diff --git a/lisp/vc/vc-git.el b/lisp/vc/vc-git.el
index 1cd2a7bb133..b5cb842aeee 100644
--- a/lisp/vc/vc-git.el
+++ b/lisp/vc/vc-git.el
@@ -735,6 +735,7 @@ or an empty string if none."
                (with-current-buffer standard-output
                  (vc-git--out-ok "symbolic-ref" "HEAD"))))
 	(stash-list (vc-git-stash-list))
+        (default-directory dir)
 
 	branch remote remote-url stash-button stash-string)
     (if (string-match "^\\(refs/heads/\\)?\\(.+\\)$" str)