diff --git a/builtin/blame.c b/builtin/blame.c
index eac2fe7320..f3a11eff44 100644
--- a/builtin/blame.c
+++ b/builtin/blame.c
@@ -1252,7 +1252,7 @@ parse_done:
 	sb.xdl_opts = xdl_opts;
 	sb.no_whole_file_rename = no_whole_file_rename;
 
-	read_mailmap(&mailmap);
+	read_mailmap(the_repository, &mailmap);
 
 	sb.found_guilty_entry = &found_guilty_entry;
 	sb.found_guilty_entry_data = π
diff --git a/builtin/cat-file.c b/builtin/cat-file.c
index 53ffe80c79..da059d0e26 100644
--- a/builtin/cat-file.c
+++ b/builtin/cat-file.c
@@ -1127,7 +1127,7 @@ int cmd_cat_file(int argc,
 	opt_epts = (opt == 'e' || opt == 'p' || opt == 't' || opt == 's');
 
 	if (use_mailmap)
-		read_mailmap(&mailmap);
+		read_mailmap(the_repository, &mailmap);
 
 	switch (batch.objects_filter.choice) {
 	case LOFC_DISABLED:
diff --git a/builtin/check-mailmap.c b/builtin/check-mailmap.c
index 9cc5c59830..3f2a39cae0 100644
--- a/builtin/check-mailmap.c
+++ b/builtin/check-mailmap.c
@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@ int cmd_check_mailmap(int argc,
 	if (argc == 0 && !use_stdin)
 		die(_("no contacts specified"));
 
-	read_mailmap(&mailmap);
+	read_mailmap(the_repository, &mailmap);
 	if (mailmap_blob)
-		read_mailmap_blob(&mailmap, mailmap_blob);
+		read_mailmap_blob(the_repository, &mailmap, mailmap_blob);
 	if (mailmap_file)
 		read_mailmap_file(&mailmap, mailmap_file, 0);
 
diff --git a/builtin/commit.c b/builtin/commit.c
index 9e3a09d532..3700f66ba9 100644
--- a/builtin/commit.c
+++ b/builtin/commit.c
@@ -1155,7 +1155,7 @@ static const char *find_author_by_nickname(const char *name)
 	setup_revisions(ac, av, &revs, NULL);
 	revs.mailmap = xmalloc(sizeof(struct string_list));
 	string_list_init_nodup(revs.mailmap);
-	read_mailmap(revs.mailmap);
+	read_mailmap(the_repository, revs.mailmap);
 
 	if (prepare_revision_walk(&revs))
 		die(_("revision walk setup failed"));
diff --git a/builtin/log.c b/builtin/log.c
index 3c76ee5169..7cb919bca9 100644
--- a/builtin/log.c
+++ b/builtin/log.c
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ static void cmd_log_init_finish(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix,
 	if (mailmap) {
 		rev->mailmap = xmalloc(sizeof(struct string_list));
 		string_list_init_nodup(rev->mailmap);
-		read_mailmap(rev->mailmap);
+		read_mailmap(the_repository, rev->mailmap);
 	}
 
 	if (rev->pretty_given && rev->commit_format == CMIT_FMT_RAW) {
diff --git a/builtin/shortlog.c b/builtin/shortlog.c
index d80bf1a7d0..6b2a0b93b5 100644
--- a/builtin/shortlog.c
+++ b/builtin/shortlog.c
@@ -357,7 +357,7 @@ void shortlog_init(struct shortlog *log)
 {
 	memset(log, 0, sizeof(*log));
 
-	read_mailmap(&log->mailmap);
+	read_mailmap(the_repository, &log->mailmap);
 
 	log->list.strdup_strings = 1;
 	log->wrap = DEFAULT_WRAPLEN;
diff --git a/environment.c b/environment.c
index 0026eb2274..2764d8f481 100644
--- a/environment.c
+++ b/environment.c
@@ -647,22 +647,6 @@ static int git_default_push_config(const char *var, const char *value)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static int git_default_mailmap_config(const char *var, const char *value)
-{
-	if (!strcmp(var, "mailmap.file")) {
-		FREE_AND_NULL(git_mailmap_file);
-		return git_config_pathname(&git_mailmap_file, var, value);
-	}
-
-	if (!strcmp(var, "mailmap.blob")) {
-		FREE_AND_NULL(git_mailmap_blob);
-		return git_config_string(&git_mailmap_blob, var, value);
-	}
-
-	/* Add other config variables here and to Documentation/config.adoc. */
-	return 0;
-}
-
 static int git_default_attr_config(const char *var, const char *value)
 {
 	if (!strcmp(var, "attr.tree")) {
@@ -697,9 +681,6 @@ int git_default_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 	if (starts_with(var, "push."))
 		return git_default_push_config(var, value);
 
