diff --git a/builtin/clone.c b/builtin/clone.c
index 5b25cca510..904d2d859f 100644
--- a/builtin/clone.c
+++ b/builtin/clone.c
@@ -1185,10 +1185,10 @@ int cmd_clone(int argc,
 	 * repository, and reference backends may persist that information into
 	 * their on-disk data structures.
 	 */
-	init_db(the_repository, git_dir, real_git_dir, work_tree, option_template,
-		GIT_HASH_UNKNOWN, ref_storage_format, NULL,
-		do_not_override_repo_unix_permissions,
-		INIT_DB_QUIET | INIT_DB_SKIP_REFDB);
+	create_repository(the_repository, git_dir, real_git_dir, work_tree,
+			  option_template, GIT_HASH_UNKNOWN, ref_storage_format,
+			  do_not_override_repo_unix_permissions, NULL);
+	create_object_database(the_repository);
 
 	if (real_git_dir) {
 		free((char *)git_dir);
@@ -1445,6 +1445,7 @@ int cmd_clone(int argc,
 	initialize_repository_version(the_repository, hash_algo, the_repository->ref_storage_format, 1);
 	repo_set_hash_algo(the_repository, hash_algo);
 	create_reference_database(the_repository, NULL, 1);
+	startup_info->have_repository = 1;
 
 	/*
 	 * Before fetching from the remote, download and install bundle
diff --git a/builtin/init-db.c b/builtin/init-db.c
index e96b1283b7..f2c7e3be6d 100644
--- a/builtin/init-db.c
+++ b/builtin/init-db.c
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ int cmd_init_db(int argc,
 	char *work_tree = NULL;
 	const char *template_dir = NULL;
 	char *template_dir_to_free = NULL;
-	unsigned int flags = 0;
+	int quiet = 0;
 	int bare = startup_info->force_bare_repository ? 1 : -1;
 	const char *object_format = NULL;
 	const char *ref_format = NULL;
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ int cmd_init_db(int argc,
 			.flags = PARSE_OPT_OPTARG | PARSE_OPT_NONEG,
 			.callback = shared_callback
 		},
-		OPT_BIT('q', "quiet", &flags, N_("be quiet"), INIT_DB_QUIET),
+		OPT_BOOL('q', "quiet", &quiet, N_("be quiet")),
 		OPT_STRING(0, "separate-git-dir", &real_git_dir, N_("gitdir"),
 			   N_("separate git dir from working tree")),
 		OPT_STRING('b', "initial-branch", &initial_branch, N_("name"),
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ int cmd_init_db(int argc,
 			   N_("specify the reference format to use")),
 		OPT_END()
 	};
-	int ret;
+	int reinit;
 
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix, init_db_options, init_db_usage, 0);
 
@@ -247,14 +247,30 @@ int cmd_init_db(int argc,
 		die(_("--separate-git-dir incompatible with bare repository"));
 	}
 
-	flags |= INIT_DB_EXIST_OK;
-	ret = init_db(the_repository, git_dir, real_git_dir, work_tree,
-		      template_dir, hash_algo, ref_storage_format, initial_branch,
-		      init_shared_repository, flags);
+	create_repository(the_repository, git_dir, real_git_dir, work_tree,
+			  template_dir, hash_algo, ref_storage_format,
+			  init_shared_repository, &reinit);
+	create_reference_database(the_repository, initial_branch, quiet);
+	create_object_database(the_repository);
+
+	if (!quiet) {
+		int len = strlen(git_dir);
+
+		if (reinit)
+			printf(repo_settings_get_shared_repository(the_repository)
+			       ? _("Reinitialized existing shared Git repository in %s%s\n")
+			       : _("Reinitialized existing Git repository in %s%s\n"),
+			       git_dir, len && git_dir[len-1] != '/' ? "/" : "");
+		else
+			printf(repo_settings_get_shared_repository(the_repository)
+			       ? _("Initialized empty shared Git repository in %s%s\n")
+			       : _("Initialized empty Git repository in %s%s\n"),
+			       git_dir, len && git_dir[len-1] != '/' ? "/" : "");
+	}
 
 	free(template_dir_to_free);
 	free(real_git_dir_to_free);
 	free(work_tree);
 	free(git_dir);
-	return ret;
+	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/setup.c b/setup.c
index d90654f584..8c7b97f92e 100644
--- a/setup.c
+++ b/setup.c
@@ -2647,7 +2647,7 @@ static int create_default_files(struct repository *repo,
 	return reinit;
 }
 
-static void create_object_database(struct repository *repo)
+void create_object_database(struct repository *repo)
 {
 	/*
 	 * Create the "objects" directory in the common directory. This is done
@@ -2822,17 +2822,17 @@ static void repository_format_configure(struct repository_format *repo_fmt,
 	}
 }
 
