diff --git a/git-filter-branch.sh b/git-filter-branch.sh
index a480d6fc70..ed3db7d6e5 100755
--- a/git-filter-branch.sh
+++ b/git-filter-branch.sh
@@ -257,15 +257,24 @@ git read-tree || die "Could not seed the index"
 # map old->new commit ids for rewriting parents
 mkdir ../map || die "Could not create map/ directory"
 
+# we need "--" only if there are no path arguments in $@
+nonrevs=$(git rev-parse --no-revs "$@") || exit
+test -z "$nonrevs" && dashdash=-- || dashdash=
+rev_args=$(git rev-parse --revs-only "$@")
+
 case "$filter_subdir" in
 "")
-	git rev-list --reverse --topo-order --default HEAD \
-		--parents --simplify-merges "$@"
+	eval set -- "$(git rev-parse --sq --no-revs "$@")"
 	;;
 *)
-	git rev-list --reverse --topo-order --default HEAD \
-		--parents --simplify-merges "$@" -- "$filter_subdir"
-esac > ../revs || die "Could not get the commits"
+	eval set -- "$(git rev-parse --sq --no-revs "$@" $dashdash \
+		"$filter_subdir")"
+	;;
+esac
+
+git rev-list --reverse --topo-order --default HEAD \
+	--parents --simplify-merges $rev_args "$@" > ../revs ||
+	die "Could not get the commits"
 commits=$(wc -l <../revs | tr -d " ")
 
 test $commits -eq 0 && die "Found nothing to rewrite"
@@ -356,8 +365,7 @@ then
 	do
 		sha1=$(git rev-parse "$ref"^0)
 		test -f "$workdir"/../map/$sha1 && continue
-		ancestor=$(git rev-list --simplify-merges -1 \
-				$ref -- "$filter_subdir")
+		ancestor=$(git rev-list --simplify-merges -1 "$ref" "$@")
 		test "$ancestor" && echo $(map $ancestor) >> "$workdir"/../map/$sha1
 	done < "$tempdir"/heads
 fi