diff --git a/builtin/rev-parse.c b/builtin/rev-parse.c
index a5108266da..34b4675442 100644
--- a/builtin/rev-parse.c
+++ b/builtin/rev-parse.c
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 #include "path.h"
 #include "diff.h"
 #include "read-cache-ll.h"
+#include "repo-settings.h"
 #include "repository.h"
 #include "revision.h"
 #include "setup.h"
@@ -899,7 +900,8 @@ int cmd_rev_parse(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			}
 			if (opt_with_value(arg, "--abbrev-ref", &arg)) {
 				abbrev_ref = 1;
-				abbrev_ref_strict = warn_ambiguous_refs;
+				abbrev_ref_strict =
+					repo_settings_get_warn_ambiguous_refs(the_repository);
 				if (arg) {
 					if (!strcmp(arg, "strict"))
 						abbrev_ref_strict = 1;
diff --git a/config.c b/config.c
index a59890180a..53c68f3da6 100644
--- a/config.c
+++ b/config.c
@@ -1447,11 +1447,6 @@ static int git_default_core_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 		return 0;
 	}
 
-	if (!strcmp(var, "core.warnambiguousrefs")) {
-		warn_ambiguous_refs = git_config_bool(var, value);
-		return 0;
-	}
-
 	if (!strcmp(var, "core.abbrev")) {
 		if (!value)
 			return config_error_nonbool(var);
diff --git a/environment.c b/environment.c
index 6805c7b01d..9dd000cda3 100644
--- a/environment.c
+++ b/environment.c
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ int minimum_abbrev = 4, default_abbrev = -1;
 int ignore_case;
 int assume_unchanged;
 int is_bare_repository_cfg = -1; /* unspecified */
-int warn_ambiguous_refs = 1;
 int warn_on_object_refname_ambiguity = 1;
 int repository_format_precious_objects;
 char *git_commit_encoding;
diff --git a/environment.h b/environment.h
index 0cab644e2d..aa38133da9 100644
--- a/environment.h
+++ b/environment.h
@@ -156,7 +156,6 @@ extern int has_symlinks;
 extern int minimum_abbrev, default_abbrev;
 extern int ignore_case;
 extern int assume_unchanged;
-extern int warn_ambiguous_refs;
 extern int warn_on_object_refname_ambiguity;
 extern char *apply_default_whitespace;
 extern char *apply_default_ignorewhitespace;
diff --git a/object-name.c b/object-name.c
index 09c1bd93a3..c892fbe80a 100644
--- a/object-name.c
+++ b/object-name.c
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #include "pretty.h"
 #include "object-store-ll.h"
 #include "read-cache-ll.h"
+#include "repo-settings.h"
 #include "repository.h"
 #include "setup.h"
 #include "midx.h"
@@ -959,7 +960,7 @@ static int get_oid_basic(struct repository *r, const char *str, int len,
 	int fatal = !(flags & GET_OID_QUIETLY);
 
 	if (len == r->hash_algo->hexsz && !get_oid_hex(str, oid)) {
-		if (warn_ambiguous_refs && warn_on_object_refname_ambiguity) {
+		if (repo_settings_get_warn_ambiguous_refs(r) && warn_on_object_refname_ambiguity) {
 			refs_found = repo_dwim_ref(r, str, len, &tmp_oid, &real_ref, 0);
 			if (refs_found > 0) {
 				warning(warn_msg, len, str);
@@ -1020,7 +1021,7 @@ static int get_oid_basic(struct repository *r, const char *str, int len,
 	if (!refs_found)
 		return -1;
 
-	if (warn_ambiguous_refs && !(flags & GET_OID_QUIETLY) &&
+	if (repo_settings_get_warn_ambiguous_refs(r) && !(flags & GET_OID_QUIETLY) &&
 	    (refs_found > 1 ||
 	     !get_short_oid(r, str, len, &tmp_oid, GET_OID_QUIETLY)))
 		warning(warn_msg, len, str);
diff --git a/ref-filter.c b/ref-filter.c
index b6c6c10127..7f5cf5a126 100644
--- a/ref-filter.c
+++ b/ref-filter.c
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 #include "object-name.h"
 #include "object-store-ll.h"
 #include "oid-array.h"
+#include "repo-settings.h"
 #include "repository.h"
 #include "commit.h"
 #include "mailmap.h"
@@ -2160,7 +2161,7 @@ static const char *show_ref(struct refname_atom *atom, const char *refname)
 	if (atom->option == R_SHORT)
 		return refs_shorten_unambiguous_ref(get_main_ref_store(the_repository),
 						    refname,
-						    warn_ambiguous_refs);
+						    repo_settings_get_warn_ambiguous_refs(the_repository));
 	else if (atom->option == R_LSTRIP)
 		return lstrip_ref_components(refname, atom->lstrip);
 	else if (atom->option == R_RSTRIP)
diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index d7402bcd19..3bee3e7829 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -730,7 +730,7 @@ int expand_ref(struct repository *repo, const char *str, int len,
 		if (r) {
 			if (!refs_found++)
 				*ref = xstrdup(r);
-			if (!warn_ambiguous_refs)
+			if (!repo_settings_get_warn_ambiguous_refs(repo))
 				break;
 		} else if ((flag & REF_ISSYMREF) && strcmp(fullref.buf, "HEAD")) {
 			warning(_("ignoring dangling symref %s"), fullref.buf);
@@ -775,7 +775,7 @@ int repo_dwim_log(struct repository *r, const char *str, int len,
 			if (oid)
 				oidcpy(oid, &hash);
 		}
-		if (!warn_ambiguous_refs)
+		if (!repo_settings_get_warn_ambiguous_refs(r))
 			break;
 	}
 	strbuf_release(&path);
diff --git a/repo-settings.c b/repo-settings.c
index 1322fd2f97..4699b4b365 100644
--- a/repo-settings.c
+++ b/repo-settings.c
@@ -140,3 +140,12 @@ enum log_refs_config repo_settings_get_log_all_ref_updates(struct repository *re
 
 	return LOG_REFS_UNSET;
 }
+
+int repo_settings_get_warn_ambiguous_refs(struct repository *repo)
+{
+	prepare_repo_settings(repo);
+	if (repo->settings.warn_ambiguous_refs < 0)
+		repo_cfg_bool(repo, "core.warnambiguousrefs",
+			      &repo->settings.warn_ambiguous_refs, 1);
+	return repo->settings.warn_ambiguous_refs;
+}
diff --git a/repo-settings.h b/repo-settings.h
index 76adb96a66..51d6156a11 100644
--- a/repo-settings.h
+++ b/repo-settings.h
@@ -56,16 +56,20 @@ struct repo_settings {
 	enum fetch_negotiation_setting fetch_negotiation_algorithm;
 
 	int core_multi_pack_index;
+	int warn_ambiguous_refs; /* lazily loaded via accessor */
 };
 #define REPO_SETTINGS_INIT { \
 	.index_version = -1, \
 	.core_untracked_cache = UNTRACKED_CACHE_KEEP, \
 	.fetch_negotiation_algorithm = FETCH_NEGOTIATION_CONSECUTIVE, \
+	.warn_ambiguous_refs = -1, \
 }
 
 void prepare_repo_settings(struct repository *r);
 
 /* Read the value for "core.logAllRefUpdates". */
 enum log_refs_config repo_settings_get_log_all_ref_updates(struct repository *repo);
+/* Read the value for "core.warnAmbiguousRefs". */
+int repo_settings_get_warn_ambiguous_refs(struct repository *repo);
 
 #endif /* REPO_SETTINGS_H */