diff --git a/builtin-mv.c b/builtin-mv.c
index e66fa5432..4f65b5ae9 100644
--- a/builtin-mv.c
+++ b/builtin-mv.c
@@ -36,18 +36,6 @@ static const char **copy_pathspec(const char *prefix, const char **pathspec,
 	return get_pathspec(prefix, result);
 }
 
-static void show_list(const char *label, struct string_list *list)
-{
-	if (list->nr > 0) {
-		int i;
-		printf("%s", label);
-		for (i = 0; i < list->nr; i++)
-			printf("%s%s", i > 0 ? ", " : "",
-					list->items[i].string);
-		putchar('\n');
-	}
-}
-
 static const char *add_slash(const char *path)
 {
 	int len = strlen(path);
@@ -76,11 +64,7 @@ int cmd_mv(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	const char **source, **destination, **dest_path;
 	enum update_mode { BOTH = 0, WORKING_DIRECTORY, INDEX } *modes;
 	struct stat st;
-	struct string_list overwritten = {NULL, 0, 0, 0};
 	struct string_list src_for_dst = {NULL, 0, 0, 0};
-	struct string_list added = {NULL, 0, 0, 0};
-	struct string_list deleted = {NULL, 0, 0, 0};
-	struct string_list changed = {NULL, 0, 0, 0};
 
 	git_config(git_default_config, NULL);
 
@@ -185,12 +169,11 @@ int cmd_mv(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 				 * only files can overwrite each other:
 				 * check both source and destination
 				 */
-				if (S_ISREG(st.st_mode)) {
+				if (S_ISREG(st.st_mode) || S_ISLNK(st.st_mode)) {
 					fprintf(stderr, "Warning: %s;"
 							" will overwrite!\n",
 							bad);
 					bad = NULL;
-					string_list_insert(dst, &overwritten);
 				} else
 					bad = "Cannot overwrite";
 			}
@@ -219,6 +202,7 @@ int cmd_mv(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	for (i = 0; i < argc; i++) {
 		const char *src = source[i], *dst = destination[i];
 		enum update_mode mode = modes[i];
+		int pos;
 		if (show_only || verbose)
 			printf("Renaming %s to %s\n", src, dst);
 		if (!show_only && mode != INDEX &&
@@ -228,45 +212,16 @@ int cmd_mv(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		if (mode == WORKING_DIRECTORY)
 			continue;
 
-		assert(cache_name_pos(src, strlen(src)) >= 0);
-
-		string_list_insert(src, &deleted);
-		/* destination can be a directory with 1 file inside */
-		if (string_list_has_string(&overwritten, dst))
-			string_list_insert(dst, &changed);
-		else
-			string_list_insert(dst, &added);
+		pos = cache_name_pos(src, strlen(src));
+		assert(pos >= 0);
+		if (!show_only)
+			rename_cache_entry_at(pos, dst);
 	}
 
-	if (show_only) {
-		show_list("Changed  : ", &changed);
-		show_list("Adding   : ", &added);
-		show_list("Deleting : ", &deleted);
-	} else {
-		for (i = 0; i < changed.nr; i++) {
-			const char *path = changed.items[i].string;
-			int j = cache_name_pos(path, strlen(path));
-			struct cache_entry *ce = active_cache[j];
-
-			if (j < 0)
-				die ("Huh? Cache entry for %s unknown?", path);
-			refresh_cache_entry(ce, 0);
-		}
-
-		for (i = 0; i < added.nr; i++) {
-			const char *path = added.items[i].string;
-			if (add_file_to_cache(path, verbose ? ADD_CACHE_VERBOSE : 0))
-				die("updating index entries failed");
-		}
-
-		for (i = 0; i < deleted.nr; i++)
-			remove_file_from_cache(deleted.items[i].string);
-
-		if (active_cache_changed) {
-			if (write_cache(newfd, active_cache, active_nr) ||
-			    commit_locked_index(&lock_file))
-				die("Unable to write new index file");
-		}
+	if (active_cache_changed) {
+		if (write_cache(newfd, active_cache, active_nr) ||
+		    commit_locked_index(&lock_file))
+			die("Unable to write new index file");
 	}
 
