diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index b979fb7492..a863a068ab 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1884,6 +1884,7 @@ GIT-CFLAGS: FORCE
 GIT-BUILD-OPTIONS: FORCE
 	@echo SHELL_PATH=\''$(subst ','\'',$(SHELL_PATH_SQ))'\' >$@
 	@echo PERL_PATH=\''$(subst ','\'',$(PERL_PATH_SQ))'\' >>$@
+	@echo PYTHON_PATH=\''$(subst ','\'',$(PYTHON_PATH_SQ))'\' >>$@
 	@echo TAR=\''$(subst ','\'',$(subst ','\'',$(TAR)))'\' >>$@
 	@echo NO_CURL=\''$(subst ','\'',$(subst ','\'',$(NO_CURL)))'\' >>$@
 	@echo NO_PERL=\''$(subst ','\'',$(subst ','\'',$(NO_PERL)))'\' >>$@
diff --git a/git-remote-testgit.py b/git-remote-testgit.py
index 92539222c5..df9d512f1a 100644
--- a/git-remote-testgit.py
+++ b/git-remote-testgit.py
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python
 
-import hashlib
+# hashlib is only available in python >= 2.5
+try:
+    import hashlib
+    _digest = hashlib.sha1
+except ImportError:
+    import sha
+    _digest = sha.new
 import sys
 import os
 sys.path.insert(0, os.getenv("GITPYTHONLIB","."))
@@ -19,7 +25,7 @@ def get_repo(alias, url):
     repo.get_revs()
     repo.get_head()
 
-    hasher = hashlib.sha1()
+    hasher = _digest()
     hasher.update(repo.path)
     repo.hash = hasher.hexdigest()
 
@@ -133,7 +139,10 @@ def do_export(repo, args):
 
     path = os.path.join(dirname, 'testgit.marks')
     print path
-    print path if os.path.exists(path) else ""
+    if os.path.exists(path):
+        print path
+    else:
+        print ""
     sys.stdout.flush()
 
     update_local_repo(repo)
diff --git a/git-request-pull.sh b/git-request-pull.sh
index 74238b0313..6fdea397dd 100755
--- a/git-request-pull.sh
+++ b/git-request-pull.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/bin/sh -e
+#!/bin/sh
 # Copyright 2005, Ryan Anderson <ryan@michonline.com>
 #
 # This file is licensed under the GPL v2, or a later version
@@ -70,10 +70,10 @@ git show -s --format='The following changes since commit %H:
 
   %s (%ci)
 
-are available in the git repository at:' $baserev
-echo "  $url $branch"
-echo
+are available in the git repository at:' $baserev &&
+echo "  $url $branch" &&
+echo &&
 
-git shortlog ^$baserev $headrev
-git diff -M --stat --summary $patch $merge_base..$headrev
+git shortlog ^$baserev $headrev &&
+git diff -M --stat --summary $patch $merge_base..$headrev || exit
 exit $status
diff --git a/git_remote_helpers/git/exporter.py b/git_remote_helpers/git/exporter.py
index dfaab00b5f..f40f9d6a29 100644
--- a/git_remote_helpers/git/exporter.py
+++ b/git_remote_helpers/git/exporter.py
@@ -48,4 +48,6 @@ def export_repo(self, base):
 
         args = ["sed", "s_refs/heads/_" + self.repo.prefix + "_g"]
 
-        subprocess.check_call(args, stdin=p1.stdout)
+        child = subprocess.Popen(args, stdin=p1.stdout)
+        if child.wait() != 0:
+            raise CalledProcessError
diff --git a/git_remote_helpers/git/importer.py b/git_remote_helpers/git/importer.py
index af2919d92c..70a712729b 100644
--- a/git_remote_helpers/git/importer.py
+++ b/git_remote_helpers/git/importer.py
@@ -35,4 +35,6 @@ def do_import(self, base):
         if os.path.exists(path):
             args.append("--import-marks=" + path)
 
-        subprocess.check_call(args)
+        child = subprocess.Popen(args)
+        if child.wait() != 0:
+            raise CalledProcessError
diff --git a/git_remote_helpers/git/non_local.py b/git_remote_helpers/git/non_local.py
index d75ef8f214..f27389bb94 100644
--- a/git_remote_helpers/git/non_local.py
+++ b/git_remote_helpers/git/non_local.py
@@ -29,7 +29,9 @@ def clone(self, base):
         os.makedirs(path)
         args = ["git", "clone", "--bare", "--quiet", self.repo.gitpath, path]
 
-        subprocess.check_call(args)
+        child = subprocess.Popen(args)
+        if child.wait() != 0:
+            raise CalledProcessError
 
         return path
 
@@ -43,10 +45,14 @@ def update(self, base):
             die("could not find repo at %s", path)
 
         args = ["git", "--git-dir=" + path, "fetch", "--quiet", self.repo.gitpath]
-        subprocess.check_call(args)
+        child = subprocess.Popen(args)
+        if child.wait() != 0:
+            raise CalledProcessError
 
         args = ["git", "--git-dir=" + path, "update-ref", "refs/heads/master", "FETCH_HEAD"]
-        subprocess.check_call(args)
+        child = subprocess.Popen(args)
+        if child.wait() != 0:
+            raise CalledProcessError
 
     def push(self, base):
         """Pushes from the non-local repo to base.
@@ -58,4 +64,6 @@ def push(self, base):
             die("could not find repo at %s", path)
 
         args = ["git", "--git-dir=" + path, "push", "--quiet", self.repo.gitpath]
-        subprocess.check_call(args)
+        child = subprocess.Popen(args)
+        if child.wait() != 0:
+            raise CalledProcessError
diff --git a/git_remote_helpers/git/repo.py b/git_remote_helpers/git/repo.py
index 82d5f78c7e..58e1cdb560 100644
--- a/git_remote_helpers/git/repo.py
+++ b/git_remote_helpers/git/repo.py
@@ -19,7 +19,10 @@ def is_remote(url):
 
     prefixes = ["http", "file", "git"]
 
