diff --git a/builtin/shortlog.c b/builtin/shortlog.c
index 35ebd17f80..bfc082e584 100644
--- a/builtin/shortlog.c
+++ b/builtin/shortlog.c
@@ -14,7 +14,26 @@ static char const * const shortlog_usage[] = {
 	NULL
 };
 
-static int compare_by_number(const void *a1, const void *a2)
+/*
+ * The util field of our string_list_items will contain one of two things:
+ *
+ *   - if --summary is not in use, it will point to a string list of the
+ *     oneline subjects assigned to this author
+ *
+ *   - if --summary is in use, we don't need that list; we only need to know
+ *     its size. So we abuse the pointer slot to store our integer counter.
+ *
+ *  This macro accesses the latter.
+ */
+#define UTIL_TO_INT(x) ((intptr_t)(x)->util)
+
+static int compare_by_counter(const void *a1, const void *a2)
+{
+	const struct string_list_item *i1 = a1, *i2 = a2;
+	return UTIL_TO_INT(i2) - UTIL_TO_INT(i1);
+}
+
+static int compare_by_list(const void *a1, const void *a2)
 {
 	const struct string_list_item *i1 = a1, *i2 = a2;
 	const struct string_list *l1 = i1->util, *l2 = i2->util;
@@ -31,13 +50,9 @@ static void insert_one_record(struct shortlog *log,
 			      const char *author,
 			      const char *oneline)
 {
-	const char *dot3 = log->common_repo_prefix;
-	char *buffer, *p;
 	struct string_list_item *item;
 	const char *mailbuf, *namebuf;
 	size_t namelen, maillen;
-	const char *eol;
-	struct strbuf subject = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct strbuf namemailbuf = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct ident_split ident;
 
@@ -56,98 +71,95 @@ static void insert_one_record(struct shortlog *log,
 		strbuf_addf(&namemailbuf, " <%.*s>", (int)maillen, mailbuf);
 
 	item = string_list_insert(&log->list, namemailbuf.buf);
-	if (item->util == NULL)
-		item->util = xcalloc(1, sizeof(struct string_list));
 
-	/* Skip any leading whitespace, including any blank lines. */
-	while (*oneline && isspace(*oneline))
-		oneline++;
-	eol = strchr(oneline, '\n');
-	if (!eol)
-		eol = oneline + strlen(oneline);
-	if (starts_with(oneline, "[PATCH")) {
-		char *eob = strchr(oneline, ']');
-		if (eob && (!eol || eob < eol))
-			oneline = eob + 1;
-	}
-	while (*oneline && isspace(*oneline) && *oneline != '\n')
-		oneline++;
-	format_subject(&subject, oneline, " ");
-	buffer = strbuf_detach(&subject, NULL);
+	if (log->summary)
+		item->util = (void *)(UTIL_TO_INT(item) + 1);
+	else {
+		const char *dot3 = log->common_repo_prefix;
+		char *buffer, *p;
+		struct strbuf subject = STRBUF_INIT;
+		const char *eol;
 
-	if (dot3) {
-		int dot3len = strlen(dot3);
-		if (dot3len > 5) {
-			while ((p = strstr(buffer, dot3)) != NULL) {
-				int taillen = strlen(p) - dot3len;
-				memcpy(p, "/.../", 5);
-				memmove(p + 5, p + dot3len, taillen + 1);
+		/* Skip any leading whitespace, including any blank lines. */
+		while (*oneline && isspace(*oneline))
+			oneline++;
+		eol = strchr(oneline, '\n');
+		if (!eol)
+			eol = oneline + strlen(oneline);
+		if (starts_with(oneline, "[PATCH")) {
+			char *eob = strchr(oneline, ']');
+			if (eob && (!eol || eob < eol))
+				oneline = eob + 1;
+		}
+		while (*oneline && isspace(*oneline) && *oneline != '\n')
+			oneline++;
+		format_subject(&subject, oneline, " ");
+		buffer = strbuf_detach(&subject, NULL);
+
+		if (dot3) {
+			int dot3len = strlen(dot3);
+			if (dot3len > 5) {
+				while ((p = strstr(buffer, dot3)) != NULL) {
+					int taillen = strlen(p) - dot3len;
+					memcpy(p, "/.../", 5);
+					memmove(p + 5, p + dot3len, taillen + 1);
+				}
 			}
 		}
-	}
 
-	string_list_append(item->util, buffer);
+		if (item->util == NULL)
+			item->util = xcalloc(1, sizeof(struct string_list));
+		string_list_append(item->util, buffer);
+	}
 }
 
 static void read_from_stdin(struct shortlog *log)
 {
-	char author[1024], oneline[1024];
+	struct strbuf author = STRBUF_INIT;
+	struct strbuf oneline = STRBUF_INIT;
 
-	while (fgets(author, sizeof(author), stdin) != NULL) {
-		if (!(author[0] == 'A' || author[0] == 'a') ||
-		    !starts_with(author + 1, "uthor: "))
+	while (strbuf_getline_lf(&author, stdin) != EOF) {
+		const char *v;
+		if (!skip_prefix(author.buf, "Author: ", &v) &&
+		    !skip_prefix(author.buf, "author ", &v))
 			continue;
-		while (fgets(oneline, sizeof(oneline), stdin) &&
-		       oneline[0] != '\n')
+		while (strbuf_getline_lf(&oneline, stdin) != EOF &&
+		       oneline.len)
 			; /* discard headers */
-		while (fgets(oneline, sizeof(oneline), stdin) &&
-		       oneline[0] == '\n')
+		while (strbuf_getline_lf(&oneline, stdin) != EOF &&
+		       !oneline.len)
 			; /* discard blanks */
-		insert_one_record(log, author + 8, oneline);
+		insert_one_record(log, v, oneline.buf);
 	}
+	strbuf_release(&author);
+	strbuf_release(&oneline);
 }
 
 void shortlog_add_commit(struct shortlog *log, struct commit *commit)
 {
-	const char *author = NULL, *buffer;
-	struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
-	struct strbuf ufbuf = STRBUF_INIT;
+	struct strbuf author = STRBUF_INIT;
+	struct strbuf oneline = STRBUF_INIT;
+	struct pretty_print_context ctx = {0};
 
