diff --git a/include/init.sh b/include/init.sh
index 03878d41..e611127f 100644
--- a/include/init.sh
+++ b/include/init.sh
@@ -424,15 +424,19 @@ xbmk_git_init()
 	[ -e ".git" ] && \
 		return 0
 
+	(
+	export GIT_COMMITTER_DATE="@$versiondate +0000"
+	export GIT_AUTHOR_DATE="@$versiondate +0000"
+
 	x_ git init 1>/dev/null 2>/dev/null
 	x_ git add -A . 1>/dev/null 2>/dev/null
-	GIT_COMMITTER_DATE="@$versiondate +0000" \
-	    x_ git -c user.name="xbmk" -c user.email="xbmk@example.com" \
-	    commit -m "$projectname $version" --date "@$versiondate +0000" \
+	x_ git -c user.name="xbmk" -c user.email="xbmk@example.com" \
+	    commit -m "$projectname $version" \
 	    --author="xbmk <xbmk@example.com>" 1>/dev/null 2>/dev/null
 	x_ git -c user.name="xbmk" -c user.email="xbmk@example.com" \
 	    tag -a "$version" -m "$projectname $version" \
 	    1>/dev/null 2>/dev/null; :
+	) || err "Can't initialise workdir" xbmk_git_init "$@"; :
 }
 
 xbmk_child_exec()