diff --git a/builtin/submodule--helper.c b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
index a7683d35299..6250b95a6f7 100644
--- a/builtin/submodule--helper.c
+++ b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
@@ -2861,51 +2861,6 @@ static int absorb_git_dirs(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	return ret;
 }
 
-static int module_config(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
-{
-	enum {
-		CHECK_WRITEABLE = 1,
-		DO_UNSET = 2
-	} command = 0;
-	struct option module_config_options[] = {
-		OPT_CMDMODE(0, "check-writeable", &command,
-			    N_("check if it is safe to write to the .gitmodules file"),
-			    CHECK_WRITEABLE),
-		OPT_CMDMODE(0, "unset", &command,
-			    N_("unset the config in the .gitmodules file"),
-			    DO_UNSET),
-		OPT_END()
-	};
-	const char *const git_submodule_helper_usage[] = {
-		N_("git submodule--helper config <name> [<value>]"),
-		N_("git submodule--helper config --unset <name>"),
-		"git submodule--helper config --check-writeable",
-		NULL
-	};
-
-	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix, module_config_options,
-			     git_submodule_helper_usage, PARSE_OPT_KEEP_ARGV0);
-
-	if (argc == 1 && command == CHECK_WRITEABLE)
-		return is_writing_gitmodules_ok() ? 0 : -1;
-
-	/* Equivalent to ACTION_GET in builtin/config.c */
-	if (argc == 2 && command != DO_UNSET)
-		return print_config_from_gitmodules(the_repository, argv[1]);
-
-	/* Equivalent to ACTION_SET in builtin/config.c */
-	if (argc == 3 || (argc == 2 && command == DO_UNSET)) {
-		const char *value = (argc == 3) ? argv[2] : NULL;
-
-		if (!is_writing_gitmodules_ok())
-			die(_("please make sure that the .gitmodules file is in the working tree"));
-
-		return config_set_in_gitmodules_file_gently(argv[1], value);
-	}
-
-	usage_with_options(git_submodule_helper_usage, module_config_options);
-}
-
 static int module_set_url(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 {
 	int quiet = 0;
@@ -3424,7 +3379,6 @@ static struct cmd_struct commands[] = {
 	{"summary", module_summary, 0},
 	{"push-check", push_check, 0},
 	{"absorbgitdirs", absorb_git_dirs, SUPPORT_SUPER_PREFIX},
-	{"config", module_config, 0},
 	{"set-url", module_set_url, 0},
 	{"set-branch", module_set_branch, 0},
 	{"create-branch", module_create_branch, 0},
diff --git a/t/helper/test-submodule.c b/t/helper/test-submodule.c
index b7d117cd557..c7cb463a583 100644
--- a/t/helper/test-submodule.c
+++ b/t/helper/test-submodule.c
@@ -111,10 +111,94 @@ static int cmd__submodule_resolve_relative_url(int argc, const char **argv)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+static int cmd__submodule_config_list(int argc, const char **argv)
+{
+	struct option options[] = {
+		OPT_END()
+	};
+	const char *const usage[] = {
+		"test-tool submodule config-list <key>",
+		NULL
+	};
+	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, "test-tools", options, usage,
+			     PARSE_OPT_KEEP_ARGV0);
+
+	setup_git_directory();
+
+	if (argc == 2)
+		return print_config_from_gitmodules(the_repository, argv[1]);
+	usage_with_options(usage, options);
+}
+
+static int cmd__submodule_config_set(int argc, const char **argv)
+{
+	struct option options[] = {
+		OPT_END()
+	};
+	const char *const usage[] = {
+		"test-tool submodule config-set <key> <value>",
+		NULL
+	};
+	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, "test-tools", options, usage,
+			     PARSE_OPT_KEEP_ARGV0);
+
+	setup_git_directory();
+
+	/* Equivalent to ACTION_SET in builtin/config.c */
+	if (argc == 3) {
+		if (!is_writing_gitmodules_ok())
+			die(_("please make sure that the .gitmodules file is in the working tree"));
+
+		return config_set_in_gitmodules_file_gently(argv[1], argv[2]);
+	}
+	usage_with_options(usage, options);
+}
+
+static int cmd__submodule_config_unset(int argc, const char **argv)
+{
+	struct option options[] = {
+		OPT_END()
+	};
+	const char *const usage[] = {
+		"test-tool submodule config-unset <key>",
+		NULL
+	};
+
+	setup_git_directory();
+
+	if (argc == 2) {
+		if (!is_writing_gitmodules_ok())
+			die(_("please make sure that the .gitmodules file is in the working tree"));
+		return config_set_in_gitmodules_file_gently(argv[1], NULL);
+	}
+	usage_with_options(usage, options);
+}
+
+static int cmd__submodule_config_writeable(int argc, const char **argv)
+{
+	struct option options[] = {
+		OPT_END()
+	};
+	const char *const usage[] = {
+		"test-tool submodule config-writeable",
+		NULL
+	};
+	setup_git_directory();
+
+	if (argc == 1)
+		return is_writing_gitmodules_ok() ? 0 : -1;
+
+	usage_with_options(usage, options);
+}
+
 static struct test_cmd cmds[] = {
 	{ "check-name", cmd__submodule_check_name },
 	{ "is-active", cmd__submodule_is_active },
 	{ "resolve-relative-url", cmd__submodule_resolve_relative_url},
+	{ "config-list", cmd__submodule_config_list },
+	{ "config-set", cmd__submodule_config_set },
+	{ "config-unset", cmd__submodule_config_unset },
+	{ "config-writeable", cmd__submodule_config_writeable },
 };
 
