diff --git a/git-resolve-script b/git-resolve-script
--- a/git-resolve-script
+++ b/git-resolve-script
@@ -12,8 +12,6 @@ merge_repo="$3"
 : ${GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY="${SHA1_FILE_DIRECTORY-"$GIT_DIR/objects"}"}
 
 rm -f "$GIT_DIR"/MERGE_HEAD "$GIT_DIR"/ORIG_HEAD
-echo $head > "$GIT_DIR"/ORIG_HEAD
-echo $merge > "$GIT_DIR"/MERGE_HEAD
 
 #
 # The remote name is just used for the message,
@@ -32,15 +30,13 @@ fi
 
 if [ "$common" == "$merge" ]; then
 	echo "Already up-to-date. Yeeah!"
-	rm -f -- "$GIT_DIR/ORIG_HEAD" "$GIT_DIR/MERGE_HEAD"
 	exit 0
 fi
 if [ "$common" == "$head" ]; then
 	echo "Updating from $head to $merge."
 	git-read-tree -u -m $head $merge || exit 1
 	echo $merge > "$GIT_DIR"/HEAD
-	git-diff-tree -p ORIG_HEAD HEAD | git-apply --stat
-	rm -f -- "$GIT_DIR/ORIG_HEAD" "$GIT_DIR/MERGE_HEAD"
+	git-diff-tree -p $head HEAD | git-apply --stat
 	exit 0
 fi
 echo "Trying to merge $merge into $head"
@@ -51,6 +47,8 @@ if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
 	echo "Simple merge failed, trying Automatic merge"
 	git-merge-cache -o git-merge-one-file-script -a
 	if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+		echo $merge > "$GIT_DIR"/MERGE_HEAD
+		echo $head > "$GIT_DIR"/ORIG_HEAD
 		echo "Automatic merge failed, fix up by hand"
 		exit 1
 	fi
@@ -60,4 +58,3 @@ result_commit=$(echo "$merge_msg" | git-
 echo "Committed merge $result_commit"
 echo $result_commit > "$GIT_DIR"/HEAD
 git-diff-tree -p $head $result_commit | git-apply --stat
-rm -f -- "$GIT_DIR/ORIG_HEAD" "$GIT_DIR/MERGE_HEAD"