diff --git a/merge-recursive.c b/merge-recursive.c
index d079d6783b..d3771e3626 100644
--- a/merge-recursive.c
+++ b/merge-recursive.c
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ static int add_cacheinfo(struct merge_options *o,
 
 	ce = make_cache_entry(mode, oid ? oid->hash : null_sha1, path, stage, 0);
 	if (!ce)
-		return err(o, _("addinfo_cache failed for path '%s'"), path);
+		return err(o, _("add_cacheinfo failed for path '%s'; merge aborting."), path);
 
 	ret = add_cache_entry(ce, options);
 	if (refresh) {
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ static int add_cacheinfo(struct merge_options *o,
 
 		nce = refresh_cache_entry(ce, CE_MATCH_REFRESH | CE_MATCH_IGNORE_MISSING);
 		if (!nce)
-			return err(o, _("addinfo_cache failed for path '%s'"), path);
+			return err(o, _("add_cacheinfo failed to refresh for path '%s'; merge aborting."), path);
 		if (nce != ce)
 			ret = add_cache_entry(nce, options);
 	}
@@ -942,7 +942,9 @@ static int update_file_flags(struct merge_options *o,
 	}
  update_index:
 	if (!ret && update_cache)
-		add_cacheinfo(o, mode, oid, path, 0, update_wd, ADD_CACHE_OK_TO_ADD);
+		if (add_cacheinfo(o, mode, oid, path, 0, update_wd,
+				  ADD_CACHE_OK_TO_ADD))
+			return -1;
 	return ret;
 }
 
@@ -2783,8 +2785,9 @@ static int merge_content(struct merge_options *o,
 		 */
 		path_renamed_outside_HEAD = !path2 || !strcmp(path, path2);
 		if (!path_renamed_outside_HEAD) {
-			add_cacheinfo(o, mfi.mode, &mfi.oid, path,
-				      0, (!o->call_depth), 0);
+			if (add_cacheinfo(o, mfi.mode, &mfi.oid, path,
+					  0, (!o->call_depth), 0))
+				return -1;
 			return mfi.clean;
 		}
 	} else
diff --git a/t/t3501-revert-cherry-pick.sh b/t/t3501-revert-cherry-pick.sh
index c9a1f783f5..3871807d09 100755
--- a/t/t3501-revert-cherry-pick.sh
+++ b/t/t3501-revert-cherry-pick.sh
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ test_expect_success 'cherry-pick "-" works with arguments' '
 	test_cmp expect actual
 '
 
-test_expect_success 'cherry-pick works with dirty renamed file' '
+test_expect_failure 'cherry-pick works with dirty renamed file' '
 	test_commit to-rename &&
 	git checkout -b unrelated &&
 	test_commit unrelated &&
@@ -150,9 +150,8 @@ test_expect_success 'cherry-pick works with dirty renamed file' '
 	test_tick &&
 	git commit -m renamed &&
 	echo modified >renamed &&
-	test_must_fail git cherry-pick refs/heads/unrelated >out &&
-	test_i18ngrep "Refusing to lose dirty file at renamed" out &&
-	test $(git rev-parse :0:renamed) = $(git rev-parse HEAD^:to-rename.t) &&
+	git cherry-pick refs/heads/unrelated >out &&
+	test $(git rev-parse :0:renamed) = $(git rev-parse HEAD~2:to-rename.t) &&
 	grep -q "^modified$" renamed
 '