diff --git a/builtin/am.c b/builtin/am.c
index 4f77e07b9549f8ff144d770fb0b66e9124ae4dc6..fbe9152911e32f4db4391a068051c6e1c1170cd1 100644
--- a/builtin/am.c
+++ b/builtin/am.c
@@ -1343,7 +1343,7 @@ static int parse_mail(struct am_state *state, const char *mail)
 	strbuf_addstr(&msg, "\n\n");
 	if (strbuf_read_file(&msg, am_path(state, "msg"), 0) < 0)
 		die_errno(_("could not read '%s'"), am_path(state, "msg"));
-	stripspace(&msg, 0);
+	strbuf_stripspace(&msg, 0);
 
 	if (state->signoff)
 		am_signoff(&msg);
diff --git a/builtin/branch.c b/builtin/branch.c
index ff05869949b7c5c4cd0034e7a0ba54e2adeae6b4..baaa44c1ae23b6dbf761e358eab6ffb51a02b871 100644
--- a/builtin/branch.c
+++ b/builtin/branch.c
@@ -786,7 +786,7 @@ static int edit_branch_description(const char *branch_name)
 		strbuf_release(&buf);
 		return -1;
 	}
-	stripspace(&buf, 1);
+	strbuf_stripspace(&buf, 1);
 
 	strbuf_addf(&name, "branch.%s.description", branch_name);
 	status = git_config_set(name.buf, buf.len ? buf.buf : NULL);
diff --git a/builtin/commit.c b/builtin/commit.c
index 63772d016a23905d2e58bff0ad117673ed6651e7..dca09e2c3bd8a839b27e279c427ebba71e88966e 100644
--- a/builtin/commit.c
+++ b/builtin/commit.c
@@ -775,7 +775,7 @@ static int prepare_to_commit(const char *index_file, const char *prefix,
 	s->hints = 0;
 
 	if (clean_message_contents)
-		stripspace(&sb, 0);
+		strbuf_stripspace(&sb, 0);
 
 	if (signoff)
 		append_signoff(&sb, ignore_non_trailer(&sb), 0);
@@ -1014,7 +1014,7 @@ static int template_untouched(struct strbuf *sb)
 	if (!template_file || strbuf_read_file(&tmpl, template_file, 0) <= 0)
 		return 0;
 
-	stripspace(&tmpl, cleanup_mode == CLEANUP_ALL);
+	strbuf_stripspace(&tmpl, cleanup_mode == CLEANUP_ALL);
 	if (!skip_prefix(sb->buf, tmpl.buf, &start))
 		start = sb->buf;
 	strbuf_release(&tmpl);
@@ -1726,7 +1726,7 @@ int cmd_commit(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		wt_status_truncate_message_at_cut_line(&sb);
 
 	if (cleanup_mode != CLEANUP_NONE)
-		stripspace(&sb, cleanup_mode == CLEANUP_ALL);
+		strbuf_stripspace(&sb, cleanup_mode == CLEANUP_ALL);
 	if (template_untouched(&sb) && !allow_empty_message) {
 		rollback_index_files();
 		fprintf(stderr, _("Aborting commit; you did not edit the message.\n"));
diff --git a/builtin/merge.c b/builtin/merge.c
index a0edacab20bbe55458bb114bd00d618b1bc41a7a..e6741f3380d30adaf7b5a16688a4ccb3e6d6dd99 100644
--- a/builtin/merge.c
+++ b/builtin/merge.c
@@ -806,7 +806,7 @@ static void prepare_to_commit(struct commit_list *remoteheads)
 			abort_commit(remoteheads, NULL);
 	}
 	read_merge_msg(&msg);
-	stripspace(&msg, 0 < option_edit);
+	strbuf_stripspace(&msg, 0 < option_edit);
 	if (!msg.len)
 		abort_commit(remoteheads, _("Empty commit message."));
 	strbuf_release(&merge_msg);
diff --git a/builtin/notes.c b/builtin/notes.c
index 3608c64785283ffe7cec6df425618a279d1616c5..bb23d5501c9a00818b880217d748c5fd1bcfe5cc 100644
--- a/builtin/notes.c
+++ b/builtin/notes.c
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ static void prepare_note_data(const unsigned char *object, struct note_data *d,
 		if (launch_editor(d->edit_path, &d->buf, NULL)) {
 			die(_("Please supply the note contents using either -m or -F option"));
 		}
-		stripspace(&d->buf, 1);
+		strbuf_stripspace(&d->buf, 1);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ static int parse_msg_arg(const struct option *opt, const char *arg, int unset)
 	if (d->buf.len)
 		strbuf_addch(&d->buf, '\n');
 	strbuf_addstr(&d->buf, arg);
-	stripspace(&d->buf, 0);
+	strbuf_stripspace(&d->buf, 0);
 
