diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 97e8385b66..27e68ac039 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -981,6 +981,8 @@ LIB_OBJS += combine-diff.o
 LIB_OBJS += commit-graph.o
 LIB_OBJS += commit-reach.o
 LIB_OBJS += commit.o
+LIB_OBJS += common-exit.o
+LIB_OBJS += common-init.o
 LIB_OBJS += compat/nonblock.o
 LIB_OBJS += compat/obstack.o
 LIB_OBJS += compat/terminal.o
diff --git a/common-exit.c b/common-exit.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1aaa538be3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common-exit.c
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+#include "git-compat-util.h"
+#include "trace2.h"
+
+static void check_bug_if_BUG(void)
+{
+	if (!bug_called_must_BUG)
+		return;
+	BUG("on exit(): had bug() call(s) in this process without explicit BUG_if_bug()");
+}
+
+/* We wrap exit() to call common_exit() in git-compat-util.h */
+int common_exit(const char *file, int line, int code)
+{
+	/*
+	 * For non-POSIX systems: Take the lowest 8 bits of the "code"
+	 * to e.g. turn -1 into 255. On a POSIX system this is
+	 * redundant, see exit(3) and wait(2), but as it doesn't harm
+	 * anything there we don't need to guard this with an "ifdef".
+	 */
+	code &= 0xff;
+
+	check_bug_if_BUG();
+	trace2_cmd_exit_fl(file, line, code);
+
+	return code;
+}
diff --git a/common-init.c b/common-init.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5cc73f058c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common-init.c
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+#define USE_THE_REPOSITORY_VARIABLE
+
+#include "git-compat-util.h"
+#include "common-init.h"
+#include "exec-cmd.h"
+#include "gettext.h"
+#include "attr.h"
+#include "repository.h"
+#include "setup.h"
+#include "strbuf.h"
+#include "trace2.h"
+
+/*
+ * Many parts of Git have subprograms communicate via pipe, expect the
+ * upstream of a pipe to die with SIGPIPE when the downstream of a
+ * pipe does not need to read all that is written.  Some third-party
+ * programs that ignore or block SIGPIPE for their own reason forget
+ * to restore SIGPIPE handling to the default before spawning Git and
+ * break this carefully orchestrated machinery.
+ *
+ * Restore the way SIGPIPE is handled to default, which is what we
+ * expect.
+ */
+static void restore_sigpipe_to_default(void)
+{
+	sigset_t unblock;
+
+	sigemptyset(&unblock);
+	sigaddset(&unblock, SIGPIPE);
+	sigprocmask(SIG_UNBLOCK, &unblock, NULL);
+	signal(SIGPIPE, SIG_DFL);
+}
+
+void init_git(const char **argv)
+{
+	struct strbuf tmp = STRBUF_INIT;
+
+	trace2_initialize_clock();
+
+	/*
+	 * Always open file descriptors 0/1/2 to avoid clobbering files
+	 * in die().  It also avoids messing up when the pipes are dup'ed
+	 * onto stdin/stdout/stderr in the child processes we spawn.
+	 */
+	sanitize_stdfds();
+	restore_sigpipe_to_default();
+
+	git_resolve_executable_dir(argv[0]);
+
+	setlocale(LC_CTYPE, "");
+	git_setup_gettext();
+
+	initialize_repository(the_repository);
+
+	attr_start();
+
+	trace2_initialize();
+	trace2_cmd_start(argv);
+	trace2_collect_process_info(TRACE2_PROCESS_INFO_STARTUP);
+
+	if (!strbuf_getcwd(&tmp))
+		tmp_original_cwd = strbuf_detach(&tmp, NULL);
+}
diff --git a/common-init.h b/common-init.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3e6db20cae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common-init.h
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#ifndef COMMON_INIT_H
+#define COMMON_INIT_H
+
+void init_git(const char **argv);
+
+#endif /* COMMON_INIT_H */
diff --git a/common-main.c b/common-main.c
index 8e68ac9e42..6b7ab077b0 100644
--- a/common-main.c
+++ b/common-main.c
@@ -1,92 +1,13 @@
-#define USE_THE_REPOSITORY_VARIABLE
-
 #include "git-compat-util.h"
-#include "exec-cmd.h"
-#include "gettext.h"
-#include "attr.h"
-#include "repository.h"
-#include "setup.h"
-#include "strbuf.h"
-#include "trace2.h"
-
-/*
- * Many parts of Git have subprograms communicate via pipe, expect the
- * upstream of a pipe to die with SIGPIPE when the downstream of a
- * pipe does not need to read all that is written.  Some third-party
- * programs that ignore or block SIGPIPE for their own reason forget
- * to restore SIGPIPE handling to the default before spawning Git and
- * break this carefully orchestrated machinery.
- *
- * Restore the way SIGPIPE is handled to default, which is what we
- * expect.
- */
-static void restore_sigpipe_to_default(void)
-{
-	sigset_t unblock;
-
-	sigemptyset(&unblock);
-	sigaddset(&unblock, SIGPIPE);
-	sigprocmask(SIG_UNBLOCK, &unblock, NULL);
-	signal(SIGPIPE, SIG_DFL);
-}
+#include "common-init.h"
 
 int main(int argc, const char **argv)
 {
 	int result;
-	struct strbuf tmp = STRBUF_INIT;
-
-	trace2_initialize_clock();
-
-	/*
-	 * Always open file descriptors 0/1/2 to avoid clobbering files
-	 * in die().  It also avoids messing up when the pipes are dup'ed
-	 * onto stdin/stdout/stderr in the child processes we spawn.
-	 */
-	sanitize_stdfds();
-	restore_sigpipe_to_default();
-
-	git_resolve_executable_dir(argv[0]);
-
-	setlocale(LC_CTYPE, "");
-	git_setup_gettext();
-
-	initialize_repository(the_repository);
-
-	attr_start();
-
-	trace2_initialize();
-	trace2_cmd_start(argv);
-	trace2_collect_process_info(TRACE2_PROCESS_INFO_STARTUP);
-
-	if (!strbuf_getcwd(&tmp))
-		tmp_original_cwd = strbuf_detach(&tmp, NULL);
 
+	init_git(argv);
 	result = cmd_main(argc, argv);
 
 	/* Not exit(3), but a wrapper calling our common_exit() */
 	exit(result);
 }
-
-static void check_bug_if_BUG(void)
-{
-	if (!bug_called_must_BUG)
-		return;
-	BUG("on exit(): had bug() call(s) in this process without explicit BUG_if_bug()");
-}
-
-/* We wrap exit() to call common_exit() in git-compat-util.h */
-int common_exit(const char *file, int line, int code)
-{
-	/*
-	 * For non-POSIX systems: Take the lowest 8 bits of the "code"
-	 * to e.g. turn -1 into 255. On a POSIX system this is
-	 * redundant, see exit(3) and wait(2), but as it doesn't harm
-	 * anything there we don't need to guard this with an "ifdef".
-	 */
-	code &= 0xff;
-
-	check_bug_if_BUG();
-	trace2_cmd_exit_fl(file, line, code);
-
-	return code;
-}
