diff --git a/builtin/rebase--helper.c b/builtin/rebase--helper.c
index 05e73e71d4..731a64971d 100644
--- a/builtin/rebase--helper.c
+++ b/builtin/rebase--helper.c
@@ -13,12 +13,12 @@ static const char * const builtin_rebase_helper_usage[] = {
 int cmd_rebase__helper(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 {
 	struct replay_opts opts = REPLAY_OPTS_INIT;
-	unsigned flags = 0, keep_empty = 0, rebase_merges = 0, write_edit_todo = 0;
+	unsigned flags = 0, keep_empty = 0, rebase_merges = 0;
 	int abbreviate_commands = 0, rebase_cousins = -1;
 	enum {
 		CONTINUE = 1, ABORT, MAKE_SCRIPT, SHORTEN_OIDS, EXPAND_OIDS,
 		CHECK_TODO_LIST, SKIP_UNNECESSARY_PICKS, REARRANGE_SQUASH,
-		ADD_EXEC, APPEND_TODO_HELP
+		ADD_EXEC, APPEND_TODO_HELP, EDIT_TODO
 	} command = 0;
 	struct option options[] = {
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "ff", &opts.allow_ff, N_("allow fast-forward")),
@@ -28,8 +28,6 @@ int cmd_rebase__helper(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "rebase-merges", &rebase_merges, N_("rebase merge commits")),
 		OPT_BOOL(0, "rebase-cousins", &rebase_cousins,
 			 N_("keep original branch points of cousins")),
-		OPT_BOOL(0, "write-edit-todo", &write_edit_todo,
-			 N_("append the edit-todo message to the todo-list")),
 		OPT_CMDMODE(0, "continue", &command, N_("continue rebase"),
 				CONTINUE),
 		OPT_CMDMODE(0, "abort", &command, N_("abort rebase"),
@@ -50,6 +48,9 @@ int cmd_rebase__helper(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			N_("insert exec commands in todo list"), ADD_EXEC),
 		OPT_CMDMODE(0, "append-todo-help", &command,
 			    N_("insert the help in the todo list"), APPEND_TODO_HELP),
+		OPT_CMDMODE(0, "edit-todo", &command,
+			    N_("edit the todo list during an interactive rebase"),
+			    EDIT_TODO),
 		OPT_END()
 	};
 
@@ -90,6 +91,8 @@ int cmd_rebase__helper(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	if (command == ADD_EXEC && argc == 2)
 		return !!sequencer_add_exec_commands(argv[1]);
 	if (command == APPEND_TODO_HELP && argc == 1)
-		return !!append_todo_help(write_edit_todo, keep_empty);
+		return !!append_todo_help(0, keep_empty);
+	if (command == EDIT_TODO && argc == 1)
+		return !!edit_todo_list(flags);
 	usage_with_options(builtin_rebase_helper_usage, options);
 }
diff --git a/git-rebase--interactive.sh b/git-rebase--interactive.sh
index 94c23a7af2..2defe607f4 100644
--- a/git-rebase--interactive.sh
+++ b/git-rebase--interactive.sh
@@ -108,16 +108,7 @@ initiate_action () {
 		     --continue
 		;;
 	edit-todo)
-		git stripspace --strip-comments <"$todo" >"$todo".new
-		mv -f "$todo".new "$todo"
-		collapse_todo_ids
-		git rebase--helper --append-todo-help --write-edit-todo
-
-		git_sequence_editor "$todo" ||
-			die "$(gettext "Could not execute editor")"
-		expand_todo_ids
-
-		exit
+		exec git rebase--helper --edit-todo
 		;;
 	show-current-patch)
 		exec git show REBASE_HEAD --
diff --git a/rebase-interactive.c b/rebase-interactive.c
index d7996bc8d9..3f9468fc69 100644
--- a/rebase-interactive.c
+++ b/rebase-interactive.c
@@ -66,3 +66,30 @@ int append_todo_help(unsigned edit_todo, unsigned keep_empty)
 
 	return ret;
 }
+
+int edit_todo_list(unsigned flags)
+{
+	struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
+	const char *todo_file = rebase_path_todo();
+
+	if (strbuf_read_file(&buf, todo_file, 0) < 0)
+		return error_errno(_("could not read '%s'."), todo_file);
+
+	strbuf_stripspace(&buf, 1);
+	if (write_message(buf.buf, buf.len, todo_file, 0)) {
+		strbuf_release(&buf);
+		return -1;
+	}
+
+	strbuf_release(&buf);
+
+	transform_todos(flags | TODO_LIST_SHORTEN_IDS);
+	append_todo_help(1, 0);
+
+	if (launch_sequence_editor(todo_file, NULL, NULL))
+		return -1;
+
+	transform_todos(flags & ~(TODO_LIST_SHORTEN_IDS));
+
+	return 0;
+}
diff --git a/rebase-interactive.h b/rebase-interactive.h
index 47372624e0..155219e742 100644
--- a/rebase-interactive.h
+++ b/rebase-interactive.h
@@ -2,5 +2,6 @@
 #define REBASE_INTERACTIVE_H
 
 int append_todo_help(unsigned edit_todo, unsigned keep_empty);
+int edit_todo_list(unsigned flags);
 
 #endif