diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/init/merge.spec.ts b/lib/workers/repository/init/merge.spec.ts
index 08e6221dcff7ad..25c01f66505aaf 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/init/merge.spec.ts
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/init/merge.spec.ts
@@ -54,14 +54,15 @@ describe('workers/repository/init/merge', () => {
         },
       });
       fs.readLocalFile.mockResolvedValue(pJson);
-      platform.getJsonFile.mockResolvedValueOnce(pJson);
+      platform.getRawFile.mockResolvedValueOnce(pJson);
       expect(await detectRepoFileConfig()).toEqual({
         configFileName: 'package.json',
         configFileParsed: { prHourlyLimit: 10 },
       });
+      // get from repoCache
       expect(await detectRepoFileConfig()).toEqual({
         configFileName: 'package.json',
-        configFileParsed: undefined,
+        configFileParsed: { prHourlyLimit: 10 },
       });
     });
 
@@ -72,7 +73,7 @@ describe('workers/repository/init/merge', () => {
         renovate: 'github>renovatebot/renovate',
       });
       fs.readLocalFile.mockResolvedValue(pJson);
-      platform.getJsonFile.mockResolvedValueOnce(pJson);
+      platform.getRawFile.mockResolvedValueOnce(pJson);
       expect(await detectRepoFileConfig()).toEqual({
         configFileName: 'package.json',
         configFileParsed: { extends: ['github>renovatebot/renovate'] },
@@ -107,13 +108,15 @@ describe('workers/repository/init/merge', () => {
     });
 
     it('finds and parse renovate.json5', async () => {
-      git.getFileList.mockResolvedValue(['package.json', 'renovate.json5']);
-      fs.readLocalFile.mockResolvedValue(`{
+      const configFileRaw = `{
         // this is json5 format
-      }`);
+      }`;
+      git.getFileList.mockResolvedValue(['package.json', 'renovate.json5']);
+      fs.readLocalFile.mockResolvedValue(configFileRaw);
       expect(await detectRepoFileConfig()).toEqual({
         configFileName: 'renovate.json5',
         configFileParsed: {},
+        configFileRaw,
       });
     });
 
@@ -126,6 +129,7 @@ describe('workers/repository/init/merge', () => {
       expect(await detectRepoFileConfig()).toEqual({
         configFileName: '.github/renovate.json',
         configFileParsed: {},
+        configFileRaw: '{}',
       });
     });
 
@@ -138,23 +142,26 @@ describe('workers/repository/init/merge', () => {
       expect(await detectRepoFileConfig()).toEqual({
         configFileName: '.gitlab/renovate.json',
         configFileParsed: {},
+        configFileRaw: '{}',
       });
     });
 
