What steps will reproduce the problem?

    git-annex sync

What is the expected output? What do you see instead?

The following error is mixed in with the output, took me a while to notice it:

    Running: git ["--git-dir=/spare/annex/.git","--work-tree=/spare/annex","merge","--no-edit","refs/remotes/pip/synced/master"] 
    error: unknown option `no-edit'

What version of git-annex are you using? On what operating system?

3.20120629~bpo60+1 on debian squeeze

Please provide any additional information below.

Installing git from backports as well cleared up the problem.

> Uploading a fix for this now. [[done]] Thanks for reporting. --[[Joey]]