diff --git a/builtin/multi-pack-index.c b/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
index 85e40a4b6d3e47e9ec1ec27c094455e5ba75b5b0..2a938466f53aaa11096170554fe11a4ed46a25e4 100644
--- a/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
+++ b/builtin/multi-pack-index.c
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ static void read_packs_from_stdin(struct string_list *to)
 
 static int cmd_multi_pack_index_write(int argc, const char **argv,
 				      const char *prefix,
-				      struct repository *repo UNUSED)
+				      struct repository *repo)
 {
 	struct option *options;
 	static struct option builtin_multi_pack_index_write_options[] = {
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ static int cmd_multi_pack_index_write(int argc, const char **argv,
 
 		read_packs_from_stdin(&packs);
 
-		ret = write_midx_file_only(opts.object_dir, &packs,
+		ret = write_midx_file_only(repo, opts.object_dir, &packs,
 					   opts.preferred_pack,
 					   opts.refs_snapshot, opts.flags);
 
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ static int cmd_multi_pack_index_write(int argc, const char **argv,
 
 	}
 
-	ret = write_midx_file(opts.object_dir, opts.preferred_pack,
+	ret = write_midx_file(repo, opts.object_dir, opts.preferred_pack,
 			      opts.refs_snapshot, opts.flags);
 
 	free(opts.refs_snapshot);
diff --git a/builtin/repack.c b/builtin/repack.c
index 96a4fa234bddfd2b63c8d9733379d9b1012a4014..9c21fc482dfb387c818c0d0a74f781848b5a0953 100644
--- a/builtin/repack.c
+++ b/builtin/repack.c
@@ -1569,7 +1569,7 @@ int cmd_repack(int argc,
 		unsigned flags = 0;
 		if (git_env_bool(GIT_TEST_MULTI_PACK_INDEX_WRITE_INCREMENTAL, 0))
 			flags |= MIDX_WRITE_INCREMENTAL;
-		write_midx_file(repo_get_object_directory(the_repository),
+		write_midx_file(the_repository, repo_get_object_directory(the_repository),
 				NULL, NULL, flags);
 	}
 
diff --git a/midx-write.c b/midx-write.c
index a384f7ddc8a396d0cffd528132bb8fcdc6b37e24..5af29899bbe279c7c3ff4bc2c65330620ce37ee2 100644
--- a/midx-write.c
+++ b/midx-write.c
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-#define USE_THE_REPOSITORY_VARIABLE
-
 #include "git-compat-util.h"
 #include "abspath.h"
 #include "config.h"
@@ -1504,24 +1502,22 @@ static int write_midx_internal(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir,
 	return result;
 }
 
-int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir,
+int write_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir,
 		    const char *preferred_pack_name,
-		    const char *refs_snapshot,
-		    unsigned flags)
+		    const char *refs_snapshot, unsigned flags)
 {
-	return write_midx_internal(the_repository, object_dir, NULL, NULL,
-				   preferred_pack_name, refs_snapshot, flags);
+	return write_midx_internal(r, object_dir, NULL, NULL,
+				   preferred_pack_name, refs_snapshot,
+				   flags);
 }
 
-int write_midx_file_only(const char *object_dir,
+int write_midx_file_only(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir,
 			 struct string_list *packs_to_include,
 			 const char *preferred_pack_name,
-			 const char *refs_snapshot,
-			 unsigned flags)
+			 const char *refs_snapshot, unsigned flags)
 {
-	return write_midx_internal(the_repository, object_dir, packs_to_include,
-				   NULL, preferred_pack_name, refs_snapshot,
-				   flags);
+	return write_midx_internal(r, object_dir, packs_to_include, NULL,
+				   preferred_pack_name, refs_snapshot, flags);
 }
 
 int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags)
diff --git a/midx.h b/midx.h
index 3b0ac4d8788b373c59fe69ca2d78e9d914702bc0..c37ad5b5242b56d21fd76bd59957a1bdb82786ec 100644
--- a/midx.h
+++ b/midx.h
@@ -123,15 +123,13 @@ int prepare_multi_pack_index_one(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, i
  * Variant of write_midx_file which writes a MIDX containing only the packs
  * specified in packs_to_include.
  */
-int write_midx_file(const char *object_dir,
-		    const char *preferred_pack_name,
-		    const char *refs_snapshot,
+int write_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir,
+		    const char *preferred_pack_name, const char *refs_snapshot,
 		    unsigned flags);
-int write_midx_file_only(const char *object_dir,
+int write_midx_file_only(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir,
 			 struct string_list *packs_to_include,
 			 const char *preferred_pack_name,
-			 const char *refs_snapshot,
-			 unsigned flags);
+			 const char *refs_snapshot, unsigned flags);
 void clear_midx_file(struct repository *r);
 int verify_midx_file(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags);
 int expire_midx_packs(struct repository *r, const char *object_dir, unsigned flags);
