diff --git a/builtin-branch.c b/builtin-branch.c
index 25ffa5491c62ea..d60690bb084ef8 100644
--- a/builtin-branch.c
+++ b/builtin-branch.c
@@ -394,7 +394,6 @@ int cmd_branch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	int kinds = REF_LOCAL_BRANCH;
 	int i;
 
-	setup_ident();
 	git_config(git_branch_config);
 
 	for (i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
diff --git a/builtin-commit-tree.c b/builtin-commit-tree.c
index 0651e5927e836d..2a818a0a2c218b 100644
--- a/builtin-commit-tree.c
+++ b/builtin-commit-tree.c
@@ -94,7 +94,6 @@ int cmd_commit_tree(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	unsigned int size;
 	int encoding_is_utf8;
 
-	setup_ident();
 	git_config(git_default_config);
 
 	if (argc < 2)
diff --git a/builtin-log.c b/builtin-log.c
index 56acc137f0bf73..982d871887a6cd 100644
--- a/builtin-log.c
+++ b/builtin-log.c
@@ -380,7 +380,6 @@ int cmd_format_patch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	char message_id[1024];
 	char ref_message_id[1024];
 
-	setup_ident();
 	git_config(git_format_config);
 	init_revisions(&rev, prefix);
 	rev.commit_format = CMIT_FMT_EMAIL;
diff --git a/builtin-update-ref.c b/builtin-update-ref.c
index b34e5987dd256e..1461937cb987ec 100644
--- a/builtin-update-ref.c
+++ b/builtin-update-ref.c
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ int cmd_update_ref(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	int i, delete;
 
 	delete = 0;
-	setup_ident();
 	git_config(git_default_config);
 
 	for (i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index 9486132ac53f7a..9873ee97d93f7e 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -319,7 +319,6 @@ int parse_date(const char *date, char *buf, int bufsize);
 void datestamp(char *buf, int bufsize);
 unsigned long approxidate(const char *);
 
-extern int setup_ident(void);
 extern const char *git_author_info(int);
 extern const char *git_committer_info(int);
 
diff --git a/fetch-pack.c b/fetch-pack.c
index 83a1d7b3198283..c7871067640f65 100644
--- a/fetch-pack.c
+++ b/fetch-pack.c
@@ -670,7 +670,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	struct stat st;
 
 	setup_git_directory();
-	setup_ident();
 	git_config(fetch_pack_config);
 
 	if (0 <= transfer_unpack_limit)
diff --git a/http-fetch.c b/http-fetch.c
index 67dfb0a0337b63..efd494a47fb961 100644
--- a/http-fetch.c
+++ b/http-fetch.c
@@ -1003,7 +1003,6 @@ int main(int argc, const char **argv)
 	int arg = 1;
 	int rc = 0;
 
-	setup_ident();
 	setup_git_directory();
 	git_config(git_default_config);
 
diff --git a/http-push.c b/http-push.c
index 0a15f537828899..b128c0146c6f1d 100644
--- a/http-push.c
+++ b/http-push.c
@@ -2299,7 +2299,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	struct ref *ref;
 
 	setup_git_directory();
-	setup_ident();
 
 	remote = xcalloc(sizeof(*remote), 1);
 
diff --git a/ident.c b/ident.c
index f9677905e5aa64..6de7eeae4d4783 100644
--- a/ident.c
+++ b/ident.c
@@ -43,19 +43,13 @@ static void copy_gecos(struct passwd *w, char *name, int sz)
 
 }
 
-int setup_ident(void)
+static void copy_email(struct passwd *pw)
 {
-	int len;
-	struct passwd *pw = getpwuid(getuid());
-
-	if (!pw)
-		die("You don't exist. Go away!");
-
-	/* Get the name ("gecos") */
-	copy_gecos(pw, git_default_name, sizeof(git_default_name));
-
-	/* Make up a fake email address (name + '@' + hostname [+ '.' + domainname]) */
-	len = strlen(pw->pw_name);
+	/*
+	 * Make up a fake email address
+	 * (name + '@' + hostname [+ '.' + domainname])
+	 */
+	int len = strlen(pw->pw_name);
 	if (len > sizeof(git_default_email)/2)
 		die("Your sysadmin must hate you!");
 	memcpy(git_default_email, pw->pw_name, len);
@@ -68,13 +62,37 @@ int setup_ident(void)
 		len = strlen(git_default_email);
 		git_default_email[len++] = '.';
 		if (he && (domainname = strchr(he->h_name, '.')))
-			strlcpy(git_default_email + len, domainname + 1, sizeof(git_default_email) - len);
+			strlcpy(git_default_email + len, domainname + 1,
+				sizeof(git_default_email) - len);
 		else
-			strlcpy(git_default_email + len, "(none)", sizeof(git_default_email) - len);
+			strlcpy(git_default_email + len, "(none)",
+				sizeof(git_default_email) - len);
 	}
+}
+
+static void setup_ident(void)
+{
+	struct passwd *pw = NULL;
+
+	/* Get the name ("gecos") */
+	if (!git_default_name[0]) {
+		pw = getpwuid(getuid());
+		if (!pw)
+			die("You don't exist. Go away!");
+		copy_gecos(pw, git_default_name, sizeof(git_default_name));
+	}
+
+	if (!git_default_email[0]) {
+		if (!pw)
+			pw = getpwuid(getuid());
+		if (!pw)
+			die("You don't exist. Go away!");
+		copy_email(pw);
+	}
+
 	/* And set the default date */
-	datestamp(git_default_date, sizeof(git_default_date));
-	return 0;
+	if (!git_default_date[0])
+		datestamp(git_default_date, sizeof(git_default_date));
 }
 
 static int add_raw(char *buf, int size, int offset, const char *str)
@@ -174,6 +192,7 @@ static const char *get_ident(const char *name, const char *email,
 	char date[50];
 	int i;
 
+	setup_ident();
 	if (!name)
 		name = git_default_name;
 	if (!email)
diff --git a/local-fetch.c b/local-fetch.c
index cf99cb72dd48f6..7cfe8b3587c10b 100644
--- a/local-fetch.c
+++ b/local-fetch.c
@@ -210,7 +210,6 @@ int main(int argc, const char **argv)
 	char **commit_id;
 	int arg = 1;
 
-	setup_ident();
 	setup_git_directory();
 	git_config(git_default_config);
 
diff --git a/receive-pack.c b/receive-pack.c
index 7d263262d3b593..7311c822dd3af2 100644
--- a/receive-pack.c
+++ b/receive-pack.c
@@ -429,7 +429,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	if (is_repository_shallow())
 		die("attempt to push into a shallow repository");
 
-	setup_ident();
 	git_config(receive_pack_config);
 
 	if (0 <= transfer_unpack_limit)
diff --git a/ssh-fetch.c b/ssh-fetch.c
index 4c172b68246eaa..bdf51a7a1437ef 100644
--- a/ssh-fetch.c
+++ b/ssh-fetch.c
@@ -124,7 +124,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	prog = getenv("GIT_SSH_PUSH");
 	if (!prog) prog = "git-ssh-upload";
 
-	setup_ident();
 	setup_git_directory();
 	git_config(git_default_config);
 
diff --git a/var.c b/var.c
index 39977b949a1be6..e585e59d315061 100644
--- a/var.c
+++ b/var.c
@@ -56,7 +56,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	}
 
 	setup_git_directory();
-	setup_ident();
 	val = NULL;
 
 	if (strcmp(argv[1], "-l") == 0) {