diff --git a/Documentation/technical/api-strbuf.txt b/Documentation/technical/api-strbuf.txt
index f9c06a7573..430302c2f4 100644
--- a/Documentation/technical/api-strbuf.txt
+++ b/Documentation/technical/api-strbuf.txt
@@ -307,6 +307,16 @@ same behaviour as well.
 	use it unless you need the correct position in the file
 	descriptor.
 
+`strbuf_getcwd`::
+
+	Set the buffer to the path of the current working directory.
+
+`strbuf_add_absolute_path`
+
+	Add a path to a buffer, converting a relative path to an
+	absolute one in the process.  Symbolic links are not
+	resolved.
+
 `stripspace`::
 
 	Strip whitespace from a buffer. The second parameter controls if
diff --git a/abspath.c b/abspath.c
index ca33558a91..5edb4e7816 100644
--- a/abspath.c
+++ b/abspath.c
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ int is_directory(const char *path)
  */
 static const char *real_path_internal(const char *path, int die_on_error)
 {
-	static char bufs[2][PATH_MAX + 1], *buf = bufs[0], *next_buf = bufs[1];
+	static struct strbuf sb = STRBUF_INIT;
 	char *retval = NULL;
 
 	/*
@@ -41,16 +41,14 @@ static const char *real_path_internal(const char *path, int die_on_error)
 	 * here so that we can chdir() back to it at the end of the
 	 * function:
 	 */
-	char cwd[1024] = "";
-
-	int buf_index = 1;
+	struct strbuf cwd = STRBUF_INIT;
 
 	int depth = MAXDEPTH;
 	char *last_elem = NULL;
 	struct stat st;
 
 	/* We've already done it */
-	if (path == buf || path == next_buf)
+	if (path == sb.buf)
 		return path;
 
 	if (!*path) {
@@ -60,41 +58,38 @@ static const char *real_path_internal(const char *path, int die_on_error)
 			goto error_out;
 	}
 
-	if (strlcpy(buf, path, PATH_MAX) >= PATH_MAX) {
-		if (die_on_error)
-			die("Too long path: %.*s", 60, path);
-		else
-			goto error_out;
-	}
+	strbuf_reset(&sb);
+	strbuf_addstr(&sb, path);
 
 	while (depth--) {
-		if (!is_directory(buf)) {
-			char *last_slash = find_last_dir_sep(buf);
+		if (!is_directory(sb.buf)) {
+			char *last_slash = find_last_dir_sep(sb.buf);
 			if (last_slash) {
 				last_elem = xstrdup(last_slash + 1);
-				last_slash[1] = '\0';
+				strbuf_setlen(&sb, last_slash - sb.buf + 1);
 			} else {
-				last_elem = xstrdup(buf);
-				*buf = '\0';
+				last_elem = xmemdupz(sb.buf, sb.len);
+				strbuf_reset(&sb);
 			}
 		}
 
-		if (*buf) {
-			if (!*cwd && !getcwd(cwd, sizeof(cwd))) {
+		if (sb.len) {
+			if (!cwd.len && strbuf_getcwd(&cwd)) {
 				if (die_on_error)
 					die_errno("Could not get current working directory");
 				else
 					goto error_out;
 			}
 
-			if (chdir(buf)) {
+			if (chdir(sb.buf)) {
 				if (die_on_error)
-					die_errno("Could not switch to '%s'", buf);
+					die_errno("Could not switch to '%s'",
+						  sb.buf);
 				else
 					goto error_out;
 			}
 		}
-		if (!getcwd(buf, PATH_MAX)) {
+		if (strbuf_getcwd(&sb)) {
 			if (die_on_error)
 				die_errno("Could not get current working directory");
 			else
@@ -102,48 +97,35 @@ static const char *real_path_internal(const char *path, int die_on_error)
 		}
 
 		if (last_elem) {
-			size_t len = strlen(buf);
-			if (len + strlen(last_elem) + 2 > PATH_MAX) {
-				if (die_on_error)
-					die("Too long path name: '%s/%s'",
-					    buf, last_elem);
-				else
-					goto error_out;
-			}
-			if (len && !is_dir_sep(buf[len - 1]))
-				buf[len++] = '/';
-			strcpy(buf + len, last_elem);
+			if (sb.len && !is_dir_sep(sb.buf[sb.len - 1]))
+				strbuf_addch(&sb, '/');
+			strbuf_addstr(&sb, last_elem);
 			free(last_elem);
 			last_elem = NULL;
 		}
 
