diff --git a/include/mes/mes.h b/include/mes/mes.h
index 9127ca92..90abe592 100644
--- a/include/mes/mes.h
+++ b/include/mes/mes.h
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 /* -*-comment-start: "//";comment-end:""-*-
  * GNU Mes --- Maxwell Equations of Software
- * Copyright © 2016,2017,2018,2019,2020 Jan (janneke) Nieuwenhuizen <janneke@gnu.org>
+ * Copyright © 2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021 Jan (janneke) Nieuwenhuizen <janneke@gnu.org>
  *
  * This file is part of GNU Mes.
  *
@@ -100,7 +100,6 @@ struct timespec *gc_end_time;
 size_t gc_time;
 
 char **__execl_c_argv;
-char *__getcwd_buf;
 char *__open_boot_buf;
 char *__open_boot_file_name;
 char *__setenv_buf;
diff --git a/lib/posix/getcwd.c b/lib/posix/getcwd.c
index 7eb4f28e..bc820f25 100644
--- a/lib/posix/getcwd.c
+++ b/lib/posix/getcwd.c
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 /* -*-comment-start: "//";comment-end:""-*-
  * GNU Mes --- Maxwell Equations of Software
- * Copyright © 2016,2017,2018,2019,2020 Jan (janneke) Nieuwenhuizen <janneke@gnu.org>
+ * Copyright © 2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021 Jan (janneke) Nieuwenhuizen <janneke@gnu.org>
  *
  * This file is part of GNU Mes.
  *
@@ -26,13 +26,17 @@
 
 // CONSTANT PATH_MAX 1024
 
+char *__getcwd_buf;
+
 char *
 getcwd (char *buffer, int size)
 {
-  if (__getcwd_buf == 0)
-    __getcwd_buf = malloc (PATH_MAX);
-  char *buf = __getcwd_buf;
-  if (buffer != 0)
-    return _getcwd (buffer, size);
-  return _getcwd (buf, PATH_MAX);
+  if (buffer == 0)
+    buffer = __getcwd_buf;
+  if (buffer == 0)
+    {
+      __getcwd_buf = malloc (PATH_MAX);
+      buffer = __getcwd_buf;
+    }
+  return _getcwd (buffer, size);
 }
diff --git a/src/mes.c b/src/mes.c
index d9b3ff90..86699ba5 100644
--- a/src/mes.c
+++ b/src/mes.c
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 /* -*-comment-start: "//";comment-end:""-*-
  * GNU Mes --- Maxwell Equations of Software
- * Copyright © 2016,2017,2018,2019,2020 Jan (janneke) Nieuwenhuizen <janneke@gnu.org>
+ * Copyright © 2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021 Jan (janneke) Nieuwenhuizen <janneke@gnu.org>
  *
  * This file is part of GNU Mes.
  *
@@ -161,7 +161,6 @@ init (char **envp)
 {
   environ = envp;
   __execl_c_argv = malloc (1024 * sizeof (char *));     /* POSIX minimum: 4096 */
-  __getcwd_buf = malloc (PATH_MAX);
   __gettimeofday_time = malloc (sizeof (struct timeval));
   __get_internal_run_time_ts = malloc (sizeof (struct timespec));
   __open_boot_buf = malloc (PATH_MAX);
diff --git a/src/posix.c b/src/posix.c
index 538ebcd6..bfb1bcd3 100644
--- a/src/posix.c
+++ b/src/posix.c
@@ -435,8 +435,7 @@ get_internal_run_time ()
 struct scm *
 getcwd_ ()                      /*:((name . "getcwd")) */
 {
-  char *buf = __getcwd_buf;
-  return make_string0 (getcwd (buf, PATH_MAX));
+  return make_string0 (getcwd (0, PATH_MAX));
 }
 
 struct scm *