diff --git a/builtin/receive-pack.c b/builtin/receive-pack.c
index 191b5eeb34e6791776f93a3a9509efa887e4e087..56347a79633505efe8dc05acf1583b4c9995eefe 100644
--- a/builtin/receive-pack.c
+++ b/builtin/receive-pack.c
@@ -2239,7 +2239,7 @@ static const char *unpack(int err_fd, struct shallow_info *si)
 		strvec_push(&child.args, alt_shallow_file);
 	}
 
-	tmp_objdir = tmp_objdir_create("incoming");
+	tmp_objdir = tmp_objdir_create(the_repository, "incoming");
 	if (!tmp_objdir) {
 		if (err_fd > 0)
 			close(err_fd);
diff --git a/bulk-checkin.c b/bulk-checkin.c
index 4a70a70a951cfd1a488339a33bf3a76b5152a344..f7b15e3999f2c7e3fdb0d7bde01975ae4449bda3 100644
--- a/bulk-checkin.c
+++ b/bulk-checkin.c
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@ void prepare_loose_object_bulk_checkin(void)
 	if (!odb_transaction_nesting || bulk_fsync_objdir)
 		return;
 
-	bulk_fsync_objdir = tmp_objdir_create("bulk-fsync");
+	bulk_fsync_objdir = tmp_objdir_create(the_repository, "bulk-fsync");
 	if (bulk_fsync_objdir)
 		tmp_objdir_replace_primary_odb(bulk_fsync_objdir, 0);
 }
diff --git a/log-tree.c b/log-tree.c
index d08eb672a933900558b305b31860f6753a470bf0..8b184d6776344bbc2ba4c00a9d50b44db17f2ede 100644
--- a/log-tree.c
+++ b/log-tree.c
@@ -1042,7 +1042,7 @@ static int do_remerge_diff(struct rev_info *opt,
 	 * into the alternative object store list as the primary.
 	 */
 	if (opt->remerge_diff && !opt->remerge_objdir) {
-		opt->remerge_objdir = tmp_objdir_create("remerge-diff");
+		opt->remerge_objdir = tmp_objdir_create(the_repository, "remerge-diff");
 		if (!opt->remerge_objdir)
 			return error(_("unable to create temporary object directory"));
 		tmp_objdir_replace_primary_odb(opt->remerge_objdir, 1);
diff --git a/tmp-objdir.c b/tmp-objdir.c
index 659fcdcc2954ed392f9e241667ea6a7d2c79b828..0ea078a5c5f4eb1ff465aa64ae962a0ccd44fb8b 100644
--- a/tmp-objdir.c
+++ b/tmp-objdir.c
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-#define USE_THE_REPOSITORY_VARIABLE
-
 #include "git-compat-util.h"
 #include "tmp-objdir.h"
 #include "abspath.h"
@@ -16,6 +14,7 @@
 #include "repository.h"
 
 struct tmp_objdir {
+	struct repository *repo;
 	struct strbuf path;
 	struct strvec env;
 	struct object_directory *prev_odb;
@@ -116,7 +115,8 @@ static int setup_tmp_objdir(const char *root)
 	return ret;
 }
 
-struct tmp_objdir *tmp_objdir_create(const char *prefix)
+struct tmp_objdir *tmp_objdir_create(struct repository *r,
+				     const char *prefix)
 {
 	static int installed_handlers;
 	struct tmp_objdir *t;
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ struct tmp_objdir *tmp_objdir_create(const char *prefix)
 		BUG("only one tmp_objdir can be used at a time");
 
 	t = xcalloc(1, sizeof(*t));
+	t->repo = r;
 	strbuf_init(&t->path, 0);
 	strvec_init(&t->env);
 
@@ -134,7 +135,7 @@ struct tmp_objdir *tmp_objdir_create(const char *prefix)
 	 * them.
 	 */
 	strbuf_addf(&t->path, "%s/tmp_objdir-%s-XXXXXX",
-		    repo_get_object_directory(the_repository), prefix);
+		    repo_get_object_directory(r), prefix);
 
 	if (!mkdtemp(t->path.buf)) {
 		/* free, not destroy, as we never touched the filesystem */
@@ -154,7 +155,7 @@ struct tmp_objdir *tmp_objdir_create(const char *prefix)
 	}
 
 	env_append(&t->env, ALTERNATE_DB_ENVIRONMENT,
-		   absolute_path(repo_get_object_directory(the_repository)));
+		   absolute_path(repo_get_object_directory(r)));
 	env_replace(&t->env, DB_ENVIRONMENT, absolute_path(t->path.buf));
 	env_replace(&t->env, GIT_QUARANTINE_ENVIRONMENT,
 		    absolute_path(t->path.buf));
@@ -273,14 +274,14 @@ int tmp_objdir_migrate(struct tmp_objdir *t)
 		return 0;
 
 	if (t->prev_odb) {
-		if (the_repository->objects->odb->will_destroy)
+		if (t->repo->objects->odb->will_destroy)
 			BUG("migrating an ODB that was marked for destruction");
 		restore_primary_odb(t->prev_odb, t->path.buf);
 		t->prev_odb = NULL;
 	}
 
 	strbuf_addbuf(&src, &t->path);
-	strbuf_addstr(&dst, repo_get_object_directory(the_repository));
+	strbuf_addstr(&dst, repo_get_object_directory(t->repo));
 
 	ret = migrate_paths(&src, &dst, 0);
 
diff --git a/tmp-objdir.h b/tmp-objdir.h
index 237d96b66050c82340af3c18b531bd5c877c15ab..fceda14979648f50bb28b6c527889b12d334b098 100644
--- a/tmp-objdir.h
+++ b/tmp-objdir.h
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
  * Example:
  *
  *	struct child_process child = CHILD_PROCESS_INIT;
- *	struct tmp_objdir *t = tmp_objdir_create("incoming");
+ *	struct tmp_objdir *t = tmp_objdir_create(repo, "incoming");
  *	strvec_push(&child.args, cmd);
  *	strvec_pushv(&child.env, tmp_objdir_env(t));
  *	if (!run_command(&child)) && !tmp_objdir_migrate(t))
@@ -21,13 +21,14 @@
  *
  */
 
+struct repository;
 struct tmp_objdir;
 
 /*
  * Create a new temporary object directory with the specified prefix;
  * returns NULL on failure.
  */
-struct tmp_objdir *tmp_objdir_create(const char *prefix);
+struct tmp_objdir *tmp_objdir_create(struct repository *r, const char *prefix);
 
 /*
  * Return a list of environment strings, suitable for use with
