diff --git a/tools/distrib/clang_format_code.sh b/tools/distrib/clang_format_code.sh
index bc913cb6c12107109fa4d0c097a4d801f240be1c..76b389723da0540428ab20d064af70cba972cb21 100755
--- a/tools/distrib/clang_format_code.sh
+++ b/tools/distrib/clang_format_code.sh
@@ -37,5 +37,5 @@ cd $(dirname $0)/../..
 docker build -t grpc_clang_format tools/dockerfile/grpc_clang_format
 
 # run clang-format against the checked out codebase
-docker run -e TEST=$TEST --rm=true -v `pwd`:/local-code -t grpc_clang_format /clang_format_all_the_things.sh
+docker run -e TEST=$TEST --rm=true -v ${HOST_GIT_ROOT:-`pwd`}:/local-code -t grpc_clang_format /clang_format_all_the_things.sh
 
diff --git a/tools/jenkins/build_docker_and_run_tests.sh b/tools/jenkins/build_docker_and_run_tests.sh
index 4ab9909f9f5fabb07757b8e2f1efc53bfa1acc49..a8da322abf7312ceea9e0c6aed34ad4eb92c9886 100755
--- a/tools/jenkins/build_docker_and_run_tests.sh
+++ b/tools/jenkins/build_docker_and_run_tests.sh
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ docker run \
   -e CCACHE_DIR=/tmp/ccache \
   -e XDG_CACHE_HOME=/tmp/xdg-cache-home \
   -e THIS_IS_REALLY_NEEDED='see https://github.com/docker/docker/issues/14203 for why docker is awful' \
+  -e HOST_GIT_ROOT=$git_root \
   -i $TTY_FLAG \
   -v "$git_root:/var/local/jenkins/grpc" \
   -v /tmp/ccache:/tmp/ccache \