diff --git a/include/git2/config.h b/include/git2/config.h
index f650f1b41..663b4f6ba 100644
--- a/include/git2/config.h
+++ b/include/git2/config.h
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 
 #include "common.h"
 #include "types.h"
+#include "buffer.h"
 
 /**
  * @file git2/config.h
@@ -90,11 +91,10 @@ typedef struct {
  * This method will not guess the path to the xdg compatible
  * config file (.config/git/config).
  *
- * @param out Buffer to store the path in
- * @param length size of the buffer in bytes
- * @return 0 if a global configuration file has been found. Its path will be stored in `buffer`.
+ * @param out Pointer to a user-allocated git_buf in which to store the path
+ * @return 0 if a global configuration file has been found. Its path will be stored in `out`.
  */
-GIT_EXTERN(int) git_config_find_global(char *out, size_t length);
+GIT_EXTERN(int) git_config_find_global(git_buf *out);
 
 /**
  * Locate the path to the global xdg compatible configuration file
@@ -107,25 +107,23 @@ GIT_EXTERN(int) git_config_find_global(char *out, size_t length);
  * may be used on any `git_config` call to load the
  * xdg compatible configuration file.
  *
- * @param out Buffer to store the path in
- * @param length size of the buffer in bytes
+ * @param out Pointer to a user-allocated git_buf in which to store the path
  * @return 0 if a xdg compatible configuration file has been
- *	found. Its path will be stored in `buffer`.
+ *	found. Its path will be stored in `out`.
  */
-GIT_EXTERN(int) git_config_find_xdg(char *out, size_t length);
+GIT_EXTERN(int) git_config_find_xdg(git_buf *out);
 
 /**
  * Locate the path to the system configuration file
  *
  * If /etc/gitconfig doesn't exist, it will look for
  * %PROGRAMFILES%\Git\etc\gitconfig.
-
- * @param out Buffer to store the path in
- * @param length size of the buffer in bytes
+ *
+ * @param out Pointer to a user-allocated git_buf in which to store the path
  * @return 0 if a system configuration file has been
- *	found. Its path will be stored in `buffer`.
+ *	found. Its path will be stored in `out`.
  */
-GIT_EXTERN(int) git_config_find_system(char *out, size_t length);
+GIT_EXTERN(int) git_config_find_system(git_buf *out);
 
 /**
  * Open the global, XDG and system configuration files
diff --git a/src/config.c b/src/config.c
index fa1dd8182..6aa71468a 100644
--- a/src/config.c
+++ b/src/config.c
@@ -935,61 +935,21 @@ void git_config_iterator_free(git_config_iterator *iter)
 	iter->free(iter);
 }
 
-static int git_config__find_file_to_path(
-	char *out, size_t outlen, int (*find)(git_buf *buf))
-{
-	int error = 0;
-	git_buf path = GIT_BUF_INIT;
-
-	if ((error = find(&path)) < 0)
-		goto done;
-
-	if (path.size >= outlen) {
-		giterr_set(GITERR_NOMEMORY, "Buffer is too short for the path");
-		error = GIT_EBUFS;
-		goto done;
-	}
-
-	git_buf_copy_cstr(out, outlen, &path);
-
-done:
-	git_buf_free(&path);
-	return error;
-}
-
-int git_config_find_global_r(git_buf *path)
+int git_config_find_global(git_buf *path)
 {
 	return git_futils_find_global_file(path, GIT_CONFIG_FILENAME_GLOBAL);
 }
 
-int git_config_find_global(char *global_config_path, size_t length)
-{
-	return git_config__find_file_to_path(
-		global_config_path, length, git_config_find_global_r);
-}
-
-int git_config_find_xdg_r(git_buf *path)
+int git_config_find_xdg(git_buf *path)
 {
 	return git_futils_find_xdg_file(path, GIT_CONFIG_FILENAME_XDG);
 }
 
-int git_config_find_xdg(char *xdg_config_path, size_t length)
-{
-	return git_config__find_file_to_path(
-		xdg_config_path, length, git_config_find_xdg_r);
-}
-
-int git_config_find_system_r(git_buf *path)
+int git_config_find_system(git_buf *path)
 {
 	return git_futils_find_system_file(path, GIT_CONFIG_FILENAME_SYSTEM);
 }
 
-int git_config_find_system(char *system_config_path, size_t length)
-{
-	return git_config__find_file_to_path(
-		system_config_path, length, git_config_find_system_r);
-}
-
 int git_config__global_location(git_buf *buf)
 {
 	const git_buf *paths;
@@ -1026,16 +986,16 @@ int git_config_open_default(git_config **out)
 	if ((error = git_config_new(&cfg)) < 0)
 		return error;
 
-	if (!git_config_find_global_r(&buf) || !git_config__global_location(&buf)) {
+	if (!git_config_find_global(&buf) || !git_config__global_location(&buf)) {
 		error = git_config_add_file_ondisk(cfg, buf.ptr,
 			GIT_CONFIG_LEVEL_GLOBAL, 0);
 	}
 
-	if (!error && !git_config_find_xdg_r(&buf))
+	if (!error && !git_config_find_xdg(&buf))
 		error = git_config_add_file_ondisk(cfg, buf.ptr,
 			GIT_CONFIG_LEVEL_XDG, 0);
 
-	if (!error && !git_config_find_system_r(&buf))
+	if (!error && !git_config_find_system(&buf))
 		error = git_config_add_file_ondisk(cfg, buf.ptr,
 			GIT_CONFIG_LEVEL_SYSTEM, 0);
 
diff --git a/src/config.h b/src/config.h
index 3cd888c88..03d910616 100644
--- a/src/config.h
+++ b/src/config.h
@@ -24,11 +24,6 @@ struct git_config {
 	git_vector files;
 };
 
-extern int git_config_find_global_r(git_buf *global_config_path);
-extern int git_config_find_xdg_r(git_buf *system_config_path);
-extern int git_config_find_system_r(git_buf *system_config_path);
-
-
 extern int git_config__global_location(git_buf *buf);
 
 extern int git_config_rename_section(
diff --git a/src/repository.c b/src/repository.c
index db66e6bd5..285d8897f 100644
--- a/src/repository.c
+++ b/src/repository.c
@@ -582,9 +582,9 @@ int git_repository_config__weakptr(git_config **out, git_repository *repo)
 		git_buf system_buf = GIT_BUF_INIT;
 		git_config *config;
 
-		git_config_find_global_r(&global_buf);
-		git_config_find_xdg_r(&xdg_buf);
-		git_config_find_system_r(&system_buf);
+		git_config_find_global(&global_buf);
+		git_config_find_xdg(&xdg_buf);
+		git_config_find_system(&system_buf);
 
 		/* If there is no global file, open a backend for it anyway */
 		if (git_buf_len(&global_buf) == 0)