diff --git a/builtin/interpret-trailers.c b/builtin/interpret-trailers.c
index 9169c320921..943be5b360e 100644
--- a/builtin/interpret-trailers.c
+++ b/builtin/interpret-trailers.c
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ static int option_parse_trailer(const struct option *opt,
 				   const char *arg, int unset)
 {
 	struct list_head *trailers = opt->value;
-	struct new_trailer_item *item;
 
 	if (unset) {
 		free_new_trailers(trailers);
@@ -59,12 +58,8 @@ static int option_parse_trailer(const struct option *opt,
 	if (!arg)
 		return -1;
 
-	item = xmalloc(sizeof(*item));
-	item->text = arg;
-	item->where = where;
-	item->if_exists = if_exists;
-	item->if_missing = if_missing;
-	list_add_tail(&item->list, trailers);
+	parse_trailer_from_command_line_arg(arg, where, if_exists, if_missing, trailers);
+
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -132,8 +127,6 @@ static void interpret_trailers(const struct process_trailer_options *opts,
 	struct trailer_block *trailer_block;
 	FILE *outfile = stdout;
 
-	trailer_config_init();
-
 	read_input_file(&sb, file);
 
 	if (opts->in_place)
@@ -148,15 +141,8 @@ static void interpret_trailers(const struct process_trailer_options *opts,
 	if (!opts->only_trailers && !blank_line_before_trailer_block(trailer_block))
 		fprintf(outfile, "\n");
 
-
-	if (!opts->only_input) {
-		LIST_HEAD(config_head);
-		LIST_HEAD(arg_head);
-		parse_trailers_from_config(&config_head);
-		parse_trailers_from_command_line_args(&arg_head, new_trailer_head);
-		list_splice(&config_head, &arg_head);
-		process_trailers_lists(&head, &arg_head);
-	}
+	if (!opts->only_input)
+		process_trailers_lists(&head, new_trailer_head);
 
 	/* Print trailer block. */
 	format_trailers(opts, &head, &tb);
@@ -180,6 +166,7 @@ static void interpret_trailers(const struct process_trailer_options *opts,
 int cmd_interpret_trailers(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 {
 	struct process_trailer_options opts = PROCESS_TRAILER_OPTIONS_INIT;
+	LIST_HEAD(configured_trailers);
 	LIST_HEAD(trailers);
 
 	struct option options[] = {
@@ -205,6 +192,10 @@ int cmd_interpret_trailers(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	};
 
 	git_config(git_default_config, NULL);
+	trailer_config_init();
+
+	if (!opts.only_input)
+		parse_trailers_from_config(&configured_trailers);
 
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix, options,
 			     git_interpret_trailers_usage, 0);
@@ -215,6 +206,8 @@ int cmd_interpret_trailers(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			git_interpret_trailers_usage,
 			options);
 
+	list_splice(&configured_trailers, &trailers);
+
 	if (argc) {
 		int i;
 		for (i = 0; i < argc; i++)
diff --git a/trailer.c b/trailer.c
index 6ab5cf7e5d7..0893175553a 100644
--- a/trailer.c
+++ b/trailer.c
@@ -754,57 +754,54 @@ void parse_trailers_from_config(struct list_head *config_head)
 	}
 }
 
-void parse_trailers_from_command_line_args(struct list_head *arg_head,
-					   struct list_head *new_trailer_head)
+void parse_trailer_from_command_line_arg(const char *line,
+					 enum trailer_where where,
+					 enum trailer_if_exists if_exists,
+					 enum trailer_if_missing if_missing,
+					 struct list_head *arg_head)
 {
 	struct strbuf tok = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct strbuf val = STRBUF_INIT;
 	const struct trailer_conf *conf;
-	struct list_head *pos;
 
 	/*
 	 * In command-line arguments, '=' is accepted (in addition to the
 	 * separators that are defined).
 	 */
-	char *cl_separators = xstrfmt("=%s", separators);
+	char *cl_separators = xstrfmt("=%s", trailer_default_separators());
 
-	/* Add an arg item for each trailer on the command line */
-	list_for_each(pos, new_trailer_head) {
-		struct new_trailer_item *tr =
-			list_entry(pos, struct new_trailer_item, list);
-		ssize_t separator_pos = find_separator(tr->text, cl_separators);
+	/* Add an arg item for a trailer from the command line */
+	ssize_t separator_pos = find_separator(line, cl_separators);
+	free(cl_separators);
 
