diff --git a/kas/config.py b/kas/config.py
index fbe775ec..c7bdfec6 100644
--- a/kas/config.py
+++ b/kas/config.py
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 import json
 from pathlib import Path
 from .repos import Repo
-from .includehandler import IncludeHandler, IncludeException
+from .includehandler import IncludeHandler
 from .kasusererror import ArtifactNotFoundError
 from .configschema import CONFIGSCHEMA
 
@@ -51,23 +51,10 @@ def __init__(self, ctx, filename, target=None, task=None):
 
         self.filenames = [os.path.abspath(configfile)
                           for configfile in filename.split(':')]
-        top_repo_path = Repo.get_root_path(
-            os.path.dirname(self.filenames[0]))
-
-        repo_paths = [Repo.get_root_path(os.path.dirname(configfile),
-                                         fallback=False)
-                      for configfile in self.filenames]
-
-        if len(set(repo_paths)) > 1:
-            raise IncludeException('All concatenated config files must '
-                                   'belong to the same repository or all '
-                                   'must be outside of versioning control')
 
         update = ctx.args.update if hasattr(ctx.args, 'update') else False
 
-        self.handler = IncludeHandler(self.filenames,
-                                      top_repo_path,
-                                      not update)
+        self.handler = IncludeHandler(self.filenames, not update)
         self.repo_dict = self._get_repo_dict()
         self.repo_cfg_hashes = {}
 
diff --git a/kas/includehandler.py b/kas/includehandler.py
index c0ae593c..a2060b4b 100644
--- a/kas/includehandler.py
+++ b/kas/includehandler.py
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 from collections import OrderedDict
 from collections.abc import Mapping
+from functools import cached_property
 import functools
 import logging
 import json
@@ -37,6 +38,7 @@
 from jsonschema.validators import validator_for
 
 from .kasusererror import KasUserError
+from .repos import Repo
 from . import __file_version__, __compatible_file_version__, __version__
 from . import CONFIGSCHEMA
 
@@ -130,7 +132,8 @@ class IncludeHandler:
         current file, or as a dictionary. The dictionary must have a
         'file' key containing the path to the include file and a 'repo'
         key containing the key of the repository. The path is interpreted
-        relative to the repository root path.
+        relative to the repository root path. If no top_repo_path is provided,
+        the path is lazy resolved by the first access of a method.
 
         The includes are read and merged from the deepest level upwards.
 
@@ -140,18 +143,37 @@ class IncludeHandler:
         ``top_files``.
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, top_files, top_repo_path, use_lock=True):
+    def __init__(self, top_files, use_lock=True):
         self.top_files = top_files
-        self.top_repo_path = top_repo_path
         self.use_lock = use_lock
 
     def get_lockfile(self, kasfile=None):
         file = Path(kasfile or self.top_files[0])
         return file.parent / (file.stem + '.lock' + file.suffix)
 
+    @cached_property
+    def top_repo_path(self):
+        """
+        Lazy resolve top repo path as we might need a prepared environment
+        """
+        return Repo.get_root_path(os.path.dirname(self.top_files[0]))
+
     def get_top_repo_path(self):
         return self.top_repo_path
 
+    def ensure_from_same_repo(self):
+        """
+        Ensure that all concatenated config files belong to the same repository
+        """
+        repo_paths = [Repo.get_root_path(os.path.dirname(configfile),
+                                         fallback=False)
+                      for configfile in self.top_files]
+
+        if len(set(repo_paths)) > 1:
+            raise IncludeException('All concatenated config files must '
+                                   'belong to the same repository or all '
+                                   'must be outside of versioning control')
+
     def get_config(self, repos=None):
         """
         Parameters:
@@ -302,9 +324,10 @@ def _internal_dict_merge(dest, upd):
 
         configs = []
         missing_repos = []
+        self.ensure_from_same_repo()
         for configfile in self.top_files:
             cfgs, reps = _internal_include_handler(configfile,
-                                                   self.top_repo_path)
+                                                   self.get_top_repo_path())
             configs.extend(cfgs)
             for repo in reps:
                 if repo not in missing_repos:
diff --git a/tests/test_includehandler.py b/tests/test_includehandler.py
index c09ef24f..9f1e1194 100644
--- a/tests/test_includehandler.py
+++ b/tests/test_includehandler.py
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ def util_include_content(self, testvector, monkeypatch):
         monkeypatch.setattr(includehandler, 'CONFIGSCHEMA', {})
         for test in testvector:
             with patch_open(includehandler, dictionary=test['fdict']):
-                ginc = includehandler.IncludeHandler(['x.yml'], '.')
+                ginc = includehandler.IncludeHandler(['x.yml'])
                 config, missing = ginc.get_config(repos=test['rdict'])
 
                 # Remove header, because we dont want to compare it:
@@ -372,7 +372,7 @@ def test_valid_ordering(self, monkeypatch):
                 os.path.abspath('z.yml'): header.format('''
 v: {v3: z, v4: z}''')}
         with patch_open(includehandler, dictionary=data):
-            ginc = includehandler.IncludeHandler(['x.yml'], '.')
+            ginc = includehandler.IncludeHandler(['x.yml'])
             config, _ = ginc.get_config()
             keys = list(config['v'].keys())
             index = {keys[i]: i for i in range(len(keys))}