static regex_t *key_regexp;
 static regex_t *regexp;
 static int show_keys;
+static int omit_values;
 static int use_key_regexp;
 static int do_all;
 static int do_not_match;
        OPT_BIT(0, "path", &types, N_("value is a path (file or directory name)"), TYPE_PATH),
        OPT_GROUP(N_("Other")),
        OPT_BOOL('z', "null", &end_null, N_("terminate values with NUL byte")),
+       OPT_BOOL(0, "name-only", &omit_values, N_("show variable names only")),
        OPT_BOOL(0, "includes", &respect_includes, N_("respect include directives on lookup")),
        OPT_END(),
 };
 
 static int show_all_config(const char *key_, const char *value_, void *cb)
 {
-       if (value_)
+       if (!omit_values && value_)
                printf("%s%c%s%c", key_, delim, value_, term);
        else
                printf("%s%c", key_, term);
 
 static int format_config(struct strbuf *buf, const char *key_, const char *value_)
 {
-       int must_free_vptr = 0;
-       int must_print_delim = 0;
-       char value[256];
-       const char *vptr = value;
-
-       strbuf_init(buf, 0);
-
-       if (show_keys) {
+       if (show_keys)
                strbuf_addstr(buf, key_);
-               must_print_delim = 1;
-       }
-       if (types == TYPE_INT)
-               sprintf(value, "%"PRId64,
-                       git_config_int64(key_, value_ ? value_ : ""));
-       else if (types == TYPE_BOOL)
-               vptr = git_config_bool(key_, value_) ? "true" : "false";
-       else if (types == TYPE_BOOL_OR_INT) {
-               int is_bool, v;
-               v = git_config_bool_or_int(key_, value_, &is_bool);
-               if (is_bool)
-                       vptr = v ? "true" : "false";
-               else
-                       sprintf(value, "%d", v);
-       } else if (types == TYPE_PATH) {
-               if (git_config_pathname(&vptr, key_, value_) < 0)
-                       return -1;
-               must_free_vptr = 1;
-       } else if (value_) {
-               vptr = value_;
-       } else {
-               /* Just show the key name */
-               vptr = "";
-               must_print_delim = 0;
-       }
+       if (!omit_values) {
+               if (show_keys)
+                       strbuf_addch(buf, key_delim);
 
-       if (must_print_delim)
-               strbuf_addch(buf, key_delim);
-       strbuf_addstr(buf, vptr);
+               if (types == TYPE_INT)
+                       strbuf_addf(buf, "%"PRId64,
+                                   git_config_int64(key_, value_ ? value_ : ""));
+               else if (types == TYPE_BOOL)
+                       strbuf_addstr(buf, git_config_bool(key_, value_) ?
+                                     "true" : "false");
+               else if (types == TYPE_BOOL_OR_INT) {
+                       int is_bool, v;
+                       v = git_config_bool_or_int(key_, value_, &is_bool);
+                       if (is_bool)
+                               strbuf_addstr(buf, v ? "true" : "false");
+                       else
+                               strbuf_addf(buf, "%d", v);
+               } else if (types == TYPE_PATH) {
+                       const char *v;
+                       if (git_config_pathname(&v, key_, value_) < 0)
+                               return -1;
+                       strbuf_addstr(buf, v);
+                       free((char *)v);
+               } else if (value_) {
+                       strbuf_addstr(buf, value_);
+               } else {
+                       /* Just show the key name; back out delimiter */
+                       if (show_keys)
+                               strbuf_setlen(buf, buf->len - 1);
+               }
+       }
        strbuf_addch(buf, term);
-
-       if (must_free_vptr)
-               free((char *)vptr);
        return 0;
 }
 
                return 0;
 
        ALLOC_GROW(values->items, values->nr + 1, values->alloc);
+       strbuf_init(&values->items[values->nr], 0);
 
        return format_config(&values->items[values->nr++], key_, value_);
 }
 
 static char *normalize_value(const char *key, const char *value)
 {
-       char *normalized;
-
        if (!value)
                return NULL;
 
                 * "~/foobar/" in the config file, and to expand the ~
                 * when retrieving the value.
                 */
-               normalized = xstrdup(value);
-       else {
-               normalized = xmalloc(64);
-               if (types == TYPE_INT) {
-                       int64_t v = git_config_int64(key, value);
-                       sprintf(normalized, "%"PRId64, v);
-               }
-               else if (types == TYPE_BOOL)
-                       sprintf(normalized, "%s",
-                               git_config_bool(key, value) ? "true" : "false");
-               else if (types == TYPE_BOOL_OR_INT) {
-                       int is_bool, v;
-                       v = git_config_bool_or_int(key, value, &is_bool);
-                       if (!is_bool)
-                               sprintf(normalized, "%d", v);
-                       else
-                               sprintf(normalized, "%s", v ? "true" : "false");
-               }
+               return xstrdup(value);
+       if (types == TYPE_INT)
+               return xstrfmt("%"PRId64, git_config_int64(key, value));
+       if (types == TYPE_BOOL)
+               return xstrdup(git_config_bool(key, value) ?  "true" : "false");
+       if (types == TYPE_BOOL_OR_INT) {
+               int is_bool, v;
+               v = git_config_bool_or_int(key, value, &is_bool);
+               if (!is_bool)
+                       return xstrfmt("%d", v);
+               else
+                       return xstrdup(v ? "true" : "false");
        }
 
