!sub)
 			die(_("could not lookup name for submodule '%s'"), path);
 		connect_work_tree_and_git_dir(path,
@@ -2088,7 +2090,7 @@ int submodule_to_gitdir(struct strbuf *buf, const char *submodule)
 		strbuf_addstr(buf, git_dir);
 	}
 	if (!is_git_directory(buf->buf)) {
-		sub = submodule_from_path(&null_oid, submodule);
+		sub = submodule_from_path(the_repository, &null_oid, submodule);
 		if (!sub) {
 			ret = -1;
 			goto cleanup;
diff --git a/t/helper/test-submodule-config.c b/t/helper/test-submodule-config.c
index 9971c5e9dd..e044871cee 100644
--- a/t/helper/test-submodule-config.c
+++ b/t/helper/test-submodule-config.c
@@ -48,9 +48,11 @@ int cmd_main(int argc, const char **argv)
 			die_usage(argc, argv, "Commit not found.");
 
 		if (lookup_name) {
-			submodule = submodule_from_name(&commit_oid, path_or_name);
+			submodule = submodule_from_name(the_repository,
+							&commit_oid, path_or_name);
 		} else
-			submodule = submodule_from_path(&commit_oid, path_or_name);
+			submodule = submodule_from_path(the_repository,
+							&commit_oid, path_or_name);
 		if (!submodule)
 			die_usage(argc, argv, "Submodule not found.");