diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index c3565fc0f8..4c3e4ccabc 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -2826,6 +2826,11 @@ ifdef GIT_TEST_INDEX_VERSION
 endif
 ifdef GIT_TEST_PERL_FATAL_WARNINGS
 	@echo GIT_TEST_PERL_FATAL_WARNINGS=\''$(subst ','\'',$(subst ','\'',$(GIT_TEST_PERL_FATAL_WARNINGS)))'\' >>$@+
+endif
+ifdef RUNTIME_PREFIX
+	@echo RUNTIME_PREFIX=\'true\' >>$@+
+else
+	@echo RUNTIME_PREFIX=\'false\' >>$@+
 endif
 	@if cmp $@+ $@ >/dev/null 2>&1; then $(RM) $@+; else mv $@+ $@; fi
 
diff --git a/t/t0060-path-utils.sh b/t/t0060-path-utils.sh
index de4960783f..a76728c27b 100755
--- a/t/t0060-path-utils.sh
+++ b/t/t0060-path-utils.sh
@@ -525,4 +525,22 @@ test_expect_success MINGW 'is_valid_path() on Windows' '
 		"PRN./abc"
 '
 
+test_lazy_prereq RUNTIME_PREFIX '
+	test true = "$RUNTIME_PREFIX"
+'
+
+test_lazy_prereq CAN_EXEC_IN_PWD '
+	cp "$GIT_EXEC_PATH"/git$X ./ &&
+	./git rev-parse
+'
+
+test_expect_success RUNTIME_PREFIX,CAN_EXEC_IN_PWD 'RUNTIME_PREFIX works' '
+	mkdir -p pretend/bin pretend/libexec/git-core &&
+	echo "echo HERE" | write_script pretend/libexec/git-core/git-here &&
+	cp "$GIT_EXEC_PATH"/git$X pretend/bin/ &&
+	GIT_EXEC_PATH= ./pretend/bin/git here >actual &&
+	echo HERE >expect &&
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
 test_done