-	if (starts_with(var, "mailmap."))
-		return git_default_mailmap_config(var, value);
-
 	if (starts_with(var, "attr."))
 		return git_default_attr_config(var, value);
 
diff --git a/mailmap.c b/mailmap.c
index 37fd158a51..3b2691781d 100644
--- a/mailmap.c
+++ b/mailmap.c
@@ -7,9 +7,7 @@
 #include "object-name.h"
 #include "odb.h"
 #include "setup.h"
-
-char *git_mailmap_file;
-char *git_mailmap_blob;
+#include "config.h"
 
 struct mailmap_info {
 	char *name;
@@ -183,7 +181,8 @@ static void read_mailmap_string(struct string_list *map, char *buf)
 	}
 }
 
-int read_mailmap_blob(struct string_list *map, const char *name)
+int read_mailmap_blob(struct repository *repo, struct string_list *map,
+		      const char *name)
 {
 	struct object_id oid;
 	char *buf;
@@ -192,10 +191,10 @@ int read_mailmap_blob(struct string_list *map, const char *name)
 
 	if (!name)
 		return 0;
-	if (repo_get_oid(the_repository, name, &oid) < 0)
+	if (repo_get_oid(repo, name, &oid) < 0)
 		return 0;
 
-	buf = odb_read_object(the_repository->objects, &oid, &type, &size);
+	buf = odb_read_object(repo->objects, &oid, &type, &size);
 	if (!buf)
 		return error("unable to read mailmap object at %s", name);
 	if (type != OBJ_BLOB) {
@@ -209,23 +208,32 @@ int read_mailmap_blob(struct string_list *map, const char *name)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-int read_mailmap(struct string_list *map)
+int read_mailmap(struct repository *repo, struct string_list *map)
 {
 	int err = 0;
+	char *mailmap_file = NULL, *mailmap_blob = NULL;
+
+	repo_config_get_pathname(repo, "mailmap.file", &mailmap_file);
+	repo_config_get_string(repo, "mailmap.blob", &mailmap_blob);
 
 	map->strdup_strings = 1;
 	map->cmp = namemap_cmp;
 
-	if (!git_mailmap_blob && is_bare_repository())
-		git_mailmap_blob = xstrdup("HEAD:.mailmap");
+	if (!mailmap_blob && is_bare_repository())
+		mailmap_blob = xstrdup("HEAD:.mailmap");
 
 	if (!startup_info->have_repository || !is_bare_repository())
 		err |= read_mailmap_file(map, ".mailmap",
 					 startup_info->have_repository ?
 					 MAILMAP_NOFOLLOW : 0);
 	if (startup_info->have_repository)
-		err |= read_mailmap_blob(map, git_mailmap_blob);
-	err |= read_mailmap_file(map, git_mailmap_file, 0);
+		err |= read_mailmap_blob(repo, map, mailmap_blob);
+
+	err |= read_mailmap_file(map, mailmap_file, 0);
+
+	free(mailmap_file);
+	free(mailmap_blob);
+
 	return err;
 }
 
diff --git a/mailmap.h b/mailmap.h
index 908365e1bf..6866cb6f1d 100644
--- a/mailmap.h
+++ b/mailmap.h
@@ -1,19 +1,18 @@
 #ifndef MAILMAP_H
 #define MAILMAP_H
 
+struct repository;
 struct string_list;
 
-extern char *git_mailmap_file;
-extern char *git_mailmap_blob;
-
 /* Flags for read_mailmap_file() */
 #define MAILMAP_NOFOLLOW (1<<0)
 
 int read_mailmap_file(struct string_list *map, const char *filename,
 		      unsigned flags);
-int read_mailmap_blob(struct string_list *map, const char *name);
+int read_mailmap_blob(struct repository *repo, struct string_list *map,
+		      const char *name);
 
-int read_mailmap(struct string_list *map);
+int read_mailmap(struct repository *repo, struct string_list *map);
 void clear_mailmap(struct string_list *map);
 
 int map_user(struct string_list *map,
diff --git a/pretty.c b/pretty.c
index e0646bbc5d..ebf4da4834 100644
--- a/pretty.c
+++ b/pretty.c
@@ -781,7 +781,7 @@ static int mailmap_name(const char **email, size_t *email_len,
 	static struct string_list *mail_map;
 	if (!mail_map) {
 		CALLOC_ARRAY(mail_map, 1);
-		read_mailmap(mail_map);
+		read_mailmap(the_repository, mail_map);
 	}
 	return mail_map->nr && map_user(mail_map, email, email_len, name, name_len);
 }
diff --git a/ref-filter.c b/ref-filter.c
index 6bbb6fac18..291d94328c 100644
--- a/ref-filter.c
+++ b/ref-filter.c
@@ -1753,7 +1753,7 @@ static void grab_person(const char *who, struct atom_value *val, int deref, void
 		    (starts_with(name + wholen, "email") &&
 		    (atom->u.email_option.option & EO_MAILMAP))) {
 			if (!mailmap.items)
-				read_mailmap(&mailmap);
+				read_mailmap(the_repository, &mailmap);
 			strbuf_addstr(&mailmap_buf, buf);
 			apply_mailmap_to_header(&mailmap_buf, headers, &mailmap);
 			wholine = find_wholine(who, wholen, mailmap_buf.buf);