diff --git a/rebase-interactive.c b/rebase-interactive.c
index ad5dd49c31..80b6a2e7a6 100644
--- a/rebase-interactive.c
+++ b/rebase-interactive.c
@@ -97,7 +97,8 @@ int edit_todo_list(struct repository *r, struct todo_list *todo_list,
 		   struct todo_list *new_todo, const char *shortrevisions,
 		   const char *shortonto, unsigned flags)
 {
-	const char *todo_file = rebase_path_todo();
+	const char *todo_file = rebase_path_todo(),
+		*todo_backup = rebase_path_todo_backup();
 	unsigned initial = shortrevisions && shortonto;
 
 	/* If the user is editing the todo list, we first try to parse
@@ -110,9 +111,9 @@ int edit_todo_list(struct repository *r, struct todo_list *todo_list,
 				    -1, flags | TODO_LIST_SHORTEN_IDS | TODO_LIST_APPEND_TODO_HELP))
 		return error_errno(_("could not write '%s'"), todo_file);
 
-	if (initial && copy_file(rebase_path_todo_backup(), todo_file, 0666))
-		return error(_("could not copy '%s' to '%s'."), todo_file,
-			     rebase_path_todo_backup());
+	unlink(todo_backup);
+	if (copy_file(todo_backup, todo_file, 0666))
+		return error(_("could not copy '%s' to '%s'."), todo_file, todo_backup);
 
 	if (launch_sequence_editor(todo_file, &new_todo->buf, NULL))
 		return -2;
@@ -121,10 +122,13 @@ int edit_todo_list(struct repository *r, struct todo_list *todo_list,
 	if (initial && new_todo->buf.len == 0)
 		return -3;
 
-	/* For the initial edit, the todo list gets parsed in
-	 * complete_action(). */
-	if (!initial)
-		return todo_list_parse_insn_buffer(r, new_todo->buf.buf, new_todo);
+	if (todo_list_parse_insn_buffer(r, new_todo->buf.buf, new_todo)) {
+		fprintf(stderr, _(edit_todo_list_advice));
+		return -4;
+	}
+
+	if (todo_list_check(todo_list, new_todo))
+		return -4;
 
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -189,6 +193,8 @@ int todo_list_check(struct todo_list *old_todo, struct todo_list *new_todo)
 		"the level of warnings.\n"
 		"The possible behaviours are: ignore, warn, error.\n\n"));
 
+	fprintf(stderr, _(edit_todo_list_advice));
+
 leave_check:
 	clear_commit_seen(&commit_seen);
 	return res;
diff --git a/sequencer.c b/sequencer.c
index 181bb35f5f..75d5ad0496 100644
--- a/sequencer.c
+++ b/sequencer.c
@@ -4271,8 +4271,20 @@ int sequencer_continue(struct repository *r, struct replay_opts *opts)
 	if (read_populate_opts(opts))
 		return -1;
 	if (is_rebase_i(opts)) {
+		struct todo_list backup = TODO_LIST_INIT;
+
 		if ((res = read_populate_todo(r, &todo_list, opts)))
 			goto release_todo_list;
+
+		if (strbuf_read_file(&backup.buf, rebase_path_todo_backup(), 0) > 0) {
+			todo_list_parse_insn_buffer(r, backup.buf.buf, &backup);
+			res = todo_list_check(&backup, &todo_list);
+			todo_list_release(&backup);
+
+			if (res)
+				goto release_todo_list;
+		}
+
 		if (commit_staged_changes(r, opts, &todo_list))
 			return -1;
 	} else if (!file_exists(get_todo_path(opts)))
@@ -4986,12 +4998,6 @@ int todo_list_write_to_file(struct repository *r, struct todo_list *todo_list,
 	return res;
 }
 
-static const char edit_todo_list_advice[] =
-N_("You can fix this with 'git rebase --edit-todo' "
-"and then run 'git rebase --continue'.\n"
-"Or you can abort the rebase with 'git rebase"
-" --abort'.\n");
-
 /* skip picking commits whose parents are unchanged */
 static int skip_unnecessary_picks(struct repository *r,
 				  struct todo_list *todo_list,
@@ -5089,11 +5095,7 @@ int complete_action(struct repository *r, struct replay_opts *opts, unsigned fla
 		todo_list_release(&new_todo);
 
 		return error(_("nothing to do"));
-	}
-
-	if (todo_list_parse_insn_buffer(r, new_todo.buf.buf, &new_todo) ||
-	    todo_list_check(todo_list, &new_todo)) {
-		fprintf(stderr, _(edit_todo_list_advice));
+	} else if (res == -4) {
 		checkout_onto(r, opts, onto_name, &onto->object.oid, orig_head);
 		todo_list_release(&new_todo);
 
