diff --git a/builtin-revert.c b/builtin-revert.c
index 652eece5ad..f3f3f5c6ee 100644
--- a/builtin-revert.c
+++ b/builtin-revert.c
@@ -235,8 +235,8 @@ static int revert_or_cherry_pick(int argc, const char **argv)
 	unsigned char head[20];
 	struct commit *base, *next;
 	int i;
-	char *oneline, *encoding, *reencoded_message = NULL;
-	const char *message;
+	char *oneline, *reencoded_message = NULL;
+	const char *message, *encoding;
 
 	git_config(git_default_config);
 	me = action == REVERT ? "revert" : "cherry-pick";
diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index f172d02a65..4f1066744c 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ extern int check_repository_format_version(const char *var, const char *value);
 extern char git_default_email[MAX_GITNAME];
 extern char git_default_name[MAX_GITNAME];
 
-extern char *git_commit_encoding;
+extern const char *git_commit_encoding;
 extern const char *git_log_output_encoding;
 
 extern int copy_fd(int ifd, int ofd);
diff --git a/environment.c b/environment.c
index 0151ad0722..fff4a4da50 100644
--- a/environment.c
+++ b/environment.c
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ int is_bare_repository_cfg = -1; /* unspecified */
 int log_all_ref_updates = -1; /* unspecified */
 int warn_ambiguous_refs = 1;
 int repository_format_version;
-char *git_commit_encoding;
+const char *git_commit_encoding;
 const char *git_log_output_encoding;
 int shared_repository = PERM_UMASK;
 const char *apply_default_whitespace;