diff --git a/builtin/for-each-repo.c b/builtin/for-each-repo.c
index 6aeac37148..fd0e7739e6 100644
--- a/builtin/for-each-repo.c
+++ b/builtin/for-each-repo.c
@@ -45,14 +45,11 @@ int cmd_for_each_repo(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	if (!config_key)
 		die(_("missing --config=<config>"));
 
-	values = repo_config_get_value_multi(the_repository,
-					     config_key);
-
 	/*
 	 * Do nothing on an empty list, which is equivalent to the case
 	 * where the config variable does not exist at all.
 	 */
-	if (!values)
+	if (repo_config_get_value_multi(the_repository, config_key, &values))
 		return 0;
 
 	for (i = 0; !result && i < values->nr; i++)
diff --git a/builtin/gc.c b/builtin/gc.c
index e38d1783f3..2b3da377d5 100644
--- a/builtin/gc.c
+++ b/builtin/gc.c
@@ -1510,8 +1510,7 @@ static int maintenance_register(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	if (git_config_get("maintenance.strategy"))
 		git_config_set("maintenance.strategy", "incremental");
 
-	list = git_config_get_value_multi(key);
-	if (list) {
+	if (!git_config_get_value_multi(key, &list)) {
 		for_each_string_list_item(item, list) {
 			if (!strcmp(maintpath, item->string)) {
 				found = 1;
@@ -1577,11 +1576,10 @@ static int maintenance_unregister(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefi
 	if (config_file) {
 		git_configset_init(&cs);
 		git_configset_add_file(&cs, config_file);
-		list = git_configset_get_value_multi(&cs, key);
-	} else {
-		list = git_config_get_value_multi(key);
 	}
-	if (list) {
+	if (!(config_file
+	      ? git_configset_get_value_multi(&cs, key, &list)
+	      : git_config_get_value_multi(key, &list))) {
 		for_each_string_list_item(item, list) {
 			if (!strcmp(maintpath, item->string)) {
 				found = 1;
diff --git a/builtin/log.c b/builtin/log.c
index 5eafcf26b4..cc9d92f95d 100644
--- a/builtin/log.c
+++ b/builtin/log.c
@@ -182,10 +182,10 @@ static void set_default_decoration_filter(struct decoration_filter *decoration_f
 	int i;
 	char *value = NULL;
 	struct string_list *include = decoration_filter->include_ref_pattern;
-	const struct string_list *config_exclude =
-			git_config_get_value_multi("log.excludeDecoration");
+	const struct string_list *config_exclude;
 
-	if (config_exclude) {
+	if (!git_config_get_value_multi("log.excludeDecoration",
+					&config_exclude)) {
 		struct string_list_item *item;
 		for_each_string_list_item(item, config_exclude)
 			string_list_append(decoration_filter->exclude_ref_config_pattern,
diff --git a/config.c b/config.c
index 5d3e84f85a..1f654daf6f 100644
--- a/config.c
+++ b/config.c
@@ -2404,29 +2404,34 @@ int git_configset_add_file(struct config_set *cs, const char *filename)
 int git_configset_get_value(struct config_set *cs, const char *key, const char **value)
 {
 	const struct string_list *values = NULL;
+	int ret;
+
 	/*
 	 * Follows "last one wins" semantic, i.e., if there are multiple matches for the
 	 * queried key in the files of the configset, the value returned will be the last
 	 * value in the value list for that key.
 	 */
-	values = git_configset_get_value_multi(cs, key);
+	if ((ret = git_configset_get_value_multi(cs, key, &values)))
+		return ret;
 
-	if (!values)
-		return 1;
 	assert(values->nr > 0);
 	*value = values->items[values->nr - 1].string;
 	return 0;
 }
 
-const struct string_list *git_configset_get_value_multi(struct config_set *cs, const char *key)
+int git_configset_get_value_multi(struct config_set *cs, const char *key,
+				  const struct string_list **dest)
 {
 	struct config_set_element *e;
+	int ret;
 
