diff --git a/Documentation/config/clean.txt b/Documentation/config/clean.txt
index f05b9403b5ad90..b19ca210f39b57 100644
--- a/Documentation/config/clean.txt
+++ b/Documentation/config/clean.txt
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 clean.requireForce::
-	A boolean to make git-clean do nothing unless given -f,
-	-i, or -n.  Defaults to true.
+	A boolean to make git-clean refuse to delete files unless -f
+	or -i is given. Defaults to true.
diff --git a/Documentation/git-clean.txt b/Documentation/git-clean.txt
index 69331e3f05a13e..662eebb852076a 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-clean.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-clean.txt
@@ -49,6 +49,8 @@ OPTIONS
 -n::
 --dry-run::
 	Don't actually remove anything, just show what would be done.
+	Configuration variable clean.requireForce is ignored, as
+	nothing will be deleted anyway.
 
 -q::
 --quiet::
diff --git a/builtin/clean.c b/builtin/clean.c
index d90766cad3a0ba..41502dcb0ddeed 100644
--- a/builtin/clean.c
+++ b/builtin/clean.c
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 #include "help.h"
 #include "prompt.h"
 
-static int force = -1; /* unset */
+static int require_force = -1; /* unset */
 static int interactive;
 static struct string_list del_list = STRING_LIST_INIT_DUP;
 static unsigned int colopts;
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ static int git_clean_config(const char *var, const char *value,
 	}
 
 	if (!strcmp(var, "clean.requireforce")) {
-		force = !git_config_bool(var, value);
+		require_force = git_config_bool(var, value);
 		return 0;
 	}
 
@@ -920,7 +920,7 @@ int cmd_clean(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 {
 	int i, res;
 	int dry_run = 0, remove_directories = 0, quiet = 0, ignored = 0;
-	int ignored_only = 0, config_set = 0, errors = 0, gone = 1;
+	int ignored_only = 0, force = 0, errors = 0, gone = 1;
 	int rm_flags = REMOVE_DIR_KEEP_NESTED_GIT;
 	struct strbuf abs_path = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct dir_struct dir = DIR_INIT;
@@ -946,22 +946,17 @@ int cmd_clean(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	};
 
 	git_config(git_clean_config, NULL);
-	if (force < 0)
-		force = 0;
-	else
-		config_set = 1;
 
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix, options, builtin_clean_usage,
 			     0);
 
-	if (!interactive && !dry_run && !force) {
-		if (config_set)
-			die(_("clean.requireForce set to true and neither -i, -n, nor -f given; "
-				  "refusing to clean"));
-		else
-			die(_("clean.requireForce defaults to true and neither -i, -n, nor -f given;"
+	/* Dry run won't remove anything, so requiring force makes no sense */
+	if (dry_run)
+		require_force = 0;
+
+	if (require_force != 0 && !force && !interactive)
+		die(_("clean.requireForce is true and neither -f nor -i given:"
 				  " refusing to clean"));
-	}
 
 	if (force > 1)
 		rm_flags = 0;