diff --git a/builtin/diff-files.c b/builtin/diff-files.c
index 1e352dd8f7..e3851dd1c0 100644
--- a/builtin/diff-files.c
+++ b/builtin/diff-files.c
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ int cmd_diff_files(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	 */
 	rev.diffopt.ita_invisible_in_index = 1;
 
-	precompose_argv(argc, argv);
+	prefix = precompose_argv_prefix(argc, argv, prefix);
 
 	argc = setup_revisions(argc, argv, &rev, NULL);
 	while (1 < argc && argv[1][0] == '-') {
diff --git a/builtin/diff-index.c b/builtin/diff-index.c
index 7f5281c461..c33d7af478 100644
--- a/builtin/diff-index.c
+++ b/builtin/diff-index.c
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ int cmd_diff_index(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	git_config(git_diff_basic_config, NULL); /* no "diff" UI options */
 	repo_init_revisions(the_repository, &rev, prefix);
 	rev.abbrev = 0;
-	precompose_argv(argc, argv);
+	prefix = precompose_argv_prefix(argc, argv, prefix);
 
 	argc = setup_revisions(argc, argv, &rev, NULL);
 	for (i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
diff --git a/builtin/diff-tree.c b/builtin/diff-tree.c
index 9fc95e959f..178d12f07f 100644
--- a/builtin/diff-tree.c
+++ b/builtin/diff-tree.c
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ int cmd_diff_tree(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	memset(&s_r_opt, 0, sizeof(s_r_opt));
 	s_r_opt.tweak = diff_tree_tweak_rev;
 
-	precompose_argv(argc, argv);
+	prefix = precompose_argv_prefix(argc, argv, prefix);
 	argc = setup_revisions(argc, argv, opt, &s_r_opt);
 
 	memset(&w, 0, sizeof(w));
diff --git a/builtin/diff.c b/builtin/diff.c
index 780c33877f..3c87c95967 100644
--- a/builtin/diff.c
+++ b/builtin/diff.c
@@ -452,7 +452,7 @@ int cmd_diff(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 
 	init_diff_ui_defaults();
 	git_config(git_diff_ui_config, NULL);
-	precompose_argv(argc, argv);
+	prefix = precompose_argv_prefix(argc, argv, prefix);
 
 	repo_init_revisions(the_repository, &rev, prefix);
 
diff --git a/builtin/submodule--helper.c b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
index c30896c897..7fbad8a206 100644
--- a/builtin/submodule--helper.c
+++ b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
@@ -1257,7 +1257,7 @@ static int compute_summary_module_list(struct object_id *head_oid,
 	git_config(git_diff_basic_config, NULL);
 	init_revisions(&rev, info->prefix);
 	rev.abbrev = 0;
-	precompose_argv(diff_args.nr, diff_args.v);
+	precompose_argv_prefix(diff_args.nr, diff_args.v, NULL);
 	setup_revisions(diff_args.nr, diff_args.v, &rev, NULL);
 	rev.diffopt.output_format = DIFF_FORMAT_NO_OUTPUT | DIFF_FORMAT_CALLBACK;
 	rev.diffopt.format_callback = submodule_summary_callback;
diff --git a/compat/precompose_utf8.c b/compat/precompose_utf8.c
index 136250fbf6..ec560565a8 100644
--- a/compat/precompose_utf8.c
+++ b/compat/precompose_utf8.c
@@ -60,32 +60,46 @@ void probe_utf8_pathname_composition(void)
 	strbuf_release(&path);
 }
 
+static inline const char *precompose_string_if_needed(const char *in)
+{
+	size_t inlen;
+	size_t outlen;
+	if (has_non_ascii(in, (size_t)-1, &inlen)) {
+		iconv_t ic_prec;
+		char *out;
+		if (precomposed_unicode < 0)
+			git_config_get_bool("core.precomposeunicode", &precomposed_unicode);
+		if (precomposed_unicode != 1)
+			return in;
+		ic_prec = iconv_open(repo_encoding, path_encoding);
+		if (ic_prec == (iconv_t) -1)
+			return in;
 
