diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index a8280a156d..bb06e1fba9 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+git-annex (3.20110820) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
+
+  * Set EMAIL when running test suite so that git does not need to be
+    configured first. Closes: #638998
+
+ -- Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>  Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:41:01 -0400
+
 git-annex (3.20110819) unstable; urgency=low
 
   * Now "git annex init" only has to be run once, when a git repository
diff --git a/test.hs b/test.hs
index e4e1fb131d..4d751a707b 100644
--- a/test.hs
+++ b/test.hs
@@ -646,6 +646,9 @@ prepare = do
 	p <- getEnvDefault  "PATH" ""
 	setEnv "PATH" (cwd ++ ":" ++ p) True
 	setEnv "TOPDIR" cwd True
+	-- Avoid git complaining if it cannot determine the user's email
+	-- address.
+	setEnv "EMAIL" "git-annex test <test@example.com>" True
 
 changeToTmpDir :: FilePath -> IO ()
 changeToTmpDir t = do