diff --git a/src/ViewModels/WorkingCopy.cs b/src/ViewModels/WorkingCopy.cs
index 8034a6fb4..59e02ef8c 100644
--- a/src/ViewModels/WorkingCopy.cs
+++ b/src/ViewModels/WorkingCopy.cs
@@ -807,6 +807,12 @@ private void UpdateInProgressState()
             if (_inProgressContext != null && _inProgressContext.GetType() == oldType && !string.IsNullOrEmpty(_commitMessage))
                 return;
 
+            // The operation that filled the commit message ended outside SourceGit (for example, a
+            // rebase or merge finished/aborted from the terminal). Drop the stale message unless the
+            // user has edited it since it was loaded.
+            if (_inProgressContext == null && oldType != null && IsAutoLoadedCommitMessage())
+                CommitMessage = string.Empty;
+
             if (LoadCommitMessageFromFile(Path.Combine(_repo.GitDir, "MERGE_MSG")))
                 return;
 
@@ -816,7 +822,7 @@ private void UpdateInProgressState()
             if (LoadCommitMessageFromFile(Path.Combine(_repo.GitDir, "rebase-merge", "message")))
                 return;
 
-            CommitMessage = new Commands.QueryCommitFullMessage(_repo.FullPath, rebasing.StoppedAt.SHA).GetResult();
+            SetAutoLoadedCommitMessage(new Commands.QueryCommitFullMessage(_repo.FullPath, rebasing.StoppedAt.SHA).GetResult());
         }
 
         private bool LoadCommitMessageFromFile(string file)
@@ -828,10 +834,22 @@ private bool LoadCommitMessageFromFile(string file)
             if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(msg))
                 return false;
 
-            CommitMessage = msg;
+            SetAutoLoadedCommitMessage(msg);
             return true;
         }
 
+        private void SetAutoLoadedCommitMessage(string msg)
+        {
+            _autoLoadedCommitMessage = msg;
+            CommitMessage = msg;
+        }
+
+        private bool IsAutoLoadedCommitMessage()
+        {
+            return !string.IsNullOrEmpty(_autoLoadedCommitMessage) &&
+                string.Equals(_autoLoadedCommitMessage, _commitMessage, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+        }
+
         private void SetDetail(Models.Change change, bool isUnstaged)
         {
             if (_isLoadingData)
@@ -942,5 +960,6 @@ public ChangeInTree(Models.Change change)
 
         private bool _hasUnsolvedConflicts = false;
         private InProgressContext _inProgressContext = null;
+        private string _autoLoadedCommitMessage = null;
     }
 }