diff --git a/bisect.c b/bisect.c
index 03af06c66cebcbc0699b8a074f9ef120da09248a..08c9fb7266c3b2ff8b970c21d350be4adfe7b0fc 100644
--- a/bisect.c
+++ b/bisect.c
@@ -432,6 +432,7 @@ static int read_bisect_refs(void)
 
 static GIT_PATH_FUNC(git_path_bisect_names, "BISECT_NAMES")
 static GIT_PATH_FUNC(git_path_bisect_expected_rev, "BISECT_EXPECTED_REV")
+static GIT_PATH_FUNC(git_path_bisect_terms, "BISECT_TERMS")
 
 static void read_bisect_paths(struct argv_array *array)
 {
@@ -906,7 +907,7 @@ static void show_diff_tree(const char *prefix, struct commit *commit)
 void read_bisect_terms(const char **read_bad, const char **read_good)
 {
 	struct strbuf str = STRBUF_INIT;
-	const char *filename = git_path("BISECT_TERMS");
+	const char *filename = git_path_bisect_terms();
 	FILE *fp = fopen(filename, "r");
 
 	if (!fp) {
diff --git a/builtin/am.c b/builtin/am.c
index f08b7e6626021e425e4712763bee2236b8eab47b..a95dd8b4e6c793d9e51658e2ccbe535cf5a5af45 100644
--- a/builtin/am.c
+++ b/builtin/am.c
@@ -134,17 +134,15 @@ struct am_state {
 };
 
 /**
- * Initializes am_state with the default values. The state directory is set to
- * dir.
+ * Initializes am_state with the default values.
  */
-static void am_state_init(struct am_state *state, const char *dir)
+static void am_state_init(struct am_state *state)
 {
 	int gpgsign;
 
 	memset(state, 0, sizeof(*state));
 
-	assert(dir);
-	state->dir = xstrdup(dir);
+	state->dir = git_pathdup("rebase-apply");
 
 	state->prec = 4;
 
@@ -2323,7 +2321,7 @@ int cmd_am(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 
 	git_config(git_am_config, NULL);
 
-	am_state_init(&state, git_path("rebase-apply"));
+	am_state_init(&state);
 
 	in_progress = am_in_progress(&state);
 	if (in_progress)
diff --git a/builtin/branch.c b/builtin/branch.c
index 0552c42ad115bba218f35d4836f1021e3385f6c2..48a513a84dbf6cf2516a10cbcced267369bc747c 100644
--- a/builtin/branch.c
+++ b/builtin/branch.c
@@ -504,7 +504,7 @@ static void rename_branch(const char *oldname, const char *newname, int force)
 	strbuf_release(&newsection);
 }
 
-static const char edit_description[] = "BRANCH_DESCRIPTION";
+static GIT_PATH_FUNC(edit_description, "EDIT_DESCRIPTION")
 
 static int edit_branch_description(const char *branch_name)
 {
@@ -519,9 +519,9 @@ static int edit_branch_description(const char *branch_name)
 		      "  %s\n"
 		      "Lines starting with '%c' will be stripped.\n"),
 		    branch_name, comment_line_char);
-	write_file_buf(git_path(edit_description), buf.buf, buf.len);
+	write_file_buf(edit_description(), buf.buf, buf.len);
 	strbuf_reset(&buf);
-	if (launch_editor(git_path(edit_description), &buf, NULL)) {
+	if (launch_editor(edit_description(), &buf, NULL)) {
 		strbuf_release(&buf);
 		return -1;
 	}
diff --git a/builtin/commit.c b/builtin/commit.c
index ad188fea9ec552c65c4b82c3558977dd6648fe77..1d805f5da8abd1cfafc41c5c47fd048b2549fbf4 100644
--- a/builtin/commit.c
+++ b/builtin/commit.c
@@ -821,9 +821,9 @@ static int prepare_to_commit(const char *index_file, const char *prefix,
 					"If this is not correct, please remove the file\n"
 					"	%s\n"
 					"and try again.\n"),
-				git_path(whence == FROM_MERGE
-					 ? "MERGE_HEAD"
-					 : "CHERRY_PICK_HEAD"));
+				whence == FROM_MERGE ?
+					git_path_merge_head() :
+					git_path_cherry_pick_head());
 		}
 
