diff --git a/builtin/gc.c b/builtin/gc.c
index 900ccfb8d4..8e60ef1eab 100644
--- a/builtin/gc.c
+++ b/builtin/gc.c
@@ -470,7 +470,8 @@ static const char *lock_repo_for_gc(int force, pid_t* ret_pid)
 /*
  * Returns 0 if there was no previous error and gc can proceed, 1 if
  * gc should not proceed due to an error in the last run. Prints a
- * message and returns -1 if an error occurred while reading gc.log
+ * message and returns with a non-[01] status code if an error occurred
+ * while reading gc.log
  */
 static int report_last_gc_error(void)
 {
@@ -484,7 +485,7 @@ static int report_last_gc_error(void)
 		if (errno == ENOENT)
 			goto done;
 
-		ret = error_errno(_("cannot stat '%s'"), gc_log_path);
+		ret = die_message_errno(_("cannot stat '%s'"), gc_log_path);
 		goto done;
 	}
 
@@ -493,7 +494,7 @@ static int report_last_gc_error(void)
 
 	len = strbuf_read_file(&sb, gc_log_path, 0);
 	if (len < 0)
-		ret = error_errno(_("cannot read '%s'"), gc_log_path);
+		ret = die_message_errno(_("cannot read '%s'"), gc_log_path);
 	else if (len > 0) {
 		/*
 		 * A previous gc failed.  Report the error, and don't
@@ -612,12 +613,12 @@ int cmd_gc(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		if (detach_auto) {
 			int ret = report_last_gc_error();
 
-			if (ret < 0)
-				/* an I/O error occurred, already reported */
-				return 128;
 			if (ret == 1)
 				/* Last gc --auto failed. Skip this one. */
 				return 0;
+			else if (ret)
+				/* an I/O error occurred, already reported */
+				return ret;
 
 			if (lock_repo_for_gc(force, &pid))
 				return 0;
diff --git a/git-compat-util.h b/git-compat-util.h
index d5e495529c..c6c6f7d6b5 100644
--- a/git-compat-util.h
+++ b/git-compat-util.h
@@ -480,6 +480,7 @@ NORETURN void usagef(const char *err, ...) __attribute__((format (printf, 1, 2))
 NORETURN void die(const char *err, ...) __attribute__((format (printf, 1, 2)));
 NORETURN void die_errno(const char *err, ...) __attribute__((format (printf, 1, 2)));
 int die_message(const char *err, ...) __attribute__((format (printf, 1, 2)));
+int die_message_errno(const char *err, ...) __attribute__((format (printf, 1, 2)));
 int error(const char *err, ...) __attribute__((format (printf, 1, 2)));
 int error_errno(const char *err, ...) __attribute__((format (printf, 1, 2)));
 void warning(const char *err, ...) __attribute__((format (printf, 1, 2)));
diff --git a/usage.c b/usage.c
index 76399ba840..3d09e8eea4 100644
--- a/usage.c
+++ b/usage.c
@@ -233,6 +233,18 @@ int die_message(const char *err, ...)
 	return 128;
 }
 
+#undef die_message_errno
+int die_message_errno(const char *fmt, ...)
+{
+	char buf[1024];
+	va_list params;
+
+	va_start(params, fmt);
+	die_message_routine(fmt_with_err(buf, sizeof(buf), fmt), params);
+	va_end(params);
+	return 128;
+}
+
 #undef error_errno
 int error_errno(const char *fmt, ...)
 {