diff --git a/utils/githooks/find_base.sh b/utils/githooks/find_base.sh
index 5ab1e8b624f..292a02f66e7 100644
--- a/utils/githooks/find_base.sh
+++ b/utils/githooks/find_base.sh
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ if [ -z "$TARGET" ]; then
     # as the target, calculated as the sum of the commits this branch is ahead and
     # behind.
     # check master, then current release branches, then current feature branches.
+    export ORIGIN
     TARGET="$ORIGIN/$(utils/rpms/packaging/get_release_branch "feature/cat_recovery feature/multiprovider")"
     echo "  Install gh command to auto-detect target branch, assuming $TARGET."
 fi
diff --git a/utils/rpms/packaging/get_release_branch b/utils/rpms/packaging/get_release_branch
index 334c4f0e2d9..e017cca2071 100755
--- a/utils/rpms/packaging/get_release_branch
+++ b/utils/rpms/packaging/get_release_branch
@@ -3,10 +3,9 @@
 # find the base branch of the current branch
 # base branches can be master, release/2.4+, release/3+
 # or optionally branches passed into $1
-
 set -eu -o pipefail
 IFS=' ' read -r -a add_bases <<< "${1:-}"
-origin=origin
+origin="${ORIGIN:-origin}"
 mapfile -t all_bases < <(echo "master"
                          git branch -r | sed -ne "/^  $origin\\/release\\/\(2.[4-9]\|[3-9]\)/s/^  $origin\\///p")
 all_bases+=("${add_bases[@]}")