-		if (!lstat(buf, &st) && S_ISLNK(st.st_mode)) {
-			ssize_t len = readlink(buf, next_buf, PATH_MAX);
+		if (!lstat(sb.buf, &st) && S_ISLNK(st.st_mode)) {
+			struct strbuf next_sb = STRBUF_INIT;
+			ssize_t len = strbuf_readlink(&next_sb, sb.buf, 0);
 			if (len < 0) {
 				if (die_on_error)
-					die_errno("Invalid symlink '%s'", buf);
+					die_errno("Invalid symlink '%s'",
+						  sb.buf);
 				else
 					goto error_out;
 			}
-			if (PATH_MAX <= len) {
-				if (die_on_error)
-					die("symbolic link too long: %s", buf);
-				else
-					goto error_out;
-			}
-			next_buf[len] = '\0';
-			buf = next_buf;
-			buf_index = 1 - buf_index;
-			next_buf = bufs[buf_index];
+			strbuf_swap(&sb, &next_sb);
+			strbuf_release(&next_sb);
 		} else
 			break;
 	}
 
-	retval = buf;
+	retval = sb.buf;
 error_out:
 	free(last_elem);
-	if (*cwd && chdir(cwd))
-		die_errno("Could not change back to '%s'", cwd);
+	if (cwd.len && chdir(cwd.buf))
+		die_errno("Could not change back to '%s'", cwd.buf);
+	strbuf_release(&cwd);
 
 	return retval;
 }
@@ -158,54 +140,16 @@ const char *real_path_if_valid(const char *path)
 	return real_path_internal(path, 0);
 }
 
-static const char *get_pwd_cwd(void)
-{
-	static char cwd[PATH_MAX + 1];
-	char *pwd;
-	struct stat cwd_stat, pwd_stat;
-	if (getcwd(cwd, PATH_MAX) == NULL)
-		return NULL;
-	pwd = getenv("PWD");
-	if (pwd && strcmp(pwd, cwd)) {
-		stat(cwd, &cwd_stat);
-		if ((cwd_stat.st_dev || cwd_stat.st_ino) &&
-		    !stat(pwd, &pwd_stat) &&
-		    pwd_stat.st_dev == cwd_stat.st_dev &&
-		    pwd_stat.st_ino == cwd_stat.st_ino) {
-			strlcpy(cwd, pwd, PATH_MAX);
-		}
-	}
-	return cwd;
-}
-
 /*
  * Use this to get an absolute path from a relative one. If you want
  * to resolve links, you should use real_path.
- *
- * If the path is already absolute, then return path. As the user is
- * never meant to free the return value, we're safe.
  */
 const char *absolute_path(const char *path)
 {
-	static char buf[PATH_MAX + 1];
-
-	if (!*path) {
-		die("The empty string is not a valid path");
-	} else if (is_absolute_path(path)) {
-		if (strlcpy(buf, path, PATH_MAX) >= PATH_MAX)
-			die("Too long path: %.*s", 60, path);
-	} else {
-		size_t len;
-		const char *fmt;
-		const char *cwd = get_pwd_cwd();
-		if (!cwd)
-			die_errno("Cannot determine the current working directory");
-		len = strlen(cwd);
-		fmt = (len > 0 && is_dir_sep(cwd[len - 1])) ? "%s%s" : "%s/%s";
-		if (snprintf(buf, PATH_MAX, fmt, cwd, path) >= PATH_MAX)
-			die("Too long path: %.*s", 60, path);
-	}
-	return buf;
+	static struct strbuf sb = STRBUF_INIT;
+	strbuf_reset(&sb);
+	strbuf_add_absolute_path(&sb, path);
+	return sb.buf;
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/builtin/init-db.c b/builtin/init-db.c
index 6d8ac2cc33..587a5055ed 100644
--- a/builtin/init-db.c
+++ b/builtin/init-db.c
@@ -426,8 +426,9 @@ int init_db(const char *template_dir, unsigned int flags)
 
 static int guess_repository_type(const char *git_dir)
 {
-	char cwd[PATH_MAX];
 	const char *slash;
+	char *cwd;
+	int cwd_is_git_dir;
 
