diff --git a/exec_cmd.c b/exec_cmd.c
index 0ed768ddc0ac32..ce6741eb682b59 100644
--- a/exec_cmd.c
+++ b/exec_cmd.c
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ void setup_path(void)
 	strbuf_release(&new_path);
 }
 
-int execv_git_cmd(const char **argv)
+const char **prepare_git_cmd(const char **argv)
 {
 	int argc;
 	const char **nargv;
@@ -91,6 +91,11 @@ int execv_git_cmd(const char **argv)
 	for (argc = 0; argv[argc]; argc++)
 		nargv[argc + 1] = argv[argc];
 	nargv[argc + 1] = NULL;
+	return nargv;
+}
+
+int execv_git_cmd(const char **argv) {
+	const char **nargv = prepare_git_cmd(argv);
 	trace_argv_printf(nargv, "trace: exec:");
 
 	/* execvp() can only ever return if it fails */
diff --git a/exec_cmd.h b/exec_cmd.h
index 0c46cd5636e1ba..594f961387240c 100644
--- a/exec_cmd.h
+++ b/exec_cmd.h
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ extern void git_set_argv_exec_path(const char *exec_path);
 extern void git_set_argv0_path(const char *path);
 extern const char* git_exec_path(void);
 extern void setup_path(void);
+extern const char **prepare_git_cmd(const char **argv);
 extern int execv_git_cmd(const char **argv); /* NULL terminated */
 extern int execl_git_cmd(const char *cmd, ...);
 extern const char *system_path(const char *path);