diff --git a/common-main.c b/common-main.c
index 44a29e8b13..c654f95551 100644
--- a/common-main.c
+++ b/common-main.c
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ int main(int argc, const char **argv)
 
 	git_setup_gettext();
 
-	argv[0] = git_extract_argv0_path(argv[0]);
+	git_extract_argv0_path(argv[0]);
 
 	restore_sigpipe_to_default();
 
diff --git a/exec_cmd.c b/exec_cmd.c
index 9d5703a157..19ac2146d0 100644
--- a/exec_cmd.c
+++ b/exec_cmd.c
@@ -38,21 +38,17 @@ char *system_path(const char *path)
 	return strbuf_detach(&d, NULL);
 }
 
-const char *git_extract_argv0_path(const char *argv0)
+void git_extract_argv0_path(const char *argv0)
 {
 	const char *slash;
 
 	if (!argv0 || !*argv0)
-		return NULL;
+		return;
 
 	slash = find_last_dir_sep(argv0);
 
-	if (slash) {
+	if (slash)
 		argv0_path = xstrndup(argv0, slash - argv0);
-		return slash + 1;
-	}
-
-	return argv0;
 }
 
 void git_set_argv_exec_path(const char *exec_path)
diff --git a/exec_cmd.h b/exec_cmd.h
index 1f6b43378b..ff0b48048a 100644
--- a/exec_cmd.h
+++ b/exec_cmd.h
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 struct argv_array;
 
 extern void git_set_argv_exec_path(const char *exec_path);
-extern const char *git_extract_argv0_path(const char *path);
+extern void git_extract_argv0_path(const char *path);
 extern const char *git_exec_path(void);
 extern void setup_path(void);
 extern const char **prepare_git_cmd(struct argv_array *out, const char **argv);
diff --git a/git.c b/git.c
index e8b2baf2d1..dce529fcbf 100644
--- a/git.c
+++ b/git.c
@@ -654,6 +654,11 @@ int cmd_main(int argc, const char **argv)
 	cmd = argv[0];
 	if (!cmd)
 		cmd = "git-help";
+	else {
+		const char *slash = find_last_dir_sep(cmd);
+		if (slash)
+			cmd = slash + 1;
+	}
 
 	trace_command_performance(argv);