diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index 201704bacf5e7c03ccab9b81b01f94cf50fe943e..38a9bc02f6d765fb743d6070bbd145cdd673d43d 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -321,6 +321,7 @@ unsigned long approxidate(const char *);
 
 extern const char *git_author_info(int);
 extern const char *git_committer_info(int);
+extern const char *fmt_ident(const char *name, const char *email, const char *date_str, int);
 
 struct checkout {
 	const char *base_dir;
diff --git a/ident.c b/ident.c
index a6fc7b5e11e3f232a7becd62223cc23c5eb68ccc..bb03bddd34f2471ed130c499affc369758d4bfd9 100644
--- a/ident.c
+++ b/ident.c
@@ -185,8 +185,8 @@ static const char *env_hint =
 "Add --global to set your account\'s default\n"
 "\n";
 
-static const char *get_ident(const char *name, const char *email,
-			     const char *date_str, int error_on_no_name)
+const char *fmt_ident(const char *name, const char *email,
+		      const char *date_str, int error_on_no_name)
 {
 	static char buffer[1000];
 	char date[50];
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ static const char *get_ident(const char *name, const char *email,
 
 const char *git_author_info(int error_on_no_name)
 {
-	return get_ident(getenv("GIT_AUTHOR_NAME"),
+	return fmt_ident(getenv("GIT_AUTHOR_NAME"),
 			 getenv("GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL"),
 			 getenv("GIT_AUTHOR_DATE"),
 			 error_on_no_name);
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ const char *git_author_info(int error_on_no_name)
 
 const char *git_committer_info(int error_on_no_name)
 {
-	return get_ident(getenv("GIT_COMMITTER_NAME"),
+	return fmt_ident(getenv("GIT_COMMITTER_NAME"),
 			 getenv("GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL"),
 			 getenv("GIT_COMMITTER_DATE"),
 			 error_on_no_name);