diff --git a/src/cut.c b/src/cut.c
index 27478918..ffcb8b76 100644
--- a/src/cut.c
+++ b/src/cut.c
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ void do_deletion(undo_type action)
 		 * line, create a new undo item, otherwise update the existing item. */
 		if (action != openfile->last_action ||
 					openfile->current->lineno != openfile->current_undo->lineno)
-			add_undo(action);
+			add_undo(action, NULL);
 		else
 			update_undo(action);
 
@@ -68,13 +68,13 @@ void do_deletion(undo_type action)
 				!ISSET(NO_NEWLINES)) {
 #ifndef NANO_TINY
 			if (action == BACK)
-				add_undo(BACK);
+				add_undo(BACK, NULL);
 #endif
 			return;
 		}
 
 #ifndef NANO_TINY
-		add_undo(action);
+		add_undo(action, NULL);
 #endif
 		/* Add the contents of the next line to those of the current one. */
 		openfile->current->data = charealloc(openfile->current->data,
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ void chop_word(bool forward)
 	openfile->current_x = is_current_x;
 
 	/* Now kill the marked region and a word is gone. */
-	add_undo(CUT);
+	add_undo(CUT, NULL);
 	do_snip(FALSE, TRUE, FALSE, FALSE);
 	update_undo(CUT);
 
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ void cut_text(void)
 	 * the current cut is not contiguous with the previous cutting. */
 	if (openfile->last_action != CUT || !keep_cutbuffer) {
 		keep_cutbuffer = FALSE;
-		add_undo(CUT);
+		add_undo(CUT, NULL);
 	}
 
 	do_snip(FALSE, openfile->mark != NULL, FALSE, FALSE);
@@ -436,7 +436,7 @@ void cut_till_eof(void)
 		return;
 	}
 
-	add_undo(CUT_TO_EOF);
+	add_undo(CUT_TO_EOF, NULL);
 	do_snip(FALSE, FALSE, TRUE, FALSE);
 	update_undo(CUT_TO_EOF);
 	wipe_statusbar();
@@ -454,7 +454,7 @@ void zap_text(void)
 	/* Add a new undo item only when the current item is not a ZAP or when
 	 * the current zap is not contiguous with the previous zapping. */
 	if (openfile->last_action != ZAP || !keep_cutbuffer)
-		add_undo(ZAP);
+		add_undo(ZAP, NULL);
 
 	/* Use the cutbuffer from the ZAP undo item, so the cut can be undone. */
 	cutbuffer = openfile->current_undo->cutbuffer;
@@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ void paste_text(void)
 	}
 
 #ifndef NANO_TINY
-	add_undo(PASTE);
+	add_undo(PASTE, NULL);
 
 	if (ISSET(SOFTWRAP))
 		was_leftedge = leftedge_for(xplustabs(), openfile->current);
diff --git a/src/files.c b/src/files.c
index 567299a7..5f687645 100644
--- a/src/files.c
+++ b/src/files.c
@@ -525,8 +525,7 @@ bool replace_buffer(const char *filename, undo_type action, bool marked)
 		return FALSE;
 
 #ifndef NANO_TINY
-	add_undo(COUPLE_BEGIN);
-	openfile->undotop->strdata = mallocstrcpy(NULL, _("spelling correction"));
+	add_undo(COUPLE_BEGIN, "spelling correction");
 #endif
 
 	/* When nothing is marked, start at the top of the buffer. */
@@ -538,7 +537,7 @@ bool replace_buffer(const char *filename, undo_type action, bool marked)
 	/* Throw away the marked region or the whole buffer. */
 	cutbuffer = NULL;
 #ifndef NANO_TINY
-	add_undo(action);
+	add_undo(action, NULL);
 #endif
 	do_snip(FALSE, marked, !marked, FALSE);
 #ifndef NANO_TINY
@@ -551,8 +550,7 @@ bool replace_buffer(const char *filename, undo_type action, bool marked)
 	read_file(f, descriptor, filename, TRUE);
 
