diff --git a/Git/CheckIgnore.hs b/Git/CheckIgnore.hs
index 5fa3cb637f..a03f454324 100644
--- a/Git/CheckIgnore.hs
+++ b/Git/CheckIgnore.hs
@@ -31,10 +31,13 @@ type CheckIgnoreHandle = CoProcess.CoProcessHandle
  -
  - The first version of git to support what we need is 1.8.4.
  - Nothing is returned if an older git is installed.
+ -
+ - check-ignore does not support --literal-pathspecs, so remove that
+ - from the gitGlobalOpts if set.
  -}
 checkIgnoreStart :: Repo -> IO (Maybe CheckIgnoreHandle)
 checkIgnoreStart repo = ifM supportedGitVersion
-	( Just <$> (CoProcess.rawMode =<< gitCoProcessStart True params repo)
+	( Just <$> (CoProcess.rawMode =<< gitCoProcessStart True params repo')
 	, return Nothing
 	)
   where
@@ -42,6 +45,9 @@ checkIgnoreStart repo = ifM supportedGitVersion
 		[ Param "check-ignore" 
 		, Params "-z --stdin --verbose --non-matching"
 		]
+	repo' = repo { gitGlobalOpts = filter (not . pathspecs) (gitGlobalOpts repo) }
+	pathspecs (Param "--literal-pathspecs") = True
+	pathspecs _ = False
 
 supportedGitVersion :: IO Bool
 supportedGitVersion = do
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 557d3eb6b6..8b228f1561 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 git-annex (5.20150406.2) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
 
+  * This fixes a bug in the assistant introduced by the literal pathspec
+    changes in version 5.20150406.
   * --quiet now suppresses progress displays from eg, rsync.
     (Second time's the charm..)
   * fromkey, registerurl: When reading from stdin, allow the
diff --git a/doc/bugs/pathspec_magic_not_supported_by_this_command:___39__literal__39__.mdwn b/doc/bugs/pathspec_magic_not_supported_by_this_command:___39__literal__39__.mdwn
index c6703914ab..73b846a496 100644
--- a/doc/bugs/pathspec_magic_not_supported_by_this_command:___39__literal__39__.mdwn
+++ b/doc/bugs/pathspec_magic_not_supported_by_this_command:___39__literal__39__.mdwn
@@ -78,3 +78,19 @@ fatal: Work/archive/Tidrapportering/Tid.md: pathspec magic not supported by this
 fatal: Work/archive/Tidrapportering/Tid.md: pathspec magic not supported by this command: 'literal'
 
 """]]
+
+> I've fixed the pathspec magic problem. [[done]]
+> 
+> Seems like you could possibly have a separate problem WRT the "commitBuffer:
+> invalid argument". When using the older version of git-annex, did you 
+> get that in the log at all?
+>
+> OTOH, the
+> "@Projects/archive/20140515_METOCC_Gr������nsytem������te" 
+> weirdness in the log could be where the problem chars are coming from
+> too, in which case it was somehow caused by the pathspec magic problem.
+> 
+> I was able to reproduce the pathspec magic problem, but not the encoding
+> looking problem, even when using swedish chars in filenames.
+> 
+> --[[Joey]]