diff --git a/bisect.c b/bisect.c
index 8e63c40d27..30808cadf7 100644
--- a/bisect.c
+++ b/bisect.c
@@ -940,7 +940,7 @@ int bisect_next_all(const char *prefix, int no_checkout)
 	struct commit_list *tried;
 	int reaches = 0, all = 0, nr, steps;
 	const unsigned char *bisect_rev;
-	char steps_msg[32];
+	char *steps_msg;
 
 	read_bisect_terms(&term_bad, &term_good);
 	if (read_bisect_refs())
@@ -990,14 +990,15 @@ int bisect_next_all(const char *prefix, int no_checkout)
 
 	nr = all - reaches - 1;
 	steps = estimate_bisect_steps(all);
-	xsnprintf(steps_msg, sizeof(steps_msg),
-		  Q_("(roughly %d step)", "(roughly %d steps)", steps),
-		  steps);
+
+	steps_msg = xstrfmt(Q_("(roughly %d step)", "(roughly %d steps)",
+		  steps), steps);
 	/* TRANSLATORS: the last %s will be replaced with
 	   "(roughly %d steps)" translation */
 	printf(Q_("Bisecting: %d revision left to test after this %s\n",
 		  "Bisecting: %d revisions left to test after this %s\n",
 		  nr), nr, steps_msg);
+	free(steps_msg);
 
 	return bisect_checkout(bisect_rev, no_checkout);
 }
diff --git a/progress.c b/progress.c
index 76a88c573f..29378caa05 100644
--- a/progress.c
+++ b/progress.c
@@ -243,21 +243,18 @@ void stop_progress_msg(struct progress **p_progress, const char *msg)
 	*p_progress = NULL;
 	if (progress->last_value != -1) {
 		/* Force the last update */
-		char buf[128], *bufp;
-		size_t len = strlen(msg) + 5;
+		char *buf;
 		struct throughput *tp = progress->throughput;
 
-		bufp = (len < sizeof(buf)) ? buf : xmallocz(len);
 		if (tp) {
 			unsigned int rate = !tp->avg_misecs ? 0 :
 					tp->avg_bytes / tp->avg_misecs;
 			throughput_string(&tp->display, tp->curr_total, rate);
 		}
 		progress_update = 1;
-		xsnprintf(bufp, len + 1, ", %s.\n", msg);
-		display(progress, progress->last_value, bufp);
-		if (buf != bufp)
-			free(bufp);
+		buf = xstrfmt(", %s.\n", msg);
+		display(progress, progress->last_value, buf);
+		free(buf);
 	}
 	clear_progress_signal();
 	if (progress->throughput)