     it('finds .renovaterc.json', async () => {
       git.getFileList.mockResolvedValue(['package.json', '.renovaterc.json']);
       fs.readLocalFile.mockResolvedValue('{}');
-      platform.getJsonFile.mockResolvedValueOnce('{"something":"new"}');
+      platform.getRawFile.mockResolvedValueOnce('{"something":"new"}');
       expect(await detectRepoFileConfig()).toEqual({
         configFileName: '.renovaterc.json',
         configFileParsed: {},
+        configFileRaw: '{}',
+      });
+      expect(await detectRepoFileConfig()).toEqual({
+        configFileName: '.renovaterc.json',
+        configFileParsed: {
+          something: 'new',
+        },
+        configFileRaw: '{"something":"new"}',
       });
-      expect(await detectRepoFileConfig()).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
-        {
-          "configFileName": ".renovaterc.json",
-          "configFileParsed": "{"something":"new"}",
-        }
-      `);
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/init/merge.ts b/lib/workers/repository/init/merge.ts
index 154323bed07ad9..d7b3a52ab0a6ba 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/init/merge.ts
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/init/merge.ts
@@ -49,14 +49,17 @@ export async function detectRepoFileConfig(): Promise<RepoFileConfig> {
   const cache = getCache();
   let { configFileName } = cache;
   if (configFileName) {
-    let configFileParsed = (await platform.getJsonFile(configFileName))!;
-    if (configFileParsed) {
-      if (configFileName === 'package.json') {
-        configFileParsed = configFileParsed.renovate;
+    const configFileRaw = await platform.getRawFile(configFileName);
+    if (configFileRaw) {
+      let configFileParsed = JSON5.parse(configFileRaw);
+      if (configFileName !== 'package.json') {
+        return { configFileName, configFileRaw, configFileParsed };
       }
-      return { configFileName, configFileParsed };
+      configFileParsed = configFileParsed.renovate;
+      return { configFileName, configFileParsed }; // don't return raw 'package.json'
+    } else {
+      logger.debug('Existing config file no longer exists');
     }
-    logger.debug('Existing config file no longer exists');
   }
   configFileName = (await detectConfigFile()) ?? undefined;
   if (!configFileName) {
@@ -67,6 +70,7 @@ export async function detectRepoFileConfig(): Promise<RepoFileConfig> {
   logger.debug(`Found ${configFileName} config file`);
   // TODO #7154
   let configFileParsed: any;
+  let configFileRaw: string | undefined | null;
   if (configFileName === 'package.json') {
     // We already know it parses
     configFileParsed = JSON.parse(
@@ -79,25 +83,25 @@ export async function detectRepoFileConfig(): Promise<RepoFileConfig> {
     }
     logger.debug({ config: configFileParsed }, 'package.json>renovate config');
   } else {
-    let rawFileContents = await readLocalFile(configFileName, 'utf8');
+    configFileRaw = await readLocalFile(configFileName, 'utf8');
     // istanbul ignore if
-    if (!is.string(rawFileContents)) {
+    if (!is.string(configFileRaw)) {
       logger.warn({ configFileName }, 'Null contents when reading config file');
       throw new Error(REPOSITORY_CHANGED);
     }
     // istanbul ignore if
-    if (!rawFileContents.length) {
-      rawFileContents = '{}';
+    if (!configFileRaw.length) {
+      configFileRaw = '{}';
     }
 
     const fileType = upath.extname(configFileName);
 
     if (fileType === '.json5') {
       try {
-        configFileParsed = JSON5.parse(rawFileContents);
+        configFileParsed = JSON5.parse(configFileRaw);
       } catch (err) /* istanbul ignore next */ {
         logger.debug(
-          { renovateConfig: rawFileContents },
+          { renovateConfig: configFileRaw },
           'Error parsing renovate config renovate.json5'
         );
         const validationError = 'Invalid JSON5 (parsing failed)';
@@ -110,7 +114,7 @@ export async function detectRepoFileConfig(): Promise<RepoFileConfig> {
     } else {
       let allowDuplicateKeys = true;
       let jsonValidationError = jsonValidator.validate(
-        rawFileContents,
+        configFileRaw,
         allowDuplicateKeys
       );
       if (jsonValidationError) {
@@ -123,7 +127,7 @@ export async function detectRepoFileConfig(): Promise<RepoFileConfig> {
       }
       allowDuplicateKeys = false;
       jsonValidationError = jsonValidator.validate(
-        rawFileContents,
+        configFileRaw,
         allowDuplicateKeys
       );
       if (jsonValidationError) {
@@ -135,10 +139,10 @@ export async function detectRepoFileConfig(): Promise<RepoFileConfig> {
         };
       }
       try {
-        configFileParsed = JSON5.parse(rawFileContents);
+        configFileParsed = JSON5.parse(configFileRaw);
       } catch (err) /* istanbul ignore next */ {
         logger.debug(
-          { renovateConfig: rawFileContents },
+          { renovateConfig: configFileRaw },
           'Error parsing renovate config'
         );
         const validationError = 'Invalid JSON (parsing failed)';
@@ -154,7 +158,7 @@ export async function detectRepoFileConfig(): Promise<RepoFileConfig> {
       'Repository config'
     );
   }
-  return { configFileName, configFileParsed };
+  return { configFileName, configFileRaw, configFileParsed };
 }
 
 export function checkForRepoConfigError(repoConfig: RepoFileConfig): void {
diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/init/types.ts b/lib/workers/repository/init/types.ts
index 96590b420a5df4..ebd6a8731378d9 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/init/types.ts
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/init/types.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ export interface RepoConfigError {
 
 export interface RepoFileConfig {
   configFileName?: string;
+  configFileRaw?: string | null;
   configFileParsed?: any;
   configFileParseError?: RepoConfigError;
 }