diff --git a/git/config.py b/git/config.py
@@ -578,7 +578,7 @@ def _included_paths(self) -> List[Tuple[str, str]]:
                        value,
                    )
                if self._repo.git_dir:
-                    if fnmatch.fnmatchcase(str(self._repo.git_dir), value):
                        paths += self.items(section)

            elif keyword == "onbranch":

diff --git a/git/index/base.py b/git/index/base.py
@@ -407,7 +407,7 @@ def raise_exc(e: Exception) -> NoReturn:
        r = str(self.repo.working_tree_dir)
        rs = r + os.sep
        for path in paths:
-            abs_path = str(path)
            if not osp.isabs(abs_path):
                abs_path = osp.join(r, path)
            # END make absolute path
@@ -656,10 +656,10 @@ def _to_relative_path(self, path: PathLike) -> PathLike:
            return path
        if self.repo.bare:
            raise InvalidGitRepositoryError("require non-bare repository")
-        if not osp.normpath(str(path)).startswith(str(self.repo.working_tree_dir)):
            raise ValueError("Absolute path %r is not in git repository at %r" % (path, self.repo.working_tree_dir))
        result = os.path.relpath(path, self.repo.working_tree_dir)
-        if str(path).endswith(os.sep) and not result.endswith(os.sep):
            result += os.sep
        return result

@@ -1036,7 +1036,7 @@ def remove(
        args.append("--")

        # Preprocess paths.
-        paths = self._items_to_rela_paths(items)
        removed_paths = self.repo.git.rm(args, paths, **kwargs).splitlines()

        # Process output to gain proper paths.
@@ -1359,11 +1359,11 @@ def make_exc() -> GitCommandError:
                try:
                    self.entries[(co_path, 0)]
                except KeyError:
-                    folder = str(co_path)
                    if not folder.endswith("/"):
                        folder += "/"
                    for entry in self.entries.values():
-                        if str(entry.path).startswith(folder):
                            p = entry.path
                            self._write_path_to_stdin(proc, p, p, make_exc, fprogress, read_from_stdout=False)
                            checked_out_files.append(p)

diff --git a/git/index/fun.py b/git/index/fun.py
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ def run_commit_hook(name: str, index: "IndexFile", *args: str) -> None:
        return

    env = os.environ.copy()
-    env["GIT_INDEX_FILE"] = safe_decode(str(index.path))
    env["GIT_EDITOR"] = ":"
    cmd = [hp]
    try:

diff --git a/git/index/util.py b/git/index/util.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@

# typing ----------------------------------------------------------------------

-from typing import Any, Callable, TYPE_CHECKING, Optional, Type

from git.types import Literal, PathLike, _T

@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ def git_working_dir(func: Callable[..., _T]) -> Callable[..., _T]:
    @wraps(func)
    def set_git_working_dir(self: "IndexFile", *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> _T:
        cur_wd = os.getcwd()
-        os.chdir(str(self.repo.working_tree_dir))
        try:
            return func(self, *args, **kwargs)
        finally:

diff --git a/git/objects/blob.py b/git/objects/blob.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
__all__ = ["Blob"]

from mimetypes import guess_type
import sys

if sys.version_info >= (3, 8):
@@ -44,5 +45,5 @@ def mime_type(self) -> str:
        """
        guesses = None
        if self.path:
-            guesses = guess_type(str(self.path))
        return guesses and guesses[0] or self.DEFAULT_MIME_TYPE
diff --git a/git/objects/submodule/base.py b/git/objects/submodule/base.py
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@ def _clone_repo(
            module_abspath_dir = osp.dirname(module_abspath)
            if not osp.isdir(module_abspath_dir):
                os.makedirs(module_abspath_dir)
-            module_checkout_path = osp.join(str(repo.working_tree_dir), path)

        if url.startswith("../"):
            remote_name = cast("RemoteReference", repo.active_branch.tracking_branch()).remote_name
@@ -541,7 +541,7 @@ def add(
        if sm.exists():
            # Reretrieve submodule from tree.
            try:
-                sm = repo.head.commit.tree[str(path)]
                sm._name = name
                return sm
            except KeyError:

diff --git a/git/refs/reference.py b/git/refs/reference.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@

