diff --git a/files/gitlab-cookbooks/gitlab/attributes/default.rb b/files/gitlab-cookbooks/gitlab/attributes/default.rb
index b7ae760..0c7becb 100644
--- a/files/gitlab-cookbooks/gitlab/attributes/default.rb
+++ b/files/gitlab-cookbooks/gitlab/attributes/default.rb
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ default['gitlab']['bootstrap']['enable'] = true
 ####
 # The username for the chef services user
 default['gitlab']['user']['username'] = "git"
+default['gitlab']['user']['group'] = "git"
 # The shell for the chef services user
 default['gitlab']['user']['shell'] = "/bin/sh"
 # The home directory for the chef services user
diff --git a/files/gitlab-cookbooks/gitlab/recipes/gitlab-shell.rb b/files/gitlab-cookbooks/gitlab/recipes/gitlab-shell.rb
index f18e678..78e539d 100644
--- a/files/gitlab-cookbooks/gitlab/recipes/gitlab-shell.rb
+++ b/files/gitlab-cookbooks/gitlab/recipes/gitlab-shell.rb
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 git_user = node['gitlab']['user']['username']
+git_group = node['gitlab']['user']['group']
 gitlab_shell_dir = "/opt/gitlab/embedded/service/gitlab-shell"
 repositories_path = node['gitlab']['gitlab-core']['repositories_path']
 ssh_dir = File.join(node['gitlab']['user']['home'], ".ssh")
@@ -6,16 +7,19 @@ ssh_dir = File.join(node['gitlab']['user']['home'], ".ssh")
 # Create directories because the git_user does not own its home directory
 directory repositories_path do
   owner git_user
+  group git_group
 end
 
 directory ssh_dir do
   owner git_user
+  group git_group
   mode "0700"
 end
 
 template File.join(gitlab_shell_dir, "config.yml") do
   source "gitlab-shell-config.yml.erb"
   owner git_user
+  group git_group
   variables(
     :user => git_user,
     :api_url => node['gitlab']['gitlab-core']['internal_api_url'],
@@ -30,5 +34,6 @@ end
 execute "bin/install" do
   cwd gitlab_shell_dir
   user git_user
+  group git_group
   action :nothing
 end
--
libgit2 0.21.2