Tian Yuchen [off-list ref] writes:

Note that the newly introduced getter, 'repo_get_ignore_case()',
intentionally avoids checking 'repo->gitdir'. This could safely
accommodates early dynamic probing of the filesystem during
'git init' or clone operations, where the 'gitdir' might not be fully
initialized but the filesystem capability must be recorded.

Why "could"?  It either "safely accommodates" or it doesn't.

I do not quite understand the logic behind this part.  Why is it OK
to punt until .gitdir is ready for trust-executable-bit, like it is
done in f951ed98 (environment: move trust_executable_bit into
repo_config_values, 2026-06-13)

diff --git a/environment.c b/environment.c
index fc3ed8bb1c..75069a884d 100644
--- a/environment.c
+++ b/environment.c

@@ -142,6 +141,13 @@ int is_bare_repository(void)
 	return is_bare_repository_cfg && !repo_get_work_tree(the_repository);
 }
 
+int repo_trust_executable_bit(struct repository *repo)
+{
+	return repo->gitdir?
+		repo_config_values(repo)->trust_executable_bit :
+		1;
+}
+

or hfs/ntfs in 71386c21 (environment: move 'protect_hfs' and
'protect_ntfs' into 'repo_config_values', 2026-06-10)

diff --git a/environment.c b/environment.c
index fc3ed8bb1c..683fe1b4d3 100644
--- a/environment.c
+++ b/environment.c

@@ -142,6 +140,20 @@ int is_bare_repository(void)
 	return is_bare_repository_cfg && !repo_get_work_tree(the_repository);
 }
 
+int repo_protect_ntfs(struct repository *repo)
+{
+	return repo->gitdir ?
+		repo_config_values(repo)->protect_ntfs :
+		PROTECT_NTFS_DEFAULT;
+}
+
+int repo_protect_hfs(struct repository *repo)
+{
+	return repo->gitdir ?
+		repo_config_values(repo)->protect_hfs :
+		PROTECT_HFS_DEFAULT;
+}
+
 int have_git_dir(void)
 {
 	return startup_info->have_repository

but not for this bit?

+int repo_get_ignore_case(struct repository *repo)
+{
+	if (repo)
+		return repo_config_values(repo)->ignore_case;
+	return 0;
+}

What makes ignore-case so special?  Doesn't the same logic apply to
the other three bits?

Or use a more direct

	if (repo && repo->initialized)
		...;

for all three, as repo_config_values(repo) barfs when repo is not
initialized?

I dunno.