diff --git a/setup.c b/setup.c
index 18927a8..ac6823f 100644
--- a/setup.c	
+++ b/setup.c
@@ -1159,6 +1159,9 @@ static int ensure_valid_ownership(const char *gitfile,
 				  const char *worktree, const char *gitdir,
 				  struct strbuf *report)
 {
+	if (git_env_bool("GIT_NO_CHECK_OWNERSHIP", 0))
+		return 1;
+
 	struct safe_directory_data data = {
 		.path = worktree ? worktree : gitdir
 	};