 		fprintf(s->fp, "\n");
diff --git a/builtin/config.c b/builtin/config.c
index 1b7ed5af0839d25e063e19c9a83b4233a7c2a3ca..3a554ad50ca60cd327ce94433022f8d42f024f52 100644
--- a/builtin/config.c
+++ b/builtin/config.c
@@ -600,8 +600,9 @@ int cmd_config(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		if (given_config_source.blob)
 			die("editing blobs is not supported");
 		git_config(git_default_config, NULL);
-		config_file = xstrdup(given_config_source.file ?
-				      given_config_source.file : git_path("config"));
+		config_file = given_config_source.file ?
+				xstrdup(given_config_source.file) :
+				git_pathdup("config");
 		if (use_global_config) {
 			int fd = open(config_file, O_CREAT | O_EXCL | O_WRONLY, 0666);
 			if (fd >= 0) {
diff --git a/builtin/pull.c b/builtin/pull.c
index d8aa26d8abe4e436f95f4476133967cf17f29988..dd1a4a94e41ed31617d31c80e097cbc044b3e3f3 100644
--- a/builtin/pull.c
+++ b/builtin/pull.c
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ static int git_pull_config(const char *var, const char *value, void *cb)
  */
 static void get_merge_heads(struct oid_array *merge_heads)
 {
-	const char *filename = git_path("FETCH_HEAD");
+	const char *filename = git_path_fetch_head();
 	FILE *fp;
 	struct strbuf sb = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct object_id oid;
@@ -791,7 +791,7 @@ int cmd_pull(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	if (read_cache_unmerged())
 		die_resolve_conflict("pull");
 
-	if (file_exists(git_path("MERGE_HEAD")))
+	if (file_exists(git_path_merge_head()))
 		die_conclude_merge();
 
 	if (get_oid("HEAD", &orig_head))
diff --git a/builtin/worktree.c b/builtin/worktree.c
index 9993ded41aaaaa9a9291bf51b9949a97418a5e76..57caa0855e0e8078d6f100f41cab76aac7784887 100644
--- a/builtin/worktree.c
+++ b/builtin/worktree.c
@@ -106,8 +106,7 @@ static void prune_worktrees(void)
 			printf("%s\n", reason.buf);
 		if (show_only)
 			continue;
-		strbuf_reset(&path);
-		strbuf_addstr(&path, git_path("worktrees/%s", d->d_name));
+		git_path_buf(&path, "worktrees/%s", d->d_name);
 		ret = remove_dir_recursively(&path, 0);
 		if (ret < 0 && errno == ENOTDIR)
 			ret = unlink(path.buf);
@@ -215,8 +214,7 @@ static int add_worktree(const char *path, const char *refname,
 	}
 
 	name = worktree_basename(path, &len);
-	strbuf_addstr(&sb_repo,
-		      git_path("worktrees/%.*s", (int)(path + len - name), name));
+	git_path_buf(&sb_repo, "worktrees/%.*s", (int)(path + len - name), name);
 	len = sb_repo.len;
 	if (safe_create_leading_directories_const(sb_repo.buf))
 		die_errno(_("could not create leading directories of '%s'"),
diff --git a/fast-import.c b/fast-import.c
index 1ea3a08609bd8ece7a22ce33c78a0a798304375f..cf58f875b889eb0360df1f58cacf4f4017c6c10f 100644
--- a/fast-import.c
+++ b/fast-import.c
@@ -3202,7 +3202,7 @@ static char* make_fast_import_path(const char *path)
 {
 	if (!relative_marks_paths || is_absolute_path(path))
 		return xstrdup(path);
-	return xstrdup(git_path("info/fast-import/%s", path));
+	return git_pathdup("info/fast-import/%s", path);
 }
 
