diff --git a/builtin/config.c b/builtin/config.c
index f1b73ac8b5b7ba..21892a784c2810 100644
--- a/builtin/config.c
+++ b/builtin/config.c
@@ -633,6 +633,7 @@ int cmd_config(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 {
 	int nongit = !startup_info->have_repository;
 	char *value;
+	int flags = 0;
 
 	given_config_source.file = xstrdup_or_null(getenv(CONFIG_ENVIRONMENT));
 
@@ -800,6 +801,8 @@ int cmd_config(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			error(_("--fixed-value only applies with 'value-pattern'"));
 			usage_builtin_config();
 		}
+
+		flags |= CONFIG_FLAGS_FIXED_VALUE;
 	}
 
 	if (actions & PAGING_ACTIONS)
@@ -863,7 +866,8 @@ int cmd_config(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		value = normalize_value(argv[0], argv[1]);
 		UNLEAK(value);
 		return git_config_set_multivar_in_file_gently(given_config_source.file,
-							      argv[0], value, argv[2], 0);
+							      argv[0], value, argv[2],
+							      flags);
 	}
 	else if (actions == ACTION_ADD) {
 		check_write();
@@ -872,7 +876,8 @@ int cmd_config(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		UNLEAK(value);
 		return git_config_set_multivar_in_file_gently(given_config_source.file,
 							      argv[0], value,
-							      CONFIG_REGEX_NONE, 0);
+							      CONFIG_REGEX_NONE,
+							      flags);
 	}
 	else if (actions == ACTION_REPLACE_ALL) {
 		check_write();
@@ -881,7 +886,7 @@ int cmd_config(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		UNLEAK(value);
 		return git_config_set_multivar_in_file_gently(given_config_source.file,
 							      argv[0], value, argv[2],
-							      CONFIG_FLAGS_MULTI_REPLACE);
+							      flags | CONFIG_FLAGS_MULTI_REPLACE);
 	}
 	else if (actions == ACTION_GET) {
 		check_argc(argc, 1, 2);
@@ -908,7 +913,8 @@ int cmd_config(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		check_argc(argc, 1, 2);
 		if (argc == 2)
 			return git_config_set_multivar_in_file_gently(given_config_source.file,
-								      argv[0], NULL, argv[1], 0);
+								      argv[0], NULL, argv[1],
+								      flags);
 		else
 			return git_config_set_in_file_gently(given_config_source.file,
 							     argv[0], NULL);
@@ -918,7 +924,7 @@ int cmd_config(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		check_argc(argc, 1, 2);
 		return git_config_set_multivar_in_file_gently(given_config_source.file,
 							      argv[0], NULL, argv[1],
-							      CONFIG_FLAGS_MULTI_REPLACE);
+							      flags | CONFIG_FLAGS_MULTI_REPLACE);
 	}
 	else if (actions == ACTION_RENAME_SECTION) {
 		int ret;
diff --git a/config.c b/config.c
index 5b2f00f073011b..3b2edc0fafcdcd 100644
--- a/config.c
+++ b/config.c
@@ -2415,6 +2415,7 @@ struct config_store_data {
 	size_t baselen;
 	char *key;
 	int do_not_match;
+	const char *fixed_value;
 	regex_t *value_pattern;
 	int multi_replace;
 	struct {
@@ -2444,6 +2445,8 @@ static int matches(const char *key, const char *value,
 {
 	if (strcmp(key, store->key))
 		return 0; /* not ours */
+	if (store->fixed_value)
+		return !strcmp(store->fixed_value, value);
 	if (!store->value_pattern)
 		return 1; /* always matches */
 	if (store->value_pattern == CONFIG_REGEX_NONE)
@@ -2816,6 +2819,8 @@ int git_config_set_multivar_in_file_gently(const char *config_filename,
 			store.value_pattern = NULL;
 		else if (value_pattern == CONFIG_REGEX_NONE)
 			store.value_pattern = CONFIG_REGEX_NONE;
+		else if (flags & CONFIG_FLAGS_FIXED_VALUE)
+			store.fixed_value = value_pattern;
 		else {
 			if (value_pattern[0] == '!') {
 				store.do_not_match = 1;
diff --git a/config.h b/config.h
index 7535b1f856fc37..c1449bb790b81e 100644
--- a/config.h
+++ b/config.h
@@ -269,6 +269,13 @@ int git_config_key_is_valid(const char *key);
  */
 #define CONFIG_FLAGS_MULTI_REPLACE (1 << 0)
 
+/*
+ * When CONFIG_FLAGS_FIXED_VALUE is specified, match key/value pairs
+ * by string comparison (not regex match) to the provided value_pattern
+ * parameter.
+ */
+#define CONFIG_FLAGS_FIXED_VALUE (1 << 1)
+
 int git_config_set_multivar_gently(const char *, const char *, const char *, unsigned);
 void git_config_set_multivar(const char *, const char *, const char *, unsigned);
 int git_config_set_multivar_in_file_gently(const char *, const char *, const char *, const char *, unsigned);
diff --git a/t/t1300-config.sh b/t/t1300-config.sh
index 841ed204d6c176..4293ba22afbcbb 100755
--- a/t/t1300-config.sh
+++ b/t/t1300-config.sh
@@ -1994,4 +1994,54 @@ test_expect_success 'refuse --fixed-value for incompatible actions' '
 	test_must_fail git config --file=config --fixed-value --unset-all dev.null
 '
 
+test_expect_success '--fixed-value uses exact string matching' '
+	test_when_finished rm -f config initial &&
+	META="a+b*c?d[e]f.g" &&
+	git config --file=initial fixed.test "$META" &&
+
+	cp initial config &&
+	git config --file=config fixed.test bogus "$META" &&
+	git config --file=config --list >actual &&
+	cat >expect <<-EOF &&
+	fixed.test=$META
+	fixed.test=bogus
+	EOF
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+
+	cp initial config &&
+	git config --file=config --fixed-value fixed.test bogus "$META" &&
+	git config --file=config --list >actual &&
+	cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
+	fixed.test=bogus
+	EOF
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+
+	cp initial config &&
+	test_must_fail git config --file=config --unset fixed.test "$META" &&
+	git config --file=config --fixed-value --unset fixed.test "$META" &&
+	test_must_fail git config --file=config fixed.test &&
+
+	cp initial config &&
+	test_must_fail git config --file=config --unset-all fixed.test "$META" &&
+	git config --file=config --fixed-value --unset-all fixed.test "$META" &&
+	test_must_fail git config --file=config fixed.test &&
+
+	cp initial config &&
+	git config --file=config --replace-all fixed.test bogus "$META" &&
+	git config --file=config --list >actual &&
+	cat >expect <<-EOF &&
+	fixed.test=$META
+	fixed.test=bogus
+	EOF
+	test_cmp expect actual &&
+
+	git config --file=config --fixed-value --replace-all fixed.test bogus "$META" &&
+	git config --file=config --list >actual &&
+	cat >expect <<-EOF &&
+	fixed.test=bogus
+	fixed.test=bogus
+	EOF
+	test_cmp expect actual
+'
+
 test_done