-       return normalized;
+       die("BUG: cannot normalize type %d", types);
 }
 
 static int get_color_found;
 
 static void check_write(void)
 {
+       if (!given_config_source.file && !startup_info->have_repository)
+               die("not in a git directory");
+
        if (given_config_source.use_stdin)
                die("writing to stdin is not supported");
 
 
        for_each_string_list_item(item, &values) {
                struct urlmatch_current_candidate_value *matched = item->util;
-               struct strbuf key = STRBUF_INIT;
                struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
 
-               strbuf_addstr(&key, item->string);
-               format_config(&buf, key.buf,
+               format_config(&buf, item->string,
                              matched->value_is_null ? NULL : matched->value.buf);
                fwrite(buf.buf, 1, buf.len, stdout);
-               strbuf_release(&key);
                strbuf_release(&buf);
 
                strbuf_release(&matched->value);
                default:
                        usage_with_options(builtin_config_usage, builtin_config_options);
                }
-
+       if (omit_values &&
+           !(actions == ACTION_LIST || actions == ACTION_GET_REGEXP)) {
+               error("--name-only is only applicable to --list or --get-regexp");
+               usage_with_options(builtin_config_usage, builtin_config_options);
+       }
        if (actions == ACTION_LIST) {
                check_argc(argc, 0, 0);
                if (git_config_with_options(show_all_config, NULL,
                check_write();
                check_argc(argc, 2, 2);
                value = normalize_value(argv[0], argv[1]);
-               ret = git_config_set_in_file(given_config_source.file, argv[0], value);
+               ret = git_config_set_in_file_gently(given_config_source.file, argv[0], value);
                if (ret == CONFIG_NOTHING_SET)
                        error("cannot overwrite multiple values with a single value\n"
                        "       Use a regexp, --add or --replace-all to change %s.", argv[0]);
                check_write();
                check_argc(argc, 2, 3);
                value = normalize_value(argv[0], argv[1]);
-               return git_config_set_multivar_in_file(given_config_source.file,
-                                                      argv[0], value, argv[2], 0);
+               return git_config_set_multivar_in_file_gently(given_config_source.file,
+                                                             argv[0], value, argv[2], 0);
        }
        else if (actions == ACTION_ADD) {
                check_write();
                check_argc(argc, 2, 2);
                value = normalize_value(argv[0], argv[1]);
-               return git_config_set_multivar_in_file(given_config_source.file,
-                                                      argv[0], value,
-                                                      CONFIG_REGEX_NONE, 0);
+               return git_config_set_multivar_in_file_gently(given_config_source.file,
+                                                             argv[0], value,
+                                                             CONFIG_REGEX_NONE, 0);
        }
        else if (actions == ACTION_REPLACE_ALL) {
                check_write();
                check_argc(argc, 2, 3);
                value = normalize_value(argv[0], argv[1]);
-               return git_config_set_multivar_in_file(given_config_source.file,
-                                                      argv[0], value, argv[2], 1);
+               return git_config_set_multivar_in_file_gently(given_config_source.file,
+                                                             argv[0], value, argv[2], 1);
        }
        else if (actions == ACTION_GET) {
                check_argc(argc, 1, 2);
                check_write();
                check_argc(argc, 1, 2);
                if (argc == 2)
-                       return git_config_set_multivar_in_file(given_config_source.file,
-                                                              argv[0], NULL, argv[1], 0);
+                       return git_config_set_multivar_in_file_gently(given_config_source.file,
+                                                                     argv[0], NULL, argv[1], 0);
                else
-                       return git_config_set_in_file(given_config_source.file,
-                                                     argv[0], NULL);
+                       return git_config_set_in_file_gently(given_config_source.file,
+                                                            argv[0], NULL);
        }
        else if (actions == ACTION_UNSET_ALL) {
                check_write();
                check_argc(argc, 1, 2);
-               return git_config_set_multivar_in_file(given_config_source.file,
-                                                      argv[0], NULL, argv[1], 1);
+               return git_config_set_multivar_in_file_gently(given_config_source.file,
+                                                             argv[0], NULL, argv[1], 1);
        }
        else if (actions == ACTION_RENAME_SECTION) {
                int ret;