diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.test/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/CLIGitCommand.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.test/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/CLIGitCommand.java
index 7d2cbca72..6a12019d7 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.test/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/CLIGitCommand.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.test/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/CLIGitCommand.java
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ package org.eclipse.jgit.pgm;
 
 import java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream;
 import java.io.File;
-import java.text.MessageFormat;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 
@@ -106,8 +105,7 @@ public class CLIGitCommand {
 		try {
 			return IO.readLines(new String(rawExecute(str, db)));
 		} catch (Die e) {
-			return IO.readLines(MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().fatalError,
-					e.getMessage()));
+			return IO.readLines(CLIText.fatalError(e.getMessage()));
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/DescribeTest.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/DescribeTest.java
index a50b243ee..086e72e9a 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/DescribeTest.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/DescribeTest.java
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 package org.eclipse.jgit.pgm;
 
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertArrayEquals;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 
@@ -50,6 +51,7 @@ import java.util.Arrays;
 
 import org.eclipse.jgit.api.Git;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.CLIRepositoryTestCase;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.internal.CLIText;
 import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
@@ -71,17 +73,15 @@ public class DescribeTest extends CLIRepositoryTestCase {
 
 	@Test
 	public void testNoHead() throws Exception {
-		assertArrayEquals(
-				new String[] { "fatal: No names found, cannot describe anything." },
-				executeUnchecked("git describe"));
+		assertEquals(CLIText.fatalError(CLIText.get().noNamesFound),
+				toString(executeUnchecked("git describe")));
 	}
 
 	@Test
 	public void testHeadNoTag() throws Exception {
 		git.commit().setMessage("initial commit").call();
-		assertArrayEquals(
-				new String[] { "fatal: No names found, cannot describe anything." },
-				executeUnchecked("git describe"));
+		assertEquals(CLIText.fatalError(CLIText.get().noNamesFound),
+				toString(executeUnchecked("git describe")));
 	}
 
 	@Test
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/MergeTest.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/MergeTest.java
index 641e59b04..47199016d 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/MergeTest.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/MergeTest.java
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ import java.util.Iterator;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.api.Git;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.CLIRepositoryTestCase;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.merge.MergeStrategy;
+import org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.internal.CLIText;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.revwalk.RevCommit;
 import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Test;
@@ -194,7 +195,8 @@ public class MergeTest extends CLIRepositoryTestCase {
 
 	@Test
 	public void testNoFastForwardAndSquash() throws Exception {
-		assertEquals("fatal: You cannot combine --squash with --no-ff.",
+		assertEquals(
+				CLIText.fatalError(CLIText.get().cannotCombineSquashWithNoff),
 				executeUnchecked("git merge master --no-ff --squash")[0]);
 	}
 
@@ -209,7 +211,7 @@ public class MergeTest extends CLIRepositoryTestCase {
 		git.add().addFilepattern("file").call();
 		git.commit().setMessage("commit#2").call();
 
-		assertEquals("fatal: Not possible to fast-forward, aborting.",
+		assertEquals(CLIText.fatalError(CLIText.get().ffNotPossibleAborting),
 				executeUnchecked("git merge master --ff-only")[0]);
 	}
 
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/Main.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/Main.java
index d04cef0c7..e31306b21 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/Main.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/Main.java
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ public class Main {
 		} catch (Die err) {
 			if (err.isAborted())
 				System.exit(1);
-			System.err.println(MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().fatalError, err.getMessage()));
+			System.err.println(CLIText.fatalError(err.getMessage()));
 			if (showStackTrace)
 				err.printStackTrace();
 			System.exit(128);
@@ -147,10 +147,10 @@ public class Main {
 			}
 			if (!showStackTrace && err.getCause() != null
 					&& err instanceof TransportException)
-				System.err.println(MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().fatalError, err.getCause().getMessage()));
+				System.err.println(CLIText.fatalError(err.getCause().getMessage()));
 
 			if (err.getClass().getName().startsWith("org.eclipse.jgit.errors.")) { //$NON-NLS-1$
-				System.err.println(MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().fatalError, err.getMessage()));
+				System.err.println(CLIText.fatalError(err.getMessage()));
 				if (showStackTrace)
 					err.printStackTrace();
 				System.exit(128);
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ public class Main {
 			clp.parseArgument(argv);
 		} catch (CmdLineException err) {
 			if (argv.length > 0 && !help && !version) {
-				writer.println(MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().fatalError, err.getMessage()));
+				writer.println(CLIText.fatalError(err.getMessage()));
 				writer.flush();
 				System.exit(1);
 			}
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/TextBuiltin.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/TextBuiltin.java
index 95938326f..c4c5d64a0 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/TextBuiltin.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/TextBuiltin.java
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ public abstract class TextBuiltin {
 		try {
 			clp.parseArgument(args);
 		} catch (CmdLineException err) {
-			this.errw.println(MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().fatalError, err.getMessage()));
+			this.errw.println(CLIText.fatalError(err.getMessage()));
 			if (help) {
 				printUsage("", clp); //$NON-NLS-1$
 			}
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/internal/CLIText.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/internal/CLIText.java
index fd86ddf2b..281213726 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/internal/CLIText.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/internal/CLIText.java
@@ -74,6 +74,19 @@ public class CLIText extends TranslationBundle {
 		return MessageFormat.format(get().lineFormat, line);
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * Format the given argument as fatal error using the format defined by
+	 * {@link #fatalError} ("fatal: " by default).
+	 *
+	 * @param message
+	 *            the message to format
+	 * @return the formatted line
+	 * @since 4.2
+	 */
+	public static String fatalError(String message) {
+		return MessageFormat.format(get().fatalError, message);
+	}
+
 	// @formatter:off
 	/***/ public String alreadyOnBranch;
 	/***/ public String alreadyUpToDate;