diff --git a/builtin/clone.c b/builtin/clone.c
index 9d08cd8722..c649a9f49e 100644
--- a/builtin/clone.c
+++ b/builtin/clone.c
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ static void copy_or_link_directory(struct strbuf *src, struct strbuf *dest,
 				die_errno(_("failed to create link '%s'"), dest->buf);
 			option_no_hardlinks = 1;
 		}
-		if (copy_file_with_time(dest->buf, src->buf, 0666))
+		if (copy_file_with_time(the_repository, dest->buf, src->buf, 0666))
 			die_errno(_("failed to copy file to '%s'"), dest->buf);
 	}
 
diff --git a/builtin/difftool.c b/builtin/difftool.c
index 26778f8515..5e7777fbe4 100644
--- a/builtin/difftool.c
+++ b/builtin/difftool.c
@@ -552,7 +552,7 @@ static int run_dir_diff(struct repository *repo,
 					struct stat st;
 					if (stat(wtdir.buf, &st))
 						st.st_mode = 0644;
-					if (copy_file(rdir.buf, wtdir.buf,
+					if (copy_file(repo, rdir.buf, wtdir.buf,
 						      st.st_mode)) {
 						ret = error("could not copy '%s' to '%s'", wtdir.buf, rdir.buf);
 						goto finish;
@@ -658,7 +658,7 @@ static int run_dir_diff(struct repository *repo,
 				warning("%s", "");
 				err = 1;
 			} else if (unlink(wtdir.buf) ||
-				   copy_file(wtdir.buf, rdir.buf, st.st_mode))
+				   copy_file(repo, wtdir.buf, rdir.buf, st.st_mode))
 				warning_errno(_("could not copy '%s' to '%s'"),
 					      rdir.buf, wtdir.buf);
 		}
diff --git a/builtin/worktree.c b/builtin/worktree.c
index f0442b202d..654d27c3e1 100644
--- a/builtin/worktree.c
+++ b/builtin/worktree.c
@@ -349,7 +349,7 @@ static void copy_sparse_checkout(const char *worktree_git_dir)
 
 	if (file_exists(from_file)) {
 		if (safe_create_leading_directories(the_repository, to_file) ||
-			copy_file(to_file, from_file, 0666))
+			copy_file(the_repository, to_file, from_file, 0666))
 			error(_("failed to copy '%s' to '%s'; sparse-checkout may not work correctly"),
 				from_file, to_file);
 	}
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ static void copy_filtered_worktree_config(const char *worktree_git_dir)
 		int bare;
 
 		if (safe_create_leading_directories(the_repository, to_file) ||
-			copy_file(to_file, from_file, 0666)) {
+			copy_file(the_repository, to_file, from_file, 0666)) {
 			error(_("failed to copy worktree config from '%s' to '%s'"),
 				from_file, to_file);
 			goto worktree_copy_cleanup;
diff --git a/bundle-uri.c b/bundle-uri.c
index 9ca2060e9a..2bb2eb99e4 100644
--- a/bundle-uri.c
+++ b/bundle-uri.c
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ static int copy_uri_to_file(const char *filename, const char *uri)
 		uri = out;
 
 	/* Copy as a file */
-	return copy_file(filename, uri, 0);
+	return copy_file(the_repository, filename, uri, 0);
 }
 
 static int unbundle_from_file(struct repository *r, const char *file)
diff --git a/copy.c b/copy.c
index b668209b6c..6074132050 100644
--- a/copy.c
+++ b/copy.c
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-#define USE_THE_REPOSITORY_VARIABLE
-
 #include "git-compat-util.h"
 #include "copy.h"
 #include "path.h"
@@ -35,7 +33,8 @@ static int copy_times(const char *dst, const char *src)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int copy_file(const char *dst, const char *src, int mode)
+int copy_file(struct repository *repo,
+	      const char *dst, const char *src, int mode)
 {
 	int fdi, fdo, status;
 
@@ -59,15 +58,16 @@ int copy_file(const char *dst, const char *src, int mode)
 	if (close(fdo) != 0)
 		return error_errno("%s: close error", dst);
 
-	if (!status && adjust_shared_perm(the_repository, dst))
+	if (!status && adjust_shared_perm(repo, dst))
 		return -1;
 
 	return status;
 }
 
-int copy_file_with_time(const char *dst, const char *src, int mode)
+int copy_file_with_time(struct repository *repo,
+			const char *dst, const char *src, int mode)
 {
-	int status = copy_file(dst, src, mode);
+	int status = copy_file(repo, dst, src, mode);
 	if (!status)
 		return copy_times(dst, src);
 	return status;
diff --git a/copy.h b/copy.h
index 2af77cba86..1059b118d6 100644
--- a/copy.h
+++ b/copy.h
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
 #ifndef COPY_H
 #define COPY_H
 