 static void option_import_marks(const char *marks,
diff --git a/notes-merge.c b/notes-merge.c
index 5998605acc64471193dc9d945610db8491f34bd8..32caaaff7477d3640c81a19c54c1c92ffb8ca8b1 100644
--- a/notes-merge.c
+++ b/notes-merge.c
@@ -676,7 +676,7 @@ int notes_merge_commit(struct notes_merge_options *o,
 	const char *msg = strstr(buffer, "\n\n");
 	int baselen;
 
-	strbuf_addstr(&path, git_path(NOTES_MERGE_WORKTREE));
+	git_path_buf(&path, NOTES_MERGE_WORKTREE);
 	if (o->verbosity >= 3)
 		printf("Committing notes in notes merge worktree at %s\n",
 			path.buf);
@@ -741,7 +741,7 @@ int notes_merge_abort(struct notes_merge_options *o)
 	struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
 	int ret;
 
-	strbuf_addstr(&buf, git_path(NOTES_MERGE_WORKTREE));
+	git_path_buf(&buf, NOTES_MERGE_WORKTREE);
 	if (o->verbosity >= 3)
 		printf("Removing notes merge worktree at %s/*\n", buf.buf);
 	ret = remove_dir_recursively(&buf, REMOVE_DIR_KEEP_TOPLEVEL);
diff --git a/sequencer.c b/sequencer.c
index 77afecaebf0980bec4f938b15bd08ae35ba09d83..130cc868e511e646badde9ebc0894602e27ea37b 100644
--- a/sequencer.c
+++ b/sequencer.c
@@ -1065,12 +1065,12 @@ static int do_pick_commit(enum todo_command command, struct commit *commit,
 			flags |= CLEANUP_MSG;
 			msg_file = rebase_path_fixup_msg();
 		} else {
-			const char *dest = git_path("SQUASH_MSG");
+			const char *dest = git_path_squash_msg();
 			unlink(dest);
 			if (copy_file(dest, rebase_path_squash_msg(), 0666))
 				return error(_("could not rename '%s' to '%s'"),
 					     rebase_path_squash_msg(), dest);
-			unlink(git_path("MERGE_MSG"));
+			unlink(git_path_merge_msg());
 			msg_file = dest;
 			flags |= EDIT_MSG;
 		}
@@ -1820,10 +1820,10 @@ static int error_failed_squash(struct commit *commit,
 		return error(_("could not rename '%s' to '%s'"),
 			rebase_path_squash_msg(), rebase_path_message());
 	unlink(rebase_path_fixup_msg());
-	unlink(git_path("MERGE_MSG"));
-	if (copy_file(git_path("MERGE_MSG"), rebase_path_message(), 0666))
+	unlink(git_path_merge_msg());
+	if (copy_file(git_path_merge_msg(), rebase_path_message(), 0666))
 		return error(_("could not copy '%s' to '%s'"),
-			     rebase_path_message(), git_path("MERGE_MSG"));
+			     rebase_path_message(), git_path_merge_msg());
 	return error_with_patch(commit, subject, subject_len, opts, 1, 0);
 }
 
@@ -2167,7 +2167,7 @@ static int commit_staged_changes(struct replay_opts *opts)
 	if (has_unstaged_changes(1))
 		return error(_("cannot rebase: You have unstaged changes."));
 	if (!has_uncommitted_changes(0)) {
-		const char *cherry_pick_head = git_path("CHERRY_PICK_HEAD");
+		const char *cherry_pick_head = git_path_cherry_pick_head();
 
 		if (file_exists(cherry_pick_head) && unlink(cherry_pick_head))
 			return error(_("could not remove CHERRY_PICK_HEAD"));