- if (!head_commit || parse_commit(head_commit))
- return error(_("could not parse commit %s\n"),
- sha1_to_hex(head_commit->object.sha1));
+
+ /*
+ * If head_commit is NULL, check_commit, called from
+ * lookup_commit, would have indicated that head_commit is not
+ * a commit object already. parse_commit() will return failure
+ * without further complaints in such a case. Otherwise, if
+ * the commit is invalid, parse_commit() will complain. So
+ * there is nothing for us to say here. Just return failure.
+ */
+ if (parse_commit(head_commit))
+ return -1;