diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/RevParse.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/RevParse.java
index a66b7fa63..fa9f64de4 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/RevParse.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/RevParse.java
@@ -86,7 +86,8 @@ class RevParse extends TextBuiltin {
 		} else {
 			if (verify && commits.size() > 1) {
 				final CmdLineParser clp = new CmdLineParser(this);
-				throw new CmdLineException(clp, CLIText.get().needSingleRevision);
+				throw new CmdLineException(clp,
+						CLIText.format(CLIText.get().needSingleRevision));
 			}
 
 			for (final ObjectId o : commits) {
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 7d304bc1c..dfb489d82 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
@@ -45,14 +45,47 @@
 package org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.internal;
 
 import java.text.MessageFormat;
+import java.util.Locale;
 
 import org.eclipse.jgit.nls.NLS;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.nls.TranslationBundle;
+import org.kohsuke.args4j.Localizable;
 
 /**
  * Translation bundle for JGit command line interface
  */
 public class CLIText extends TranslationBundle {
+	/**
+	 * Formats text strings using {@code Localizable}.
+	 *
+	 */
+	public static class Format implements Localizable {
+		final String text;
+
+		Format(String text) {
+			this.text = text;
+		}
+
+		@Override
+		public String formatWithLocale(Locale locale, Object... args) {
+			// we don't care about Locale for now
+			return format(args);
+		}
+
+		@Override
+		public String format(Object... args) {
+			return MessageFormat.format(text, args);
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @param text
+	 *            the text to format.
+	 * @return a new Format instance.
+	 */
+	public static Format format(String text) {
+		return new Format(text);
+	}
 
 	/**
 	 * @return an instance of this translation bundle
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/AbstractTreeIteratorHandler.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/AbstractTreeIteratorHandler.java
index 8f56bda5f..587f98ca5 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/AbstractTreeIteratorHandler.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/AbstractTreeIteratorHandler.java
@@ -119,20 +119,25 @@ public class AbstractTreeIteratorHandler extends
 		try {
 			id = clp.getRepository().resolve(name);
 		} catch (IOException e) {
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, e.getMessage());
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp, CLIText.format(e.getMessage()));
 		}
 		if (id == null)
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().notATree, name));
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp,
+					CLIText.format(CLIText.get().notATree), name);
 
 		final CanonicalTreeParser p = new CanonicalTreeParser();
 		try (ObjectReader curs = clp.getRepository().newObjectReader()) {
 			p.reset(curs, clp.getRevWalk().parseTree(id));
 		} catch (MissingObjectException e) {
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().notATree, name));
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp,
+					CLIText.format(CLIText.get().notATree), name);
 		} catch (IncorrectObjectTypeException e) {
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().notATree, name));
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp,
+					CLIText.format(CLIText.get().notATree), name);
 		} catch (IOException e) {
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().cannotReadBecause, name, e.getMessage()));
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp,
+					CLIText.format(CLIText.get().cannotReadBecause), name,
+					e.getMessage());
 		}
 
 		setter.addValue(p);
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/ObjectIdHandler.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/ObjectIdHandler.java
index 75ca554ef..74bab2d2e 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/ObjectIdHandler.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/ObjectIdHandler.java
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@
 package org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.opt;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
-import java.text.MessageFormat;
 
 import org.eclipse.jgit.lib.ObjectId;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.internal.CLIText;
@@ -86,14 +85,15 @@ public class ObjectIdHandler extends OptionHandler<ObjectId> {
 		try {
 			id = clp.getRepository().resolve(name);
 		} catch (IOException e) {
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, e.getMessage());
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp, CLIText.format(e.getMessage()));
 		}
 		if (id != null) {
 			setter.addValue(id);
 			return 1;
 		}
 
-		throw new CmdLineException(clp, MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().notAnObject, name));
+		throw new CmdLineException(clp,
+				CLIText.format(CLIText.get().notAnObject), name);
 	}
 
 	@Override
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/RevCommitHandler.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/RevCommitHandler.java
index 7661774f5..27555e344 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/RevCommitHandler.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/RevCommitHandler.java
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@
 package org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.opt;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
-import java.text.MessageFormat;
 