-	pp_commit_easy(CMIT_FMT_RAW, commit, &buf);
-	buffer = buf.buf;
-	while (*buffer && *buffer != '\n') {
-		const char *eol = strchr(buffer, '\n');
+	ctx.fmt = CMIT_FMT_USERFORMAT;
+	ctx.abbrev = log->abbrev;
+	ctx.subject = "";
+	ctx.after_subject = "";
+	ctx.date_mode.type = DATE_NORMAL;
+	ctx.output_encoding = get_log_output_encoding();
 
-		if (eol == NULL)
-			eol = buffer + strlen(buffer);
+	format_commit_message(commit, "%an <%ae>", &author, &ctx);
+	if (!log->summary) {
+		if (log->user_format)
+			pretty_print_commit(&ctx, commit, &oneline);
 		else
-			eol++;
+			format_commit_message(commit, "%s", &oneline, &ctx);
+	}
 
-		if (starts_with(buffer, "author "))
-			author = buffer + 7;
-		buffer = eol;
-	}
-	if (!author) {
-		warning(_("Missing author: %s"),
-		    oid_to_hex(&commit->object.oid));
-		return;
-	}
-	if (log->user_format) {
-		struct pretty_print_context ctx = {0};
-		ctx.fmt = CMIT_FMT_USERFORMAT;
-		ctx.abbrev = log->abbrev;
-		ctx.subject = "";
-		ctx.after_subject = "";
-		ctx.date_mode.type = DATE_NORMAL;
-		ctx.output_encoding = get_log_output_encoding();
-		pretty_print_commit(&ctx, commit, &ufbuf);
-		buffer = ufbuf.buf;
-	} else if (*buffer) {
-		buffer++;
-	}
-	insert_one_record(log, author, !*buffer ? "<none>" : buffer);
-	strbuf_release(&ufbuf);
-	strbuf_release(&buf);
+	insert_one_record(log, author.buf, oneline.len ? oneline.buf : "<none>");
+
+	strbuf_release(&author);
+	strbuf_release(&oneline);
 }
 
 static void get_from_rev(struct rev_info *rev, struct shortlog *log)
@@ -294,14 +306,14 @@ void shortlog_output(struct shortlog *log)
 
 	if (log->sort_by_number)
 		qsort(log->list.items, log->list.nr, sizeof(struct string_list_item),
-			compare_by_number);
+		      log->summary ? compare_by_counter : compare_by_list);
 	for (i = 0; i < log->list.nr; i++) {
-		struct string_list *onelines = log->list.items[i].util;
-
+		const struct string_list_item *item = &log->list.items[i];
 		if (log->summary) {
-			printf("%6d\t%s\n", onelines->nr, log->list.items[i].string);
+			printf("%6d\t%s\n", (int)UTIL_TO_INT(item), item->string);
 		} else {
-			printf("%s (%d):\n", log->list.items[i].string, onelines->nr);
+			struct string_list *onelines = item->util;
+			printf("%s (%d):\n", item->string, onelines->nr);
 			for (j = onelines->nr - 1; j >= 0; j--) {
 				const char *msg = onelines->items[j].string;
 
@@ -314,11 +326,11 @@ void shortlog_output(struct shortlog *log)
 					printf("      %s\n", msg);
 			}
 			putchar('\n');
+			onelines->strdup_strings = 1;
+			string_list_clear(onelines, 0);
+			free(onelines);
 		}
 
-		onelines->strdup_strings = 1;
-		string_list_clear(onelines, 0);
-		free(onelines);
 		log->list.items[i].util = NULL;
 	}
 
diff --git a/t/t4201-shortlog.sh b/t/t4201-shortlog.sh
index 7600a3e3e8..f5e63670fa 100755
--- a/t/t4201-shortlog.sh
+++ b/t/t4201-shortlog.sh
@@ -120,6 +120,12 @@ test_expect_success !MINGW 'shortlog from non-git directory' '
 	test_cmp expect out
 '
 
+test_expect_success !MINGW 'shortlog can read --format=raw output' '
+	git log --format=raw HEAD >log &&
+	GIT_DIR=non-existing git shortlog -w <log >out &&
+	test_cmp expect out
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'shortlog should add newline when input line matches wraplen' '
 	cat >expect <<\EOF &&
 A U Thor (2):
@@ -172,22 +178,6 @@ test_expect_success !MINGW 'shortlog encoding' '
 	git shortlog HEAD~2.. > out &&
 test_cmp expect out'
 
-test_expect_success 'shortlog ignores commits with missing authors' '
-	git commit --allow-empty -m normal &&
-	git commit --allow-empty -m soon-to-be-broken &&
-	git cat-file commit HEAD >commit.tmp &&
-	sed "/^author/d" commit.tmp >broken.tmp &&
-	commit=$(git hash-object -w -t commit --stdin <broken.tmp) &&
-	git update-ref HEAD $commit &&
-	cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
-	A U Thor (1):
-	      normal
-
-	EOF
-	git shortlog HEAD~2.. >actual &&
-	test_cmp expect actual
-'
-
 test_expect_success 'shortlog with revision pseudo options' '
 	git shortlog --all &&
 	git shortlog --branches &&