diff --git a/t/t1423-ref-backend.sh b/t/t1423-ref-backend.sh
index 9912433b8c..1a7b8eadba 100755
--- a/t/t1423-ref-backend.sh
+++ b/t/t1423-ref-backend.sh

@@ -138,22 +189,92 @@ do
 				git refs migrate --dry-run --ref-format=$to_format >out &&
 				BACKEND_PATH="$dir/$(sed "s/.* ${SQ}.git\/\(.*\)${SQ}/\1/" out)" &&
 
-				git config set core.repositoryformatversion 1 &&
-				git config set extensions.refStorage "$to_format://$BACKEND_PATH" &&
-
-				git worktree add ../wt 2
-			) &&
+				run_with_uri . "$from_format" "$to_format://$BACKEND_PATH" \
+					"worktree add ../wt 2" "$method" &&
 
-			git -C repo for-each-ref --include-root-refs >expect &&
-			git -C wt for-each-ref --include-root-refs >expect &&
-			! test_cmp expect actual &&
+				run_with_uri . "$from_format" "$to_format://$BACKEND_PATH" \
+					"for-each-ref --include-root-refs" "$method" >actual &&
+				run_with_uri ../wt "$from_format" "$to_format://$BACKEND_PATH" \
+					"for-each-ref --include-root-refs" "$method" >expect &&
+				! test_cmp expect actual &&
 
-			git -C wt rev-parse 2 >expect &&
-			git -C wt rev-parse HEAD >actual &&
-			test_cmp expect actual
+				run_with_uri . "$from_format" "$to_format://$BACKEND_PATH" \
+					"rev-parse 2" "$method" >actual &&
+				run_with_uri ../wt "$from_format" "$to_format://$BACKEND_PATH" \
+					"rev-parse HEAD" "$method" >expect &&
+				test_cmp expect actual
+			)
 		'
 	done # closes dir
+
+	test_expect_success "migrating repository to $to_format with alternate refs directory" '
+		test_when_finished "rm -rf repo refdir" &&
+		mkdir refdir &&
+		GIT_REFERENCE_BACKEND="${from_format}://$(pwd)/refdir" git init repo &&
+		(
+			cd repo &&
+
+			test_commit 1 &&
+			test_commit 2 &&
+			test_commit 3 &&
+
+			git refs migrate --ref-format=$to_format &&
+			git refs list >out &&
+			test_grep "refs/tags/1"	out &&
+			test_grep "refs/tags/2"	out &&
+			test_grep "refs/tags/3"	out
+		)
+	'
+
 done # closes to_format
 done # closes from_format
 
+done # closes method
+
+test_expect_success 'initializing repository with alt ref directory' '
+	test_when_finished "rm -rf repo refdir" &&
+	mkdir refdir &&
+	BACKEND="$(test_detect_ref_format)://$(pwd)/refdir" &&
+	GIT_REFERENCE_BACKEND=$BACKEND git init repo &&
+	verify_files_exist repo/.git refdir &&
+	(
+		cd repo &&
+
+		git config get extensions.refstorage >expect &&
+		echo $BACKEND >actual &&