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.IncorrectObjectTypeException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.MissingObjectException;
@@ -97,9 +96,8 @@ public class RevCommitHandler extends OptionHandler<RevCommit> {
 		if (dot2 != -1) {
 			if (!option.isMultiValued())
 				throw new CmdLineException(clp,
-						MessageFormat.format(
-								CLIText.get().onlyOneMetaVarExpectedIn,
-								option.metaVar(), name));
+						CLIText.format(CLIText.get().onlyOneMetaVarExpectedIn),
+						option.metaVar(), name);
 
 			final String left = name.substring(0, dot2);
 			final String right = name.substring(dot2 + 2);
@@ -118,20 +116,25 @@ public class RevCommitHandler extends OptionHandler<RevCommit> {
 		try {
 			id = clp.getRepository().resolve(name);
 		} catch (IOException e) {
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, e.getMessage());
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp, CLIText.format(e.getMessage()));
 		}
 		if (id == null)
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().notACommit, name));
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp,
+					CLIText.format(CLIText.get().notACommit), name);
 
 		final RevCommit c;
 		try {
 			c = clp.getRevWalk().parseCommit(id);
 		} catch (MissingObjectException e) {
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().notACommit, name));
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp,
+					CLIText.format(CLIText.get().notACommit), name);
 		} catch (IncorrectObjectTypeException e) {
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().notACommit, name));
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp,
+					CLIText.format(CLIText.get().notACommit), name);
 		} catch (IOException e) {
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().cannotReadBecause, name, e.getMessage()));
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp,
+					CLIText.format(CLIText.get().cannotReadBecause), name,
+					e.getMessage());
 		}
 
 		if (interesting)
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/RevTreeHandler.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/RevTreeHandler.java
index 9f1d21ec4..15ed5890e 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/RevTreeHandler.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/RevTreeHandler.java
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@
 package org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.opt;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
-import java.text.MessageFormat;
 
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.IncorrectObjectTypeException;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.errors.MissingObjectException;
@@ -89,20 +88,25 @@ public class RevTreeHandler extends OptionHandler<RevTree> {
 		try {
 			id = clp.getRepository().resolve(name);
 		} catch (IOException e) {
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, e.getMessage());
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp, CLIText.format(e.getMessage()));
 		}
 		if (id == null)
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().notATree, name));
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp,
+					CLIText.format(CLIText.get().notATree), name);
 
 		final RevTree c;
 		try {
 			c = clp.getRevWalk().parseTree(id);
 		} catch (MissingObjectException e) {
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().notATree, name));
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp,
+					CLIText.format(CLIText.get().notATree), name);
 		} catch (IncorrectObjectTypeException e) {
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().notATree, name));
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp,
+					CLIText.format(CLIText.get().notATree), name);
 		} catch (IOException e) {
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, MessageFormat.format(CLIText.get().cannotReadBecause, name, e.getMessage()));
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp,
+					CLIText.format(CLIText.get().cannotReadBecause), name,
+					e.getMessage());
 		}
 		setter.addValue(c);
 		return 1;
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/SubcommandHandler.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/SubcommandHandler.java
index 311597e6b..ae5263fba 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/SubcommandHandler.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/SubcommandHandler.java
@@ -43,8 +43,6 @@
 
 package org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.opt;
 
-import java.text.MessageFormat;
-
 import org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.CommandCatalog;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.CommandRef;
 import org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.TextBuiltin;
@@ -85,8 +83,8 @@ public class SubcommandHandler extends OptionHandler<TextBuiltin> {
 		final String name = params.getParameter(0);
 		final CommandRef cr = CommandCatalog.get(name);
 		if (cr == null)
-			throw new CmdLineException(clp, MessageFormat.format(
-					CLIText.get().notAJgitCommand, name));
+			throw new CmdLineException(clp,
+					CLIText.format(CLIText.get().notAJgitCommand), name);
 
 		// Force option parsing to stop. Everything after us should
 		// be arguments known only to this command and must not be
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/UntrackedFilesHandler.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/UntrackedFilesHandler.java
index 3edd0ddbe..e22b2e49b 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/UntrackedFilesHandler.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/opt/UntrackedFilesHandler.java
@@ -42,8 +42,6 @@
  */
 package org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.opt;
 
-import java.text.MessageFormat;
-
 import org.eclipse.jgit.pgm.internal.CLIText;
 import org.kohsuke.args4j.CmdLineException;
 import org.kohsuke.args4j.CmdLineParser;
@@ -105,8 +103,9 @@ public class UntrackedFilesHandler extends StringOptionHandler {
 			if ("no".equals(mode) || "all".equals(mode)) { //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$
 				setter.addValue(mode);
 			} else {
-				throw new CmdLineException(owner, MessageFormat
-						.format(CLIText.get().invalidUntrackedFilesMode, mode));
+				throw new CmdLineException(owner,
+						CLIText.format(CLIText.get().invalidUntrackedFilesMode),
+						mode);
 			}
 			return 1;
 		} else {