__all__ = ["Reference"]

from git.util import IterableObj, LazyMixin

from .symbolic import SymbolicReference, T_References
@@ -65,7 +66,7 @@ def __init__(self, repo: "Repo", path: PathLike, check_path: bool = True) -> Non
            If ``False``, you can provide any path.
            Otherwise the path must start with the default path prefix of this type.
        """
-        if check_path and not str(path).startswith(self._common_path_default + "/"):
            raise ValueError(f"Cannot instantiate {self.__class__.__name__!r} from path {path}")
        self.path: str  # SymbolicReference converts to string at the moment.
        super().__init__(repo, path)

diff --git a/git/refs/symbolic.py b/git/refs/symbolic.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
__all__ = ["SymbolicReference"]

import os

from gitdb.exc import BadName, BadObject

@@ -76,10 +77,10 @@ class SymbolicReference:

    def __init__(self, repo: "Repo", path: PathLike, check_path: bool = False) -> None:
        self.repo = repo
-        self.path = path

    def __str__(self) -> str:
-        return str(self.path)

    def __repr__(self) -> str:
        return '<git.%s "%s">' % (self.__class__.__name__, self.path)
@@ -103,7 +104,7 @@ def name(self) -> str:
            In case of symbolic references, the shortest assumable name is the path
            itself.
        """
-        return str(self.path)

    @property
    def abspath(self) -> PathLike:
@@ -178,7 +179,7 @@ def _check_ref_name_valid(ref_path: PathLike) -> None:
        """
        previous: Union[str, None] = None
        one_before_previous: Union[str, None] = None
-        for c in str(ref_path):
            if c in " ~^:?*[\\":
                raise ValueError(
                    f"Invalid reference '{ref_path}': references cannot contain spaces, tildes (~), carets (^),"
@@ -212,7 +213,7 @@ def _check_ref_name_valid(ref_path: PathLike) -> None:
            raise ValueError(f"Invalid reference '{ref_path}': references cannot end with a forward slash (/)")
        elif previous == "@" and one_before_previous is None:
            raise ValueError(f"Invalid reference '{ref_path}': references cannot be '@'")
-        elif any(component.endswith(".lock") for component in str(ref_path).split("/")):
            raise ValueError(
                f"Invalid reference '{ref_path}': references cannot have slash-separated components that end with"
                " '.lock'"
@@ -235,7 +236,7 @@ def _get_ref_info_helper(
        tokens: Union[None, List[str], Tuple[str, str]] = None
        repodir = _git_dir(repo, ref_path)
        try:
-            with open(os.path.join(repodir, str(ref_path)), "rt", encoding="UTF-8") as fp:
                value = fp.read().rstrip()
            # Don't only split on spaces, but on whitespace, which allows to parse lines like:
            # 60b64ef992065e2600bfef6187a97f92398a9144                branch 'master' of git-server:/path/to/repo
@@ -614,7 +615,7 @@ def to_full_path(cls, path: Union[PathLike, "SymbolicReference"]) -> PathLike:
        full_ref_path = path
        if not cls._common_path_default:
            return full_ref_path
-        if not str(path).startswith(cls._common_path_default + "/"):
            full_ref_path = "%s/%s" % (cls._common_path_default, path)
        return full_ref_path

@@ -706,7 +707,7 @@ def _create(
        if not force and os.path.isfile(abs_ref_path):
            target_data = str(target)
            if isinstance(target, SymbolicReference):
-                target_data = str(target.path)
            if not resolve:
                target_data = "ref: " + target_data
            with open(abs_ref_path, "rb") as fd:
@@ -842,7 +843,7 @@ def _iter_items(

        # Read packed refs.
        for _sha, rela_path in cls._iter_packed_refs(repo):
-            if rela_path.startswith(str(common_path)):
                rela_paths.add(rela_path)
            # END relative path matches common path
        # END packed refs reading
@@ -930,4 +931,4 @@ def from_path(cls: Type[T_References], repo: "Repo", path: PathLike) -> T_Refere

    def is_remote(self) -> bool:
        """:return: True if this symbolic reference points to a remote branch"""
-        return str(self.path).startswith(self._remote_common_path_default + "/")
diff --git a/git/repo/base.py b/git/repo/base.py
@@ -126,6 +126,7 @@ class Repo:
    working_dir: PathLike
    """The working directory of the git command."""

    _working_tree_dir: Optional[PathLike] = None

    git_dir: PathLike
@@ -215,15 +216,13 @@ def __init__(
        epath = path or os.getenv("GIT_DIR")
        if not epath:
            epath = os.getcwd()
        if Git.is_cygwin():
            # Given how the tests are written, this seems more likely to catch Cygwin
            # git used from Windows than Windows git used from Cygwin. Therefore
            # changing to Cygwin-style paths is the relevant operation.
-            epath = cygpath(str(epath))

