"\n"
 "    git commit --amend --author='Your Name <you@example.com>'\n";
 
+static const char empty_amend_advice[] =
+"You asked to amend the most recent commit, but doing so would make\n"
+"it empty. You can repeat your command with --allow-empty, or you can\n"
+"remove the commit entirely with \"git reset HEAD^\".\n";
+
 static unsigned char head_sha1[20];
 
 static char *use_message_buffer;
                if (!a)
                        die("invalid commit: %s", use_message);
 
-               lb = strstr(a + 8, " <");
-               rb = strstr(a + 8, "> ");
-               eol = strchr(a + 8, '\n');
-               if (!lb || !rb || !eol)
+               lb = strchrnul(a + strlen("\nauthor "), '<');
+               rb = strchrnul(lb, '>');
+               eol = strchrnul(rb, '\n');
+               if (!*lb || !*rb || !*eol)
                        die("invalid commit: %s", use_message);
 
-               name = xstrndup(a + 8, lb - (a + 8));
-               email = xstrndup(lb + 2, rb - (lb + 2));
-               date = xstrndup(rb + 2, eol - (rb + 2));
+               if (lb == a + strlen("\nauthor "))
+                       /* \nauthor <foo@example.com> */
+                       name = xcalloc(1, 1);
+               else
+                       name = xmemdupz(a + strlen("\nauthor "),
+                                       (lb - strlen(" ") -
+                                        (a + strlen("\nauthor "))));
+               email = xmemdupz(lb + strlen("<"), rb - (lb + strlen("<")));
+               date = xmemdupz(rb + strlen("> "), eol - (rb + strlen("> ")));
        }
 
        if (force_author) {
        if (!commitable && !in_merge && !allow_empty &&
            !(amend && is_a_merge(head_sha1))) {
                run_status(stdout, index_file, prefix, 0, s);
+               if (amend)
+                       fputs(empty_amend_advice, stderr);
                return 0;
        }
 
                initial_commit ? " (root-commit)" : "");
 
        if (!log_tree_commit(&rev, commit)) {
-               struct pretty_print_context ctx = {0};
-               struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
-               ctx.date_mode = DATE_NORMAL;
-               format_commit_message(commit, format.buf + 7, &buf, &ctx);
-               printf("%s\n", buf.buf);
-               strbuf_release(&buf);
+               rev.always_show_header = 1;
+               rev.use_terminator = 1;
+               log_tree_commit(&rev, commit);
        }
+
        strbuf_release(&format);
 }
 
        }
 
        /* Determine parents */
+       reflog_msg = getenv("GIT_REFLOG_ACTION");
        if (initial_commit) {
-               reflog_msg = "commit (initial)";
+               if (!reflog_msg)
+                       reflog_msg = "commit (initial)";
        } else if (amend) {
                struct commit_list *c;
                struct commit *commit;
 
-               reflog_msg = "commit (amend)";
+               if (!reflog_msg)
+                       reflog_msg = "commit (amend)";
                commit = lookup_commit(head_sha1);
                if (!commit || parse_commit(commit))
                        die("could not parse HEAD commit");
                struct strbuf m = STRBUF_INIT;
                FILE *fp;
 
-               reflog_msg = "commit (merge)";
+               if (!reflog_msg)
+                       reflog_msg = "commit (merge)";
                pptr = &commit_list_insert(lookup_commit(head_sha1), pptr)->next;
                fp = fopen(git_path("MERGE_HEAD"), "r");
                if (fp == NULL)
                if (allow_fast_forward)
                        parents = reduce_heads(parents);
        } else {
-               reflog_msg = "commit";
+               if (!reflog_msg)
+                       reflog_msg = "commit";
                pptr = &commit_list_insert(lookup_commit(head_sha1), pptr)->next;
        }