diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index d345c5d116..5e7d0555ea 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ LIB_OBJS = \
 	object.o pack-check.o patch-delta.o path.o pkt-line.o \
 	quote.o read-cache.o refs.o run-command.o \
 	server-info.o setup.o sha1_file.o sha1_name.o strbuf.o \
-	tag.o tree.o usage.o config.o $(DIFF_OBJS)
+	tag.o tree.o usage.o config.o environment.o $(DIFF_OBJS)
 
 LIBS = $(LIB_FILE)
 LIBS += -lz
diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index 41cc22c1a1..1a7e047d76 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -382,4 +382,8 @@ extern int git_config(config_fn_t fn);
 extern int git_config_int(const char *, const char *);
 extern int git_config_bool(const char *, const char *);
 
+#define MAX_GITNAME (1000)
+extern char git_default_email[MAX_GITNAME];
+extern char git_default_name[MAX_GITNAME];
+
 #endif /* CACHE_H */
diff --git a/commit-tree.c b/commit-tree.c
index b1ef0b590a..030fb704e5 100644
--- a/commit-tree.c
+++ b/commit-tree.c
@@ -89,6 +89,9 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	char *buffer;
 	unsigned int size;
 
+	setup_ident();
+	git_config(git_default_config);
+
 	if (argc < 2 || get_sha1_hex(argv[1], tree_sha1) < 0)
 		usage(commit_tree_usage);
 
@@ -104,7 +107,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	}
 	if (!parents)
 		fprintf(stderr, "Committing initial tree %s\n", argv[1]);
-	setup_ident();
 
 	init_buffer(&buffer, &size);
 	add_buffer(&buffer, &size, "tree %s\n", sha1_to_hex(tree_sha1));
diff --git a/config.c b/config.c
index 510456ceb5..cf803580c9 100644
--- a/config.c
+++ b/config.c
@@ -207,6 +207,16 @@ int git_default_config(const char *var, const char *value)
 		return 0;
 	}
 
+	if (!strcmp(var, "user.name")) {
+		strncpy(git_default_name, value, sizeof(git_default_name));
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	if (!strcmp(var, "user.email")) {
+		strncpy(git_default_email, value, sizeof(git_default_email));
+		return 0;
+	}
+
 	/* Add other config variables here.. */
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/environment.c b/environment.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1dc7af56cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/environment.c
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+/*
+ * We put all the git config variables in this same object
+ * file, so that programs can link against the config parser
+ * without having to link against all the rest of git.
+ *
+ * In particular, no need to bring in libz etc unless needed,
+ * even if you might want to know where the git directory etc
+ * are.
+ */
+#include "cache.h"
+
+char git_default_email[MAX_GITNAME];
+char git_default_name[MAX_GITNAME];
+int trust_executable_bit = 1;
+
+static char *git_dir, *git_object_dir, *git_index_file, *git_refs_dir,
+	*git_graft_file;
+static void setup_git_env(void)
+{
+	git_dir = getenv(GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT);
+	if (!git_dir)
+		git_dir = DEFAULT_GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT;
+	git_object_dir = getenv(DB_ENVIRONMENT);
+	if (!git_object_dir) {
+		git_object_dir = xmalloc(strlen(git_dir) + 9);
+		sprintf(git_object_dir, "%s/objects", git_dir);
+	}
+	git_refs_dir = xmalloc(strlen(git_dir) + 6);
+	sprintf(git_refs_dir, "%s/refs", git_dir);
+	git_index_file = getenv(INDEX_ENVIRONMENT);
+	if (!git_index_file) {
+		git_index_file = xmalloc(strlen(git_dir) + 7);
+		sprintf(git_index_file, "%s/index", git_dir);
+	}
+	git_graft_file = getenv(GRAFT_ENVIRONMENT);
+	if (!git_graft_file)
+		git_graft_file = strdup(git_path("info/grafts"));
+}
+
+char *get_git_dir(void)
+{
+	if (!git_dir)
+		setup_git_env();
+	return git_dir;
+}
+
+char *get_object_directory(void)
+{
+	if (!git_object_dir)
+		setup_git_env();
+	return git_object_dir;
+}
+
+char *get_refs_directory(void)
+{
+	if (!git_refs_dir)
+		setup_git_env();
+	return git_refs_dir;
+}
+
+char *get_index_file(void)
+{
+	if (!git_index_file)
+		setup_git_env();
+	return git_index_file;
+}
+
+char *get_graft_file(void)
+{
+	if (!git_graft_file)
+		setup_git_env();
+	return git_graft_file;
+}
+
+
diff --git a/ident.c b/ident.c
index 562f5f1816..7a9f5672eb 100644
--- a/ident.c
+++ b/ident.c
@@ -11,9 +11,7 @@
 #include <time.h>
 #include <ctype.h>
 
-static char real_email[1000];
-static char real_name[1000];
-static char real_date[50];
+static char git_default_date[50];
 
 static void copy_gecos(struct passwd *w, char *name, int sz)
 {
@@ -58,22 +56,22 @@ int setup_ident(void)
 		die("You don't exist. Go away!");
 
