diff --git a/Documentation/RelNotes/2.50.0.adoc b/Documentation/RelNotes/2.50.0.adoc
index c9adfed33999e9..99acf814875246 100644
--- a/Documentation/RelNotes/2.50.0.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/RelNotes/2.50.0.adoc
@@ -207,6 +207,11 @@ Performance, Internal Implementation, Development Support etc.
    with platform-natural "int" when we should have used "long", which
    all have been corrected.
 
+ * Tests that compare $HOME and $(pwd), which should be the same
+   directory unless the tests chdir's around, would fail when the user
+   enters the test directory via symbolic links, which has been
+   corrected.
+
 
 Fixes since v2.49
 -----------------
diff --git a/GIT-VERSION-GEN b/GIT-VERSION-GEN
index 1047b8d11de767..208e91a17f0455 100755
--- a/GIT-VERSION-GEN
+++ b/GIT-VERSION-GEN
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
-DEF_VER=v2.50.0-rc1
+DEF_VER=v2.50.0-rc2
 
 LF='
 '
diff --git a/t/test-lib.sh b/t/test-lib.sh
index af722d383d9bf1..92d0db13d7429d 100644
--- a/t/test-lib.sh
+++ b/t/test-lib.sh
@@ -1577,6 +1577,8 @@ fi
 # Use -P to resolve symlinks in our working directory so that the cwd
 # in subprocesses like git equals our $PWD (for pathname comparisons).
 cd -P "$TRASH_DIRECTORY" || BAIL_OUT "cannot cd -P to \"$TRASH_DIRECTORY\""
+TRASH_DIRECTORY=$(pwd)
+HOME="$TRASH_DIRECTORY"
 
 start_test_output "$0"