-        epath = epath or path or os.getcwd()
-        if not isinstance(epath, str):
-            epath = str(epath)
        if expand_vars and re.search(self.re_envvars, epath):
            warnings.warn(
                "The use of environment variables in paths is deprecated"
@@ -957,7 +956,7 @@ def is_dirty(
        if not submodules:
            default_args.append("--ignore-submodules")
        if path:
-            default_args.extend(["--", str(path)])
        if index:
            # diff index against HEAD.
            if osp.isfile(self.index.path) and len(self.git.diff("--cached", *default_args)):
@@ -1357,9 +1356,9 @@ def _clone(
    ) -> "Repo":
        odbt = kwargs.pop("odbt", odb_default_type)

-        # When pathlib.Path or other class-based path is passed
-        if not isinstance(path, str):
-            path = str(path)

        ## A bug win cygwin's Git, when `--bare` or `--separate-git-dir`
        #  it prepends the cwd or(?) the `url` into the `path, so::
@@ -1376,7 +1375,7 @@ def _clone(
            multi = shlex.split(" ".join(multi_options))

        if not allow_unsafe_protocols:
-            Git.check_unsafe_protocols(str(url))
        if not allow_unsafe_options:
            Git.check_unsafe_options(options=list(kwargs.keys()), unsafe_options=cls.unsafe_git_clone_options)
        if not allow_unsafe_options and multi_options:
@@ -1385,7 +1384,7 @@ def _clone(
        proc = git.clone(
            multi,
            "--",
-            Git.polish_url(str(url)),
            clone_path,
            with_extended_output=True,
            as_process=True,

diff --git a/git/util.py b/git/util.py
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
import logging
import os
import os.path as osp
-import pathlib
import platform
import re
import shutil
@@ -272,9 +272,9 @@ def stream_copy(source: BinaryIO, destination: BinaryIO, chunk_size: int = 512 *
def join_path(a: PathLike, *p: PathLike) -> PathLike:
    R"""Join path tokens together similar to osp.join, but always use ``/`` instead of
    possibly ``\`` on Windows."""
-    path = str(a)
    for b in p:
-        b = str(b)
        if not b:
            continue
        if b.startswith("/"):
@@ -290,18 +290,18 @@ def join_path(a: PathLike, *p: PathLike) -> PathLike:
if sys.platform == "win32":

    def to_native_path_windows(path: PathLike) -> PathLike:
-        path = str(path)
        return path.replace("/", "\\")

    def to_native_path_linux(path: PathLike) -> str:
-        path = str(path)
        return path.replace("\\", "/")

    to_native_path = to_native_path_windows
else:
    # No need for any work on Linux.
    def to_native_path_linux(path: PathLike) -> str:
-        return str(path)

    to_native_path = to_native_path_linux

@@ -372,7 +372,7 @@ def is_exec(fpath: str) -> bool:
    progs = []
    if not path:
        path = os.environ["PATH"]
-    for folder in str(path).split(os.pathsep):
        folder = folder.strip('"')
        if folder:
            exe_path = osp.join(folder, program)
@@ -397,7 +397,7 @@ def _cygexpath(drive: Optional[str], path: str) -> str:
                p = cygpath(p)
        elif drive:
            p = "/proc/cygdrive/%s/%s" % (drive.lower(), p)
-    p_str = str(p)  # ensure it is a str and not AnyPath
    return p_str.replace("\\", "/")


@@ -418,7 +418,7 @@ def _cygexpath(drive: Optional[str], path: str) -> str:

def cygpath(path: str) -> str:
    """Use :meth:`git.cmd.Git.polish_url` instead, that works on any environment."""
-    path = str(path)  # Ensure is str and not AnyPath.
    # Fix to use Paths when 3.5 dropped. Or to be just str if only for URLs?
    if not path.startswith(("/cygdrive", "//", "/proc/cygdrive")):
        for regex, parser, recurse in _cygpath_parsers:
@@ -438,7 +438,7 @@ def cygpath(path: str) -> str:


def decygpath(path: PathLike) -> str:
-    path = str(path)
    m = _decygpath_regex.match(path)
    if m:
        drive, rest_path = m.groups()
@@ -465,7 +465,7 @@ def _is_cygwin_git(git_executable: str) -> bool:
            # Just a name given, not a real path.
            uname_cmd = osp.join(git_dir, "uname")

-            if not (pathlib.Path(uname_cmd).is_file() and os.access(uname_cmd, os.X_OK)):
                _logger.debug(f"Failed checking if running in CYGWIN: {uname_cmd} is not an executable")
                _is_cygwin_cache[git_executable] = is_cygwin
                return is_cygwin
@@ -523,7 +523,7 @@ def expand_path(p: PathLike, expand_vars: bool = ...) -> str:


def expand_path(p: Union[None, PathLike], expand_vars: bool = True) -> Optional[PathLike]:
-    if isinstance(p, pathlib.Path):
        return p.resolve()
    try:
        p = osp.expanduser(p)  # type: ignore[arg-type]