diff --git a/lisp/vc/vc-git.el b/lisp/vc/vc-git.el
index 1d67dee..cb500eb 100644
--- a/lisp/vc/vc-git.el
+++ b/lisp/vc/vc-git.el
@@ -204,15 +204,26 @@ matching the resulting Git log output, and KEYWORDS is a list of
     (?M 'edited)
     (?A 'added)
     (?D 'removed)
-    (?U 'edited)     ;; FIXME
+    (?U 'conflict)
     (?T 'edited)))   ;; FIXME
 
+(defun vc-git--state-letter (file index-p)
+  (let ((diff (vc-git--run-command-string
+               file
+	       "diff-index"
+	       ;; How to conditionally add --cached without this kludge?
+	       (if index-p "--cached" "-z")
+	       "--name-status" "--raw" "-z" "HEAD" "--")))
+    (and diff
+	 (string-match "^\\([ADMUT]\\)\0" diff)
+	 (match-string 1 diff))))
+
 (defun vc-git-state (file)
   "Git-specific version of `vc-state'."
-  ;; FIXME: This can't set 'ignored or 'conflict yet
+  ;; FIXME: This can't set 'ignored yet.
   ;; The 'ignored state could be detected with `git ls-files -i -o
-  ;; --exclude-standard` It also can't set 'needs-update or
-  ;; 'needs-merge. The rough equivalent would be that upstream branch
+  ;; --exclude-standard` It also can't set 'needs-update.
+  ;; The rough equivalent would be that upstream branch
   ;; for current branch is in fast-forward state i.e. current branch
   ;; is direct ancestor of corresponding upstream branch, and the file
   ;; was modified upstream.  But we can't check that without a network
@@ -220,21 +231,16 @@ matching the resulting Git log output, and KEYWORDS is a list of
   ;; This assumes that status is known to be not `unregistered' because
   ;; we've been successfully dispatched here from `vc-state', that
   ;; means `vc-git-registered' returned t earlier once.  Bug#11757
-  (let ((diff (vc-git--run-command-string
-               file "diff-index" "-p" "--raw" "-z" "HEAD" "--")))
-    (if (and diff
-             (string-match ":[0-7]\\{6\\} [0-7]\\{6\\} [0-9a-f]\\{40\\} [0-9a-f]\\{40\\} \\([ADMUT]\\)\0[^\0]+\0\\(.*\n.\\)?"
-                           diff))
-        (let ((diff-letter (match-string 1 diff)))
-          (if (not (match-beginning 2))
-              ;; Empty diff: file contents is the same as the HEAD
-              ;; revision, but timestamps are different (eg, file
-              ;; was "touch"ed).  Update timestamp in index:
-              (prog1 'up-to-date
-                (vc-git--call nil "add" "--refresh" "--"
-                              (file-relative-name file)))
-            (vc-git--state-code diff-letter)))
-      (if (vc-git--empty-db-p) 'added 'up-to-date))))
+  (let ((diff-letter (or (vc-git--state-letter file t)
+			 (vc-git--state-letter file nil))))
+    (if (not diff-letter)
+	;; Empty diff: file contents is the same as the HEAD
+	;; revision, but timestamps are different (eg, file
+	;; was "touch"ed).  Update timestamp in index:
+	(prog1 'up-to-date
+	  (vc-git--call nil "add" "--refresh" "--"
+			(file-relative-name file)))
+      (vc-git--state-code diff-letter))))
 
 (defun vc-git-working-revision (file)
   "Git-specific version of `vc-working-revision'."