 	/*
 	 * "GIT_DIR=. git init" is always bare.
@@ -435,9 +436,10 @@ static int guess_repository_type(const char *git_dir)
 	 */
 	if (!strcmp(".", git_dir))
 		return 1;
-	if (!getcwd(cwd, sizeof(cwd)))
-		die_errno(_("cannot tell cwd"));
-	if (!strcmp(git_dir, cwd))
+	cwd = xgetcwd();
+	cwd_is_git_dir = !strcmp(git_dir, cwd);
+	free(cwd);
+	if (cwd_is_git_dir)
 		return 1;
 	/*
 	 * "GIT_DIR=.git or GIT_DIR=something/.git is usually not.
@@ -535,10 +537,9 @@ int cmd_init_db(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		usage(init_db_usage[0]);
 	}
 	if (is_bare_repository_cfg == 1) {
-		static char git_dir[PATH_MAX+1];
-
-		setenv(GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT,
-			getcwd(git_dir, sizeof(git_dir)), argc > 0);
+		char *cwd = xgetcwd();
+		setenv(GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT, cwd, argc > 0);
+		free(cwd);
 	}
 
 	if (init_shared_repository != -1)
@@ -572,11 +573,8 @@ int cmd_init_db(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			git_work_tree_cfg = xstrdup(real_path(rel));
 			free(rel);
 		}
-		if (!git_work_tree_cfg) {
-			git_work_tree_cfg = xcalloc(PATH_MAX, 1);
-			if (!getcwd(git_work_tree_cfg, PATH_MAX))
-				die_errno (_("Cannot access current working directory"));
-		}
+		if (!git_work_tree_cfg)
+			git_work_tree_cfg = xgetcwd();
 		if (work_tree)
 			set_git_work_tree(work_tree);
 		else
diff --git a/builtin/rev-parse.c b/builtin/rev-parse.c
index d85e08cc9c..c911b456de 100644
--- a/builtin/rev-parse.c
+++ b/builtin/rev-parse.c
@@ -736,7 +736,7 @@ int cmd_rev_parse(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			}
 			if (!strcmp(arg, "--git-dir")) {
 				const char *gitdir = getenv(GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT);
-				static char cwd[PATH_MAX];
+				char *cwd;
 				int len;
 				if (gitdir) {
 					puts(gitdir);
@@ -746,10 +746,10 @@ int cmd_rev_parse(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 					puts(".git");
 					continue;
 				}
-				if (!getcwd(cwd, PATH_MAX))
-					die_errno("unable to get current working directory");
+				cwd = xgetcwd();
 				len = strlen(cwd);
 				printf("%s%s.git\n", cwd, len && cwd[len-1] != '/' ? "/" : "");
+				free(cwd);
 				continue;
 			}
 			if (!strcmp(arg, "--resolve-git-dir")) {
diff --git a/dir.c b/dir.c
index fcb68729b1..bd274a73f1 100644
--- a/dir.c
+++ b/dir.c
@@ -1507,12 +1507,16 @@ int dir_inside_of(const char *subdir, const char *dir)
 
 int is_inside_dir(const char *dir)
 {
-	char cwd[PATH_MAX];
+	char *cwd;
+	int rc;
+
 	if (!dir)
 		return 0;
-	if (!getcwd(cwd, sizeof(cwd)))
-		die_errno("can't find the current directory");
-	return dir_inside_of(cwd, dir) >= 0;
+
+	cwd = xgetcwd();
+	rc = (dir_inside_of(cwd, dir) >= 0);
+	free(cwd);
+	return rc;
 }
 
 int is_empty_dir(const char *path)
diff --git a/exec_cmd.c b/exec_cmd.c
index 125fa6fabf..698e7526c4 100644
--- a/exec_cmd.c
+++ b/exec_cmd.c
@@ -86,11 +86,7 @@ const char *git_exec_path(void)
 static void add_path(struct strbuf *out, const char *path)
 {
 	if (path && *path) {
-		if (is_absolute_path(path))
-			strbuf_addstr(out, path);
-		else
-			strbuf_addstr(out, absolute_path(path));
-
+		strbuf_add_absolute_path(out, path);
 		strbuf_addch(out, PATH_SEP);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/git-compat-util.h b/git-compat-util.h
index f587749b7c..c150e3f8e7 100644
--- a/git-compat-util.h
+++ b/git-compat-util.h
@@ -607,6 +607,7 @@ extern int xmkstemp(char *template);
 extern int xmkstemp_mode(char *template, int mode);
 extern int odb_mkstemp(char *template, size_t limit, const char *pattern);
 extern int odb_pack_keep(char *name, size_t namesz, const unsigned char *sha1);
+extern char *xgetcwd(void);
 
