diff --git a/Documentation/git-bisect.txt b/Documentation/git-bisect.txt
index 63e7a42cb3..d2ffae0c10 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-bisect.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-bisect.txt
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ on the subcommand:
  git bisect bad [<rev>]
  git bisect good [<rev>...]
  git bisect skip [(<rev>|<range>)...]
- git bisect reset [<branch>]
+ git bisect reset [<commit>]
  git bisect visualize
  git bisect replay <logfile>
  git bisect log
@@ -81,16 +81,27 @@ will have been left with the first bad kernel revision in "refs/bisect/bad".
 Bisect reset
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
-To return to the original head after a bisect session, issue the
-following command:
+After a bisect session, to clean up the bisection state and return to
+the original HEAD, issue the following command:
 
 ------------------------------------------------
 $ git bisect reset
 ------------------------------------------------
 
-This resets the tree to the original branch instead of being on the
-bisection commit ("git bisect start" will also do that, as it resets
-the bisection state).
+By default, this will return your tree to the commit that was checked
+out before `git bisect start`.  (A new `git bisect start` will also do
+that, as it cleans up the old bisection state.)
+
+With an optional argument, you can return to a different commit
+instead:
+
+------------------------------------------------
+$ git bisect reset <commit>
+------------------------------------------------
+
+For example, `git bisect reset HEAD` will leave you on the current
+bisection commit and avoid switching commits at all, while `git bisect
+reset bisect/bad` will check out the first bad revision.
 
 Bisect visualize
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
diff --git a/git-bisect.sh b/git-bisect.sh
index 6f6f03966f..8b3c5858a9 100755
--- a/git-bisect.sh
+++ b/git-bisect.sh
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@ git bisect skip [(<rev>|<range>)...]
         mark <rev>... untestable revisions.
 git bisect next
         find next bisection to test and check it out.
-git bisect reset [<branch>]
-        finish bisection search and go back to branch.
+git bisect reset [<commit>]
+        finish bisection search and go back to commit.
 git bisect visualize
         show bisect status in gitk.
 git bisect replay <logfile>
@@ -311,8 +311,8 @@ bisect_reset() {
 	}
 	case "$#" in
 	0) branch=$(cat "$GIT_DIR/BISECT_START") ;;
-	1) git show-ref --verify --quiet -- "refs/heads/$1" ||
-	       die "$1 does not seem to be a valid branch"
+	1) git rev-parse --quiet --verify "$1^{commit}" > /dev/null ||
+	       die "'$1' is not a valid commit"
 	   branch="$1" ;;
 	*)
 	    usage ;;