 	d->given = 1;
 	return 0;
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ static int parse_file_arg(const struct option *opt, const char *arg, int unset)
 			die_errno(_("cannot read '%s'"), arg);
 	} else if (strbuf_read_file(&d->buf, arg, 1024) < 0)
 		die_errno(_("could not open or read '%s'"), arg);
-	stripspace(&d->buf, 0);
+	strbuf_stripspace(&d->buf, 0);
 
 	d->given = 1;
 	return 0;
diff --git a/builtin/stripspace.c b/builtin/stripspace.c
index 1259ed708b6b5dd1322b6db5683cf5555f41570f..f6770937bb0c531dcd7f07c11c999a7bf96643f1 100644
--- a/builtin/stripspace.c
+++ b/builtin/stripspace.c
@@ -1,71 +1,6 @@
 #include "builtin.h"
 #include "cache.h"
-
-/*
- * Returns the length of a line, without trailing spaces.
- *
- * If the line ends with newline, it will be removed too.
- */
-static size_t cleanup(char *line, size_t len)
-{
-	while (len) {
-		unsigned char c = line[len - 1];
-		if (!isspace(c))
-			break;
-		len--;
-	}
-
-	return len;
-}
-
-/*
- * Remove empty lines from the beginning and end
- * and also trailing spaces from every line.
- *
- * Turn multiple consecutive empty lines between paragraphs
- * into just one empty line.
- *
- * If the input has only empty lines and spaces,
- * no output will be produced.
- *
- * If last line does not have a newline at the end, one is added.
- *
- * Enable skip_comments to skip every line starting with comment
- * character.
- */
-void stripspace(struct strbuf *sb, int skip_comments)
-{
-	int empties = 0;
-	size_t i, j, len, newlen;
-	char *eol;
-
-	/* We may have to add a newline. */
-	strbuf_grow(sb, 1);
-
-	for (i = j = 0; i < sb->len; i += len, j += newlen) {
-		eol = memchr(sb->buf + i, '\n', sb->len - i);
-		len = eol ? eol - (sb->buf + i) + 1 : sb->len - i;
-
-		if (skip_comments && len && sb->buf[i] == comment_line_char) {
-			newlen = 0;
-			continue;
-		}
-		newlen = cleanup(sb->buf + i, len);
-
-		/* Not just an empty line? */
-		if (newlen) {
-			if (empties > 0 && j > 0)
-				sb->buf[j++] = '\n';
-			empties = 0;
-			memmove(sb->buf + j, sb->buf + i, newlen);
-			sb->buf[newlen + j++] = '\n';
-		} else {
-			empties++;
-		}
-	}
-
-	strbuf_setlen(sb, j);
-}
+#include "strbuf.h"
 
 static void comment_lines(struct strbuf *buf)
 {
@@ -111,7 +46,7 @@ int cmd_stripspace(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		die_errno("could not read the input");
 
 	if (mode == STRIP_SPACE)
-		stripspace(&buf, strip_comments);
+		strbuf_stripspace(&buf, strip_comments);
 	else
 		comment_lines(&buf);
 