 static inline size_t xsize_t(off_t len)
 {
diff --git a/git.c b/git.c
index 9c49519831..210f1ae9d0 100644
--- a/git.c
+++ b/git.c
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ const char git_more_info_string[] =
 
 static struct startup_info git_startup_info;
 static int use_pager = -1;
-static char orig_cwd[PATH_MAX];
+static char *orig_cwd;
 static const char *env_names[] = {
 	GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT,
 	GIT_WORK_TREE_ENVIRONMENT,
@@ -36,8 +36,7 @@ static void save_env(void)
 	if (saved_environment)
 		return;
 	saved_environment = 1;
-	if (!getcwd(orig_cwd, sizeof(orig_cwd)))
-		die_errno("cannot getcwd");
+	orig_cwd = xgetcwd();
 	for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(env_names); i++) {
 		orig_env[i] = getenv(env_names[i]);
 		if (orig_env[i])
@@ -48,8 +47,9 @@ static void save_env(void)
 static void restore_env(void)
 {
 	int i;
-	if (*orig_cwd && chdir(orig_cwd))
+	if (orig_cwd && chdir(orig_cwd))
 		die_errno("could not move to %s", orig_cwd);
+	free(orig_cwd);
 	for (i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(env_names); i++) {
 		if (orig_env[i])
 			setenv(env_names[i], orig_env[i], 1);
@@ -161,9 +161,10 @@ static int handle_options(const char ***argv, int *argc, int *envchanged)
 			if (envchanged)
 				*envchanged = 1;
 		} else if (!strcmp(cmd, "--bare")) {
-			static char git_dir[PATH_MAX+1];
+			char *cwd = xgetcwd();
 			is_bare_repository_cfg = 1;
-			setenv(GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT, getcwd(git_dir, sizeof(git_dir)), 0);
+			setenv(GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT, cwd, 0);
+			free(cwd);
 			setenv(GIT_IMPLICIT_WORK_TREE_ENVIRONMENT, "0", 1);
 			if (envchanged)
 				*envchanged = 1;
diff --git a/setup.c b/setup.c
index 793369da36..979b13f0c6 100644
--- a/setup.c
+++ b/setup.c
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ const char *read_gitfile(const char *path)
 }
 
 static const char *setup_explicit_git_dir(const char *gitdirenv,
-					  char *cwd, int len,
+					  struct strbuf *cwd,
 					  int *nongit_ok)
 {
 	const char *work_tree_env = getenv(GIT_WORK_TREE_ENVIRONMENT);
@@ -434,16 +434,16 @@ static const char *setup_explicit_git_dir(const char *gitdirenv,
 		if (is_absolute_path(git_work_tree_cfg))
 			set_git_work_tree(git_work_tree_cfg);
 		else {
-			char core_worktree[PATH_MAX];
+			char *core_worktree;
 			if (chdir(gitdirenv))
 				die_errno("Could not chdir to '%s'", gitdirenv);
 			if (chdir(git_work_tree_cfg))
 				die_errno("Could not chdir to '%s'", git_work_tree_cfg);
-			if (!getcwd(core_worktree, PATH_MAX))
-				die_errno("Could not get directory '%s'", git_work_tree_cfg);
-			if (chdir(cwd))
+			core_worktree = xgetcwd();
+			if (chdir(cwd->buf))
 				die_errno("Could not come back to cwd");
 			set_git_work_tree(core_worktree);
+			free(core_worktree);
 		}
 	}
 	else if (!git_env_bool(GIT_IMPLICIT_WORK_TREE_ENVIRONMENT, 1)) {
@@ -459,21 +459,20 @@ static const char *setup_explicit_git_dir(const char *gitdirenv,
 	worktree = get_git_work_tree();
 
