diff --git a/builtin/clone.c b/builtin/clone.c
index 44037dd428..1532361ea0 100644
--- a/builtin/clone.c
+++ b/builtin/clone.c
@@ -572,7 +572,7 @@ static void update_remote_refs(const struct ref *refs,
 		opt.transport = transport;
 		opt.progress = transport->progress;
 
-		if (check_connected(iterate_ref_map, &rm, &opt))
+		if (check_connected(the_repository, iterate_ref_map, &rm, &opt))
 			die(_("remote did not send all necessary objects"));
 	}
 
diff --git a/builtin/fetch.c b/builtin/fetch.c
index b2decc6cfd..0ef7fe92f1 100644
--- a/builtin/fetch.c
+++ b/builtin/fetch.c
@@ -1250,7 +1250,8 @@ static int store_updated_refs(struct display_state *display_state,
 
 		opt.exclude_hidden_refs_section = "fetch";
 		rm = ref_map;
-		if (check_connected(iterate_ref_map, &rm, &opt)) {
+		if (check_connected(the_repository, iterate_ref_map,
+				    &rm, &opt)) {
 			rc = error(_("%s did not send all necessary objects"),
 				   display_state->url);
 			goto abort;
@@ -1422,7 +1423,7 @@ static int check_exist_and_connected(struct ref *ref_map)
 
 	opt.quiet = 1;
 	opt.exclude_hidden_refs_section = "fetch";
-	return check_connected(iterate_ref_map, &rm, &opt);
+	return check_connected(the_repository, iterate_ref_map, &rm, &opt);
 }
 
 static int fetch_and_consume_refs(struct display_state *display_state,
diff --git a/builtin/receive-pack.c b/builtin/receive-pack.c
index 1d5b050beb..4f8f58950a 100644
--- a/builtin/receive-pack.c
+++ b/builtin/receive-pack.c
@@ -1385,7 +1385,8 @@ static int update_shallow_ref(struct command *cmd, struct shallow_info *si)
 			oid_array_append(&extra, &si->shallow->oid[i]);
 
 	setup_alternate_shallow(&shallow_lock, &opt.shallow_file, &extra);
-	if (check_connected(command_singleton_iterator, cmd, &opt)) {
+	if (check_connected(the_repository, command_singleton_iterator,
+			    cmd, &opt)) {
 		rollback_shallow_file(the_repository, &shallow_lock);
 		oid_array_clear(&extra);
 		return -1;
@@ -1827,8 +1828,9 @@ static void set_connectivity_errors(struct command *commands,
 		odb_transaction_env(transaction, &env);
 		opt.env = env.v;
 
-		if (!check_connected(command_singleton_iterator, &singleton,
-				     &opt))
+		if (!check_connected(the_repository,
+				     command_singleton_iterator,
+				     &singleton, &opt))
 			continue;
 
 		cmd->error_string = "missing necessary objects";
@@ -2090,7 +2092,9 @@ static void execute_commands(struct command *commands,
 		opt.env = env.v;
 		opt.exclude_hidden_refs_section = "receive";
 
-		if (check_connected(iterate_receive_command_list, &data, &opt))
+		if (check_connected(the_repository,
+				    iterate_receive_command_list,
+				    &data, &opt))
 			set_connectivity_errors(commands, si, transaction);
 
 		if (use_sideband)
diff --git a/bundle.c b/bundle.c
index f55a521b2a..0a68e856f5 100644
--- a/bundle.c
+++ b/bundle.c
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ int verify_bundle(struct repository *r,
 	if (ret)
 		goto cleanup;
 
-	if ((ret = check_connected(iterate_ref_map, &iter, &opts)))
+	if ((ret = check_connected(r, iterate_ref_map, &iter, &opts)))
 		error(_("some prerequisite commits exist in the object store, "
 			"but are not connected to the repository's history"));
 
diff --git a/connected.c b/connected.c
index 929b9bd28d..34045f1032 100644
--- a/connected.c
+++ b/connected.c
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-#define USE_THE_REPOSITORY_VARIABLE
-
 #include "git-compat-util.h"
 #include "gettext.h"
 #include "hex.h"
@@ -35,23 +33,24 @@ static int promised_object_cb(const struct object_id *oid UNUSED,
  * objects in non-promisor packs, in which case we'll have to fall back to the
  * rev-list-based connectivity checks. Returns a negative error code on error.
  */
-static int check_connected_promisor(oid_iterate_fn fn,
+static int check_connected_promisor(struct repository *repo,
+				    oid_iterate_fn fn,
 				    void *cb_data,
 				    const struct object_id **oid)
 {
 	struct odb_for_each_object_options opts = {
 		.flags = ODB_FOR_EACH_OBJECT_PROMISOR_ONLY,
-		.prefix_hex_len = the_repository->hash_algo->hexsz,
+		.prefix_hex_len = repo->hash_algo->hexsz,
 	};
 	int err;
 
