diff --git a/builtin/commit.c b/builtin/commit.c
index 8da0a9f..bc03a1c 100644
--- a/builtin/commit.c
+++ b/builtin/commit.c
@@ -546,42 +546,35 @@
 	date = getenv("GIT_AUTHOR_DATE");
 
 	if (author_message) {
-		const char *a, *lb, *rb, *eol;
+		struct ident_split ident;
 		size_t len;
+		const char *a;
 
-		a = strstr(author_message_buffer, "\nauthor ");
+		a = find_commit_header(author_message_buffer, "author", &len);
 		if (!a)
-			die(_("invalid commit: %s"), author_message);
+			die(_("commit '%s' lacks author header"), author_message);
+		if (split_ident_line(&ident, a, len) < 0)
+			die(_("commit '%s' has malformed author line"), author_message);
 
-		lb = strchrnul(a + strlen("\nauthor "), '<');
-		rb = strchrnul(lb, '>');
-		eol = strchrnul(rb, '\n');
-		if (!*lb || !*rb || !*eol)
-			die(_("invalid commit: %s"), author_message);
-
-		if (lb == a + strlen("\nauthor "))
-			/* \nauthor <foo@example.com> */
-			name = xcalloc(1, 1);
-		else
-			name = xmemdupz(a + strlen("\nauthor "),
-					(lb - strlen(" ") -
-					 (a + strlen("\nauthor "))));
-		email = xmemdupz(lb + strlen("<"), rb - (lb + strlen("<")));
-		len = eol - (rb + strlen("> "));
-		date = xmalloc(len + 2);
-		*date = '@';
-		memcpy(date + 1, rb + strlen("> "), len);
-		date[len + 1] = '\0';
+		name = xmemdupz(ident.name_begin, ident.name_end - ident.name_begin);
+		email = xmemdupz(ident.mail_begin, ident.mail_end - ident.mail_begin);
+		if (ident.date_begin) {
+			strbuf_reset(&date_buf);
+			strbuf_addch(&date_buf, '@');
+			strbuf_add(&date_buf, ident.date_begin, ident.date_end - ident.date_begin);
+			strbuf_addch(&date_buf, ' ');
+			strbuf_add(&date_buf, ident.tz_begin, ident.tz_end - ident.tz_begin);
+			date = date_buf.buf;
+		}
 	}
 
 	if (force_author) {
-		const char *lb = strstr(force_author, " <");
-		const char *rb = strchr(force_author, '>');
+		struct ident_split ident;
 
-		if (!lb || !rb)
+		if (split_ident_line(&ident, force_author, strlen(force_author)) < 0)
 			die(_("malformed --author parameter"));
-		name = xstrndup(force_author, lb - force_author);
-		email = xstrndup(lb + 2, rb - (lb + 2));
+		name = xmemdupz(ident.name_begin, ident.name_end - ident.name_begin);
+		email = xmemdupz(ident.mail_begin, ident.mail_end - ident.mail_begin);
 	}
 
 	if (force_date) {