 	/* both get_git_work_tree() and cwd are already normalized */
-	if (!strcmp(cwd, worktree)) { /* cwd == worktree */
+	if (!strcmp(cwd->buf, worktree)) { /* cwd == worktree */
 		set_git_dir(gitdirenv);
 		free(gitfile);
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
-	offset = dir_inside_of(cwd, worktree);
+	offset = dir_inside_of(cwd->buf, worktree);
 	if (offset >= 0) {	/* cwd inside worktree? */
 		set_git_dir(real_path(gitdirenv));
 		if (chdir(worktree))
 			die_errno("Could not chdir to '%s'", worktree);
-		cwd[len++] = '/';
-		cwd[len] = '\0';
+		strbuf_addch(cwd, '/');
 		free(gitfile);
-		return cwd + offset;
+		return cwd->buf + offset;
 	}
 
 	/* cwd outside worktree */
@@ -483,7 +482,7 @@ static const char *setup_explicit_git_dir(const char *gitdirenv,
 }
 
 static const char *setup_discovered_git_dir(const char *gitdir,
-					    char *cwd, int offset, int len,
+					    struct strbuf *cwd, int offset,
 					    int *nongit_ok)
 {
 	if (check_repository_format_gently(gitdir, nongit_ok))
@@ -491,17 +490,17 @@ static const char *setup_discovered_git_dir(const char *gitdir,
 
 	/* --work-tree is set without --git-dir; use discovered one */
 	if (getenv(GIT_WORK_TREE_ENVIRONMENT) || git_work_tree_cfg) {
-		if (offset != len && !is_absolute_path(gitdir))
+		if (offset != cwd->len && !is_absolute_path(gitdir))
 			gitdir = xstrdup(real_path(gitdir));
-		if (chdir(cwd))
+		if (chdir(cwd->buf))
 			die_errno("Could not come back to cwd");
-		return setup_explicit_git_dir(gitdir, cwd, len, nongit_ok);
+		return setup_explicit_git_dir(gitdir, cwd, nongit_ok);
 	}
 
 	/* #16.2, #17.2, #20.2, #21.2, #24, #25, #28, #29 (see t1510) */
 	if (is_bare_repository_cfg > 0) {
-		set_git_dir(offset == len ? gitdir : real_path(gitdir));
-		if (chdir(cwd))
+		set_git_dir(offset == cwd->len ? gitdir : real_path(gitdir));
+		if (chdir(cwd->buf))
 			die_errno("Could not come back to cwd");
 		return NULL;
 	}
@@ -512,18 +511,18 @@ static const char *setup_discovered_git_dir(const char *gitdir,
 		set_git_dir(gitdir);
 	inside_git_dir = 0;
 	inside_work_tree = 1;
-	if (offset == len)
+	if (offset == cwd->len)
 		return NULL;
 
 	/* Make "offset" point to past the '/', and add a '/' at the end */
 	offset++;
-	cwd[len++] = '/';
-	cwd[len] = 0;
-	return cwd + offset;
+	strbuf_addch(cwd, '/');
+	return cwd->buf + offset;
 }
 
 /* #16.1, #17.1, #20.1, #21.1, #22.1 (see t1510) */
-static const char *setup_bare_git_dir(char *cwd, int offset, int len, int *nongit_ok)
+static const char *setup_bare_git_dir(struct strbuf *cwd, int offset,
+				      int *nongit_ok)
 {
 	int root_len;
 
@@ -536,20 +535,20 @@ static const char *setup_bare_git_dir(char *cwd, int offset, int len, int *nongi
 	if (getenv(GIT_WORK_TREE_ENVIRONMENT) || git_work_tree_cfg) {
 		const char *gitdir;
 
-		gitdir = offset == len ? "." : xmemdupz(cwd, offset);
-		if (chdir(cwd))
+		gitdir = offset == cwd->len ? "." : xmemdupz(cwd->buf, offset);
+		if (chdir(cwd->buf))
 			die_errno("Could not come back to cwd");
-		return setup_explicit_git_dir(gitdir, cwd, len, nongit_ok);
+		return setup_explicit_git_dir(gitdir, cwd, nongit_ok);
 	}
 