-	if (configset_find_element(cs, key, &e))
-		return NULL;
+	if ((ret = configset_find_element(cs, key, &e)))
+		return ret;
 	else if (!e)
-		return NULL;
-	return &e->value_list;
+		return 1;
+	*dest = &e->value_list;
+
+	return 0;
 }
 
 int git_configset_get(struct config_set *cs, const char *key)
@@ -2590,11 +2595,11 @@ int repo_config_get_value(struct repository *repo,
 	return git_configset_get_value(repo->config, key, value);
 }
 
-const struct string_list *repo_config_get_value_multi(struct repository *repo,
-						      const char *key)
+int repo_config_get_value_multi(struct repository *repo, const char *key,
+				const struct string_list **dest)
 {
 	git_config_check_init(repo);
-	return git_configset_get_value_multi(repo->config, key);
+	return git_configset_get_value_multi(repo->config, key, dest);
 }
 
 int repo_config_get_string(struct repository *repo,
@@ -2707,9 +2712,9 @@ int git_config_get_value(const char *key, const char **value)
 	return repo_config_get_value(the_repository, key, value);
 }
 
-const struct string_list *git_config_get_value_multi(const char *key)
+int git_config_get_value_multi(const char *key, const struct string_list **dest)
 {
-	return repo_config_get_value_multi(the_repository, key);
+	return repo_config_get_value_multi(the_repository, key, dest);
 }
 
 int git_config_get_string(const char *key, char **dest)
@@ -2856,7 +2861,8 @@ void git_die_config(const char *key, const char *err, ...)
 		error_fn(err, params);
 		va_end(params);
 	}
-	values = git_config_get_value_multi(key);
+	if (git_config_get_value_multi(key, &values))
+		BUG("for key '%s' we must have a value to report on", key);
 	kv_info = values->items[values->nr - 1].util;
 	git_die_config_linenr(key, kv_info->filename, kv_info->linenr);
 }
diff --git a/config.h b/config.h
index cbd82e5c43..f228fa9d5d 100644
--- a/config.h
+++ b/config.h
@@ -459,10 +459,18 @@ int git_configset_add_parameters(struct config_set *cs);
 /**
  * Finds and returns the value list, sorted in order of increasing priority
  * for the configuration variable `key` and config set `cs`. When the
- * configuration variable `key` is not found, returns NULL. The caller
- * should not free or modify the returned pointer, as it is owned by the cache.
+ * configuration variable `key` is not found, returns 1 without touching
+ * `value`.
+ *
+ * The key will be parsed for validity with git_config_parse_key(), on
+ * error a negative value will be returned.
+ *
+ * The caller should not free or modify the returned pointer, as it is
+ * owned by the cache.
  */
-const struct string_list *git_configset_get_value_multi(struct config_set *cs, const char *key);
+RESULT_MUST_BE_USED
+int git_configset_get_value_multi(struct config_set *cs, const char *key,
+				  const struct string_list **dest);
 
 /**
  * Clears `config_set` structure, removes all saved variable-value pairs.
@@ -511,8 +519,9 @@ RESULT_MUST_BE_USED
 int repo_config_get(struct repository *repo, const char *key);
 int repo_config_get_value(struct repository *repo,
 			  const char *key, const char **value);
-const struct string_list *repo_config_get_value_multi(struct repository *repo,
-						      const char *key);
+RESULT_MUST_BE_USED
+int repo_config_get_value_multi(struct repository *repo, const char *key,
+				const struct string_list **dest);
 int repo_config_get_string(struct repository *repo,
 			   const char *key, char **dest);
 int repo_config_get_string_tmp(struct repository *repo,
@@ -566,10 +575,14 @@ int git_config_get_value(const char *key, const char **value);
 /**
  * Finds and returns the value list, sorted in order of increasing priority
  * for the configuration variable `key`. When the configuration variable
- * `key` is not found, returns NULL. The caller should not free or modify
- * the returned pointer, as it is owned by the cache.
+ * `key` is not found, returns 1 without touching `value`.
+ *
+ * The caller should not free or modify the returned pointer, as it is
+ * owned by the cache.
  */
-const struct string_list *git_config_get_value_multi(const char *key);
+RESULT_MUST_BE_USED
+int git_config_get_value_multi(const char *key,
+			       const struct string_list **dest);
 
