diff --git a/git-rebase--interactive.sh b/git-rebase--interactive.sh
index 2b11559c8a..daf07ad87e 100644
--- a/git-rebase--interactive.sh
+++ b/git-rebase--interactive.sh
@@ -759,7 +759,12 @@ transform_todo_ids () {
 			;;
 		*)
 			sha1=$(git rev-parse --verify --quiet "$@" ${rest%%[	 ]*}) &&
-			rest="$sha1 ${rest#*[	 ]}"
+			if test "a$rest" = "a${rest#*[	 ]}"
+			then
+				rest=$sha1
+			else
+				rest="$sha1 ${rest#*[	 ]}"
+			fi
 			;;
 		esac
 		printf '%s\n' "$command${rest:+ }$rest"