 	inside_git_dir = 1;
 	inside_work_tree = 0;
-	if (offset != len) {
-		if (chdir(cwd))
+	if (offset != cwd->len) {
+		if (chdir(cwd->buf))
 			die_errno("Cannot come back to cwd");
-		root_len = offset_1st_component(cwd);
-		cwd[offset > root_len ? offset : root_len] = '\0';
-		set_git_dir(cwd);
+		root_len = offset_1st_component(cwd->buf);
+		strbuf_setlen(cwd, offset > root_len ? offset : root_len);
+		set_git_dir(cwd->buf);
 	}
 	else
 		set_git_dir(".");
@@ -617,10 +616,10 @@ static const char *setup_git_directory_gently_1(int *nongit_ok)
 {
 	const char *env_ceiling_dirs = getenv(CEILING_DIRECTORIES_ENVIRONMENT);
 	struct string_list ceiling_dirs = STRING_LIST_INIT_DUP;
-	static char cwd[PATH_MAX + 1];
+	static struct strbuf cwd = STRBUF_INIT;
 	const char *gitdirenv, *ret;
 	char *gitfile;
-	int len, offset, offset_parent, ceil_offset = -1;
+	int offset, offset_parent, ceil_offset = -1;
 	dev_t current_device = 0;
 	int one_filesystem = 1;
 
@@ -641,9 +640,9 @@ static const char *setup_git_directory_gently_1(int *nongit_ok)
 	if (nongit_ok)
 		*nongit_ok = 0;
 
-	if (!getcwd(cwd, sizeof(cwd) - 1))
+	if (strbuf_getcwd(&cwd))
 		die_errno("Unable to read current working directory");
-	offset = len = strlen(cwd);
+	offset = cwd.len;
 
 	/*
 	 * If GIT_DIR is set explicitly, we're not going
@@ -652,7 +651,7 @@ static const char *setup_git_directory_gently_1(int *nongit_ok)
 	 */
 	gitdirenv = getenv(GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT);
 	if (gitdirenv)
-		return setup_explicit_git_dir(gitdirenv, cwd, len, nongit_ok);
+		return setup_explicit_git_dir(gitdirenv, &cwd, nongit_ok);
 
 	if (env_ceiling_dirs) {
 		int empty_entry_found = 0;
@@ -660,11 +659,11 @@ static const char *setup_git_directory_gently_1(int *nongit_ok)
 		string_list_split(&ceiling_dirs, env_ceiling_dirs, PATH_SEP, -1);
 		filter_string_list(&ceiling_dirs, 0,
 				   canonicalize_ceiling_entry, &empty_entry_found);
-		ceil_offset = longest_ancestor_length(cwd, &ceiling_dirs);
+		ceil_offset = longest_ancestor_length(cwd.buf, &ceiling_dirs);
 		string_list_clear(&ceiling_dirs, 0);
 	}
 
-	if (ceil_offset < 0 && has_dos_drive_prefix(cwd))
+	if (ceil_offset < 0 && has_dos_drive_prefix(cwd.buf))
 		ceil_offset = 1;
 
 	/*
@@ -692,7 +691,7 @@ static const char *setup_git_directory_gently_1(int *nongit_ok)
 
 		if (gitdirenv) {
 			ret = setup_discovered_git_dir(gitdirenv,
-						       cwd, offset, len,
+						       &cwd, offset,
 						       nongit_ok);
 			free(gitfile);
 			return ret;
@@ -700,29 +699,31 @@ static const char *setup_git_directory_gently_1(int *nongit_ok)
 		free(gitfile);
 
 		if (is_git_directory("."))
-			return setup_bare_git_dir(cwd, offset, len, nongit_ok);
+			return setup_bare_git_dir(&cwd, offset, nongit_ok);
 
