diff --git a/sub-process.c b/sub-process.c
index f7ee412b7e..0f78a46f98 100644
--- a/sub-process.c
+++ b/sub-process.c
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 #include "sub-process.h"
 #include "sigchain.h"
 #include "pkt-line.h"
+#include "quote.h"
 
 int cmd2process_cmp(const void *unused_cmp_data,
 		    const struct hashmap_entry *eptr,
@@ -118,6 +119,52 @@ int subprocess_start(struct hashmap *hashmap, struct subprocess_entry *entry, co
 	return 0;
 }
 
+int subprocess_start_strvec(struct hashmap *hashmap,
+			  struct subprocess_entry *entry,
+			  int is_git_cmd,
+			  const struct strvec *argv,
+			  subprocess_start_fn startfn)
+{
+	int err;
+	int k;
+	struct child_process *process;
+	struct strbuf quoted = STRBUF_INIT;
+
+	process = &entry->process;
+
+	child_process_init(process);
+	for (k = 0; k < argv->nr; k++)
+		strvec_push(&process->args, argv->v[k]);
+	process->use_shell = 1;
+	process->in = -1;
+	process->out = -1;
+	process->git_cmd = is_git_cmd;
+	process->clean_on_exit = 1;
+	process->clean_on_exit_handler = subprocess_exit_handler;
+	process->trace2_child_class = "subprocess";
+
+	sq_quote_argv_pretty(&quoted, argv->v);
+	entry->cmd = strbuf_detach(&quoted, NULL);
+
+	err = start_command(process);
+	if (err) {
+		error("cannot fork to run subprocess '%s'", entry->cmd);
+		return err;
+	}
+
+	hashmap_entry_init(&entry->ent, strhash(entry->cmd));
+
+	err = startfn(entry);
+	if (err) {
+		error("initialization for subprocess '%s' failed", entry->cmd);
+		subprocess_stop(hashmap, entry);
+		return err;
+	}
+
+	hashmap_add(hashmap, &entry->ent);
+	return 0;
+}
+
 static int handshake_version(struct child_process *process,
 			     const char *welcome_prefix, int *versions,
 			     int *chosen_version)
diff --git a/sub-process.h b/sub-process.h
index e85f21fa1a..3d16701a0c 100644
--- a/sub-process.h
+++ b/sub-process.h
@@ -57,6 +57,12 @@ typedef int(*subprocess_start_fn)(struct subprocess_entry *entry);
 int subprocess_start(struct hashmap *hashmap, struct subprocess_entry *entry, const char *cmd,
 		subprocess_start_fn startfn);
 
+int subprocess_start_strvec(struct hashmap *hashmap,
+			  struct subprocess_entry *entry,
+			  int is_git_cmd,
+			  const struct strvec *argv,
+			  subprocess_start_fn startfn);
+
 /* Kill a subprocess and remove it from the subprocess hashmap. */
 void subprocess_stop(struct hashmap *hashmap, struct subprocess_entry *entry);