 #ifndef NANO_TINY
-	add_undo(COUPLE_END);
-	openfile->undotop->strdata = mallocstrcpy(NULL, _("spelling correction"));
+	add_undo(COUPLE_END, "spelling correction");
 #endif
 	return TRUE;
 }
@@ -719,7 +717,7 @@ void read_file(FILE *f, int fd, const char *filename, bool undoable)
 
 #ifndef NANO_TINY
 	if (undoable)
-		add_undo(INSERT);
+		add_undo(INSERT, NULL);
 
 	if (ISSET(SOFTWRAP))
 		was_leftedge = leftedge_for(xplustabs(), openfile->current);
diff --git a/src/nano.c b/src/nano.c
index 4228a8ca..25f77599 100644
--- a/src/nano.c
+++ b/src/nano.c
@@ -1839,7 +1839,7 @@ void do_output(char *output, size_t output_len, bool allow_cntrls)
 		if (openfile->last_action != ADD ||
 				openfile->current_undo->mark_begin_lineno != openfile->current->lineno ||
 				openfile->current_undo->mark_begin_x != openfile->current_x)
-			add_undo(ADD);
+			add_undo(ADD, NULL);
 
 		/* Note that current_x has not yet been incremented. */
 		if (openfile->current == openfile->mark &&
diff --git a/src/proto.h b/src/proto.h
index e2676a9d..14e4d139 100644
--- a/src/proto.h
+++ b/src/proto.h
@@ -525,7 +525,7 @@ void do_enter(void);
 RETSIGTYPE cancel_command(int signal);
 bool execute_command(const char *command);
 void discard_until(const undostruct *thisitem, openfilestruct *thefile, bool keep);
-void add_undo(undo_type action);
+void add_undo(undo_type action, const char *message);
 void update_multiline_undo(ssize_t lineno, char *indentation);
 void update_undo(undo_type action);
 #endif /* !NANO_TINY */
diff --git a/src/search.c b/src/search.c
index 42fd663b..2b0bcca4 100644
--- a/src/search.c
+++ b/src/search.c
@@ -598,7 +598,7 @@ ssize_t do_replace_loop(const char *needle, bool whole_word_only,
 			size_t length_change;
 
 #ifndef NANO_TINY
-			add_undo(REPLACE);
+			add_undo(REPLACE, NULL);
 #endif
 			copy = replace_line(needle);
 
diff --git a/src/text.c b/src/text.c
index c23b29fd..0c95e5be 100644
--- a/src/text.c
+++ b/src/text.c
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ void do_indent(void)
 		indentation[1] = '\0';
 	}
 
-	add_undo(INDENT);
+	add_undo(INDENT, NULL);
 
 	/* Go through each of the lines, adding an indent to the non-empty ones,
 	 * and recording whatever was added in the undo item. */
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ void do_unindent(void)
 	if (top == bot->next)
 		return;
 
-	add_undo(UNINDENT);
+	add_undo(UNINDENT, NULL);
 
 	/* Go through each of the lines, removing their leading indent where
 	 * possible, and saving the removed whitespace in the undo item. */
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ void do_comment(void)
 	/* If all selected lines are blank, we comment them. */
 	action = all_empty ? COMMENT : action;
 
-	add_undo(action);
+	add_undo(action, NULL);
 
 	/* Store the comment sequence used for the operation, because it could
 	 * change when the file name changes; we need to know what it was. */
@@ -892,7 +892,7 @@ void do_enter(void)
 	openfile->current->data[openfile->current_x] = '\0';
 
 #ifndef NANO_TINY
-	add_undo(ENTER);
+	add_undo(ENTER, NULL);
 