 		offset_parent = offset;
-		while (--offset_parent > ceil_offset && cwd[offset_parent] != '/');
+		while (--offset_parent > ceil_offset && cwd.buf[offset_parent] != '/');
 		if (offset_parent <= ceil_offset)
-			return setup_nongit(cwd, nongit_ok);
+			return setup_nongit(cwd.buf, nongit_ok);
 		if (one_filesystem) {
-			dev_t parent_device = get_device_or_die("..", cwd, offset);
+			dev_t parent_device = get_device_or_die("..", cwd.buf,
+								offset);
 			if (parent_device != current_device) {
 				if (nongit_ok) {
-					if (chdir(cwd))
+					if (chdir(cwd.buf))
 						die_errno("Cannot come back to cwd");
 					*nongit_ok = 1;
 					return NULL;
 				}
-				cwd[offset] = '\0';
+				strbuf_setlen(&cwd, offset);
 				die("Not a git repository (or any parent up to mount point %s)\n"
-				"Stopping at filesystem boundary (GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM not set).", cwd);
+				"Stopping at filesystem boundary (GIT_DISCOVERY_ACROSS_FILESYSTEM not set).",
+				    cwd.buf);
 			}
 		}
 		if (chdir("..")) {
-			cwd[offset] = '\0';
-			die_errno("Cannot change to '%s/..'", cwd);
+			strbuf_setlen(&cwd, offset);
+			die_errno("Cannot change to '%s/..'", cwd.buf);
 		}
 		offset = offset_parent;
 	}
diff --git a/sha1_file.c b/sha1_file.c
index 3f70b1d86a..95afd20910 100644
--- a/sha1_file.c
+++ b/sha1_file.c
@@ -350,7 +350,7 @@ static void link_alt_odb_entries(const char *alt, int len, int sep,
 		return;
 	}
 
-	strbuf_addstr(&objdirbuf, absolute_path(get_object_directory()));
+	strbuf_add_absolute_path(&objdirbuf, get_object_directory());
 	normalize_path_copy(objdirbuf.buf, objdirbuf.buf);
 
 	alt_copy = xmemdupz(alt, len);
diff --git a/strbuf.c b/strbuf.c
index 33018d847f..4d3144308f 100644
--- a/strbuf.c
+++ b/strbuf.c
@@ -406,6 +406,27 @@ int strbuf_readlink(struct strbuf *sb, const char *path, size_t hint)
 	return -1;
 }
 
+int strbuf_getcwd(struct strbuf *sb)
+{
+	size_t oldalloc = sb->alloc;
+	size_t guessed_len = 128;
+
+	for (;; guessed_len *= 2) {
+		strbuf_grow(sb, guessed_len);
+		if (getcwd(sb->buf, sb->alloc)) {
+			strbuf_setlen(sb, strlen(sb->buf));
+			return 0;
+		}
+		if (errno != ERANGE)
+			break;
+	}
+	if (oldalloc == 0)
+		strbuf_release(sb);
+	else
+		strbuf_reset(sb);
+	return -1;
+}
+
 int strbuf_getwholeline(struct strbuf *sb, FILE *fp, int term)
 {
 	int ch;
@@ -555,6 +576,31 @@ void strbuf_humanise_bytes(struct strbuf *buf, off_t bytes)
 	}
 }
 
+void strbuf_add_absolute_path(struct strbuf *sb, const char *path)
+{
+	if (!*path)
+		die("The empty string is not a valid path");
+	if (!is_absolute_path(path)) {
+		struct stat cwd_stat, pwd_stat;
+		size_t orig_len = sb->len;
+		char *cwd = xgetcwd();
+		char *pwd = getenv("PWD");
+		if (pwd && strcmp(pwd, cwd) &&
+		    !stat(cwd, &cwd_stat) &&
+		    (cwd_stat.st_dev || cwd_stat.st_ino) &&
+		    !stat(pwd, &pwd_stat) &&
+		    pwd_stat.st_dev == cwd_stat.st_dev &&
+		    pwd_stat.st_ino == cwd_stat.st_ino)
+			strbuf_addstr(sb, pwd);
+		else
+			strbuf_addstr(sb, cwd);
+		if (sb->len > orig_len && !is_dir_sep(sb->buf[sb->len - 1]))
+			strbuf_addch(sb, '/');
+		free(cwd);
+	}
+	strbuf_addstr(sb, path);
+}
+
 int printf_ln(const char *fmt, ...)
 {
 	int ret;
diff --git a/strbuf.h b/strbuf.h
index a7c0192e9e..7bdc1da507 100644
--- a/strbuf.h
+++ b/strbuf.h
@@ -174,6 +174,7 @@ extern size_t strbuf_fread(struct strbuf *, size_t, FILE *);
 extern ssize_t strbuf_read(struct strbuf *, int fd, size_t hint);
 extern int strbuf_read_file(struct strbuf *sb, const char *path, size_t hint);
 extern int strbuf_readlink(struct strbuf *sb, const char *path, size_t hint);
+extern int strbuf_getcwd(struct strbuf *sb);
 
 extern int strbuf_getwholeline(struct strbuf *, FILE *, int);
 extern int strbuf_getline(struct strbuf *, FILE *, int);
@@ -189,6 +190,8 @@ extern void strbuf_addstr_urlencode(struct strbuf *, const char *,
 				    int reserved);
 extern void strbuf_humanise_bytes(struct strbuf *buf, off_t bytes);
 
