--- git-2.8.1/cache.h.orig	2016-04-03 18:14:12.000000000 +0100
+++ git-2.8.1/cache.h	2016-04-21 11:10:05.248614400 +0100
@@ -989,6 +989,7 @@
 int normalize_path_copy(char *dst, const char *src);
 int longest_ancestor_length(const char *path, struct string_list *prefixes);
 char *strip_path_suffix(const char *path, const char *suffix);
+char *maybe_xstrdup_cyg_conv_path(const char *path, int always_dupe);
 int daemon_avoid_alias(const char *path);
 extern int is_ntfs_dotgit(const char *name);
 
--- git-2.8.1/path.c.orig	2016-04-21 10:47:09.080902100 +0100
+++ git-2.8.1/path.c	2016-04-21 11:09:35.644921100 +0100
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@
 #include "string-list.h"
 #include "dir.h"
 
+#if defined(__CYGWIN__)
+#include <sys/cygwin.h>
+#endif
+
 static int get_st_mode_bits(const char *path, int *mode)
 {
 	struct stat st;
@@ -1101,6 +1105,29 @@
 	return xstrndup(path, chomp_trailing_dir_sep(path, path_len));
 }
 
+/*
+ * Always duplicates `path` even if no conversion was performed.
+ */
+char *maybe_xstrdup_cyg_conv_path(const char *path, int always_dupe)
+{
+#if defined(__CYGWIN__)
+	int dos_prefix = has_dos_drive_prefix(path) ? 1 : 0;
+	int backslash = strchr(path, '\\') ? 1 : 0;
+	if (dos_prefix || backslash)
+	{
+		cygwin_conv_path_t form = dos_prefix ? CCP_ABSOLUTE : CCP_RELATIVE;
+		form |= CCP_WIN_A_TO_POSIX;
+		ssize_t cyg_len = cygwin_conv_path(form, path, NULL, 0);
+		char *cyg_path = (char *)alloca(cyg_len + 1);
+		if (cyg_path == NULL)
+		    die("Couldn't alloca space for cyg_path");
+		cygwin_conv_path(form, path, cyg_path, cyg_len);
+		return xstrndup(cyg_path, cyg_len);
+	}
+#endif
+	return always_dupe ? xstrdup(path) : (char*)path;
+}
+
 int daemon_avoid_alias(const char *p)
 {
 	int sl, ndot;
--- git-2.8.1/strbuf.c.orig	2016-04-03 18:14:12.000000000 +0100
+++ git-2.8.1/strbuf.c	2016-04-21 11:16:24.612312700 +0100
@@ -665,6 +665,10 @@
 
 void strbuf_add_absolute_path(struct strbuf *sb, const char *path)
 {
+#if defined(__CYGWIN__)
+	const char *in_path = path;
+	path = maybe_xstrdup_cyg_conv_path(path, 0);
+#endif
 	if (!*path)
 		die("The empty string is not a valid path");
 	if (!is_absolute_path(path)) {
@@ -686,6 +690,10 @@
 		free(cwd);
 	}
 	strbuf_addstr(sb, path);
+#if defined(__CYGWIN__)
+	if (in_path != path)
+		free((void*)path);
+#endif
 }
 
 int printf_ln(const char *fmt, ...)
--- git-2.8.1/builtin/clone.c.orig	2016-04-03 18:14:12.000000000 +0100
+++ git-2.8.1/builtin/clone.c	2016-04-21 11:09:52.730898400 +0100
@@ -887,7 +887,7 @@
 		die(_("depth %s is not a positive number"), option_depth);
 
 	if (argc == 2)
-		dir = xstrdup(argv[1]);
+		dir = maybe_xstrdup_cyg_conv_path(argv[1], 1);
 	else
 		dir = guess_dir_name(repo_name, is_bundle, option_bare);
 	strip_trailing_slashes(dir);
--- git-2.8.1/pathspec.c.orig	2016-04-03 18:14:12.000000000 +0100
+++ git-2.8.1/pathspec.c	2016-04-21 12:20:38.203725500 +0100
@@ -107,6 +107,10 @@
 				const char *prefix, int prefixlen,
 				const char *elt)
 {
+#if defined(__CYGWIN__)
+	const char *in_elt = elt;
+	elt = maybe_xstrdup_cyg_conv_path(elt, 0);
+#endif
 	static int literal_global = -1;
 	static int glob_global = -1;
 	static int noglob_global = -1;
@@ -315,6 +319,10 @@
 	/* sanity checks, pathspec matchers assume these are sane */
 	assert(item->nowildcard_len <= item->len &&
 	       item->prefix         <= item->len);
+#if defined(__CYGWIN__)
+	if (in_elt != elt)
+		free((void*)elt);
+#endif
 	return magic;
 }