diff --git a/integrations/integration_test.go b/integrations/integration_test.go
index ce21eb2ef7bc8..b0004927f7b57 100644
--- a/integrations/integration_test.go
+++ b/integrations/integration_test.go
@@ -174,7 +174,12 @@ func initIntegrationTest() {
 	setting.LoadForTest()
 	setting.Repository.DefaultBranch = "master" // many test code still assume that default branch is called "master"
 	_ = util.RemoveAll(repo_module.LocalCopyPath())
+
+	if err := git.InitOnceWithSync(context.Background()); err != nil {
+		log.Fatal("git.InitOnceWithSync: %v", err)
+	}
 	git.CheckLFSVersion()
+
 	setting.InitDBConfig()
 	if err := storage.Init(); err != nil {
 		fmt.Printf("Init storage failed: %v", err)
@@ -275,7 +280,7 @@ func prepareTestEnv(t testing.TB, skip ...int) func() {
 	assert.NoError(t, unittest.LoadFixtures())
 	assert.NoError(t, util.RemoveAll(setting.RepoRootPath))
 	assert.NoError(t, unittest.CopyDir(path.Join(filepath.Dir(setting.AppPath), "integrations/gitea-repositories-meta"), setting.RepoRootPath))
-	assert.NoError(t, git.InitOnceWithSync(context.Background()))
+	assert.NoError(t, git.InitOnceWithSync(context.Background())) // the gitconfig has been removed above, so sync the gitconfig again
 	ownerDirs, err := os.ReadDir(setting.RepoRootPath)
 	if err != nil {
 		assert.NoError(t, err, "unable to read the new repo root: %v\n", err)
@@ -576,7 +581,7 @@ func resetFixtures(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.NoError(t, unittest.LoadFixtures())
 	assert.NoError(t, util.RemoveAll(setting.RepoRootPath))
 	assert.NoError(t, unittest.CopyDir(path.Join(filepath.Dir(setting.AppPath), "integrations/gitea-repositories-meta"), setting.RepoRootPath))
-	assert.NoError(t, git.InitOnceWithSync(context.Background()))
+	assert.NoError(t, git.InitOnceWithSync(context.Background())) // the gitconfig has been removed above, so sync the gitconfig again
 	ownerDirs, err := os.ReadDir(setting.RepoRootPath)
 	if err != nil {
 		assert.NoError(t, err, "unable to read the new repo root: %v\n", err)
diff --git a/integrations/migration-test/migration_test.go b/integrations/migration-test/migration_test.go
index 83c31d80187e4..20a5c903a92cc 100644
--- a/integrations/migration-test/migration_test.go
+++ b/integrations/migration-test/migration_test.go
@@ -62,7 +62,6 @@ func initMigrationTest(t *testing.T) func() {
 	assert.True(t, len(setting.RepoRootPath) != 0)
 	assert.NoError(t, util.RemoveAll(setting.RepoRootPath))
 	assert.NoError(t, unittest.CopyDir(path.Join(filepath.Dir(setting.AppPath), "integrations/gitea-repositories-meta"), setting.RepoRootPath))
-	assert.NoError(t, git.InitOnceWithSync(context.Background()))
 	ownerDirs, err := os.ReadDir(setting.RepoRootPath)
 	if err != nil {
 		assert.NoError(t, err, "unable to read the new repo root: %v\n", err)
@@ -83,6 +82,7 @@ func initMigrationTest(t *testing.T) func() {
 		}
 	}
 
+	assert.NoError(t, git.InitOnceWithSync(context.Background()))
 	git.CheckLFSVersion()
 	setting.InitDBConfig()
 	setting.NewLogServices(true)
diff --git a/models/migrations/migrations_test.go b/models/migrations/migrations_test.go
index 0c8e74f734c56..c52c302fc5459 100644
--- a/models/migrations/migrations_test.go
+++ b/models/migrations/migrations_test.go
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ func prepareTestEnv(t *testing.T, skip int, syncModels ...interface{}) (*xorm.En
 	deferFn := PrintCurrentTest(t, ourSkip)
 	assert.NoError(t, os.RemoveAll(setting.RepoRootPath))
 	assert.NoError(t, unittest.CopyDir(path.Join(filepath.Dir(setting.AppPath), "integrations/gitea-repositories-meta"), setting.RepoRootPath))
-	assert.NoError(t, git.InitOnceWithSync(context.Background()))
+	assert.NoError(t, git.InitOnceWithSync(context.Background())) // the gitconfig has been removed above, so sync the gitconfig again
 	ownerDirs, err := os.ReadDir(setting.RepoRootPath)
 	if err != nil {
 		assert.NoError(t, err, "unable to read the new repo root: %v\n", err)
diff --git a/models/unittest/testdb.go b/models/unittest/testdb.go
index d1a44985100e6..baea46dbce68f 100644
--- a/models/unittest/testdb.go
+++ b/models/unittest/testdb.go
@@ -117,9 +117,11 @@ func MainTest(m *testing.M, testOpts *TestOptions) {
 	if err = CopyDir(filepath.Join(testOpts.GiteaRootPath, "integrations", "gitea-repositories-meta"), setting.RepoRootPath); err != nil {
 		fatalTestError("util.CopyDir: %v\n", err)
 	}
+
 	if err = git.InitOnceWithSync(context.Background()); err != nil {
 		fatalTestError("git.Init: %v\n", err)
 	}
+	git.CheckLFSVersion()
 