 int cmd__submodule(int argc, const char **argv)
diff --git a/t/t7411-submodule-config.sh b/t/t7411-submodule-config.sh
index c583c4e373a..2f57ecd177a 100755
--- a/t/t7411-submodule-config.sh
+++ b/t/t7411-submodule-config.sh
@@ -140,15 +140,15 @@ test_expect_success 'error in history in fetchrecursesubmodule lets continue' '
 test_expect_success 'reading submodules config from the working tree with "submodule--helper config"' '
 	(cd super &&
 		echo "../submodule" >expect &&
-		git submodule--helper config submodule.submodule.url >actual &&
+		test-tool submodule config-list submodule.submodule.url >actual &&
 		test_cmp expect actual
 	)
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'unsetting submodules config from the working tree with "submodule--helper config --unset"' '
 	(cd super &&
-		git submodule--helper config --unset submodule.submodule.url &&
-		git submodule--helper config submodule.submodule.url >actual &&
+		test-tool submodule config-unset submodule.submodule.url &&
+		test-tool submodule config-list submodule.submodule.url >actual &&
 		test_must_be_empty actual
 	)
 '
@@ -157,8 +157,8 @@ test_expect_success 'unsetting submodules config from the working tree with "sub
 test_expect_success 'writing submodules config with "submodule--helper config"' '
 	(cd super &&
 		echo "new_url" >expect &&
-		git submodule--helper config submodule.submodule.url "new_url" &&
-		git submodule--helper config submodule.submodule.url >actual &&
+		test-tool submodule config-set submodule.submodule.url "new_url" &&
+		test-tool submodule config-list submodule.submodule.url >actual &&
 		test_cmp expect actual
 	)
 '
@@ -167,14 +167,14 @@ test_expect_success 'overwriting unstaged submodules config with "submodule--hel
 	test_when_finished "git -C super checkout .gitmodules" &&
 	(cd super &&
 		echo "newer_url" >expect &&
-		git submodule--helper config submodule.submodule.url "newer_url" &&
-		git submodule--helper config submodule.submodule.url >actual &&
+		test-tool submodule config-set submodule.submodule.url "newer_url" &&
+		test-tool submodule config-list submodule.submodule.url >actual &&
 		test_cmp expect actual
 	)
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'writeable .gitmodules when it is in the working tree' '
-	git -C super submodule--helper config --check-writeable
+	test-tool -C super submodule config-writeable
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'writeable .gitmodules when it is nowhere in the repository' '
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ test_expect_success 'writeable .gitmodules when it is nowhere in the repository'
 	(cd super &&
 		git rm .gitmodules &&
 		git commit -m "remove .gitmodules from the current branch" &&
-		git submodule--helper config --check-writeable
+		test-tool submodule config-writeable
 	)
 '
 
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ test_expect_success 'non-writeable .gitmodules when it is in the index but not i
 	test_when_finished "git -C super checkout .gitmodules" &&
 	(cd super &&
 		rm -f .gitmodules &&
-		test_must_fail git submodule--helper config --check-writeable
+		test_must_fail test-tool submodule config-writeable
 	)
 '
 
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ test_expect_success 'non-writeable .gitmodules when it is in the current branch
 	test_when_finished "git -C super reset --hard $ORIG" &&
 	(cd super &&
 		git rm .gitmodules &&
-		test_must_fail git submodule--helper config --check-writeable
+		test_must_fail test-tool submodule config-writeable
 	)
 '
 
@@ -208,11 +208,11 @@ test_expect_success 'reading submodules config from the index when .gitmodules i
 	ORIG=$(git -C super rev-parse HEAD) &&
 	test_when_finished "git -C super reset --hard $ORIG" &&
 	(cd super &&
-		git submodule--helper config submodule.submodule.url "staged_url" &&
+		test-tool submodule config-set submodule.submodule.url "staged_url" &&
 		git add .gitmodules &&
 		rm -f .gitmodules &&
 		echo "staged_url" >expect &&
-		git submodule--helper config submodule.submodule.url >actual &&
+		test-tool submodule config-list submodule.submodule.url >actual &&
 		test_cmp expect actual
 	)
 '
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ test_expect_success 'reading submodules config from the current branch when .git
 	(cd super &&
 		git rm .gitmodules &&
 		echo "../submodule" >expect &&
-		git submodule--helper config submodule.submodule.url >actual &&
+		test-tool submodule config-list submodule.submodule.url >actual &&
 		test_cmp expect actual
 	)
 '
diff --git a/t/t7418-submodule-sparse-gitmodules.sh b/t/t7418-submodule-sparse-gitmodules.sh
index d5874200fdc..dde11ecce80 100755
--- a/t/t7418-submodule-sparse-gitmodules.sh
+++ b/t/t7418-submodule-sparse-gitmodules.sh
@@ -50,12 +50,12 @@ test_expect_success 'sparse checkout setup which hides .gitmodules' '
 
 test_expect_success 'reading gitmodules config file when it is not checked out' '
 	echo "../submodule" >expect &&
-	git -C super submodule--helper config submodule.submodule.url >actual &&
+	test-tool -C super submodule config-list submodule.submodule.url >actual &&
 	test_cmp expect actual
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'not writing gitmodules config file when it is not checked out' '
-	test_must_fail git -C super submodule--helper config submodule.submodule.url newurl &&
+	test_must_fail test-tool -C super submodule config-set submodule.submodule.url newurl &&
 	test_path_is_missing super/.gitmodules
 '
 
