diff --git a/src/pack-objects.c b/src/pack-objects.c
index 11e13f7d4..29231e028 100644
--- a/src/pack-objects.c
+++ b/src/pack-objects.c
@@ -1186,7 +1186,7 @@ static int ll_find_deltas(git_packbuilder *pb, git_pobject **list,
 		git_mutex_init(&p[i].mutex);
 		git_cond_init(&p[i].cond);
 
-		ret = git_thread_create(&p[i].thread, NULL,
+		ret = git_thread_create(&p[i].thread,
 					threaded_find_deltas, &p[i]);
 		if (ret) {
 			giterr_set(GITERR_THREAD, "unable to create thread");
diff --git a/src/thread-utils.h b/src/thread-utils.h
index 14c8a41ff..11c026f33 100644
--- a/src/thread-utils.h
+++ b/src/thread-utils.h
@@ -41,16 +41,7 @@ typedef git_atomic git_atomic_ssize;
 #ifdef GIT_THREADS
 
 #if !defined(GIT_WIN32)
-
-typedef struct {
-	pthread_t thread;
-} git_thread;
-
-#define git_thread_create(git_thread_ptr, attr, start_routine, arg) \
-	pthread_create(&(git_thread_ptr)->thread, attr, start_routine, arg)
-#define git_thread_join(git_thread_ptr, status) \
-	pthread_join((git_thread_ptr)->thread, status)
-
+#   include "unix/pthread.h"
 #endif
 
 /* Pthreads Mutex */
@@ -178,7 +169,7 @@ GIT_INLINE(int64_t) git_atomic64_add(git_atomic64 *a, int64_t addend)
 #else
 
 #define git_thread unsigned int
-#define git_thread_create(thread, attr, start_routine, arg) 0
+#define git_thread_create(thread, start_routine, arg) 0
 #define git_thread_join(id, status) (void)0
 
 /* Pthreads Mutex */
diff --git a/src/unix/pthread.h b/src/unix/pthread.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..87384a4ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/unix/pthread.h
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) the libgit2 contributors. All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * This file is part of libgit2, distributed under the GNU GPL v2 with
+ * a Linking Exception. For full terms see the included COPYING file.
+ */
+
+#ifndef INCLUDE_unix_pthread_h__
+#define INCLUDE_unix_pthread_h__
+
+typedef struct {
+	pthread_t thread;
+} git_thread;
+
+#define git_thread_create(git_thread_ptr, start_routine, arg) \
+	pthread_create(&(git_thread_ptr)->thread, NULL, start_routine, arg)
+#define git_thread_join(git_thread_ptr, status) \
+	pthread_join((git_thread_ptr)->thread, status)
+
+#endif /* INCLUDE_unix_pthread_h__ */
diff --git a/src/win32/pthread.c b/src/win32/pthread.c
index a1cc18932..d8ed4bb1b 100644
--- a/src/win32/pthread.c
+++ b/src/win32/pthread.c
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
  * void pointer. This requires the indirection. */
 static DWORD WINAPI git_win32__threadproc(LPVOID lpParameter)
 {
-	git_win32_thread *thread = lpParameter;
+	git_thread *thread = lpParameter;
 
 	thread->result = thread->proc(thread->param);
 
@@ -25,14 +25,11 @@ static DWORD WINAPI git_win32__threadproc(LPVOID lpParameter)
 	return CLEAN_THREAD_EXIT;
 }
 
-int git_win32__thread_create(
-	git_win32_thread *GIT_RESTRICT thread,
-	const pthread_attr_t *GIT_RESTRICT attr,
+int git_thread_create(
+	git_thread *GIT_RESTRICT thread,
 	void *(*start_routine)(void*),
 	void *GIT_RESTRICT arg)
 {
-	GIT_UNUSED(attr);
-
 	thread->result = NULL;
 	thread->param = arg;
 	thread->proc = start_routine;
@@ -42,8 +39,8 @@ int git_win32__thread_create(
 	return thread->thread ? 0 : -1;
 }
 
-int git_win32__thread_join(
-	git_win32_thread *thread,
+int git_thread_join(
+	git_thread *thread,
 	void **value_ptr)
 {
 	DWORD exit;
diff --git a/src/win32/pthread.h b/src/win32/pthread.h
index e4826ca7f..fa99b01d6 100644
--- a/src/win32/pthread.h
+++ b/src/win32/pthread.h
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ typedef struct {
 	void *(*proc)(void *);
 	void *param;
 	void *result;
-} git_win32_thread;
+} git_thread;
 
 typedef int pthread_mutexattr_t;
 typedef int pthread_condattr_t;
@@ -42,26 +42,10 @@ typedef struct {
 