 	ownerDirs, err := os.ReadDir(setting.RepoRootPath)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -202,7 +204,7 @@ func PrepareTestEnv(t testing.TB) {
 	assert.NoError(t, util.RemoveAll(setting.RepoRootPath))
 	metaPath := filepath.Join(giteaRoot, "integrations", "gitea-repositories-meta")
 	assert.NoError(t, CopyDir(metaPath, setting.RepoRootPath))
-	assert.NoError(t, git.InitOnceWithSync(context.Background()))
+	assert.NoError(t, git.InitOnceWithSync(context.Background())) // the gitconfig has been removed above, so sync the gitconfig again
 
 	ownerDirs, err := os.ReadDir(setting.RepoRootPath)
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
diff --git a/modules/git/git.go b/modules/git/git.go
index 656461ef0320f..a5887619c4c50 100644
--- a/modules/git/git.go
+++ b/modules/git/git.go
@@ -134,6 +134,9 @@ func HomeDir() string {
 		tmpHomeDir := filepath.Join(os.TempDir(), "gitea-temp-home")
 		log.Error("Git's HomeDir is empty (RepoRootPath is empty), the git module is not initialized correctly, using a temp HomeDir (%s) temporarily", tmpHomeDir)
 		return tmpHomeDir
+
+		// the Fatal will cause some CI failures (root reason is still unknown), need to be investigated more in the future
+		// log.Fatal("Can not get Git's HomeDir (RepoRootPath is empty), the setting and git modules are not initialized correctly")
 	}
 	return setting.RepoRootPath
 }
diff --git a/modules/git/repo_language_stats_gogit.go b/modules/git/repo_language_stats_gogit.go
index 81e24d9e2baf6..4214a22180dfa 100644
--- a/modules/git/repo_language_stats_gogit.go
+++ b/modules/git/repo_language_stats_gogit.go
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ func (repo *Repository) GetLanguageStats(commitID string) (map[string]int64, err
 
 	var checker *CheckAttributeReader
 
+	// this code block is refactored from old code "if (git version ...)", keep the block to limit the variable scope
 	{
 		indexFilename, workTree, deleteTemporaryFile, err := repo.ReadTreeToTemporaryIndex(commitID)
 		if err == nil {
diff --git a/modules/git/repo_language_stats_nogogit.go b/modules/git/repo_language_stats_nogogit.go
index 636545dd2156d..3304e1d07789b 100644
--- a/modules/git/repo_language_stats_nogogit.go
+++ b/modules/git/repo_language_stats_nogogit.go
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ func (repo *Repository) GetLanguageStats(commitID string) (map[string]int64, err
 
 	var checker *CheckAttributeReader
 
+	// this code block is refactored from old code "if (git version ...)", keep the block to limit the variable scope
 	{
 		indexFilename, worktree, deleteTemporaryFile, err := repo.ReadTreeToTemporaryIndex(commitID)
 		if err == nil {
diff --git a/services/gitdiff/gitdiff.go b/services/gitdiff/gitdiff.go
index cbdc43dcbfae6..c00c67762bdd2 100644
--- a/services/gitdiff/gitdiff.go
+++ b/services/gitdiff/gitdiff.go
@@ -1418,6 +1418,7 @@ func GetDiff(gitRepo *git.Repository, opts *DiffOptions, files ...string) (*Diff
 
 	var checker *git.CheckAttributeReader
 
+	// this code block is refactored from old code "if (git version ...)", keep the block to limit the variable scope
 	{
 		indexFilename, worktree, deleteTemporaryFile, err := gitRepo.ReadTreeToTemporaryIndex(opts.AfterCommitID)
 		if err == nil {