diff --git a/shell.c b/shell.c
index 9826109d5b..b27d01c9e4 100644
--- a/shell.c
+++ b/shell.c
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ static int do_generic_cmd(const char *me, char *arg)
 {
 	const char *my_argv[4];
 
+	setup_path(NULL);
 	if (!arg || !(arg = sq_dequote(arg)))
 		die("bad argument");
 	if (prefixcmp(me, "git-"))
@@ -29,7 +30,6 @@ static int do_cvs_cmd(const char *me, char *arg)
 		die("git-cvsserver only handles server: %s", arg);
 
 	setup_path(NULL);
-
 	return execv_git_cmd(cvsserver_argv);
 }
 
@@ -49,15 +49,24 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	char *prog;
 	struct commands *cmd;
 
+	/*
+	 * Special hack to pretend to be a CVS server
+	 */
 	if (argc == 2 && !strcmp(argv[1], "cvs server"))
 		argv--;
-	/* We want to see "-c cmd args", and nothing else */
+
+	/*
+	 * We do not accept anything but "-c" followed by "cmd arg",
+	 * where "cmd" is a very limited subset of git commands.
+	 */
 	else if (argc != 3 || strcmp(argv[1], "-c"))
 		die("What do you think I am? A shell?");
 
 	prog = argv[2];
-	argv += 2;
-	argc -= 2;
+	if (!strncmp(prog, "git", 3) && isspace(prog[3]))
+		/* Accept "git foo" as if the caller said "git-foo". */
+		prog[3] = '-';
+
 	for (cmd = cmd_list ; cmd->name ; cmd++) {
 		int len = strlen(cmd->name);
 		char *arg;