-		if (separator_pos == 0) {
-			struct strbuf sb = STRBUF_INIT;
-			strbuf_addstr(&sb, tr->text);
-			strbuf_trim(&sb);
-			error(_("empty trailer token in trailer '%.*s'"),
-			      (int) sb.len, sb.buf);
-			strbuf_release(&sb);
-		} else {
-			struct trailer_conf *conf_current = new_trailer_conf();
-			parse_trailer(tr->text, separator_pos, &tok, &val, &conf);
-			duplicate_trailer_conf(conf_current, conf);
+	if (separator_pos == 0) {
+		struct strbuf sb = STRBUF_INIT;
+		strbuf_addstr(&sb, line);
+		strbuf_trim(&sb);
+		error(_("empty trailer token in trailer '%.*s'"),
+		      (int) sb.len, sb.buf);
+		strbuf_release(&sb);
+	} else {
+		struct trailer_conf *conf_current = new_trailer_conf();
+		parse_trailer(line, separator_pos, &tok, &val, &conf);
+		duplicate_trailer_conf(conf_current, conf);
 
-			/*
-			 * Override conf_current with settings specified via CLI flags.
-			 */
-			if (tr->where != WHERE_DEFAULT)
-				trailer_set_conf_where(tr->where, conf_current);
-			if (tr->if_exists != EXISTS_DEFAULT)
-				trailer_set_conf_if_exists(tr->if_exists, conf_current);
-			if (tr->if_missing != MISSING_DEFAULT)
-				trailer_set_conf_if_missing(tr->if_missing, conf_current);
-
-			trailer_add_arg_item(arg_head,
-					     strbuf_detach(&tok, NULL),
-					     strbuf_detach(&val, NULL),
-					     conf_current);
-			free_trailer_conf(conf_current);
-		}
+		/*
+		 * Override conf_current with settings specified via CLI flags.
+		 */
+		if (where != WHERE_DEFAULT)
+			trailer_set_conf_where(where, conf_current);
+		if (if_exists != EXISTS_DEFAULT)
+			trailer_set_conf_if_exists(if_exists, conf_current);
+		if (if_missing != MISSING_DEFAULT)
+			trailer_set_conf_if_missing(if_missing, conf_current);
+
+		trailer_add_arg_item(arg_head,
+				     strbuf_detach(&tok, NULL),
+				     strbuf_detach(&val, NULL),
+				     conf_current);
+		free_trailer_conf(conf_current);
 	}
-
-	free(cl_separators);
 }
 
 static const char *next_line(const char *str)
@@ -1120,13 +1117,11 @@ void free_trailers(struct list_head *trailers)
 
 void free_new_trailers(struct list_head *trailers)
 {
-	struct list_head *pos, *tmp;
-	struct new_trailer_item *item;
+	struct list_head *pos, *p;
 
-	list_for_each_safe(pos, tmp, trailers) {
-		item = list_entry(pos, struct new_trailer_item, list);
+	list_for_each_safe(pos, p, trailers) {
 		list_del(pos);
-		free(item);
+		free_arg_item(list_entry(pos, struct arg_item, list));
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/trailer.h b/trailer.h
index 32fc93beb33..2848a0d086c 100644
--- a/trailer.h
+++ b/trailer.h
@@ -32,20 +32,6 @@ int trailer_set_where(enum trailer_where *item, const char *value);
 int trailer_set_if_exists(enum trailer_if_exists *item, const char *value);
 int trailer_set_if_missing(enum trailer_if_missing *item, const char *value);
 
-/*
- * A list that represents newly-added trailers, such as those provided
- * with the --trailer command line option of git-interpret-trailers.
- */
-struct new_trailer_item {
-	struct list_head list;
-
-	const char *text;
-
-	enum trailer_where where;
-	enum trailer_if_exists if_exists;
-	enum trailer_if_missing if_missing;
-};
-
 void trailer_set_conf_where(enum trailer_where, struct trailer_conf *);
 void trailer_set_conf_if_exists(enum trailer_if_exists, struct trailer_conf *);
 void trailer_set_conf_if_missing(enum trailer_if_missing, struct trailer_conf *);
@@ -76,8 +62,11 @@ struct process_trailer_options {
 
 void parse_trailers_from_config(struct list_head *config_head);
 
-void parse_trailers_from_command_line_args(struct list_head *arg_head,
-					   struct list_head *new_trailer_head);
+void parse_trailer_from_command_line_arg(const char *line,
+					 enum trailer_where where,
+					 enum trailer_if_exists if_exists,
+					 enum trailer_if_missing if_missing,
+					 struct list_head *arg_head);
 
 void process_trailers_lists(struct list_head *head,
 			    struct list_head *arg_head);
