diff --git a/builtin/commit.c b/builtin/commit.c
index cbc9613..bcb0db2 100644
--- a/builtin/commit.c
+++ b/builtin/commit.c
@@ -534,6 +534,7 @@
 
 	if (author_message) {
 		const char *a, *lb, *rb, *eol;
+		size_t len;
 
 		a = strstr(author_message_buffer, "\nauthor ");
 		if (!a)
@@ -554,6 +555,11 @@
 					 (a + strlen("\nauthor "))));
 		email = xmemdupz(lb + strlen("<"), rb - (lb + strlen("<")));
 		date = xmemdupz(rb + strlen("> "), eol - (rb + strlen("> ")));
+		len = eol - (rb + strlen("> "));
+		date = xmalloc(len + 2);
+		*date = '@';
+		memcpy(date + 1, rb + strlen("> "), len);
+		date[len + 1] = '\0';
 	}
 
 	if (force_author) {