diff --git a/builtin/fast-import.c b/builtin/fast-import.c
index 82bc6dcc003..070a5af3e48 100644
--- a/builtin/fast-import.c
+++ b/builtin/fast-import.c
@@ -965,6 +965,7 @@ static int store_object(
 	unsigned long hdrlen, deltalen;
 	struct git_hash_ctx c;
 	git_zstream s;
+	struct repo_config_values *cfg = repo_config_values(the_repository);
 
 	hdrlen = format_object_header((char *)hdr, sizeof(hdr), type,
 				      dat->len);
@@ -1005,7 +1006,7 @@ static int store_object(
 	} else
 		delta = NULL;
 
-	git_deflate_init(&s, pack_compression_level);
+	git_deflate_init(&s, cfg->pack_compression_level);
 	if (delta) {
 		s.next_in = delta;
 		s.avail_in = deltalen;
@@ -1032,7 +1033,7 @@ static int store_object(
 		if (delta) {
 			FREE_AND_NULL(delta);
 
-			git_deflate_init(&s, pack_compression_level);
+			git_deflate_init(&s, cfg->pack_compression_level);
 			s.next_in = (void *)dat->buf;
 			s.avail_in = dat->len;
 			s.avail_out = git_deflate_bound(&s, s.avail_in);
@@ -1115,6 +1116,7 @@ static void stream_blob(uintmax_t len, struct object_id *oidout, uintmax_t mark)
 	struct git_hash_ctx c;
 	git_zstream s;
 	struct hashfile_checkpoint checkpoint;
+	struct repo_config_values *cfg = repo_config_values(the_repository);
 	int status = Z_OK;
 
 	/* Determine if we should auto-checkpoint. */
@@ -1134,7 +1136,7 @@ static void stream_blob(uintmax_t len, struct object_id *oidout, uintmax_t mark)
 
 	crc32_begin(pack_file);
 
-	git_deflate_init(&s, pack_compression_level);
+	git_deflate_init(&s, cfg->pack_compression_level);
 
 	hdrlen = encode_in_pack_object_header(out_buf, out_sz, OBJ_BLOB, len);
 
diff --git a/builtin/pack-objects.c b/builtin/pack-objects.c
index dd2480a73d2..8ccbe7e1783 100644
--- a/builtin/pack-objects.c
+++ b/builtin/pack-objects.c
@@ -386,8 +386,9 @@ static unsigned long do_compress(void **pptr, unsigned long size)
 	git_zstream stream;
 	void *in, *out;
 	unsigned long maxsize;
+	struct repo_config_values *cfg = repo_config_values(the_repository);
 
-	git_deflate_init(&stream, pack_compression_level);
+	git_deflate_init(&stream, cfg->pack_compression_level);
 	maxsize = git_deflate_bound(&stream, size);
 
 	in = *pptr;
@@ -413,8 +414,9 @@ static unsigned long write_large_blob_data(struct odb_read_stream *st, struct ha
 	unsigned char ibuf[1024 * 16];
 	unsigned char obuf[1024 * 16];
 	unsigned long olen = 0;
+	struct repo_config_values *cfg = repo_config_values(the_repository);
 
-	git_deflate_init(&stream, pack_compression_level);
+	git_deflate_init(&stream, cfg->pack_compression_level);
 
 	for (;;) {
 		ssize_t readlen;
@@ -5003,6 +5005,7 @@ int cmd_pack_objects(int argc,
 	struct string_list keep_pack_list = STRING_LIST_INIT_NODUP;
 	struct list_objects_filter_options filter_options =
 		LIST_OBJECTS_FILTER_INIT;
+	struct repo_config_values *cfg = repo_config_values(the_repository);
 
 	struct option pack_objects_options[] = {
 		OPT_CALLBACK_F('q', "quiet", &progress, NULL,
@@ -5084,7 +5087,7 @@ int cmd_pack_objects(int argc,
 			 N_("ignore packs that have companion .keep file")),
 		OPT_STRING_LIST(0, "keep-pack", &keep_pack_list, N_("name"),
 				N_("ignore this pack")),
-		OPT_INTEGER(0, "compression", &pack_compression_level,
+		OPT_INTEGER(0, "compression", &cfg->pack_compression_level,
 			    N_("pack compression level")),
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "keep-true-parents", &grafts_keep_true_parents,
 			 N_("do not hide commits by grafts")),
@@ -5243,10 +5246,10 @@ int cmd_pack_objects(int argc,
 
