diff --git a/extra/mason/build/build.factor b/extra/mason/build/build.factor
index 199d48dec0..5031b5d930 100644
--- a/extra/mason/build/build.factor
+++ b/extra/mason/build/build.factor
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 ! Copyright (C) 2008, 2009 Eduardo Cavazos, Slava Pestov.
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
 USING: arrays kernel calendar io.directories io.encodings.utf8
-io.files io.launcher mason.child mason.cleanup mason.common
-mason.help mason.release mason.report mason.email mason.notify
-namespaces prettyprint ;
+io.files io.launcher namespaces prettyprint mason.child mason.cleanup
+mason.common mason.help mason.release mason.report mason.email
+mason.notify ;
 IN: mason.build
 
 QUALIFIED: continuations
@@ -19,7 +19,10 @@ QUALIFIED: continuations
 
 : begin-build ( -- )
     "factor" [ git-id ] with-directory
-    [ "git-id" to-file ] [ notify-begin-build ] bi ;
+    [ "git-id" to-file ]
+    [ current-git-id set ]
+    [ notify-begin-build ]
+    tri ;
 
 : build ( -- )
     create-build-dir
diff --git a/extra/mason/common/common.factor b/extra/mason/common/common.factor
index e4a9d9da13..d020c68fc4 100755
--- a/extra/mason/common/common.factor
+++ b/extra/mason/common/common.factor
@@ -4,9 +4,12 @@ USING: kernel namespaces sequences splitting system accessors
 math.functions make io io.files io.pathnames io.directories
 io.directories.hierarchy io.launcher io.encodings.utf8 prettyprint
 combinators.short-circuit parser combinators calendar
-calendar.format arrays mason.config locals system debugger ;
+calendar.format arrays mason.config locals system debugger fry
+continuations ;
 IN: mason.common
 
+SYMBOL: current-git-id
+
 ERROR: output-process-error output process ;
 
 M: output-process-error error.
@@ -35,15 +38,19 @@ M: unix really-delete-tree delete-tree ;
     <process>
         swap >>command
         15 minutes >>timeout
+        +closed+ >>stdin
     try-output-process ;
 
+: retry ( n quot -- )
+    '[ drop @ f ] attempt-all drop ; inline
+
 :: upload-safely ( local username host remote -- )
     [let* | temp [ remote ".incomplete" append ]
             scp-remote [ { username "@" host ":" temp } concat ]
             scp [ scp-command get ]
             ssh [ ssh-command get ] |
-        { scp local scp-remote } short-running-process
-        { ssh host "-l" username "mv" temp remote } short-running-process
+        5 [ { scp local scp-remote } short-running-process ] retry
+        5 [ { ssh host "-l" username "mv" temp remote } short-running-process ] retry
     ] ;
 
 : eval-file ( file -- obj )
diff --git a/extra/mason/email/email.factor b/extra/mason/email/email.factor
index 23203e5222..302df599b4 100644
--- a/extra/mason/email/email.factor
+++ b/extra/mason/email/email.factor
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 ! Copyright (C) 2008, 2009 Eduardo Cavazos, Slava Pestov.
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
 USING: kernel namespaces accessors combinators make smtp debugger
-prettyprint io io.streams.string io.encodings.utf8 io.files io.sockets
-mason.common mason.platform mason.config ;
+prettyprint sequences io io.streams.string io.encodings.utf8 io.files
+io.sockets mason.common mason.platform mason.config ;
 IN: mason.email
 
 : prefix-subject ( str -- str' )
@@ -18,11 +18,11 @@ IN: mason.email
     send-email ;
 
 : subject ( status -- str )
-    {
+    [ current-git-id get 7 short head " -- " ] dip {
         { status-clean [ "clean" ] }
         { status-dirty [ "dirty" ] }
         { status-error [ "error" ] }
-    } case ;
+    } case 3append ;
 
 : email-report ( report status -- )
     [ "text/html" ] dip subject email-status ;
diff --git a/extra/mason/release/branch/branch.factor b/extra/mason/release/branch/branch.factor
index 75ce828c28..07ec5a8bcd 100644
--- a/extra/mason/release/branch/branch.factor
+++ b/extra/mason/release/branch/branch.factor
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
-! Copyright (C) 2008 Eduardo Cavazos, Slava Pestov.
+! Copyright (C) 2008, 2009 Eduardo Cavazos, Slava Pestov.
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
 USING: io.directories io.files io.launcher kernel make
-mason.common mason.config mason.platform namespaces prettyprint
-sequences ;
+namespaces prettyprint sequences mason.common mason.config
+mason.platform ;
 IN: mason.release.branch
 
 : branch-name ( -- string ) "clean-" platform append ;
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ IN: mason.release.branch
     ] { } make ;
 
 : push-to-clean-branch ( -- )
-    push-to-clean-branch-cmd short-running-process ;
+    5 [ push-to-clean-branch-cmd short-running-process ] retry ;
 
 : upload-clean-image-cmd ( -- args )
     [
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ IN: mason.release.branch
     ] { } make ;
 
 : upload-clean-image ( -- )
-    upload-clean-image-cmd short-running-process ;
+    5 [ upload-clean-image-cmd short-running-process ] retry ;
 
 : (update-clean-branch) ( -- )
     "factor" [
diff --git a/extra/mason/report/report.factor b/extra/mason/report/report.factor
index 7707d16299..0340941449 100644
--- a/extra/mason/report/report.factor
+++ b/extra/mason/report/report.factor
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ IN: mason.report
     target-cpu get
     host-name
     build-dir
-    "git-id" eval-file
+    current-git-id get
     [XML
     <h1>Build report for <->/<-></h1>
     <table>