diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e8495d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+ChangeLog merge=merge-changelog
diff --git a/autoboot b/autoboot
index a440b16..3c0de90 100755
--- a/autoboot
+++ b/autoboot
@@ -213,6 +213,20 @@ fi
 
 echo "$0: Bootstrapping from checked-out $package sources..."
 
+# See if we can use gnulib's git-merge-changelog merge driver.
+if test -d .git && (git --version) >/dev/null 2>/dev/null ; then
+  if git config merge.merge-changelog.driver >/dev/null ; then
+    :
+  elif (git-merge-changelog --version) >/dev/null 2>/dev/null ; then
+    echo "initializing git-merge-changelog driver"
+    git config merge.merge-changelog.name 'GNU-style ChangeLog merge driver'
+    git config merge.merge-changelog.driver 'git-merge-changelog %O %A %B'
+  else
+    echo "consider installing git-merge-changelog from gnulib"
+  fi
+fi
+
+
 cleanup_gnulib() {
   status=$?
   rm -fr gnulib
diff --git a/po/.gitignore b/po/.gitignore
index e0df5d3..5979ce3 100644
--- a/po/.gitignore
+++ b/po/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+*.po
+.reference
 LINGUAS
 Makefile.in.in
 Makevars.template
@@ -10,5 +12,3 @@ insert-header.sin
 quot.sed
 remove-potcdate.sed
 remove-potcdate.sin
-.reference
-*.po
diff --git a/po/Makevars b/po/Makevars
index 32692ab..c026e13 100644
--- a/po/Makevars
+++ b/po/Makevars
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# -*- buffer-read-only: t -*- vi: set ro:
+# DO NOT EDIT! GENERATED AUTOMATICALLY!
 # Makefile variables for PO directory in any package using GNU gettext.
 
 # Usually the message domain is the same as the package name.
@@ -8,7 +10,18 @@ subdir = po
 top_builddir = ..
 
 # These options get passed to xgettext.
-XGETTEXT_OPTIONS = --keyword=_ --keyword=N_
+XGETTEXT_OPTIONS = --keyword=_ --keyword=N_ \
+	  \
+ --flag=_:1:pass-c-format\
+ --flag=N_:1:pass-c-format\
+ --flag=error:3:c-format --flag=error_at_line:5:c-format\
+\
+ --from-code=UTF-8\
+ --flag=asprintf:2:c-format --flag=vasprintf:2:c-format\
+ --flag=asnprintf:3:c-format --flag=vasnprintf:3:c-format\
+ --flag=wrapf:1:c-format\
+ --flag=error:3:c-format --flag=error_at_line:5:c-format\
+ $${end_of_xgettext_options+}
 
 # This is the copyright holder that gets inserted into the header of the
 # $(DOMAIN).pot file.  Set this to the copyright holder of the surrounding
@@ -34,8 +47,8 @@ COPYRIGHT_HOLDER = Free Software Foundation, Inc.
 # It can be your email address, or a mailing list address where translators
 # can write to without being subscribed, or the URL of a web page through
 # which the translators can contact you.
-MSGID_BUGS_ADDRESS =
+MSGID_BUGS_ADDRESS = bug-gnu-utils@gnu.org
 
 # This is the list of locale categories, beyond LC_MESSAGES, for which the
 # message catalogs shall be used.  It is usually empty.
-EXTRA_LOCALE_CATEGORIES =
+EXTRA_LOCALE_CATEGORIES =