diff --git a/builtin/gc.c b/builtin/gc.c
index e3098ef6a12..18ae7f7138a 100644
--- a/builtin/gc.c
+++ b/builtin/gc.c
@@ -1494,35 +1494,23 @@ static int maintenance_unregister(void)
 #define BEGIN_LINE "# BEGIN GIT MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE"
 #define END_LINE "# END GIT MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE"
 
-static int update_background_schedule(int run_maintenance)
+static int crontab_update_schedule(int run_maintenance, int fd, const char *cmd)
 {
 	int result = 0;
 	int in_old_region = 0;
 	struct child_process crontab_list = CHILD_PROCESS_INIT;
 	struct child_process crontab_edit = CHILD_PROCESS_INIT;
 	FILE *cron_list, *cron_in;
-	const char *crontab_name;
 	struct strbuf line = STRBUF_INIT;
-	struct lock_file lk;
-	char *lock_path = xstrfmt("%s/schedule", the_repository->objects->odb->path);
 
-	if (hold_lock_file_for_update(&lk, lock_path, LOCK_NO_DEREF) < 0)
-		return error(_("another process is scheduling background maintenance"));
-
-	crontab_name = getenv("GIT_TEST_CRONTAB");
-	if (!crontab_name)
-		crontab_name = "crontab";
-
-	strvec_split(&crontab_list.args, crontab_name);
+	strvec_split(&crontab_list.args, cmd);
 	strvec_push(&crontab_list.args, "-l");
 	crontab_list.in = -1;
-	crontab_list.out = dup(lk.tempfile->fd);
+	crontab_list.out = dup(fd);
 	crontab_list.git_cmd = 0;
 
-	if (start_command(&crontab_list)) {
-		result = error(_("failed to run 'crontab -l'; your system might not support 'cron'"));
-		goto cleanup;
-	}
+	if (start_command(&crontab_list))
+		return error(_("failed to run 'crontab -l'; your system might not support 'cron'"));
 
 	/* Ignore exit code, as an empty crontab will return error. */
 	finish_command(&crontab_list);
@@ -1531,17 +1519,15 @@ static int update_background_schedule(int run_maintenance)
 	 * Read from the .lock file, filtering out the old
 	 * schedule while appending the new schedule.
 	 */
-	cron_list = fdopen(lk.tempfile->fd, "r");
+	cron_list = fdopen(fd, "r");
 	rewind(cron_list);
 
-	strvec_split(&crontab_edit.args, crontab_name);
+	strvec_split(&crontab_edit.args, cmd);
 	crontab_edit.in = -1;
 	crontab_edit.git_cmd = 0;
 
-	if (start_command(&crontab_edit)) {
-		result = error(_("failed to run 'crontab'; your system might not support 'cron'"));
-		goto cleanup;
-	}
+	if (start_command(&crontab_edit))
+		return error(_("failed to run 'crontab'; your system might not support 'cron'"));
 
 	cron_in = fdopen(crontab_edit.in, "w");
 	if (!cron_in) {
@@ -1586,14 +1572,44 @@ static int update_background_schedule(int run_maintenance)
 	close(crontab_edit.in);
 
 done_editing:
-	if (finish_command(&crontab_edit)) {
+	if (finish_command(&crontab_edit))
 		result = error(_("'crontab' died"));
-		goto cleanup;
+	else
+		fclose(cron_list);
+	return result;
+}
+
+static const char platform_scheduler[] = "crontab";
+
+static int update_background_schedule(int enable)
+{
+	int result;
+	const char *scheduler = platform_scheduler;
+	const char *cmd = scheduler;
+	char *testing;
+	struct lock_file lk;
+	char *lock_path = xstrfmt("%s/schedule", the_repository->objects->odb->path);
+
+	testing = xstrdup_or_null(getenv("GIT_TEST_MAINT_SCHEDULER"));
+	if (testing) {
+		char *sep = strchr(testing, ':');
+		if (!sep)
+			die("GIT_TEST_MAINT_SCHEDULER unparseable: %s", testing);
+		*sep = '\0';
+		scheduler = testing;
+		cmd = sep + 1;
 	}
-	fclose(cron_list);
 
-cleanup:
+	if (hold_lock_file_for_update(&lk, lock_path, LOCK_NO_DEREF) < 0)
+		return error(_("another process is scheduling background maintenance"));
+
+	if (!strcmp(scheduler, "crontab"))
+		result = crontab_update_schedule(enable, lk.tempfile->fd, cmd);
+	else
+		die("unknown background scheduler: %s", scheduler);
+
 	rollback_lock_file(&lk);
+	free(testing);
 	return result;
 }
 
diff --git a/t/t7900-maintenance.sh b/t/t7900-maintenance.sh
index 20184e96e1a..eeb939168da 100755
--- a/t/t7900-maintenance.sh
+++ b/t/t7900-maintenance.sh
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ test_expect_success 'register and unregister' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'start from empty cron table' '
-	GIT_TEST_CRONTAB="test-tool crontab cron.txt" git maintenance start &&
+	GIT_TEST_MAINT_SCHEDULER="crontab:test-tool crontab cron.txt" git maintenance start &&
 
 	# start registers the repo
 	git config --get --global maintenance.repo "$(pwd)" &&
@@ -379,19 +379,19 @@ test_expect_success 'start from empty cron table' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'stop from existing schedule' '
-	GIT_TEST_CRONTAB="test-tool crontab cron.txt" git maintenance stop &&
+	GIT_TEST_MAINT_SCHEDULER="crontab:test-tool crontab cron.txt" git maintenance stop &&
 
 	# stop does not unregister the repo
 	git config --get --global maintenance.repo "$(pwd)" &&
 
 	# Operation is idempotent
-	GIT_TEST_CRONTAB="test-tool crontab cron.txt" git maintenance stop &&
+	GIT_TEST_MAINT_SCHEDULER="crontab:test-tool crontab cron.txt" git maintenance stop &&
 	test_must_be_empty cron.txt
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'start preserves existing schedule' '
 	echo "Important information!" >cron.txt &&
-	GIT_TEST_CRONTAB="test-tool crontab cron.txt" git maintenance start &&
+	GIT_TEST_MAINT_SCHEDULER="crontab:test-tool crontab cron.txt" git maintenance start &&
 	grep "Important information!" cron.txt
 '
 
diff --git a/t/test-lib.sh b/t/test-lib.sh
index 4a60d1ed766..ddbeee1f5eb 100644
--- a/t/test-lib.sh
+++ b/t/test-lib.sh
@@ -1704,7 +1704,8 @@ test_lazy_prereq REBASE_P '
 '
 
 # Ensure that no test accidentally triggers a Git command
-# that runs 'crontab', affecting a user's cron schedule.
-# Tests that verify the cron integration must set this locally
+# that runs the actual maintenance scheduler, affecting a user's
+# system permanently.
+# Tests that verify the scheduler integration must set this locally
 # to avoid errors.
-GIT_TEST_CRONTAB="exit 1"
+GIT_TEST_MAINT_SCHEDULER="none:exit 1"
