diff --git a/GVFS/GVFS.Common/Git/LibGit2Repo.cs b/GVFS/GVFS.Common/Git/LibGit2Repo.cs
index dafcc8d54..00bc55e73 100644
--- a/GVFS/GVFS.Common/Git/LibGit2Repo.cs
+++ b/GVFS/GVFS.Common/Git/LibGit2Repo.cs
@@ -259,18 +259,39 @@ public virtual string GetConfigString(string name)
             }
             try
             {
-                string value;
-                Native.ResultCode resultCode = Native.Config.GetString(out value, configHandle, name);
-                if (resultCode == Native.ResultCode.NotFound)
+                // git_config_get_string returns a borrowed pointer whose lifetime is tied to the
+                // config, so libgit2 only allows it on a snapshot (read-only) config. Calling it on
+                // the live config returned by git_repository_config fails with "get_string called on
+                // a live config object". Snapshot the config first, then read the string from it.
+                IntPtr snapshotHandle;
+                if (Native.Config.Snapshot(out snapshotHandle, configHandle) != Native.ResultCode.Success)
                 {
-                    return null;
+                    throw new LibGit2Exception($"Failed to snapshot config for '{name}': {Native.GetLastError()}");
                 }
-                else if (resultCode != Native.ResultCode.Success)
+
+                try
                 {
-                    throw new LibGit2Exception($"Failed to get config value for '{name}': {Native.GetLastError()}");
-                }
+                    // git_config_get_string yields a borrowed pointer owned by the (snapshot)
+                    // config, so it is retrieved as an IntPtr and copied manually. Marshalling it
+                    // directly as an out string would make the interop marshaller free the pointer
+                    // with CoTaskMemFree, corrupting libgit2's heap (mismatched allocator).
+                    IntPtr valuePtr;
+                    Native.ResultCode resultCode = Native.Config.GetString(out valuePtr, snapshotHandle, name);
+                    if (resultCode == Native.ResultCode.NotFound)
+                    {
+                        return null;
+                    }
+                    else if (resultCode != Native.ResultCode.Success)
+                    {
+                        throw new LibGit2Exception($"Failed to get config value for '{name}': {Native.GetLastError()}");
+                    }
 
-                return value;
+                    return valuePtr == IntPtr.Zero ? null : Marshal.PtrToStringUTF8(valuePtr);
+                }
+                finally
+                {
+                    Native.Config.Free(snapshotHandle);
+                }
             }
             finally
             {
@@ -585,8 +606,11 @@ public static class Config
                 [DllImport(Git2NativeLibName, EntryPoint = "git_config_open_default")]
                 public static extern ResultCode GetGlobalAndSystemConfig(out IntPtr configHandle);
 
+                [DllImport(Git2NativeLibName, EntryPoint = "git_config_snapshot")]
+                public static extern ResultCode Snapshot(out IntPtr snapshotConfigHandle, IntPtr configHandle);
+
                 [DllImport(Git2NativeLibName, EntryPoint = "git_config_get_string")]
-                public static extern ResultCode GetString(out string value, IntPtr configHandle, string name);
+                public static extern ResultCode GetString(out IntPtr value, IntPtr configHandle, string name);
 
                 [DllImport(Git2NativeLibName, EntryPoint = "git_config_get_multivar_foreach")]
                 public static extern ResultCode GetMultivarForeach(
diff --git a/GVFS/GVFS.FunctionalTests/Tests/LibGit2ConfigTests.cs b/GVFS/GVFS.FunctionalTests/Tests/LibGit2ConfigTests.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f1ed89acd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/GVFS/GVFS.FunctionalTests/Tests/LibGit2ConfigTests.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+using GVFS.Common.Git;
+using GVFS.Common.Tracing;
+using GVFS.FunctionalTests.Tools;
+using GVFS.Tests.Should;
+using NUnit.Framework;
+using System.IO;
+using GitProcess = GVFS.FunctionalTests.Tools.GitProcess;
+
+namespace GVFS.FunctionalTests.Tests
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Exercises the real libgit2 (git2.dll) config-read path in <see cref="LibGit2Repo"/>
+    /// against a plain on-disk git repository. This is a regression guard for the
+    /// "get_string called on a live config object" failure, which no mock-based unit
+    /// test can catch because it only manifests through the native P/Invoke.
+    /// </summary>
+    [TestFixture]
+    public class LibGit2ConfigTests
+    {
+        private const string StringConfigKey = "gvfs.functionaltests-teststring";
+        private const string StringConfigValue = "libgit2-value-42";
+        private const string BoolConfigKey = "gvfs.functionaltests-testbool";
+        private const string MissingConfigKey = "gvfs.functionaltests-missing";
+
+        private string repoRoot;
+
+        [OneTimeSetUp]
+        public void CreateRepo()
+        {
+            this.repoRoot = Path.Combine(Path.GetTempPath(), "GVFS.LibGit2ConfigTests_" + Path.GetRandomFileName());
+            Directory.CreateDirectory(this.repoRoot);
+
+            GitProcess.Invoke(this.repoRoot, "init");
+            GitProcess.Invoke(this.repoRoot, "config user.name \"Functional Test User\"");
+            GitProcess.Invoke(this.repoRoot, "config user.email \"functional@test.com\"");
+            GitProcess.Invoke(this.repoRoot, $"config {StringConfigKey} {StringConfigValue}");
+            GitProcess.Invoke(this.repoRoot, $"config {BoolConfigKey} true");
+        }
+
+        [OneTimeTearDown]
+        public void DeleteRepo()
+        {
+            if (this.repoRoot != null)
+            {
+                RepositoryHelpers.DeleteTestDirectory(this.repoRoot);
+            }
+        }
+
+        [TestCase]
+        public void GetConfigStringReturnsValueFromLiveConfig()
+        {
+            // Before the snapshot fix this threw LibGit2Exception
+            // ("get_string called on a live config object") and callers silently
+            // fell back to their default value.
+            using (LibGit2Repo repo = new LibGit2Repo(NullTracer.Instance, this.repoRoot))
+            {
+                repo.GetConfigString(StringConfigKey).ShouldEqual(StringConfigValue);
+            }
+        }
+
+        [TestCase]
+        public void GetConfigStringReturnsNullWhenKeyMissing()
+        {
+            using (LibGit2Repo repo = new LibGit2Repo(NullTracer.Instance, this.repoRoot))
+            {
+                repo.GetConfigString(MissingConfigKey).ShouldBeNull();
+            }
+        }
+
+        [TestCase]
+        public void GetConfigBoolReturnsValueFromLiveConfig()
+        {
+            using (LibGit2Repo repo = new LibGit2Repo(NullTracer.Instance, this.repoRoot))
+            {
+                repo.GetConfigBool(BoolConfigKey).ShouldEqual(true);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}