diff --git a/bisect.c b/bisect.c
index 48acf73391271c1d9061b178a53653357f07f391..1aad49b1a642a308f449001960958ccab79347d1 100644
--- a/bisect.c
+++ b/bisect.c
@@ -833,7 +833,7 @@ static int check_ancestors(const char *prefix)
  */
 static void check_good_are_ancestors_of_bad(const char *prefix, int no_checkout)
 {
-	char *filename = xstrdup(git_path("BISECT_ANCESTORS_OK"));
+	char *filename = git_pathdup("BISECT_ANCESTORS_OK");
 	struct stat st;
 	int fd;
 
diff --git a/builtin/add.c b/builtin/add.c
index 2816789b9d8e0976e24e110ce21de12a4eb9bafe..e664100c7122d6c4116763716c2260756feffac2 100644
--- a/builtin/add.c
+++ b/builtin/add.c
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ int interactive_add(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix, int patch)
 
 static int edit_patch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 {
-	char *file = xstrdup(git_path("ADD_EDIT.patch"));
+	char *file = git_pathdup("ADD_EDIT.patch");
 	const char *apply_argv[] = { "apply", "--recount", "--cached",
 		NULL, NULL };
 	struct child_process child;
@@ -303,6 +303,7 @@ static int edit_patch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		die (_("Could not apply '%s'"), file);
 
 	unlink(file);
+	free(file);
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/builtin/branch.c b/builtin/branch.c
index 5cb6d78f2c472cc6e579bf6618898f0e44e5ef03..ffd26849c7ad20ff470323621486ae8a2aeb2501 100644
--- a/builtin/branch.c
+++ b/builtin/branch.c
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ static int delete_branches(int argc, const char **argv, int force, int kinds,
 
 		free(name);
 
-		name = xstrdup(mkpath(fmt, bname.buf));
+		name = mkpathdup(fmt, bname.buf);
 		if (read_ref(name, sha1)) {
 			error(remote_branch
 			      ? _("remote branch '%s' not found.")
diff --git a/builtin/clone.c b/builtin/clone.c
index 5e8f3ba22c3df9ee5ec7b6ae061c97ccc1740fdd..5a9b2bce2495cac1a343b10300804867e0f067e7 100644
--- a/builtin/clone.c
+++ b/builtin/clone.c
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ static int add_one_reference(struct string_list_item *item, void *cb_data)
 	/* Beware: real_path() and mkpath() return static buffer */
 	ref_git = xstrdup(real_path(item->string));
 	if (is_directory(mkpath("%s/.git/objects", ref_git))) {
-		char *ref_git_git = xstrdup(mkpath("%s/.git", ref_git));
+		char *ref_git_git = mkpathdup("%s/.git", ref_git);
 		free(ref_git);
 		ref_git = ref_git_git;
 	} else if (!is_directory(mkpath("%s/objects", ref_git)))
@@ -700,7 +700,7 @@ int cmd_clone(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		git_dir = xstrdup(dir);
 	else {
 		work_tree = dir;
-		git_dir = xstrdup(mkpath("%s/.git", dir));
+		git_dir = mkpathdup("%s/.git", dir);
 	}
 
