diff --git a/tests-clar/config/global.c b/tests-clar/config/global.c
index 2ecdf97d8..d5f95f504 100644
--- a/tests-clar/config/global.c
+++ b/tests-clar/config/global.c
@@ -6,19 +6,22 @@ void test_config_global__initialize(void)
 {
 	git_buf path = GIT_BUF_INIT;
 
-	cl_must_pass(p_mkdir("home", 0777));
+	cl_assert_equal_i(0, p_mkdir("home", 0777));
 	cl_git_pass(git_path_prettify(&path, "home", NULL));
 	cl_git_pass(git_libgit2_opts(
 		GIT_OPT_SET_SEARCH_PATH, GIT_CONFIG_LEVEL_GLOBAL, path.ptr));
 
-	cl_must_pass(p_mkdir("xdg", 0777));
-	cl_git_pass(git_path_prettify(&path, "xdg", NULL));
+	cl_assert_equal_i(0, p_mkdir("xdg", 0777));
+	cl_assert_equal_i(0, p_mkdir("xdg/git", 0777));
+	cl_git_pass(git_path_prettify(&path, "xdg/git", NULL));
+	cl_git_pass(git_libgit2_opts(
+		GIT_OPT_SET_SEARCH_PATH, GIT_CONFIG_LEVEL_XDG, path.ptr));
+
+	cl_assert_equal_i(0, p_mkdir("etc", 0777));
+	cl_git_pass(git_path_prettify(&path, "etc", NULL));
 	cl_git_pass(git_libgit2_opts(
 		GIT_OPT_SET_SEARCH_PATH, GIT_CONFIG_LEVEL_SYSTEM, path.ptr));
 
-	cl_git_pass(git_libgit2_opts(
-		GIT_OPT_SET_SEARCH_PATH, GIT_CONFIG_LEVEL_XDG, NULL));
-
 	git_buf_free(&path);
 }
 
@@ -26,6 +29,11 @@ void test_config_global__cleanup(void)
 {
 	cl_git_pass(git_futils_rmdir_r("home", NULL, GIT_RMDIR_REMOVE_FILES));
 	cl_git_pass(git_futils_rmdir_r("xdg", NULL, GIT_RMDIR_REMOVE_FILES));
+	cl_git_pass(git_futils_rmdir_r("etc", NULL, GIT_RMDIR_REMOVE_FILES));
+
+	git_libgit2_opts(GIT_OPT_SET_SEARCH_PATH, GIT_CONFIG_LEVEL_SYSTEM, NULL);
+	git_libgit2_opts(GIT_OPT_SET_SEARCH_PATH, GIT_CONFIG_LEVEL_XDG, NULL);
+	git_libgit2_opts(GIT_OPT_SET_SEARCH_PATH, GIT_CONFIG_LEVEL_GLOBAL, NULL);
 }
 
 void test_config_global__open_global(void)
@@ -48,10 +56,7 @@ void test_config_global__open_xdg(void)
 	const char *val, *str = "teststring";
 	const char *key = "this.variable";
 
-	p_setenv("XDG_CONFIG_HOME", "xdg", 1);
-
-	cl_must_pass(p_mkdir("xdg/git/", 0777));
-	cl_git_mkfile("xdg/git/config", "");
+	cl_git_mkfile("xdg/git/config", "# XDG config\n[core]\n  test = 1\n");
 
 	cl_git_pass(git_config_open_default(&cfg));
 	cl_git_pass(git_config_open_level(&xdg, cfg, GIT_CONFIG_LEVEL_XDG));