diff --git a/archive.c b/archive.c
index 55b273246e006a..a9ebdc5d54fba9 100644
--- a/archive.c
+++ b/archive.c
@@ -87,8 +87,8 @@ static void setup_archive_check(struct git_attr_check *check)
 	static struct git_attr *attr_export_subst;
 
 	if (!attr_export_ignore) {
-		attr_export_ignore = git_attr("export-ignore", 13);
-		attr_export_subst = git_attr("export-subst", 12);
+		attr_export_ignore = git_attr("export-ignore");
+		attr_export_subst = git_attr("export-subst");
 	}
 	check[0].attr = attr_export_ignore;
 	check[1].attr = attr_export_subst;
diff --git a/attr.c b/attr.c
index 55bdb7cdebea7f..f5346ed32a1b5c 100644
--- a/attr.c
+++ b/attr.c
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ static int invalid_attr_name(const char *name, int namelen)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-struct git_attr *git_attr(const char *name, int len)
+static struct git_attr *git_attr_internal(const char *name, int len)
 {
 	unsigned hval = hash_name(name, len);
 	unsigned pos = hval % HASHSIZE;
@@ -95,6 +95,11 @@ struct git_attr *git_attr(const char *name, int len)
 	return a;
 }
 
+struct git_attr *git_attr(const char *name)
+{
+	return git_attr_internal(name, strlen(name));
+}
+
 /*
  * .gitattributes file is one line per record, each of which is
  *
@@ -162,7 +167,7 @@ static const char *parse_attr(const char *src, int lineno, const char *cp,
 		else {
 			e->setto = xmemdupz(equals + 1, ep - equals - 1);
 		}
-		e->attr = git_attr(cp, len);
+		e->attr = git_attr_internal(cp, len);
 	}
 	(*num_attr)++;
 	return ep + strspn(ep, blank);
@@ -221,7 +226,7 @@ static struct match_attr *parse_attr_line(const char *line, const char *src,
 			      sizeof(struct attr_state) * num_attr +
 			      (is_macro ? 0 : namelen + 1));
 		if (is_macro)
-			res->u.attr = git_attr(name, namelen);
+			res->u.attr = git_attr_internal(name, namelen);
 		else {
 			res->u.pattern = (char *)&(res->state[num_attr]);
 			memcpy(res->u.pattern, name, namelen);
diff --git a/attr.h b/attr.h
index 69b5767ebc2189..450f49d648a013 100644
--- a/attr.h
+++ b/attr.h
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ struct git_attr;
  * Given a string, return the gitattribute object that
  * corresponds to it.
  */
-struct git_attr *git_attr(const char *, int);
+struct git_attr *git_attr(const char *);
 
 /* Internal use */
 extern const char git_attr__true[];
diff --git a/builtin-check-attr.c b/builtin-check-attr.c
index 8bd043009829fb..3016d29caa610c 100644
--- a/builtin-check-attr.c
+++ b/builtin-check-attr.c
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ int cmd_check_attr(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		const char *name;
 		struct git_attr *a;
 		name = argv[i];
-		a = git_attr(name, strlen(name));
+		a = git_attr(name);
 		if (!a)
 			return error("%s: not a valid attribute name", name);
 		check[i].attr = a;
diff --git a/builtin-pack-objects.c b/builtin-pack-objects.c
index 4429d53a1e82b8..9beff352d5076b 100644
--- a/builtin-pack-objects.c
+++ b/builtin-pack-objects.c
@@ -673,7 +673,7 @@ static void setup_delta_attr_check(struct git_attr_check *check)
 	static struct git_attr *attr_delta;
 
 	if (!attr_delta)
-		attr_delta = git_attr("delta", 5);
+		attr_delta = git_attr("delta");
 
 	check[0].attr = attr_delta;
 }
diff --git a/convert.c b/convert.c
index 491e7141b4ea29..852fd6488aa44d 100644
--- a/convert.c
+++ b/convert.c
@@ -377,9 +377,9 @@ static void setup_convert_check(struct git_attr_check *check)
 	static struct git_attr *attr_filter;
 
 	if (!attr_crlf) {
-		attr_crlf = git_attr("crlf", 4);
-		attr_ident = git_attr("ident", 5);
-		attr_filter = git_attr("filter", 6);
+		attr_crlf = git_attr("crlf");
+		attr_ident = git_attr("ident");
+		attr_filter = git_attr("filter");
 		user_convert_tail = &user_convert;
 		git_config(read_convert_config, NULL);
 	}
diff --git a/ll-merge.c b/ll-merge.c
index 2d6b6d6cb1d2bc..f4b0a0737723d8 100644
--- a/ll-merge.c
+++ b/ll-merge.c
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ static const char *git_path_check_merge(const char *path)
 	static struct git_attr_check attr_merge_check;
 
 	if (!attr_merge_check.attr)
-		attr_merge_check.attr = git_attr("merge", 5);
+		attr_merge_check.attr = git_attr("merge");
 
 	if (git_checkattr(path, 1, &attr_merge_check))
 		return NULL;
diff --git a/userdiff.c b/userdiff.c
index 57529ae63d4982..df992490d5f86b 100644
--- a/userdiff.c
+++ b/userdiff.c
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ struct userdiff_driver *userdiff_find_by_path(const char *path)
 	struct git_attr_check check;
 
 	if (!attr)
-		attr = git_attr("diff", 4);
+		attr = git_attr("diff");
 	check.attr = attr;
 
 	if (!path)
diff --git a/ws.c b/ws.c
index 760b5743fa11f2..c0893386e6c8aa 100644
--- a/ws.c
+++ b/ws.c
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ static void setup_whitespace_attr_check(struct git_attr_check *check)
 	static struct git_attr *attr_whitespace;
 
 	if (!attr_whitespace)
-		attr_whitespace = git_attr("whitespace", 10);
+		attr_whitespace = git_attr("whitespace");
 	check[0].attr = attr_whitespace;
 }