diff --git a/git-browse-help.sh b/git-browse-help.sh
index 817b3792c8..b465911c9a 100755
--- a/git-browse-help.sh
+++ b/git-browse-help.sh
@@ -17,8 +17,10 @@
 #
 
 USAGE='[--browser=browser|--tool=browser] [cmd to display] ...'
-SUBDIRECTORY_OK=Yes
-OPTIONS_SPEC=
+
+# This must be capable of running outside of git directory, so
+# the vanilla git-sh-setup should not be used.
+NONGIT_OK=Yes
 . git-sh-setup
 
 # Install data.
@@ -37,7 +39,7 @@ valid_tool() {
 }
 
 init_browser_path() {
-	browser_path=`git config browser.$1.path`
+	test -z "$GIT_DIR" || browser_path=`git config browser.$1.path`
 	test -z "$browser_path" && browser_path=$1
 }
 
@@ -69,7 +71,8 @@ do
     shift
 done
 
-if test -z "$browser"; then
+if test -z "$browser" && test -n "$GIT_DIR"
+then
     for opt in "help.browser" "web.browser"
     do
 	browser="`git config $opt`"
@@ -91,7 +94,7 @@ if test -z "$browser" ; then
     else
 	browser_candidates="w3m links lynx"
     fi
-    echo "browser candidates: $browser_candidates"
+
     for i in $browser_candidates; do
 	init_browser_path $i
 	if type "$browser_path" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
diff --git a/git-sh-setup.sh b/git-sh-setup.sh
index 5aa62dda15..b366761b97 100755
--- a/git-sh-setup.sh
+++ b/git-sh-setup.sh
@@ -122,26 +122,33 @@ get_author_ident_from_commit () {
 	LANG=C LC_ALL=C sed -ne "$pick_author_script"
 }
 
-# Make sure we are in a valid repository of a vintage we understand.
-if [ -z "$SUBDIRECTORY_OK" ]
+# Make sure we are in a valid repository of a vintage we understand,
+# if we require to be in a git repository.
+if test -n "$NONGIT_OK"
 then
-	: ${GIT_DIR=.git}
-	test -z "$(git rev-parse --show-cdup)" || {
-		exit=$?
-		echo >&2 "You need to run this command from the toplevel of the working tree."
-		exit $exit
-	}
+	if git rev-parse --git-dir >/dev/null 2>&1
+	then
+		: ${GIT_DIR=.git}
+	fi
 else
-	GIT_DIR=$(git rev-parse --git-dir) || {
-	    exit=$?
-	    echo >&2 "Failed to find a valid git directory."
-	    exit $exit
+	if [ -z "$SUBDIRECTORY_OK" ]
+	then
+		: ${GIT_DIR=.git}
+		test -z "$(git rev-parse --show-cdup)" || {
+			exit=$?
+			echo >&2 "You need to run this command from the toplevel of the working tree."
+			exit $exit
+		}
+	else
+		GIT_DIR=$(git rev-parse --git-dir) || {
+		    exit=$?
+		    echo >&2 "Failed to find a valid git directory."
+		    exit $exit
+		}
+	fi
+	test -n "$GIT_DIR" && GIT_DIR=$(cd "$GIT_DIR" && pwd) || {
+		echo >&2 "Unable to determine absolute path of git directory"
+		exit 1
 	}
+	: ${GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY="$GIT_DIR/objects"}
 fi
-
-test -n "$GIT_DIR" && GIT_DIR=$(cd "$GIT_DIR" && pwd) || {
-    echo >&2 "Unable to determine absolute path of git directory"
-    exit 1
-}
-
-: ${GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY="$GIT_DIR/objects"}