diff --git a/t/t3404-rebase-interactive.sh b/t/t3404-rebase-interactive.sh
index 29a35840ed..9051c1e11d 100755
--- a/t/t3404-rebase-interactive.sh
+++ b/t/t3404-rebase-interactive.sh
@@ -1343,6 +1343,89 @@ test_expect_success 'rebase -i respects rebase.missingCommitsCheck = error' '
 	test B = $(git cat-file commit HEAD^ | sed -ne \$p)
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'rebase --edit-todo respects rebase.missingCommitsCheck = ignore' '
+	test_config rebase.missingCommitsCheck ignore &&
+	rebase_setup_and_clean missing-commit &&
+	set_fake_editor &&
+	FAKE_LINES="break 1 2 3 4 5" git rebase -i --root &&
+	FAKE_LINES="1 2 3 4" git rebase --edit-todo 2>actual &&
+	git rebase --continue 2>actual &&
+	test D = $(git cat-file commit HEAD | sed -ne \$p) &&
+	test_i18ngrep \
+		"Successfully rebased and updated refs/heads/missing-commit" \
+		actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'rebase --edit-todo respects rebase.missingCommitsCheck = warn' '
+	cat >expect <<-EOF &&
+	error: invalid line 1: badcmd $(git rev-list --pretty=oneline --abbrev-commit -1 master~4)
+	Warning: some commits may have been dropped accidentally.
+	Dropped commits (newer to older):
+	 - $(git rev-list --pretty=oneline --abbrev-commit -1 master)
+	To avoid this message, use "drop" to explicitly remove a commit.
+	EOF
+	tail -n4 expect >expect.2 &&
+	test_config rebase.missingCommitsCheck warn &&
+	rebase_setup_and_clean missing-commit &&
+	set_fake_editor &&
+	test_must_fail env FAKE_LINES="bad 1 2 3 4 5" \
+		git rebase -i --root &&
+	cp .git/rebase-merge/git-rebase-todo.backup orig &&
+	FAKE_LINES="2 3 4" git rebase --edit-todo 2>actual.2 &&
+	head -n5 actual.2 >actual &&
+	test_i18ncmp expect actual &&
+	cp orig .git/rebase-merge/git-rebase-todo &&
+	FAKE_LINES="1 2 3 4" git rebase --edit-todo 2>actual.2 &&
+	head -n4 actual.2 >actual &&
+	test_i18ncmp expect.2 actual &&
+	git rebase --continue 2>actual &&
+	test D = $(git cat-file commit HEAD | sed -ne \$p) &&
+	test_i18ngrep \
+		"Successfully rebased and updated refs/heads/missing-commit" \
+		actual
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'rebase --edit-todo respects rebase.missingCommitsCheck = error' '
+	cat >expect <<-EOF &&
+	error: invalid line 1: badcmd $(git rev-list --pretty=oneline --abbrev-commit -1 master~4)
+	Warning: some commits may have been dropped accidentally.
+	Dropped commits (newer to older):
+	 - $(git rev-list --pretty=oneline --abbrev-commit -1 master)
+	To avoid this message, use "drop" to explicitly remove a commit.
+
+	Use '\''git config rebase.missingCommitsCheck'\'' to change the level of warnings.
+	The possible behaviours are: ignore, warn, error.
+
+	You can fix this with '\''git rebase --edit-todo'\'' and then run '\''git rebase --continue'\''.
+	Or you can abort the rebase with '\''git rebase --abort'\''.
+	EOF
+	tail -n10 expect >expect.2 &&
+	test_config rebase.missingCommitsCheck error &&
+	rebase_setup_and_clean missing-commit &&
+	set_fake_editor &&
+	test_must_fail env FAKE_LINES="bad 1 2 3 4 5" \
+		git rebase -i --root &&
+	cp .git/rebase-merge/git-rebase-todo.backup orig &&
+	test_must_fail env FAKE_LINES="2 3 4" \
+		git rebase --edit-todo 2>actual &&
+	test_i18ncmp expect actual &&
+	test_must_fail git rebase --continue 2>actual &&
+	test_i18ncmp expect actual &&
+	cp orig .git/rebase-merge/git-rebase-todo &&
+	test_must_fail env FAKE_LINES="1 2 3 4" \
+		git rebase --edit-todo 2>actual &&
+	test_i18ncmp expect.2 actual &&
+	test_must_fail git rebase --continue 2>actual &&
+	test_i18ncmp expect.2 actual &&
+	cp orig .git/rebase-merge/git-rebase-todo &&
+	FAKE_LINES="1 2 3 4 drop 5" git rebase --edit-todo &&
+	git rebase --continue 2>actual &&
+	test D = $(git cat-file commit HEAD | sed -ne \$p) &&
+	test_i18ngrep \
+		"Successfully rebased and updated refs/heads/missing-commit" \
+		actual
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'respects rebase.abbreviateCommands with fixup, squash and exec' '
 	rebase_setup_and_clean abbrevcmd &&
 	test_commit "first" file1.txt "first line" first &&