 	return 0;
diff --git a/cache.h b/cache.h
index 38985aa63..4b6c0a6c5 100644
--- a/cache.h
+++ b/cache.h
@@ -260,6 +260,7 @@ static inline void remove_name_hash(struct cache_entry *ce)
 #define unmerged_cache() unmerged_index(&the_index)
 #define cache_name_pos(name, namelen) index_name_pos(&the_index,(name),(namelen))
 #define add_cache_entry(ce, option) add_index_entry(&the_index, (ce), (option))
+#define rename_cache_entry_at(pos, new_name) rename_index_entry_at(&the_index, (pos), (new_name))
 #define remove_cache_entry_at(pos) remove_index_entry_at(&the_index, (pos))
 #define remove_file_from_cache(path) remove_file_from_index(&the_index, (path))
 #define add_to_cache(path, st, flags) add_to_index(&the_index, (path), (st), (flags))
@@ -370,6 +371,7 @@ extern int index_name_pos(const struct index_state *, const char *name, int name
 #define ADD_CACHE_JUST_APPEND 8		/* Append only; tree.c::read_tree() */
 extern int add_index_entry(struct index_state *, struct cache_entry *ce, int option);
 extern struct cache_entry *refresh_cache_entry(struct cache_entry *ce, int really);
+extern void rename_index_entry_at(struct index_state *, int pos, const char *new_name);
 extern int remove_index_entry_at(struct index_state *, int pos);
 extern int remove_file_from_index(struct index_state *, const char *path);
 #define ADD_CACHE_VERBOSE 1
diff --git a/read-cache.c b/read-cache.c
index a50a85112..6c0880337 100644
--- a/read-cache.c
+++ b/read-cache.c
@@ -38,6 +38,22 @@ static void replace_index_entry(struct index_state *istate, int nr, struct cache
 	istate->cache_changed = 1;
 }
 
+void rename_index_entry_at(struct index_state *istate, int nr, const char *new_name)
+{
+	struct cache_entry *old = istate->cache[nr], *new;
+	int namelen = strlen(new_name);
+
+	new = xmalloc(cache_entry_size(namelen));
+	copy_cache_entry(new, old);
+	new->ce_flags &= ~(CE_STATE_MASK | CE_NAMEMASK);
+	new->ce_flags |= (namelen >= CE_NAMEMASK ? CE_NAMEMASK : namelen);
+	memcpy(new->name, new_name, namelen + 1);
+
+	cache_tree_invalidate_path(istate->cache_tree, old->name);
+	remove_index_entry_at(istate, nr);
+	add_index_entry(istate, new, ADD_CACHE_OK_TO_ADD|ADD_CACHE_OK_TO_REPLACE);
+}
+
 /*
  * This only updates the "non-critical" parts of the directory
  * cache, ie the parts that aren't tracked by GIT, and only used
diff --git a/t/t7001-mv.sh b/t/t7001-mv.sh
index 336cfaa1c..b0fa40782 100755
--- a/t/t7001-mv.sh
+++ b/t/t7001-mv.sh
@@ -156,4 +156,56 @@ test_expect_success 'absolute pathname outside should fail' '(
 
 )'
 
+test_expect_success 'git mv should not change sha1 of moved cache entry' '
+
+	rm -fr .git &&
+	git init &&
+	echo 1 >dirty &&
+	git add dirty &&
+	entry="$(git ls-files --stage dirty | cut -f 1)"
+	git mv dirty dirty2 &&
+	[ "$entry" = "$(git ls-files --stage dirty2 | cut -f 1)" ] &&
+	echo 2 >dirty2 &&
+	git mv dirty2 dirty &&
+	[ "$entry" = "$(git ls-files --stage dirty | cut -f 1)" ]
+
+'
+
+rm -f dirty dirty2
+
+test_expect_success 'git mv should overwrite symlink to a file' '
+
+	rm -fr .git &&
+	git init &&
+	echo 1 >moved &&
+	ln -s moved symlink &&
+	git add moved symlink &&
+	test_must_fail git mv moved symlink &&
+	git mv -f moved symlink &&
+	! test -e moved &&
+	test -f symlink &&
+	test "$(cat symlink)" = 1 &&
+	git diff-files --quiet
+
+'
+
+rm -f moved symlink
+
+test_expect_success 'git mv should overwrite file with a symlink' '
+
+	rm -fr .git &&
+	git init &&
+	echo 1 >moved &&
+	ln -s moved symlink &&
+	git add moved symlink &&
+	test_must_fail git mv symlink moved &&
+	git mv -f symlink moved &&
+	! test -e symlink &&
+	test -h moved &&
+	git diff-files --quiet
+
+'
+
+rm -f moved symlink
+
 test_done