diff --git a/pretty.c b/pretty.c
index 6cc812c2c7..33054e22cd 100644
--- a/pretty.c
+++ b/pretty.c
@@ -870,16 +870,6 @@ const char *format_subject(struct strbuf *sb, const char *msg,
 	return msg;
 }
 
-static void format_trailers(struct strbuf *sb, const char *msg)
-{
-	struct trailer_info info;
-
-	trailer_info_get(&info, msg);
-	strbuf_add(sb, info.trailer_start,
-		   info.trailer_end - info.trailer_start);
-	trailer_info_release(&info);
-}
-
 static void parse_commit_message(struct format_commit_context *c)
 {
 	const char *msg = c->message + c->message_off;
@@ -1273,7 +1263,8 @@ static size_t format_commit_one(struct strbuf *sb, /* in UTF-8 */
 	}
 
 	if (starts_with(placeholder, "(trailers)")) {
-		format_trailers(sb, msg + c->subject_off);
+		struct process_trailer_options opts = PROCESS_TRAILER_OPTIONS_INIT;
+		format_trailers_from_commit(sb, msg + c->subject_off, &opts);
 		return strlen("(trailers)");
 	}
 
diff --git a/trailer.c b/trailer.c
index e63f432947..07580af9c0 100644
--- a/trailer.c
+++ b/trailer.c
@@ -1090,3 +1090,21 @@ void trailer_info_release(struct trailer_info *info)
 		free(info->trailers[i]);
 	free(info->trailers);
 }
+
+static void format_trailer_info(struct strbuf *out,
+				const struct trailer_info *info,
+				const struct process_trailer_options *opts)
+{
+	strbuf_add(out, info->trailer_start,
+		   info->trailer_end - info->trailer_start);
+}
+
+void format_trailers_from_commit(struct strbuf *out, const char *msg,
+				 const struct process_trailer_options *opts)
+{
+	struct trailer_info info;
+
+	trailer_info_get(&info, msg);
+	format_trailer_info(out, &info, opts);
+	trailer_info_release(&info);
+}
diff --git a/trailer.h b/trailer.h
index 194f85a102..a172811022 100644
--- a/trailer.h
+++ b/trailer.h
@@ -40,4 +40,18 @@ void trailer_info_get(struct trailer_info *info, const char *str);
 
 void trailer_info_release(struct trailer_info *info);
 
+/*
+ * Format the trailers from the commit msg "msg" into the strbuf "out".
+ * Note two caveats about "opts":
+ *
+ *   - this is primarily a helper for pretty.c, and not
+ *     all of the flags are supported.
+ *
+ *   - this differs from process_trailers slightly in that we always format
+ *     only the trailer block itself, even if the "only_trailers" option is not
+ *     set.
+ */
+void format_trailers_from_commit(struct strbuf *out, const char *msg,
+				 const struct process_trailer_options *opts);
+
 #endif /* TRAILER_H */