diff --git a/git_config.py b/git_config.py
index 84d347b1a..4facccda6 100644
--- a/git_config.py
+++ b/git_config.py
@@ -266,6 +266,13 @@ class GitConfig:
         except KeyError:
             old = []
 
+        if self.file != self._SYSTEM_CONFIG:
+            # `git config --file` does not create missing parent directories
+            # (e.g. ~/.repoconfig/ on first use).
+            parent_dir = os.path.dirname(self.file)
+            if parent_dir:
+                os.makedirs(parent_dir, exist_ok=True)
+
         if value is None:
             if old:
                 del self._cache[key]
@@ -444,6 +451,11 @@ class GitConfig:
 class RepoConfig(GitConfig):
     """User settings for repo itself."""
 
+    # Keep separate caches from GitConfig, otherwise ForUser()/ForSystem()
+    # would return the already-cached ~/.gitconfig instance of the parent.
+    _ForUser = None
+    _ForSystem = None
+
     @staticmethod
     def _getUserConfig():
         repo_config_dir = os.getenv("REPO_CONFIG_DIR", os.path.expanduser("~"))
diff --git a/tests/test_git_config.py b/tests/test_git_config.py
index 4b4e4cabb..33b0466fa 100644
--- a/tests/test_git_config.py
+++ b/tests/test_git_config.py
@@ -268,3 +268,23 @@ def test_remote_save_with_push_url_without_projectname(
 def test_is_id(rev: str, expected: bool) -> None:
     """Test IsId identifies both SHA-1 and SHA-256 hashes."""
     assert git_config.IsId(rev) == expected
+
+
+def test_repo_config_for_user_is_not_shared_with_git_config(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, tmp_home_dir: Path
+) -> None:
+    """RepoConfig.ForUser() must not reuse GitConfig.ForUser()'s cache."""
+    monkeypatch.setattr(git_config.GitConfig, "_ForUser", None)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(git_config.RepoConfig, "_ForUser", None)
+    monkeypatch.delenv("REPO_CONFIG_DIR", raising=False)
+
+    # Populate the GitConfig cache first, as manifest loading does.
+    git_cfg = git_config.GitConfig.ForUser()
+    repo_cfg = git_config.RepoConfig.ForUser()
+
+    assert repo_cfg is not git_cfg
+    assert git_cfg.file == str(tmp_home_dir / ".gitconfig")
+    assert repo_cfg.file == str(tmp_home_dir / ".repoconfig" / "config")
+    # And the RepoConfig instance is cached on its own class.
+    assert git_config.RepoConfig.ForUser() is repo_cfg
+    assert git_config.GitConfig.ForUser() is git_cfg