-int init_db(struct repository *repo,
-	    const char *git_dir,
-	    const char *real_git_dir,
-	    const char *worktree,
-	    const char *template_dir, int hash,
-	    enum ref_storage_format ref_storage_format,
-	    const char *initial_branch,
-	    int init_shared_repository, unsigned int flags)
+void create_repository(struct repository *repo,
+		       const char *git_dir,
+		       const char *real_git_dir,
+		       const char *worktree,
+		       const char *template_dir,
+		       int hash,
+		       enum ref_storage_format ref_storage_format,
+		       int init_shared_repository,
+		       int *reinit_ok)
 {
-	int reinit;
-	int exist_ok = flags & INIT_DB_EXIST_OK;
+	int reinit_ignored;
 	char *original_git_dir = real_pathdup(git_dir, 1);
 	struct repository_format repo_fmt = REPOSITORY_FORMAT_INIT;
 	struct strbuf err = STRBUF_INIT;
@@ -2840,10 +2840,10 @@ int init_db(struct repository *repo,
 	if (real_git_dir) {
 		struct stat st;
 
-		if (!exist_ok && !stat(git_dir, &st))
+		if (!reinit_ok && !stat(git_dir, &st))
 			die(_("%s already exists"), git_dir);
 
-		if (!exist_ok && !stat(real_git_dir, &st))
+		if (!reinit_ok && !stat(real_git_dir, &st))
 			die(_("%s already exists"), real_git_dir);
 
 		apply_and_export_relative_gitdir(repo, real_git_dir, 1);
@@ -2877,8 +2877,10 @@ int init_db(struct repository *repo,
 
 	safe_create_dir(repo, git_dir, 0);
 
-	reinit = create_default_files(repo, template_dir, original_git_dir,
-				      &repo_fmt, init_shared_repository);
+	if (!reinit_ok)
+		reinit_ok = &reinit_ignored;
+	*reinit_ok = create_default_files(repo, template_dir, original_git_dir,
+					  &repo_fmt, init_shared_repository);
 
 	if (repo_settings_get_shared_repository(repo)) {
 		char buf[10];
@@ -2901,29 +2903,7 @@ int init_db(struct repository *repo,
 		repo_config_set(repo, "receive.denyNonFastforwards", "true");
 	}
 
-	if (!(flags & INIT_DB_SKIP_REFDB))
-		create_reference_database(repo, initial_branch, flags & INIT_DB_QUIET);
-	create_object_database(repo);
-
-	startup_info->have_repository = 1;
-
-	if (!(flags & INIT_DB_QUIET)) {
-		int len = strlen(git_dir);
-
-		if (reinit)
-			printf(repo_settings_get_shared_repository(repo)
-			       ? _("Reinitialized existing shared Git repository in %s%s\n")
-			       : _("Reinitialized existing Git repository in %s%s\n"),
-			       git_dir, len && git_dir[len-1] != '/' ? "/" : "");
-		else
-			printf(repo_settings_get_shared_repository(repo)
-			       ? _("Initialized empty shared Git repository in %s%s\n")
-			       : _("Initialized empty Git repository in %s%s\n"),
-			       git_dir, len && git_dir[len-1] != '/' ? "/" : "");
-	}
-
 	clear_repository_format(&repo_fmt);
 	strbuf_release(&err);
 	free(original_git_dir);
-	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/setup.h b/setup.h
index 763fd384e8..f1c1ed65fb 100644
--- a/setup.h
+++ b/setup.h
@@ -256,24 +256,45 @@ int apply_repository_format(struct repository *repo,
 
 const char *get_template_dir(const char *option_template);
 
-#define INIT_DB_QUIET      (1 << 0)
-#define INIT_DB_EXIST_OK   (1 << 1)
-#define INIT_DB_SKIP_REFDB (1 << 2)
+/*
+ * Create the repository by creating the necessary directory structures,
+ * setting up the configuration and configuring the repository's format. If
+ * `template_dir` is set, copy over templates from that directory. Furthermore,
+ * if and only if `reinit_ok` is a non-NULL pointer, then the function may
+ * reinitialize a preexisting repository. In that case, the pointer will be set
+ * to `1` in case the repo was reinitialized and `0` if it didn't exist yet.
+ *
+ * Note that this function does not create the reference and object databases.
+ */
+void create_repository(struct repository *repo,
+		       const char *git_dir,
+		       const char *real_git_dir,
+		       const char *worktree,
+		       const char *template_dir,
+		       int hash_algo,
+		       enum ref_storage_format ref_storage_format,
+		       int init_shared_repository,
+		       int *reinit_ok);
 
-int init_db(struct repository *repo,
-	    const char *git_dir,
-	    const char *real_git_dir,
-	    const char *worktree,
-	    const char *template_dir, int hash_algo,
-	    enum ref_storage_format ref_storage_format,
-	    const char *initial_branch, int init_shared_repository,
-	    unsigned int flags);
 void initialize_repository_version(struct repository *repo,
 				   int hash_algo,
 				   enum ref_storage_format ref_storage_format,
 				   int reinit);
+
+/*
+ * Create the reference database for the repository. The repository and its ref
+ * storage format must have already been configured properly before calling
+ * this function. When set, `initial_branch` overrides the default branch that
+ * HEAD will point to.
+ */
 void create_reference_database(struct repository *repo, const char *initial_branch, int quiet);
 
+/*
+ * Create the object database for the repository. The repository must have
+ * already been configured properly before calling this function.
+ */
+void create_object_database(struct repository *repo);
+
 /*
  * NOTE NOTE NOTE!!
  *