-    return any(url.startswith(i) for i in prefixes)
+    for prefix in prefixes:
+        if url.startswith(prefix):
+            return True
+    return False
 
 class GitRepo(object):
     """Repo object representing a repo.
@@ -50,7 +53,9 @@ def get_revs(self):
         path = ".cached_revs"
         ofile = open(path, "w")
 
-        subprocess.check_call(args, stdout=ofile)
+        child = subprocess.Popen(args, stdout=ofile)
+        if child.wait() != 0:
+            raise CalledProcessError
         output = open(path).readlines()
         self.revmap = dict(sanitize(i) for i in output)
         if "HEAD" in self.revmap:
diff --git a/t/Makefile b/t/Makefile
index 25c559bb49..cd008a3c0f 100644
--- a/t/Makefile
+++ b/t/Makefile
@@ -35,7 +35,9 @@ aggregate-results-and-cleanup: $(T)
 	$(MAKE) clean
 
 aggregate-results:
-	'$(SHELL_PATH_SQ)' ./aggregate-results.sh test-results/t*-*
+	for f in test-results/t*-*; do \
+		echo "$$f"; \
+	done | '$(SHELL_PATH_SQ)' ./aggregate-results.sh
 
 # we can test NO_OPTIMIZE_COMMITS independently of LC_ALL
 full-svn-test:
diff --git a/t/aggregate-results.sh b/t/aggregate-results.sh
index d5bab75d7d..d206b7c4cf 100755
--- a/t/aggregate-results.sh
+++ b/t/aggregate-results.sh
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ failed=0
 broken=0
 total=0
 
-for file
+while read file
 do
 	while read type value
 	do
diff --git a/t/t5150-request-pull.sh b/t/t5150-request-pull.sh
index 169d3ea376..9cc0a42ea9 100755
--- a/t/t5150-request-pull.sh
+++ b/t/t5150-request-pull.sh
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ test_expect_success 'setup: two scripts for reading pull requests' '
 
 	cat <<-\EOT >read-request.sed &&
 	#!/bin/sed -nf
-	/ in the git repository at:$/! d
+	/ in the git repository at:$/!d
 	n
 	/^$/ n
 	s/^[ 	]*\(.*\) \([^ ]*\)/please pull\
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ test_expect_success 'setup: two scripts for reading pull requests' '
 	/^        [a-zA-Z]/ n
 	/^[a-zA-Z]* ([0-9]*):\$/ n
 	/^\$/ N
-	/^\n[a-zA-Z]* ([0-9]*):\$/! {
+	/^\n[a-zA-Z]* ([0-9]*):\$/!{
 		a\\
 	SHORTLOG
 		D
diff --git a/t/t5800-remote-helpers.sh b/t/t5800-remote-helpers.sh
index 75a0163c07..4ee7b65ce6 100755
--- a/t/t5800-remote-helpers.sh
+++ b/t/t5800-remote-helpers.sh
@@ -7,9 +7,15 @@ test_description='Test remote-helper import and export commands'
 
 . ./test-lib.sh
 
-if ! test_have_prereq PYTHON
+if test_have_prereq PYTHON && "$PYTHON_PATH" -c '
+import sys
+if sys.hexversion < 0x02040000:
+    sys.exit(1)
+'
 then
-	say 'skipping git remote-testgit tests: requires Python support'
+	:
+else
+	say 'skipping git remote-testgit tests: requires Python 2.4 or newer'
 	test_done
 fi
 
diff --git a/t/t7006-pager.sh b/t/t7006-pager.sh
index 3bc7a2a796..a6f3677731 100755
--- a/t/t7006-pager.sh
+++ b/t/t7006-pager.sh
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ else
 fi
 
 test_expect_success 'setup' '
-	unset GIT_PAGER GIT_PAGER_IN_USE &&
+	unset GIT_PAGER GIT_PAGER_IN_USE;
 	test_might_fail git config --unset core.pager &&
 
 	PAGER="cat >paginated.out" &&
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ test_expect_success 'color when writing to a file intended for a pager' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'determine default pager' '
-	unset PAGER GIT_PAGER &&
+	unset PAGER GIT_PAGER;
 	test_might_fail git config --unset core.pager ||
 	cleanup_fail &&
 
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ then
 fi
 
 test_expect_success SIMPLEPAGER 'default pager is used by default' '
-	unset PAGER GIT_PAGER &&
+	unset PAGER GIT_PAGER;
 	test_might_fail git config --unset core.pager &&
 	rm -f default_pager_used ||
 	cleanup_fail &&
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ test_expect_success SIMPLEPAGER 'default pager is used by default' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success TTY 'PAGER overrides default pager' '
-	unset GIT_PAGER &&
+	unset GIT_PAGER;
 	test_might_fail git config --unset core.pager &&
 	rm -f PAGER_used ||
 	cleanup_fail &&
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ test_expect_success TTY 'PAGER overrides default pager' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success TTY 'core.pager overrides PAGER' '
-	unset GIT_PAGER &&
+	unset GIT_PAGER;
 	rm -f core.pager_used ||
 	cleanup_fail &&