diff --git a/common/environment/setup/git.sh b/common/environment/setup/git.sh
index 80bbc13e3f..bd72f2eae3 100644
--- a/common/environment/setup/git.sh
+++ b/common/environment/setup/git.sh
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ elif [ -z "${SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH}" ]; then
 	if [ -n "$basepkg" -a -z "$($XBPS_GIT_CMD -C ${XBPS_SRCPKGDIR}/${basepkg} ls-files template)" ]; then
 		export SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH="$(stat -c %Y ${XBPS_SRCPKGDIR}/${basepkg}/template)"
 	else
-		export SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH=$($XBPS_GIT_CMD cat-file commit HEAD |
+		export SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH=$($XBPS_GIT_CMD -C ${XBPS_DISTDIR} cat-file commit HEAD |
 			sed -n '/^committer /{s/.*> \([0-9][0-9]*\) [-+][0-9].*/\1/p;q}')
 	fi
 fi