 	/* Get the name ("gecos") */
-	copy_gecos(pw, real_name, sizeof(real_name));
+	copy_gecos(pw, git_default_name, sizeof(git_default_name));
 
 	/* Make up a fake email address (name + '@' + hostname [+ '.' + domainname]) */
 	len = strlen(pw->pw_name);
-	if (len > sizeof(real_email)/2)
+	if (len > sizeof(git_default_email)/2)
 		die("Your sysadmin must hate you!");
-	memcpy(real_email, pw->pw_name, len);
-	real_email[len++] = '@';
-	gethostname(real_email + len, sizeof(real_email) - len);
-	if (!strchr(real_email+len, '.')) {
-		len = strlen(real_email);
-		real_email[len++] = '.';
-		getdomainname(real_email+len, sizeof(real_email)-len);
+	memcpy(git_default_email, pw->pw_name, len);
+	git_default_email[len++] = '@';
+	gethostname(git_default_email + len, sizeof(git_default_email) - len);
+	if (!strchr(git_default_email+len, '.')) {
+		len = strlen(git_default_email);
+		git_default_email[len++] = '.';
+		getdomainname(git_default_email+len, sizeof(git_default_email)-len);
 	}
 	/* And set the default date */
-	datestamp(real_date, sizeof(real_date));
+	datestamp(git_default_date, sizeof(git_default_date));
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -159,10 +157,10 @@ char *get_ident(const char *name, const char *email, const char *date_str)
 	int i;
 
 	if (!name)
-		name = real_name;
+		name = git_default_name;
 	if (!email)
-		email = real_email;
-	strcpy(date, real_date);
+		email = git_default_email;
+	strcpy(date, git_default_date);
 	if (date_str)
 		parse_date(date_str, date, sizeof(date));
 
diff --git a/read-cache.c b/read-cache.c
index 4ed369acf8..6932736203 100644
--- a/read-cache.c
+++ b/read-cache.c
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
  */
 #include "cache.h"
 
-int trust_executable_bit = 1;
 struct cache_entry **active_cache = NULL;
 unsigned int active_nr = 0, active_alloc = 0, active_cache_changed = 0;
 
diff --git a/sha1_file.c b/sha1_file.c
index 6e3ea232ee..f059004909 100644
--- a/sha1_file.c
+++ b/sha1_file.c
@@ -48,65 +48,6 @@ int get_sha1_hex(const char *hex, unsigned char *sha1)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static char *git_dir, *git_object_dir, *git_index_file, *git_refs_dir,
-	*git_graft_file;
-static void setup_git_env(void)
-{
-	git_dir = getenv(GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT);
-	if (!git_dir)
-		git_dir = DEFAULT_GIT_DIR_ENVIRONMENT;
-	git_object_dir = getenv(DB_ENVIRONMENT);
-	if (!git_object_dir) {
-		git_object_dir = xmalloc(strlen(git_dir) + 9);
-		sprintf(git_object_dir, "%s/objects", git_dir);
-	}
-	git_refs_dir = xmalloc(strlen(git_dir) + 6);
-	sprintf(git_refs_dir, "%s/refs", git_dir);
-	git_index_file = getenv(INDEX_ENVIRONMENT);
-	if (!git_index_file) {
-		git_index_file = xmalloc(strlen(git_dir) + 7);
-		sprintf(git_index_file, "%s/index", git_dir);
-	}
-	git_graft_file = getenv(GRAFT_ENVIRONMENT);
-	if (!git_graft_file)
-		git_graft_file = strdup(git_path("info/grafts"));
-}
-
-char *get_git_dir(void)
-{
-	if (!git_dir)
-		setup_git_env();
-	return git_dir;
-}
-
-char *get_object_directory(void)
-{
-	if (!git_object_dir)
-		setup_git_env();
-	return git_object_dir;
-}
-
-char *get_refs_directory(void)
-{
-	if (!git_refs_dir)
-		setup_git_env();
-	return git_refs_dir;
-}
-
-char *get_index_file(void)
-{
-	if (!git_index_file)
-		setup_git_env();
-	return git_index_file;
-}
-
-char *get_graft_file(void)
-{
-	if (!git_graft_file)
-		setup_git_env();
-	return git_graft_file;
-}
-
 int safe_create_leading_directories(char *path)
 {
 	char *pos = path;
diff --git a/var.c b/var.c
index 3f13126cb8..51cf86a584 100644
--- a/var.c
+++ b/var.c
@@ -42,6 +42,15 @@ static const char *read_var(const char *var)
 	return val;
 }
 
+static int show_config(const char *var, const char *value)
+{
+	if (value)
+		printf("%s=%s\n", var, value);
+	else
+		printf("%s\n", var);
+	return git_default_config(var, value);
+}
+
 int main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
 	const char *val;
@@ -52,9 +61,11 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	val = NULL;
 
 	if (strcmp(argv[1], "-l") == 0) {
+		git_config(show_config);
 		list_vars();
 		return 0;
 	}
+	git_config(git_default_config);
 	val = read_var(argv[1]);
 	if (!val)
 		usage(var_usage);