diff --git a/__test__/git-auth-helper.test.ts b/__test__/git-auth-helper.test.ts
index 7633704..a14bacf 100644
--- a/__test__/git-auth-helper.test.ts
+++ b/__test__/git-auth-helper.test.ts
@@ -482,6 +482,7 @@ describe('git-auth-helper tests', () => {
       )
       settings.persistCredentials = false
       settings.sshKey = ''
+      settings.submodules = true
       const authHelper = gitAuthHelper.createAuthHelper(git, settings)
       await authHelper.configureAuth()
       const mockSubmoduleForeach = git.submoduleForeach as jest.Mock<any, any>
@@ -515,6 +516,7 @@ describe('git-auth-helper tests', () => {
         configureSubmoduleAuth_configuresSubmodulesWhenPersistCredentialsFalseAndSshKeySet
       )
       settings.persistCredentials = false
+      settings.submodules = true
       const authHelper = gitAuthHelper.createAuthHelper(git, settings)
       await authHelper.configureAuth()
       const mockSubmoduleForeach = git.submoduleForeach as jest.Mock<any, any>
@@ -541,6 +543,7 @@ describe('git-auth-helper tests', () => {
         configureSubmoduleAuth_configuresSubmodulesWhenPersistCredentialsTrueAndSshKeyNotSet
       )
       settings.sshKey = ''
+      settings.submodules = true
       const authHelper = gitAuthHelper.createAuthHelper(git, settings)
       await authHelper.configureAuth()
       const mockSubmoduleForeach = git.submoduleForeach as jest.Mock<any, any>
@@ -580,6 +583,7 @@ describe('git-auth-helper tests', () => {
       await setup(
         configureSubmoduleAuth_configuresSubmodulesWhenPersistCredentialsTrueAndSshKeySet
       )
+      settings.submodules = true
       const authHelper = gitAuthHelper.createAuthHelper(git, settings)
       await authHelper.configureAuth()
       const mockSubmoduleForeach = git.submoduleForeach as jest.Mock<any, any>
diff --git a/dist/index.js b/dist/index.js
index 2b7dd09..6646058 100644
--- a/dist/index.js
+++ b/dist/index.js
@@ -424,10 +424,12 @@ class GitAuthHelper {
                     core.warning(`Failed to remove '${configKey}' from the git config`);
                 }
             }
-            const pattern = regexpHelper.escape(configKey);
-            yield this.git.submoduleForeach(
-            // wrap the pipeline in quotes to make sure it's handled properly by submoduleForeach, rather than just the first part of the pipeline
-            `sh -c "git config --local --name-only --get-regexp '${pattern}' && git config --local --unset-all '${configKey}' || :"`, true);
+            if (this.settings.submodules) {
+                const pattern = regexpHelper.escape(configKey);
+                yield this.git.submoduleForeach(
+                // wrap the pipeline in quotes to make sure it's handled properly by submoduleForeach, rather than just the first part of the pipeline
+                `sh -c "git config --local --name-only --get-regexp '${pattern}' && git config --local --unset-all '${configKey}' || :"`, true);
+            }
         });
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/git-auth-helper.ts b/src/git-auth-helper.ts
index 126e8e5..eafa009 100644
--- a/src/git-auth-helper.ts
+++ b/src/git-auth-helper.ts
@@ -364,11 +364,13 @@ class GitAuthHelper {
       }
     }
 
-    const pattern = regexpHelper.escape(configKey)
-    await this.git.submoduleForeach(
-      // wrap the pipeline in quotes to make sure it's handled properly by submoduleForeach, rather than just the first part of the pipeline
-      `sh -c "git config --local --name-only --get-regexp '${pattern}' && git config --local --unset-all '${configKey}' || :"`,
-      true
-    )
+    if (this.settings.submodules) {
+      const pattern = regexpHelper.escape(configKey)
+      await this.git.submoduleForeach(
+        // wrap the pipeline in quotes to make sure it's handled properly by submoduleForeach, rather than just the first part of the pipeline
+        `sh -c "git config --local --name-only --get-regexp '${pattern}' && git config --local --unset-all '${configKey}' || :"`,
+        true
+      )
+    }
   }
 }