+extern void strbuf_add_absolute_path(struct strbuf *sb, const char *path);
+
 __attribute__((format (printf,1,2)))
 extern int printf_ln(const char *fmt, ...);
 __attribute__((format (printf,2,3)))
diff --git a/trace.c b/trace.c
index e583dc63bb..54aaee5818 100644
--- a/trace.c
+++ b/trace.c
@@ -298,13 +298,12 @@ void trace_repo_setup(const char *prefix)
 {
 	static struct trace_key key = TRACE_KEY_INIT(SETUP);
 	const char *git_work_tree;
-	char cwd[PATH_MAX];
+	char *cwd;
 
 	if (!trace_want(&key))
 		return;
 
-	if (!getcwd(cwd, PATH_MAX))
-		die("Unable to get current working directory");
+	cwd = xgetcwd();
 
 	if (!(git_work_tree = get_git_work_tree()))
 		git_work_tree = "(null)";
@@ -316,6 +315,8 @@ void trace_repo_setup(const char *prefix)
 	trace_printf_key(&key, "setup: worktree: %s\n", quote_crnl(git_work_tree));
 	trace_printf_key(&key, "setup: cwd: %s\n", quote_crnl(cwd));
 	trace_printf_key(&key, "setup: prefix: %s\n", quote_crnl(prefix));
+
+	free(cwd);
 }
 
 int trace_want(struct trace_key *key)
diff --git a/unix-socket.c b/unix-socket.c
index 91bd6b89d4..19ed48be99 100644
--- a/unix-socket.c
+++ b/unix-socket.c
@@ -18,12 +18,12 @@ static int chdir_len(const char *orig, int len)
 }
 
 struct unix_sockaddr_context {
-	char orig_dir[PATH_MAX];
+	char *orig_dir;
 };
 
 static void unix_sockaddr_cleanup(struct unix_sockaddr_context *ctx)
 {
-	if (!ctx->orig_dir[0])
+	if (!ctx->orig_dir)
 		return;
 	/*
 	 * If we fail, we can't just return an error, since we have
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ static void unix_sockaddr_cleanup(struct unix_sockaddr_context *ctx)
 	 */
 	if (chdir(ctx->orig_dir) < 0)
 		die("unable to restore original working directory");
+	free(ctx->orig_dir);
 }
 
 static int unix_sockaddr_init(struct sockaddr_un *sa, const char *path,
@@ -39,10 +40,11 @@ static int unix_sockaddr_init(struct sockaddr_un *sa, const char *path,
 {
 	int size = strlen(path) + 1;
 
-	ctx->orig_dir[0] = '\0';
+	ctx->orig_dir = NULL;
 	if (size > sizeof(sa->sun_path)) {
 		const char *slash = find_last_dir_sep(path);
 		const char *dir;
+		struct strbuf cwd = STRBUF_INIT;
 
 		if (!slash) {
 			errno = ENAMETOOLONG;
@@ -56,11 +58,9 @@ static int unix_sockaddr_init(struct sockaddr_un *sa, const char *path,
 			errno = ENAMETOOLONG;
 			return -1;
 		}
-
-		if (!getcwd(ctx->orig_dir, sizeof(ctx->orig_dir))) {
-			errno = ENAMETOOLONG;
+		if (strbuf_getcwd(&cwd))
 			return -1;
-		}
+		ctx->orig_dir = strbuf_detach(&cwd, NULL);
 		if (chdir_len(dir, slash - dir) < 0)
 			return -1;
 	}
diff --git a/wrapper.c b/wrapper.c
index bc1bfb8600..bd24cdabfb 100644
--- a/wrapper.c
+++ b/wrapper.c
@@ -493,3 +493,11 @@ struct passwd *xgetpwuid_self(void)
 		    errno ? strerror(errno) : _("no such user"));
 	return pw;
 }
+
+char *xgetcwd(void)
+{
+	struct strbuf sb = STRBUF_INIT;
+	if (strbuf_getcwd(&sb))
+		die_errno(_("unable to get current working directory"));
+	return strbuf_detach(&sb, NULL);
+}