diff --git a/gnu/packages/admin.scm b/gnu/packages/admin.scm
index dfc3467bf8..6cabea0fb9 100644
--- a/gnu/packages/admin.scm
+++ b/gnu/packages/admin.scm
@@ -181,22 +181,30 @@ and provides a \"top-like\" mode (monitoring).")
 (define-public shepherd
   (package
     (name "shepherd")
-    (version "0.6.0")
+    (version "0.6.1pre1")
     (source (origin
-              (method url-fetch)
-              (uri (string-append "mirror://gnu/shepherd/shepherd-"
-                                  version ".tar.gz"))
+              (method git-fetch)
+              (uri (git-reference
+                    (url "https://git.savannah.gnu.org/git/shepherd.git")
+                    (commit "fbb9c3fac745552eaf0f354bd0134cca7027bf17")))
               (sha256
                (base32
-                "1ys2w83vm62spr8bx38sccfdpy9fqmj7wfywm5k8ihsy2k61da2i"))))
+                "0w7dx2i04qgykzhz4qir3rxnrdfza3q7kzh5z4mpmgjrp08pfnrn"))))
     (build-system gnu-build-system)
     (arguments
-     '(#:configure-flags '("--localstatedir=/var")))
+     '(#:configure-flags '("--localstatedir=/var"
+                           "ac_cv_path_MSGMERGE=true")))
     (native-inputs
      `(("pkg-config" ,pkg-config)
 
        ;; This is the Guile we use as a cross-compiler...
-       ("guile" ,guile-2.2)))
+       ("guile" ,guile-2.2)
+
+       ("texinfo" ,texinfo)
+       ("help2man" ,help2man)
+       ("gettext" ,gnu-gettext)
+       ("autoconf" ,autoconf)
+       ("automake" ,automake)))
     (inputs
      ;; ... and this is the one that appears in shebangs when cross-compiling.
      `(("guile" ,guile-2.2)