diff --git a/src/libutil/file-system.cc b/src/libutil/file-system.cc
index 631cf076b..124a0aef7 100644
--- a/src/libutil/file-system.cc
+++ b/src/libutil/file-system.cc
@@ -17,15 +17,19 @@ namespace fs = std::filesystem;
 
 namespace nix {
 
+Path getCwd() {
+    char buf[PATH_MAX];
+    if (!getcwd(buf, sizeof(buf))) {
+        throw SysError("cannot get cwd");
+    }
+    return Path(buf);
+}
+
 Path absPath(Path path, std::optional<PathView> dir, bool resolveSymlinks)
 {
     if (path.empty() || path[0] != '/') {
         if (!dir) {
-            char buf[PATH_MAX];
-            if (!getcwd(buf, sizeof(buf))) {
-                throw SysError("cannot get cwd");
-            }
-            path = concatStrings(buf, "/", path);
+            path = concatStrings(getCwd(), "/", path);
         } else {
             path = concatStrings(*dir, "/", path);
         }
diff --git a/src/libutil/file-system.hh b/src/libutil/file-system.hh
index e49323e84..23685ee08 100644
--- a/src/libutil/file-system.hh
+++ b/src/libutil/file-system.hh
@@ -29,6 +29,13 @@ namespace nix {
 struct Sink;
 struct Source;
 
+/**
+ * Get the current working directory.
+ *
+ * Throw an error if the current directory cannot get got.
+ */
+Path getCwd();
+
 /**
  * @return An absolutized path, resolving paths relative to the
  * specified directory, or the current directory otherwise.  The path