diff --git a/attr.c b/attr.c
index 33473bdce0..6c6eb05333 100644
--- a/attr.c
+++ b/attr.c
@@ -1288,7 +1288,8 @@ static const char *builtin_object_mode_attr(struct index_state *istate, const ch
 			if (pos >= 0) {
 				 if (S_ISGITLINK(istate->cache[pos]->ce_mode))
 					 mode = istate->cache[pos]->ce_mode;
-			} else if (resolve_gitlink_ref(path, "HEAD", &oid) == 0) {
+			} else if (repo_resolve_gitlink_ref(the_repository, path,
+							    "HEAD", &oid) == 0) {
 				mode = S_IFGITLINK;
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/builtin/submodule--helper.c b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
index 5076a33500..897f19868e 100644
--- a/builtin/submodule--helper.c
+++ b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
@@ -2600,7 +2600,8 @@ static int update_submodule(struct update_data *update_data)
 
 	if (update_data->just_cloned)
 		oidcpy(&update_data->suboid, null_oid());
-	else if (resolve_gitlink_ref(update_data->sm_path, "HEAD", &update_data->suboid))
+	else if (repo_resolve_gitlink_ref(the_repository, update_data->sm_path,
+					  "HEAD", &update_data->suboid))
 		return die_message(_("Unable to find current revision in submodule path '%s'"),
 				   update_data->displaypath);
 
@@ -2627,7 +2628,8 @@ static int update_submodule(struct update_data *update_data)
 						   update_data->sm_path);
 		}
 
-		if (resolve_gitlink_ref(update_data->sm_path, remote_ref, &update_data->oid))
+		if (repo_resolve_gitlink_ref(the_repository, update_data->sm_path,
+					     remote_ref, &update_data->oid))
 			return die_message(_("Unable to find %s revision in submodule path '%s'"),
 					   remote_ref, update_data->sm_path);
 
@@ -3357,7 +3359,7 @@ static void die_on_repo_without_commits(const char *path)
 	strbuf_addstr(&sb, path);
 	if (is_nonbare_repository_dir(&sb)) {
 		struct object_id oid;
-		if (resolve_gitlink_ref(path, "HEAD", &oid) < 0)
+		if (repo_resolve_gitlink_ref(the_repository, path, "HEAD", &oid) < 0)
 			die(_("'%s' does not have a commit checked out"), path);
 	}
 	strbuf_release(&sb);
diff --git a/builtin/update-index.c b/builtin/update-index.c
index 20aa1c4c68..d343416ae2 100644
--- a/builtin/update-index.c
+++ b/builtin/update-index.c
@@ -349,7 +349,8 @@ static int process_directory(const char *path, int len, struct stat *st)
 		if (S_ISGITLINK(ce->ce_mode)) {
 
 			/* Do nothing to the index if there is no HEAD! */
-			if (resolve_gitlink_ref(path, "HEAD", &oid) < 0)
+			if (repo_resolve_gitlink_ref(the_repository, path,
+						     "HEAD", &oid) < 0)
 				return 0;
 
 			return add_one_path(ce, path, len, st);
@@ -375,7 +376,7 @@ static int process_directory(const char *path, int len, struct stat *st)
 	}
 
 	/* No match - should we add it as a gitlink? */
-	if (!resolve_gitlink_ref(path, "HEAD", &oid))
+	if (!repo_resolve_gitlink_ref(the_repository, path, "HEAD", &oid))
 		return add_one_path(NULL, path, len, st);
 
 	/* Error out. */
diff --git a/combine-diff.c b/combine-diff.c
index d6d6fa1689..4960d904ac 100644
--- a/combine-diff.c
+++ b/combine-diff.c
@@ -1066,7 +1066,8 @@ static void show_patch_diff(struct combine_diff_path *elem, int num_parent,
 			elem->mode = canon_mode(st.st_mode);
 		} else if (S_ISDIR(st.st_mode)) {
 			struct object_id oid;
-			if (resolve_gitlink_ref(elem->path, "HEAD", &oid) < 0)
+			if (repo_resolve_gitlink_ref(the_repository, elem->path,
+						     "HEAD", &oid) < 0)
 				result = grab_blob(opt->repo, &elem->oid,
 						   elem->mode, &result_size,
 						   NULL, NULL);
diff --git a/diff-lib.c b/diff-lib.c
index 12b1541478..5a5a50c5a1 100644
--- a/diff-lib.c
+++ b/diff-lib.c
@@ -66,7 +66,8 @@ static int check_removed(const struct cache_entry *ce, struct stat *st)
 		 * a directory --- the blob was removed!
 		 */
 		if (!S_ISGITLINK(ce->ce_mode) &&
-		    resolve_gitlink_ref(ce->name, "HEAD", &sub))
+		    repo_resolve_gitlink_ref(the_repository, ce->name,
+					     "HEAD", &sub))
 			return 1;
 	}
 	return 0;
diff --git a/dir.c b/dir.c
index 2d83f3311a..f6066cc01d 100644
--- a/dir.c
+++ b/dir.c
@@ -3318,7 +3318,8 @@ static int remove_dir_recurse(struct strbuf *path, int flag, int *kept_up)
 	struct object_id submodule_head;
 
