diff --git a/tempfile.c b/tempfile.c
index d43ad8c191..94aa18f3f7 100644
--- a/tempfile.c
+++ b/tempfile.c
@@ -130,17 +130,17 @@ static void deactivate_tempfile(struct tempfile *tempfile)
 }
 
 /* Make sure errno contains a meaningful value on error */
-struct tempfile *create_tempfile(const char *path)
+struct tempfile *create_tempfile_mode(const char *path, int mode)
 {
 	struct tempfile *tempfile = new_tempfile();
 
 	strbuf_add_absolute_path(&tempfile->filename, path);
 	tempfile->fd = open(tempfile->filename.buf,
-			    O_RDWR | O_CREAT | O_EXCL | O_CLOEXEC, 0666);
+			    O_RDWR | O_CREAT | O_EXCL | O_CLOEXEC, mode);
 	if (O_CLOEXEC && tempfile->fd < 0 && errno == EINVAL)
 		/* Try again w/o O_CLOEXEC: the kernel might not support it */
 		tempfile->fd = open(tempfile->filename.buf,
-				    O_RDWR | O_CREAT | O_EXCL, 0666);
+				    O_RDWR | O_CREAT | O_EXCL, mode);
 	if (tempfile->fd < 0) {
 		deactivate_tempfile(tempfile);
 		return NULL;
diff --git a/tempfile.h b/tempfile.h
index cddda0a33c..4de3bc77d2 100644
--- a/tempfile.h
+++ b/tempfile.h
@@ -88,8 +88,16 @@ struct tempfile {
  * Attempt to create a temporary file at the specified `path`. Return
  * a tempfile (whose "fd" member can be used for writing to it), or
  * NULL on error. It is an error if a file already exists at that path.
+ * Note that `mode` will be further modified by the umask, and possibly
+ * `core.sharedRepository`, so it is not guaranteed to have the given
+ * mode.
  */
-struct tempfile *create_tempfile(const char *path);
+struct tempfile *create_tempfile_mode(const char *path, int mode);
+
+static inline struct tempfile *create_tempfile(const char *path)
+{
+	return create_tempfile_mode(path, 0666);
+}
 
 /*
  * Register an existing file as a tempfile, meaning that it will be