diff --git a/git-am.sh b/git-am.sh
index 98b9215f70..85ecada657 100755
--- a/git-am.sh
+++ b/git-am.sh
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 #
-#
+# Copyright (c) 2005, 2006 Junio C Hamano
 
 USAGE='[--signoff] [--dotest=<dir>] [--utf8] [--binary] [--3way] <mbox>
   or, when resuming [--skip | --resolved]'
 . git-sh-setup
 
+git var GIT_COMMITTER_IDENT >/dev/null || exit
+
 stop_here () {
     echo "$1" >"$dotest/next"
     exit 1
diff --git a/git-applymbox.sh b/git-applymbox.sh
index 61c8c024c6..5569fdcc34 100755
--- a/git-applymbox.sh
+++ b/git-applymbox.sh
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@
 USAGE='[-u] [-k] [-q] [-m] (-c .dotest/<num> | mbox) [signoff]'
 . git-sh-setup
 
+git var GIT_COMMITTER_IDENT >/dev/null || exit
+
 keep_subject= query_apply= continue= utf8= resume=t
 while case "$#" in 0) break ;; esac
 do
diff --git a/git-merge.sh b/git-merge.sh
index 74f07610fa..2b4a603dff 100755
--- a/git-merge.sh
+++ b/git-merge.sh
@@ -142,6 +142,8 @@ case "$#,$common,$no_commit" in
 1,*,)
 	# We are not doing octopus, not fast forward, and have only
 	# one common.  See if it is really trivial.
+	git var GIT_COMMITTER_IDENT >/dev/null || exit
+
 	echo "Trying really trivial in-index merge..."
 	git-update-index --refresh 2>/dev/null
 	if git-read-tree --trivial -m -u $common $head "$1" &&
@@ -179,6 +181,9 @@ case "$#,$common,$no_commit" in
 	;;
 esac
 
+# We are going to make a new commit.
+git var GIT_COMMITTER_IDENT >/dev/null || exit
+
 case "$use_strategies" in
 '')
 	case "$#" in
diff --git a/git-resolve.sh b/git-resolve.sh
index 9263070054..b53ede8d87 100755
--- a/git-resolve.sh
+++ b/git-resolve.sh
@@ -50,6 +50,9 @@ case "$common" in
 	;;
 esac
 
+# We are going to make a new commit.
+git var GIT_COMMITTER_IDENT >/dev/null || exit
+
 # Find an optimum merge base if there are more than one candidates.
 LF='
 '