diff --git a/commit.c b/commit.c
index 5df1df7351..249a83b0cc 100644
--- a/commit.c
+++ b/commit.c
@@ -841,26 +841,26 @@ static struct commit_list *merge_bases_many(struct commit *one, int n, struct co
 struct commit_list *get_octopus_merge_bases(struct commit_list *in)
 {
 	struct commit_list *i, *j, *k, *ret = NULL;
-	struct commit_list **pptr = &ret;
 
-	for (i = in; i; i = i->next) {
-		if (!ret)
-			pptr = &commit_list_insert(i->item, pptr)->next;
-		else {
-			struct commit_list *new = NULL, *end = NULL;
+	if (!in)
+		return ret;
 
-			for (j = ret; j; j = j->next) {
-				struct commit_list *bases;
-				bases = get_merge_bases(i->item, j->item, 1);
-				if (!new)
-					new = bases;
-				else
-					end->next = bases;
-				for (k = bases; k; k = k->next)
-					end = k;
-			}
-			ret = new;
+	commit_list_insert(in->item, &ret);
+
+	for (i = in->next; i; i = i->next) {
+		struct commit_list *new = NULL, *end = NULL;
+
+		for (j = ret; j; j = j->next) {
+			struct commit_list *bases;
+			bases = get_merge_bases(i->item, j->item, 1);
+			if (!new)
+				new = bases;
+			else
+				end->next = bases;
+			for (k = bases; k; k = k->next)
+				end = k;
 		}
+		ret = new;
 	}
 	return ret;
 }