 	if ((flag & REMOVE_DIR_KEEP_NESTED_GIT) &&
-	    !resolve_gitlink_ref(path->buf, "HEAD", &submodule_head)) {
+	    !repo_resolve_gitlink_ref(the_repository, path->buf,
+				      "HEAD", &submodule_head)) {
 		/* Do not descend and nuke a nested git work tree. */
 		if (kept_up)
 			*kept_up = 1;
diff --git a/object-file.c b/object-file.c
index 610b1f465c..a40300ce4a 100644
--- a/object-file.c
+++ b/object-file.c
@@ -2669,7 +2669,7 @@ int index_path(struct index_state *istate, struct object_id *oid,
 		strbuf_release(&sb);
 		break;
 	case S_IFDIR:
-		return resolve_gitlink_ref(path, "HEAD", oid);
+		return repo_resolve_gitlink_ref(the_repository, path, "HEAD", oid);
 	default:
 		return error(_("%s: unsupported file type"), path);
 	}
diff --git a/read-cache.c b/read-cache.c
index a6db25a16d..447109aa76 100644
--- a/read-cache.c
+++ b/read-cache.c
@@ -271,7 +271,8 @@ static int ce_compare_gitlink(const struct cache_entry *ce)
 	 *
 	 * If so, we consider it always to match.
 	 */
-	if (resolve_gitlink_ref(ce->name, "HEAD", &oid) < 0)
+	if (repo_resolve_gitlink_ref(the_repository, ce->name,
+				     "HEAD", &oid) < 0)
 		return 0;
 	return !oideq(&oid, &ce->oid);
 }
@@ -711,7 +712,7 @@ int add_to_index(struct index_state *istate, const char *path, struct stat *st,
 
 	namelen = strlen(path);
 	if (S_ISDIR(st_mode)) {
-		if (resolve_gitlink_ref(path, "HEAD", &oid) < 0)
+		if (repo_resolve_gitlink_ref(the_repository, path, "HEAD", &oid) < 0)
 			return error(_("'%s' does not have a commit checked out"), path);
 		while (namelen && path[namelen-1] == '/')
 			namelen--;
diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index 86008ce7b4..40e241216e 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -1943,13 +1943,14 @@ int ref_store_create(struct ref_store *refs, int flags, struct strbuf *err)
 	return refs->be->create(refs, flags, err);
 }
 
-int resolve_gitlink_ref(const char *submodule, const char *refname,
-			struct object_id *oid)
+int repo_resolve_gitlink_ref(struct repository *r,
+			     const char *submodule, const char *refname,
+			     struct object_id *oid)
 {
 	struct ref_store *refs;
 	int flags;
 
-	refs = repo_get_submodule_ref_store(the_repository, submodule);
+	refs = repo_get_submodule_ref_store(r, submodule);
 	if (!refs)
 		return -1;
 
diff --git a/refs.h b/refs.h
index fc1a873e8a..5a2b493507 100644
--- a/refs.h
+++ b/refs.h
@@ -141,8 +141,9 @@ int peel_iterated_oid(const struct object_id *base, struct object_id *peeled);
  * successful, return 0 and set oid to the name of the object;
  * otherwise, return a non-zero value.
  */
-int resolve_gitlink_ref(const char *submodule, const char *refname,
-			struct object_id *oid);
+int repo_resolve_gitlink_ref(struct repository *r,
+			     const char *submodule, const char *refname,
+			     struct object_id *oid);
 
 /*
  * Return true iff abbrev_name is a possible abbreviation for
diff --git a/unpack-trees.c b/unpack-trees.c
index c2b20b80d5..304ea2ed86 100644
--- a/unpack-trees.c
+++ b/unpack-trees.c
@@ -2318,7 +2318,8 @@ static int verify_clean_subdirectory(const struct cache_entry *ce,
 
 	if (S_ISGITLINK(ce->ce_mode)) {
 		struct object_id oid;
-		int sub_head = resolve_gitlink_ref(ce->name, "HEAD", &oid);
+		int sub_head = repo_resolve_gitlink_ref(the_repository, ce->name,
+							"HEAD", &oid);
 		/*
 		 * If we are not going to update the submodule, then
 		 * we don't care.