 	if (!option_bare) {
diff --git a/builtin/prune.c b/builtin/prune.c
index 9a03d24dadaaba8bc1fc0c778dbfe33b1651607e..8cb8b9186a3a268630680e4b224d3767017e1e38 100644
--- a/builtin/prune.c
+++ b/builtin/prune.c
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ int cmd_prune(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 
 	prune_packed_objects(show_only);
 	remove_temporary_files(get_object_directory());
-	s = xstrdup(mkpath("%s/pack", get_object_directory()));
+	s = mkpathdup("%s/pack", get_object_directory());
 	remove_temporary_files(s);
 	free(s);
 	return 0;
diff --git a/merge-recursive.c b/merge-recursive.c
index 7866ca1026730e2e0446f711e3c621e44cef9f60..d8820604ca3535ce25796012412fe69f1cbdd37b 100644
--- a/merge-recursive.c
+++ b/merge-recursive.c
@@ -844,14 +844,14 @@ static int merge_3way(struct merge_options *o,
 	if (strcmp(a->path, b->path) ||
 	    (o->ancestor != NULL && strcmp(a->path, one->path) != 0)) {
 		base_name = o->ancestor == NULL ? NULL :
-			xstrdup(mkpath("%s:%s", o->ancestor, one->path));
-		name1 = xstrdup(mkpath("%s:%s", branch1, a->path));
-		name2 = xstrdup(mkpath("%s:%s", branch2, b->path));
+			mkpathdup("%s:%s", o->ancestor, one->path);
+		name1 = mkpathdup("%s:%s", branch1, a->path);
+		name2 = mkpathdup("%s:%s", branch2, b->path);
 	} else {
 		base_name = o->ancestor == NULL ? NULL :
-			xstrdup(mkpath("%s", o->ancestor));
-		name1 = xstrdup(mkpath("%s", branch1));
-		name2 = xstrdup(mkpath("%s", branch2));
+			mkpathdup("%s", o->ancestor);
+		name1 = mkpathdup("%s", branch1);
+		name2 = mkpathdup("%s", branch2);
 	}
 
 	read_mmblob(&orig, one->sha1);
@@ -861,6 +861,7 @@ static int merge_3way(struct merge_options *o,
 	merge_status = ll_merge(result_buf, a->path, &orig, base_name,
 				&src1, name1, &src2, name2, &ll_opts);
 
+	free(base_name);
 	free(name1);
 	free(name2);
 	free(orig.ptr);
diff --git a/path.c b/path.c
index 66acd24fa8821861d032fc216f6ea6fdd711a969..cbbdf7d6ba68160a3a9936976e53d773d181ceac 100644
--- a/path.c
+++ b/path.c
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ char *mksnpath(char *buf, size_t n, const char *fmt, ...)
 	return cleanup_path(buf);
 }
 
-static char *git_vsnpath(char *buf, size_t n, const char *fmt, va_list args)
+static char *vsnpath(char *buf, size_t n, const char *fmt, va_list args)
 {
 	const char *git_dir = get_git_dir();
 	size_t len;
@@ -70,21 +70,22 @@ static char *git_vsnpath(char *buf, size_t n, const char *fmt, va_list args)
 
 char *git_snpath(char *buf, size_t n, const char *fmt, ...)
 {
+	char *ret;
 	va_list args;
 	va_start(args, fmt);
-	(void)git_vsnpath(buf, n, fmt, args);
+	ret = vsnpath(buf, n, fmt, args);
 	va_end(args);
-	return buf;
+	return ret;
 }
 
 char *git_pathdup(const char *fmt, ...)
 {
-	char path[PATH_MAX];
+	char path[PATH_MAX], *ret;
 	va_list args;
 	va_start(args, fmt);
-	(void)git_vsnpath(path, sizeof(path), fmt, args);
+	ret = vsnpath(path, sizeof(path), fmt, args);
 	va_end(args);
-	return xstrdup(path);
+	return xstrdup(ret);
 }
 
 char *mkpathdup(const char *fmt, ...)
@@ -118,23 +119,14 @@ char *mkpath(const char *fmt, ...)
 
 char *git_path(const char *fmt, ...)
 {
-	const char *git_dir = get_git_dir();
 	char *pathname = get_pathname();
 	va_list args;
-	unsigned len;
+	char *ret;
 
-	len = strlen(git_dir);
-	if (len > PATH_MAX-100)
-		return bad_path;
-	memcpy(pathname, git_dir, len);
-	if (len && git_dir[len-1] != '/')
-		pathname[len++] = '/';
 	va_start(args, fmt);
-	len += vsnprintf(pathname + len, PATH_MAX - len, fmt, args);
+	ret = vsnpath(pathname, PATH_MAX, fmt, args);
 	va_end(args);
-	if (len >= PATH_MAX)
-		return bad_path;
-	return cleanup_path(pathname);
+	return ret;
 }
 
 void home_config_paths(char **global, char **xdg, char *file)