 #define PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER  {(void*)-1}
 
-int git_win32__thread_create(
-	git_win32_thread *GIT_RESTRICT,
-	const pthread_attr_t *GIT_RESTRICT,
+int git_thread_create(git_thread *GIT_RESTRICT,
 	void *(*) (void *),
 	void *GIT_RESTRICT);
-
-int git_win32__thread_join(
-	git_win32_thread *,
-	void **);
-
-#ifdef GIT_THREADS
-
-typedef git_win32_thread git_thread;
-
-#define git_thread_create(git_thread_ptr, attr, start_routine, arg) \
-	git_win32__thread_create(git_thread_ptr, attr, start_routine, arg)
-#define git_thread_join(git_thread_ptr, status) \
-	git_win32__thread_join(git_thread_ptr, status)
-
-#endif
+int git_thread_join(git_thread *, void **);
 
 int pthread_mutex_init(
 	pthread_mutex_t *GIT_RESTRICT mutex,
diff --git a/tests/object/cache.c b/tests/object/cache.c
index bdf12da7a..680f23630 100644
--- a/tests/object/cache.c
+++ b/tests/object/cache.c
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ void test_object_cache__threadmania(void)
 			fn = (th & 1) ? cache_parsed : cache_raw;
 
 #ifdef GIT_THREADS
-			cl_git_pass(git_thread_create(&t[th], NULL, fn, data));
+			cl_git_pass(git_thread_create(&t[th], fn, data));
 #else
 			cl_assert(fn(data) == data);
 			git__free(data);
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ void test_object_cache__fast_thread_rush(void)
 			data[th] = th;
 #ifdef GIT_THREADS
 			cl_git_pass(
-				git_thread_create(&t[th], NULL, cache_quick, &data[th]));
+				git_thread_create(&t[th], cache_quick, &data[th]));
 #else
 			cl_assert(cache_quick(&data[th]) == &data[th]);
 #endif
diff --git a/tests/threads/refdb.c b/tests/threads/refdb.c
index 6589e3922..f869bcb44 100644
--- a/tests/threads/refdb.c
+++ b/tests/threads/refdb.c
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ void test_threads_refdb__iterator(void)
 		for (t = 0; t < THREADS; ++t) {
 			id[t] = t;
 #ifdef GIT_THREADS
-			cl_git_pass(git_thread_create(&th[t], NULL, iterate_refs, &id[t]));
+			cl_git_pass(git_thread_create(&th[t], iterate_refs, &id[t]));
 #else
 			th[t] = t;
 			iterate_refs(&id[t]);
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ void test_threads_refdb__edit_while_iterate(void)
 		 * for now by just running on a single thread...
 		 */
 /* #ifdef GIT_THREADS */
-/*		cl_git_pass(git_thread_create(&th[t], NULL, fn, &id[t])); */
+/*		cl_git_pass(git_thread_create(&th[t], fn, &id[t])); */
 /* #else */
 		fn(&id[t]);
 /* #endif */
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ void test_threads_refdb__edit_while_iterate(void)
 
 	for (t = 0; t < THREADS; ++t) {
 		id[t] = t;
-		cl_git_pass(git_thread_create(&th[t], NULL, iterate_refs, &id[t]));
+		cl_git_pass(git_thread_create(&th[t], iterate_refs, &id[t]));
 	}
 
 	for (t = 0; t < THREADS; ++t) {
diff --git a/tests/threads/thread_helpers.c b/tests/threads/thread_helpers.c
index 760a7bd33..54bf6097d 100644
--- a/tests/threads/thread_helpers.c
+++ b/tests/threads/thread_helpers.c
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ void run_in_parallel(
 		for (t = 0; t < threads; ++t) {
 			id[t] = t;
 #ifdef GIT_THREADS
-			cl_git_pass(git_thread_create(&th[t], NULL, func, &id[t]));
+			cl_git_pass(git_thread_create(&th[t], func, &id[t]));
 #else
 			cl_assert(func(&id[t]) == &id[t]);
 #endif