 	/* Adjust the mark if it was on the current line after the cursor. */
 	if (openfile->mark == openfile->current &&
@@ -1018,13 +1018,12 @@ bool execute_command(const char *command)
 		} else
 #endif
 		{
-			add_undo(COUPLE_BEGIN);
-			openfile->undotop->strdata = mallocstrcpy(NULL, _("filtering"));
+			add_undo(COUPLE_BEGIN, "filtering");
 			if (openfile->mark == NULL) {
 				openfile->current = openfile->filetop;
 				openfile->current_x = 0;
 			}
-			add_undo(CUT);
+			add_undo(CUT, NULL);
 			do_snip(FALSE, openfile->mark != NULL, openfile->mark == NULL, FALSE);
 			update_undo(CUT);
 		}
@@ -1063,8 +1062,7 @@ bool execute_command(const char *command)
 		read_file(stream, 0, "pipe", TRUE);
 
 	if (should_pipe && !ISSET(MULTIBUFFER)) {
-		add_undo(COUPLE_END);
-		openfile->undotop->strdata = mallocstrcpy(NULL, _("filtering"));
+		add_undo(COUPLE_END, "filtering");
 	}
 
 	/* Wait for the external command (and possibly data sender) to terminate. */
@@ -1118,7 +1116,7 @@ void discard_until(const undostruct *thisitem, openfilestruct *thefile, bool kee
 }
 
 /* Add a new undo item of the given type to the top of the current pile. */
-void add_undo(undo_type action)
+void add_undo(undo_type action, const char *message)
 {
 	undostruct *u = nmalloc(sizeof(undostruct));
 
@@ -1227,6 +1225,7 @@ void add_undo(undo_type action)
 	case INSERT:
 	case COUPLE_BEGIN:
 	case COUPLE_END:
+		u->strdata = mallocstrcpy(NULL, _(message));
 		break;
 	case INDENT:
 	case UNINDENT:
@@ -1321,7 +1320,7 @@ void update_undo(undo_type action)
 		} else {
 			/* They deleted *elsewhere* on the line: start a new undo item. */
 			free(char_buf);
-			add_undo(u->type);
+			add_undo(u->type, NULL);
 			return;
 		}
 		break;
@@ -1435,7 +1434,7 @@ bool do_wrap(void)
 	if (ISSET(AUTOINDENT) && wrap_loc == indent_length(line->data))
 		return FALSE;
 
-	add_undo(SPLIT_BEGIN);
+	add_undo(SPLIT_BEGIN, NULL);
 #endif
 #ifdef ENABLE_JUSTIFY
 	bool autowhite = ISSET(AUTOINDENT);
@@ -1460,7 +1459,7 @@ bool do_wrap(void)
 		/* If the remainder doesn't end in a blank, add a space. */
 		if (!is_blank_mbchar(remainder + step_left(remainder, rest_length))) {
 #ifndef NANO_TINY
-			add_undo(ADD);
+			add_undo(ADD, NULL);
 #endif
 			line->data = charealloc(line->data, line_len + 2);
 			line->data[line_len] = ' ';
@@ -1539,7 +1538,7 @@ bool do_wrap(void)
 	openfile->placewewant = xplustabs();
 
 #ifndef NANO_TINY
-	add_undo(SPLIT_END);
+	add_undo(SPLIT_END, NULL);
 #endif
 
 	return TRUE;
@@ -2039,14 +2038,13 @@ void do_justify(bool full_justify)
 	}
 
 #ifndef NANO_TINY
-	add_undo(COUPLE_BEGIN);
-	openfile->undotop->strdata = mallocstrcpy(NULL, _("justification"));
+	add_undo(COUPLE_BEGIN, "justification");
 
 	/* Store the original cursor position, in case we unjustify. */
 	openfile->undotop->lineno = was_lineno;
 	openfile->undotop->begin = was_current_x;
 
-	add_undo(CUT);
+	add_undo(CUT, NULL);
 #endif
 
 	/* Do the equivalent of a marked cut into an empty cutbuffer. */
@@ -2150,15 +2148,14 @@ void do_justify(bool full_justify)
 	}
 
 #ifndef NANO_TINY
-	add_undo(PASTE);
+	add_undo(PASTE, NULL);
 #endif
 	/* Do the equivalent of a paste of the justified text. */
 	ingraft_buffer(cutbuffer);
 #ifndef NANO_TINY
 	update_undo(PASTE);
 
-	add_undo(COUPLE_END);
-	openfile->undotop->strdata = mallocstrcpy(NULL, _("justification"));
+	add_undo(COUPLE_END, "justification");
 
 	/* If we justified marked text, restore mark or cursor position. */
 	if (openfile->mark) {