diff --git a/contrib/emacs/vc-git.el b/contrib/emacs/vc-git.el
index 65c4550069..e456ab9712 100644
--- a/contrib/emacs/vc-git.el
+++ b/contrib/emacs/vc-git.el
@@ -53,10 +53,6 @@
   (let ((name (file-relative-name file)))
     (eq 0 (apply #'call-process "git" nil (get-buffer "*Messages") nil (append args (list name))))))
 
-(defun vc-git--run-command-out (output &rest args)
-  "Run a git command, output to output."
-  (eq 0 (apply #'call-process "git" nil output nil (append args))))
-
 (defun vc-git-registered (file)
   "Check whether FILE is registered with git."
   (with-temp-buffer
@@ -125,26 +121,14 @@
 
 (defun vc-git-checkout (file &optional editable rev destfile)
   (if destfile
-      (let ((mybuff (get-buffer-create "vc-git-checkout-tmp")))
-	(let ((rv
-	       (vc-git--run-command-out
-		mybuff "cat-file" "blob"
-		(concat (or rev "HEAD")
-			":"
-			(let ((output (vc-git--run-command-string
-				       (file-relative-name file)
-				       "ls-files" "--full-name")))
-			  (string-match "\\(.*\\)" output)
-			  (match-string 1 output))
-			)))
-	      )
-	  (if rv
-	      (save-current-buffer
-		(set-buffer mybuff)
-		(set-visited-file-name destfile t)
-		(save-buffer)
-		)
-	    rv)))
+      (let ((fullname (substring
+                       (vc-git--run-command-string file "ls-files" "-z" "--full-name" "--")
+                       0 -1))
+            (coding-system-for-read 'no-conversion)
+            (coding-system-for-write 'no-conversion))
+        (with-temp-file destfile
+          (eq 0 (call-process "git" nil t nil "cat-file" "blob"
+                              (concat (or rev "HEAD") ":" fullname)))))
     (vc-git--run-command file "checkout" (or rev "HEAD"))))
 
 (defun vc-git-annotate-command (file buf &optional rev)
diff --git a/git-merge.sh b/git-merge.sh
index 2daa82c9ea..13aab7095c 100755
--- a/git-merge.sh
+++ b/git-merge.sh
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ USAGE='[-n] [--no-commit] [--squash] [-s <strategy>] [-m=<merge-message>] <commi
 
 SUBDIRECTORY_OK=Yes
 . git-sh-setup
-set_reflog_action "merge $*"
 require_work_tree
 cd_to_toplevel
 
@@ -262,6 +261,7 @@ head=$(git-rev-parse --verify "$head_arg"^0) || usage
 
 # All the rest are remote heads
 test "$#" = 0 && usage ;# we need at least one remote head.
+set_reflog_action "merge $*"
 
 remoteheads=
 for remote
diff --git a/refs.c b/refs.c
index 4323e9a41a..12e46b8bbe 100644
--- a/refs.c
+++ b/refs.c
@@ -331,7 +331,11 @@ int create_symref(const char *ref_target, const char *refs_heads_master)
 		return -1;
 	}
 	lockpath = mkpath("%s.lock", git_HEAD);
-	fd = open(lockpath, O_CREAT | O_EXCL | O_WRONLY, 0666);	
+	fd = open(lockpath, O_CREAT | O_EXCL | O_WRONLY, 0666);
+	if (fd < 0) {
+		error("Unable to open %s for writing", lockpath);
+		return -5;
+	}
 	written = write_in_full(fd, ref, len);
 	close(fd);
 	if (written != len) {
@@ -925,6 +929,7 @@ static int log_ref_write(struct ref_lock *lock,
 {
 	int logfd, written, oflags = O_APPEND | O_WRONLY;
 	unsigned maxlen, len;
+	int msglen;
 	char *logrec;
 	const char *committer;
 
@@ -958,24 +963,30 @@ static int log_ref_write(struct ref_lock *lock,
 				     lock->log_file, strerror(errno));
 	}
 
-	committer = git_committer_info(-1);
+	msglen = 0;
 	if (msg) {
-		maxlen = strlen(committer) + strlen(msg) + 2*40 + 5;
-		logrec = xmalloc(maxlen);
-		len = snprintf(logrec, maxlen, "%s %s %s\t%s\n",
-			sha1_to_hex(lock->old_sha1),
-			sha1_to_hex(sha1),
-			committer,
-			msg);
-	}
-	else {
-		maxlen = strlen(committer) + 2*40 + 4;
-		logrec = xmalloc(maxlen);
-		len = snprintf(logrec, maxlen, "%s %s %s\n",
-			sha1_to_hex(lock->old_sha1),
-			sha1_to_hex(sha1),
-			committer);
+		/* clean up the message and make sure it is a single line */
+		for ( ; *msg; msg++)
+			if (!isspace(*msg))
+				break;
+		if (*msg) {
+			const char *ep = strchr(msg, '\n');
+			if (ep)
+				msglen = ep - msg;
+			else
+				msglen = strlen(msg);
+		}
 	}
+
+	committer = git_committer_info(-1);
+	maxlen = strlen(committer) + msglen + 100;
+	logrec = xmalloc(maxlen);
+	len = sprintf(logrec, "%s %s %s\n",
+		      sha1_to_hex(lock->old_sha1),
+		      sha1_to_hex(sha1),
+		      committer);
+	if (msglen)
+		len += sprintf(logrec + len - 1, "\t%.*s\n", msglen, msg) - 1;
 	written = len <= maxlen ? write_in_full(logfd, logrec, len) : -1;
 	free(logrec);
 	close(logfd);
diff --git a/write_or_die.c b/write_or_die.c
index 046e79d485..5c4bc8515a 100644
--- a/write_or_die.c
+++ b/write_or_die.c
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ int write_in_full(int fd, const void *buf, size_t count)
 	ssize_t total = 0;
 
 	while (count > 0) {
-		size_t written = xwrite(fd, p, count);
+		ssize_t written = xwrite(fd, p, count);
 		if (written < 0)
 			return -1;
 		if (!written) {