}
                if (S_ISLNK(st.st_mode)) {
                        int ret;
-                       char *buf, buf_[1024];
-                       buf = ((sizeof(buf_) < st.st_size) ?
-                              xmalloc(st.st_size) : buf_);
+                       char buf[PATH_MAX + 1]; /* ought to be SYMLINK_MAX */
+                       if (sizeof(buf) <= st.st_size)
+                               die("symlink too long: %s", name);
                        ret = readlink(name, buf, st.st_size);
                        if (ret < 0)
                                die("readlink(%s)", name);
        if (DIFF_FILE_VALID(one)) {
                if (!one->sha1_valid) {
                        struct stat st;
-                       if (stat(one->path, &st) < 0)
+                       if (lstat(one->path, &st) < 0)
                                die("stat %s", one->path);
                        if (index_path(one->sha1, one->path, &st, 0))
                                die("cannot hash %s\n", one->path);
 
        if (memcmp(one->sha1, two->sha1, 20)) {
                char one_sha1[41];
-               int abbrev = o->full_index ? 40 : DIFF_DEFAULT_INDEX_ABBREV;
+               int abbrev = o->full_index ? 40 : DEFAULT_ABBREV;
                memcpy(one_sha1, sha1_to_hex(one->sha1), 41);
 
                len += snprintf(msg + len, sizeof(msg) - len,
                         * so it is safe for us to do this here.  Also
                         * it does not smudge active_cache or active_nr
                         * when it fails, so we do not have to worry about
-                        * cleaning it up oufselves either.
+                        * cleaning it up ourselves either.
                         */
                        read_cache();
        }
        else if (!strcmp(arg, "--find-copies-harder"))
                options->find_copies_harder = 1;
        else if (!strcmp(arg, "--abbrev"))
-               options->abbrev = DIFF_DEFAULT_ABBREV;
-       else if (!strncmp(arg, "--abbrev=", 9))
+               options->abbrev = DEFAULT_ABBREV;
+       else if (!strncmp(arg, "--abbrev=", 9)) {
                options->abbrev = strtoul(arg + 9, NULL, 10);
+               if (options->abbrev < MINIMUM_ABBREV)
+                       options->abbrev = MINIMUM_ABBREV;
+               else if (40 < options->abbrev)
+                       options->abbrev = 40;
+       }
        else
                return 0;
        return 1;