diff --git a/builtin/tag.c b/builtin/tag.c
index cba0e2266623d57fe96fcec1910c562bf424d143..f048cae0e0593866105574e685b97eb71023fbd2 100644
--- a/builtin/tag.c
+++ b/builtin/tag.c
@@ -498,7 +498,7 @@ static void create_tag(const unsigned char *object, const char *tag,
 	}
 
 	if (opt->cleanup_mode != CLEANUP_NONE)
-		stripspace(buf, opt->cleanup_mode == CLEANUP_ALL);
+		strbuf_stripspace(buf, opt->cleanup_mode == CLEANUP_ALL);
 
 	if (!opt->message_given && !buf->len)
 		die(_("no tag message?"));
diff --git a/strbuf.c b/strbuf.c
index 29df55b1b0f36522be7e141e9f29ba2bfcc978c1..958387562184fe27c7e476ebb24d5547a55ae4ad 100644
--- a/strbuf.c
+++ b/strbuf.c
@@ -743,3 +743,69 @@ void strbuf_addftime(struct strbuf *sb, const char *fmt, const struct tm *tm)
 	}
 	strbuf_setlen(sb, sb->len + len);
 }
+
+/*
+ * Returns the length of a line, without trailing spaces.
+ *
+ * If the line ends with newline, it will be removed too.
+ */
+static size_t cleanup(char *line, size_t len)
+{
+	while (len) {
+		unsigned char c = line[len - 1];
+		if (!isspace(c))
+			break;
+		len--;
+	}
+
+	return len;
+}
+
+/*
+ * Remove empty lines from the beginning and end
+ * and also trailing spaces from every line.
+ *
+ * Turn multiple consecutive empty lines between paragraphs
+ * into just one empty line.
+ *
+ * If the input has only empty lines and spaces,
+ * no output will be produced.
+ *
+ * If last line does not have a newline at the end, one is added.
+ *
+ * Enable skip_comments to skip every line starting with comment
+ * character.
+ */
+void strbuf_stripspace(struct strbuf *sb, int skip_comments)
+{
+	int empties = 0;
+	size_t i, j, len, newlen;
+	char *eol;
+
+	/* We may have to add a newline. */
+	strbuf_grow(sb, 1);
+
+	for (i = j = 0; i < sb->len; i += len, j += newlen) {
+		eol = memchr(sb->buf + i, '\n', sb->len - i);
+		len = eol ? eol - (sb->buf + i) + 1 : sb->len - i;
+
+		if (skip_comments && len && sb->buf[i] == comment_line_char) {
+			newlen = 0;
+			continue;
+		}
+		newlen = cleanup(sb->buf + i, len);
+
+		/* Not just an empty line? */
+		if (newlen) {
+			if (empties > 0 && j > 0)
+				sb->buf[j++] = '\n';
+			empties = 0;
+			memmove(sb->buf + j, sb->buf + i, newlen);
+			sb->buf[newlen + j++] = '\n';
+		} else {
+			empties++;
+		}
+	}
+
+	strbuf_setlen(sb, j);
+}
diff --git a/strbuf.h b/strbuf.h
index aef2794651985b5c4177690f69a1ff0aac612d18..5397d91d7ade0360077c3b2ceb9e6d3cd226820d 100644
--- a/strbuf.h
+++ b/strbuf.h
@@ -418,7 +418,16 @@ extern void strbuf_add_absolute_path(struct strbuf *sb, const char *path);
  * Strip whitespace from a buffer. The second parameter controls if
  * comments are considered contents to be removed or not.
  */
-extern void stripspace(struct strbuf *buf, int skip_comments);
+extern void strbuf_stripspace(struct strbuf *buf, int skip_comments);
+
+/**
+ * Temporary alias until all topic branches have switched to use
+ * strbuf_stripspace directly.
+ */
+static inline void stripspace(struct strbuf *buf, int skip_comments)
+{
+	strbuf_stripspace(buf, skip_comments);
+}
 
 static inline int strbuf_strip_suffix(struct strbuf *sb, const char *suffix)
 {