diff --git a/git-gui.sh b/git-gui.sh
index efa745dc48..84385c09a2 100755
--- a/git-gui.sh
+++ b/git-gui.sh
@@ -1145,16 +1145,15 @@ if {[catch {
 		set _prefix {}
 		}]
 	&& [catch {
-		# beware that from the .git dir this sets _gitdir to .
-		# and _prefix to the empty string
-		set _gitdir [git rev-parse --git-dir]
+		# beware that from the .git dir this sets _prefix to the empty string
+		set _gitdir [git rev-parse --absolute-git-dir]
 		set _prefix [git rev-parse --show-prefix]
 	} err]} {
 	load_config 1
 	apply_config
 	choose_repository::pick
 	if {[catch {
-			set _gitdir [git rev-parse --git-dir]
+			set _gitdir [git rev-parse --absolute-git-dir]
 		} err]} {
 		catch {wm withdraw .}
 		error_popup [strcat [mc "Unusable repo/worktree:"] " [pwd] \n\n$err"]
@@ -1175,13 +1174,6 @@ if {$hashalgorithm eq "sha1"} {
 	exit 1
 }
 
-# we expand the _gitdir when it's just a single dot (i.e. when we're being
-# run from the .git dir itself) lest the routines to find the worktree
-# get confused
-if {$_gitdir eq "."} {
-	set _gitdir [pwd]
-}
-
 if {![file isdirectory $_gitdir]} {
 	catch {wm withdraw .}
 	error_popup [strcat [mc "Git directory not found:"] "\n\n$_gitdir"]