-void precompose_argv(int argc, const char **argv)
+		out = reencode_string_iconv(in, inlen, ic_prec, 0, &outlen);
+		if (out) {
+			if (outlen == inlen && !memcmp(in, out, outlen))
+				free(out); /* no need to return indentical */
+			else
+				in = out;
+		}
+		iconv_close(ic_prec);
+
+	}
+	return in;
+}
+
+const char *precompose_argv_prefix(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 {
 	int i = 0;
-	const char *oldarg;
-	char *newarg;
-	iconv_t ic_precompose;
-
-	if (precomposed_unicode != 1)
-		return;
-
-	ic_precompose = iconv_open(repo_encoding, path_encoding);
-	if (ic_precompose == (iconv_t) -1)
-		return;
 
 	while (i < argc) {
-		size_t namelen;
-		oldarg = argv[i];
-		if (has_non_ascii(oldarg, (size_t)-1, &namelen)) {
-			newarg = reencode_string_iconv(oldarg, namelen, ic_precompose, 0, NULL);
-			if (newarg)
-				argv[i] = newarg;
-		}
+		argv[i] = precompose_string_if_needed(argv[i]);
 		i++;
 	}
-	iconv_close(ic_precompose);
+	if (prefix) {
+		prefix = precompose_string_if_needed(prefix);
+	}
+	return prefix;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/compat/precompose_utf8.h b/compat/precompose_utf8.h
index 6f843d3e1a..d70b84665c 100644
--- a/compat/precompose_utf8.h
+++ b/compat/precompose_utf8.h
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ typedef struct {
 	struct dirent_prec_psx *dirent_nfc;
 } PREC_DIR;
 
-void precompose_argv(int argc, const char **argv);
+const char *precompose_argv_prefix(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix);
 void probe_utf8_pathname_composition(void);
 
 PREC_DIR *precompose_utf8_opendir(const char *dirname);
diff --git a/git-compat-util.h b/git-compat-util.h
index 104993b975..93d9b4b7af 100644
--- a/git-compat-util.h
+++ b/git-compat-util.h
@@ -252,9 +252,9 @@ typedef unsigned long uintptr_t;
 #ifdef PRECOMPOSE_UNICODE
 #include "compat/precompose_utf8.h"
 #else
-static inline void precompose_argv(int argc, const char **argv)
+static inline const char *precompose_argv_prefix(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 {
-	; /* nothing */
+	return prefix;
 }
 #define probe_utf8_pathname_composition()
 #endif
diff --git a/git.c b/git.c
index a00a0a4d94..16a485fbe7 100644
--- a/git.c
+++ b/git.c
@@ -420,7 +420,7 @@ static int run_builtin(struct cmd_struct *p, int argc, const char **argv)
 			int nongit_ok;
 			prefix = setup_git_directory_gently(&nongit_ok);
 		}
-
+		prefix = precompose_argv_prefix(argc, argv, prefix);
 		if (use_pager == -1 && p->option & (RUN_SETUP | RUN_SETUP_GENTLY) &&
 		    !(p->option & DELAY_PAGER_CONFIG))
 			use_pager = check_pager_config(p->cmd);
diff --git a/parse-options.c b/parse-options.c
index f0507432ee..fbea16eaf5 100644
--- a/parse-options.c
+++ b/parse-options.c
@@ -869,7 +869,7 @@ int parse_options(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix,
 		usage_with_options(usagestr, options);
 	}
 
-	precompose_argv(argc, argv);
+	precompose_argv_prefix(argc, argv, NULL);
 	free(real_options);
 	free(ctx.alias_groups);
 	return parse_options_end(&ctx);
diff --git a/t/t3910-mac-os-precompose.sh b/t/t3910-mac-os-precompose.sh
index 54ce19e353..bc632a03ed 100755
--- a/t/t3910-mac-os-precompose.sh
+++ b/t/t3910-mac-os-precompose.sh
@@ -191,6 +191,22 @@ test_expect_failure 'handle existing decomposed filenames' '
 	test_must_be_empty untracked
 '
 
+test_expect_success "unicode decomposed: git restore -p . " '
+	DIRNAMEPWD=dir.Odiarnfc &&
+	DIRNAMEINREPO=dir.$Adiarnfc &&
+	export DIRNAMEPWD DIRNAMEINREPO &&
+	git init "$DIRNAMEPWD" &&
+	(
+		cd "$DIRNAMEPWD" &&
+		mkdir "$DIRNAMEINREPO" &&
+		cd "$DIRNAMEINREPO" &&
+		echo "Initial" >file &&
+		git add file &&
+		echo "More stuff" >>file &&
+		echo y | git restore -p .
+	)
+'
+
 # Test if the global core.precomposeunicode stops autosensing
 # Must be the last test case
 test_expect_success "respect git config --global core.precomposeunicode" '