-	odb_reprepare(the_repository->objects);
+	odb_reprepare(repo->objects);
 	do {
 		bool found = false;
 
 		opts.prefix = *oid;
 
-		err = odb_for_each_object_ext(the_repository->objects, NULL,
+		err = odb_for_each_object_ext(repo->objects, NULL,
 					      promised_object_cb, &found, &opts);
 		if (err < 0)
 			return err;
@@ -78,7 +77,8 @@ static int check_connected_promisor(oid_iterate_fn fn,
  *
  * Returns 0 if everything is connected, non-zero otherwise.
  */
-int check_connected(oid_iterate_fn fn, void *cb_data,
+int check_connected(struct repository *repo,
+		    oid_iterate_fn fn, void *cb_data,
 		    struct check_connected_options *opt)
 {
 	struct child_process rev_list = CHILD_PROCESS_INIT;
@@ -101,8 +101,8 @@ int check_connected(oid_iterate_fn fn, void *cb_data,
 		return err;
 	}
 
-	if (repo_has_promisor_remote(the_repository)) {
-		err = check_connected_promisor(fn, cb_data, &oid);
+	if (repo_has_promisor_remote(repo)) {
+		err = check_connected_promisor(repo, fn, cb_data, &oid);
 		if (err) {
 			if (opt->err_fd)
 				close(opt->err_fd);
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ int check_connected(oid_iterate_fn fn, void *cb_data,
 	strvec_push(&rev_list.args,"rev-list");
 	strvec_push(&rev_list.args, "--objects");
 	strvec_push(&rev_list.args, "--stdin");
-	if (repo_has_promisor_remote(the_repository))
+	if (repo_has_promisor_remote(repo))
 		strvec_push(&rev_list.args, "--exclude-promisor-objects");
 	if (!opt->is_deepening_fetch) {
 		strvec_push(&rev_list.args, "--not");
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ int check_connected(oid_iterate_fn fn, void *cb_data,
 		strbuf_add(&idx_file, transport->pack_lockfiles.items[0].string,
 			   base_len);
 		strbuf_addstr(&idx_file, ".idx");
-		new_pack = add_packed_git(the_repository, idx_file.buf,
+		new_pack = add_packed_git(repo, idx_file.buf,
 					  idx_file.len, 1);
 		strbuf_release(&idx_file);
 	}
diff --git a/connected.h b/connected.h
index 16b2c84f2e..0624965baa 100644
--- a/connected.h
+++ b/connected.h
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #define CONNECTED_H
 
 struct object_id;
+struct repository;
 struct transport;
 
 /*
@@ -66,7 +67,8 @@ struct check_connected_options {
  *
  * If "opt" is NULL, behaves as if CHECK_CONNECTED_INIT was passed.
  */
-int check_connected(oid_iterate_fn fn, void *cb_data,
+int check_connected(struct repository *repo,
+		    oid_iterate_fn fn, void *cb_data,
 		    struct check_connected_options *opt);
 
 #endif /* CONNECTED_H */
diff --git a/fetch-pack.c b/fetch-pack.c
index 30a4dd6119..2cf8f8d653 100644
--- a/fetch-pack.c
+++ b/fetch-pack.c
@@ -2186,7 +2186,8 @@ struct ref *fetch_pack(struct fetch_pack_args *args,
 		opt.shallow_file = alternate_shallow_file;
 		if (args->deepen)
 			opt.is_deepening_fetch = 1;
-		if (check_connected(iterate_ref_map, &iterator, &opt)) {
+		if (check_connected(the_repository, iterate_ref_map,
+				    &iterator, &opt)) {
 			error(_("remote did not send all necessary objects"));
 			free_refs(ref_cpy);
 			ref_cpy = NULL;