 /**
  * Resets and invalidates the config cache.
diff --git a/pack-bitmap.c b/pack-bitmap.c
index 440407f1be..81f0c0e016 100644
--- a/pack-bitmap.c
+++ b/pack-bitmap.c
@@ -2301,7 +2301,11 @@ int bitmap_is_midx(struct bitmap_index *bitmap_git)
 
 const struct string_list *bitmap_preferred_tips(struct repository *r)
 {
-	return repo_config_get_value_multi(r, "pack.preferbitmaptips");
+	const struct string_list *dest;
+
+	if (!repo_config_get_value_multi(r, "pack.preferbitmaptips", &dest))
+		return dest;
+	return NULL;
 }
 
 int bitmap_is_preferred_refname(struct repository *r, const char *refname)
diff --git a/submodule.c b/submodule.c
index 8ac2fca855..e43c4230ba 100644
--- a/submodule.c
+++ b/submodule.c
@@ -274,8 +274,7 @@ int is_tree_submodule_active(struct repository *repo,
 	free(key);
 
 	/* submodule.active is set */
-	sl = repo_config_get_value_multi(repo, "submodule.active");
-	if (sl) {
+	if (!repo_config_get_value_multi(repo, "submodule.active", &sl)) {
 		struct pathspec ps;
 		struct strvec args = STRVEC_INIT;
 		const struct string_list_item *item;
diff --git a/t/helper/test-config.c b/t/helper/test-config.c
index cbb33ae1ff..6dc4c37444 100644
--- a/t/helper/test-config.c
+++ b/t/helper/test-config.c
@@ -97,8 +97,7 @@ int cmd__config(int argc, const char **argv)
 			goto exit1;
 		}
 	} else if (argc == 3 && !strcmp(argv[1], "get_value_multi")) {
-		strptr = git_config_get_value_multi(argv[2]);
-		if (strptr) {
+		if (!git_config_get_value_multi(argv[2], &strptr)) {
 			for (i = 0; i < strptr->nr; i++) {
 				v = strptr->items[i].string;
 				if (!v)
@@ -181,8 +180,7 @@ int cmd__config(int argc, const char **argv)
 				goto exit2;
 			}
 		}
-		strptr = git_configset_get_value_multi(&cs, argv[2]);
-		if (strptr) {
+		if (!git_configset_get_value_multi(&cs, argv[2], &strptr)) {
 			for (i = 0; i < strptr->nr; i++) {
 				v = strptr->items[i].string;
 				if (!v)
diff --git a/versioncmp.c b/versioncmp.c
index 323f5d35ea..60c3a51712 100644
--- a/versioncmp.c
+++ b/versioncmp.c
@@ -162,13 +162,16 @@ int versioncmp(const char *s1, const char *s2)
 	if (!initialized) {
 		const char *const newk = "versionsort.suffix";
 		const char *const oldk = "versionsort.prereleasesuffix";
+		const struct string_list *newl;
 		const struct string_list *oldl;
+		int new = git_config_get_value_multi(newk, &newl);
+		int old = git_config_get_value_multi(oldk, &oldl);
 
-		prereleases = git_config_get_value_multi(newk);
-		oldl = git_config_get_value_multi(oldk);
-		if (prereleases && oldl)
+		if (!new && !old)
 			warning("ignoring %s because %s is set", oldk, newk);
-		else if (!prereleases)
+		if (!new)
+			prereleases = newl;
+		else if (!old)
 			prereleases = oldl;
 
 		initialized = 1;