diff --git a/builtin/merge.c b/builtin/merge.c
index 2d79e79c5b11a437ce91b34b56f31b1157af54db..f239fd55efd3167aff9c06214184884b22177769 100644
--- a/builtin/merge.c
+++ b/builtin/merge.c
@@ -906,7 +906,7 @@ static int setup_with_upstream(const char ***argv)
 	return i;
 }
 
-static void write_merge_state(struct commit_list *remoteheads)
+static void write_merge_heads(struct commit_list *remoteheads)
 {
 	struct commit_list *j;
 	struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
@@ -922,8 +922,6 @@ static void write_merge_state(struct commit_list *remoteheads)
 		strbuf_addf(&buf, "%s\n", oid_to_hex(oid));
 	}
 	write_file_buf(git_path_merge_head(), buf.buf, buf.len);
-	strbuf_addch(&merge_msg, '\n');
-	write_file_buf(git_path_merge_msg(), merge_msg.buf, merge_msg.len);
 
 	strbuf_reset(&buf);
 	if (fast_forward == FF_NO)
@@ -931,6 +929,13 @@ static void write_merge_state(struct commit_list *remoteheads)
 	write_file_buf(git_path_merge_mode(), buf.buf, buf.len);
 }
 
+static void write_merge_state(struct commit_list *remoteheads)
+{
+	write_merge_heads(remoteheads);
+	strbuf_addch(&merge_msg, '\n');
+	write_file_buf(git_path_merge_msg(), merge_msg.buf, merge_msg.len);
+}
+
 static int default_edit_option(void)
 {
 	static const char name[] = "GIT_MERGE_AUTOEDIT";