 	if (!reuse_object)
 		reuse_delta = 0;
-	if (pack_compression_level == -1)
-		pack_compression_level = Z_DEFAULT_COMPRESSION;
-	else if (pack_compression_level < 0 || pack_compression_level > Z_BEST_COMPRESSION)
-		die(_("bad pack compression level %d"), pack_compression_level);
+	if (cfg->pack_compression_level == -1)
+		cfg->pack_compression_level = Z_DEFAULT_COMPRESSION;
+	else if (cfg->pack_compression_level < 0 || cfg->pack_compression_level > Z_BEST_COMPRESSION)
+		die(_("bad pack compression level %d"), cfg->pack_compression_level);
 
 	if (!delta_search_threads)	/* --threads=0 means autodetect */
 		delta_search_threads = online_cpus();
diff --git a/environment.c b/environment.c
index 5b0e88b65cf..d0d3a4b7d29 100644
--- a/environment.c
+++ b/environment.c
@@ -52,7 +52,6 @@ char *git_commit_encoding;
 char *git_log_output_encoding;
 char *apply_default_whitespace;
 char *apply_default_ignorewhitespace;
-int pack_compression_level = Z_DEFAULT_COMPRESSION;
 int fsync_object_files = -1;
 int use_fsync = -1;
 enum fsync_method fsync_method = FSYNC_METHOD_DEFAULT;
@@ -390,7 +389,7 @@ int git_default_core_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 		if (!zlib_compression_seen)
 			cfg->zlib_compression_level = level;
 		if (!pack_compression_seen)
-			pack_compression_level = level;
+			cfg->pack_compression_level = level;
 		return 0;
 	}
 
@@ -662,6 +661,8 @@ static int git_default_attr_config(const char *var, const char *value)
 int git_default_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 		       const struct config_context *ctx, void *cb)
 {
+	struct repo_config_values *cfg = repo_config_values(the_repository);
+
 	if (starts_with(var, "core."))
 		return git_default_core_config(var, value, ctx, cb);
 
@@ -701,7 +702,7 @@ int git_default_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 			level = Z_DEFAULT_COMPRESSION;
 		else if (level < 0 || level > Z_BEST_COMPRESSION)
 			die(_("bad pack compression level %d"), level);
-		pack_compression_level = level;
+		cfg->pack_compression_level = level;
 		pack_compression_seen = 1;
 		return 0;
 	}
@@ -721,4 +722,5 @@ void repo_config_values_init(struct repo_config_values *cfg)
 	cfg->trust_ctime = 1;
 	cfg->check_stat = 1;
 	cfg->zlib_compression_level = Z_BEST_SPEED;
+	cfg->pack_compression_level = Z_DEFAULT_COMPRESSION;
 }
diff --git a/environment.h b/environment.h
index 93201620afc..514576b67a2 100644
--- a/environment.h
+++ b/environment.h
@@ -94,6 +94,7 @@ struct repo_config_values {
 	int trust_ctime;
 	int check_stat;
 	int zlib_compression_level;
+	int pack_compression_level;
 
 	/* section "branch" config values */
 	enum branch_track branch_track;
@@ -171,7 +172,6 @@ extern int assume_unchanged;
 extern int warn_on_object_refname_ambiguity;
 extern char *apply_default_whitespace;
 extern char *apply_default_ignorewhitespace;
-extern int pack_compression_level;
 extern unsigned long pack_size_limit_cfg;
 
 extern int precomposed_unicode;
diff --git a/object-file.c b/object-file.c
index 7c122ac4198..37def5cc590 100644
--- a/object-file.c
+++ b/object-file.c
@@ -1437,8 +1437,9 @@ static int stream_blob_to_pack(struct transaction_packfile *state,
 	int status = Z_OK;
 	int write_object = (flags & INDEX_WRITE_OBJECT);
 	off_t offset = 0;
+	struct repo_config_values *cfg = repo_config_values(the_repository);
 
-	git_deflate_init(&s, pack_compression_level);
+	git_deflate_init(&s, cfg->pack_compression_level);
 
 	hdrlen = encode_in_pack_object_header(obuf, sizeof(obuf), OBJ_BLOB, size);
 	s.next_out = obuf + hdrlen;