+struct repository;
+
 #define COPY_READ_ERROR (-2)
 #define COPY_WRITE_ERROR (-3)
 int copy_fd(int ifd, int ofd);
-int copy_file(const char *dst, const char *src, int mode);
-int copy_file_with_time(const char *dst, const char *src, int mode);
+int copy_file(struct repository *repo,
+	      const char *dst, const char *src, int mode);
+int copy_file_with_time(struct repository *repo,
+			const char *dst, const char *src, int mode);
 
 #endif /* COPY_H */
diff --git a/refs/files-backend.c b/refs/files-backend.c
index 3ba1b4eac4..66212b2e2d 100644
--- a/refs/files-backend.c
+++ b/refs/files-backend.c
@@ -1739,7 +1739,7 @@ static int files_copy_or_rename_ref(struct ref_store *ref_store,
 		goto out;
 	}
 
-	if (copy && log && copy_file(tmp_renamed_log.buf, sb_oldref.buf, 0644)) {
+	if (copy && log && copy_file(refs->base.repo, tmp_renamed_log.buf, sb_oldref.buf, 0644)) {
 		ret = error("unable to copy logfile logs/%s to logs/"TMP_RENAMED_LOG": %s",
 			    oldrefname, strerror(errno));
 		goto out;
diff --git a/rerere.c b/rerere.c
index 216100925a..1dda246098 100644
--- a/rerere.c
+++ b/rerere.c
@@ -756,7 +756,7 @@ static void do_rerere_one_path(struct index_state *istate,
 	/* Has the user resolved it already? */
 	if (variant >= 0) {
 		if (!handle_file(istate, path, NULL, NULL)) {
-			copy_file(rerere_path(&buf, id, "postimage"), path, 0666);
+			copy_file(the_repository, rerere_path(&buf, id, "postimage"), path, 0666);
 			id->collection->status[variant] |= RR_HAS_POSTIMAGE;
 			fprintf_ln(stderr, _("Recorded resolution for '%s'."), path);
 			free_rerere_id(rr_item);
diff --git a/sequencer.c b/sequencer.c
index 1355a99a09..63bc1ef215 100644
--- a/sequencer.c
+++ b/sequencer.c
@@ -2419,7 +2419,7 @@ static int do_pick_commit(struct repository *r,
 		} else {
 			const char *dest = git_path_squash_msg(r);
 			unlink(dest);
-			if (copy_file(dest, rebase_path_squash_msg(), 0666)) {
+			if (copy_file(r, dest, rebase_path_squash_msg(), 0666)) {
 				res = error(_("could not copy '%s' to '%s'"),
 					    rebase_path_squash_msg(), dest);
 				goto leave;
@@ -3864,11 +3864,11 @@ static int error_failed_squash(struct repository *r,
 			       int subject_len,
 			       const char *subject)
 {
-	if (copy_file(rebase_path_message(), rebase_path_squash_msg(), 0666))
+	if (copy_file(r, rebase_path_message(), rebase_path_squash_msg(), 0666))
 		return error(_("could not copy '%s' to '%s'"),
 			rebase_path_squash_msg(), rebase_path_message());
 	unlink(git_path_merge_msg(r));
-	if (copy_file(git_path_merge_msg(r), rebase_path_message(), 0666))
+	if (copy_file(r, git_path_merge_msg(r), rebase_path_message(), 0666))
 		return error(_("could not copy '%s' to '%s'"),
 			     rebase_path_message(),
 			     git_path_merge_msg(r));
diff --git a/setup.c b/setup.c
index e4cb5d1925..95909e9603 100644
--- a/setup.c
+++ b/setup.c
@@ -2355,7 +2355,7 @@ static void copy_templates_1(struct repository *repo,
 			strbuf_release(&lnk);
 		}
 		else if (S_ISREG(st_template.st_mode)) {
-			if (copy_file(path->buf, template_path->buf, st_template.st_mode))
+			if (copy_file(repo, path->buf, template_path->buf, st_template.st_mode))
 				die_errno(_("cannot copy '%s' to '%s'"),
 					  template_path->buf, path->buf);
 		}