diff --git a/cmd/fluxd/main.go b/cmd/fluxd/main.go
index bfd681531..54729f2a4 100644
--- a/cmd/fluxd/main.go
+++ b/cmd/fluxd/main.go
@@ -46,8 +46,9 @@ const (
 
 	// There are running systems that assume these defaults (by not
 	// supplying a value for one or both). Don't change them.
-	defaultGitSyncTag  = "flux-sync"
-	defaultGitNotesRef = "flux"
+	defaultGitSyncTag     = "flux-sync"
+	defaultGitNotesRef    = "flux"
+	defaultGitSkipMessage = "\n\n[ci skip]"
 )
 
 func optionalVar(fs *pflag.FlagSet, value ssh.OptionalValue, name, usage string) ssh.OptionalValue {
@@ -79,8 +80,10 @@ func main() {
 		gitSetAuthor = fs.Bool("git-set-author", false, "If set, the author of git commits will reflect the user who initiated the commit and will differ from the git committer.")
 		gitLabel     = fs.String("git-label", "", "label to keep track of sync progress; overrides both --git-sync-tag and --git-notes-ref")
 		// Old git config; still used if --git-label is not supplied, but --git-label is preferred.
-		gitSyncTag  = fs.String("git-sync-tag", defaultGitSyncTag, "tag to use to mark sync progress for this cluster")
-		gitNotesRef = fs.String("git-notes-ref", defaultGitNotesRef, "ref to use for keeping commit annotations in git notes")
+		gitSyncTag     = fs.String("git-sync-tag", defaultGitSyncTag, "tag to use to mark sync progress for this cluster")
+		gitNotesRef    = fs.String("git-notes-ref", defaultGitNotesRef, "ref to use for keeping commit annotations in git notes")
+		gitSkip        = fs.Bool("git-ci-skip", false, `append "[ci skip]" to commit messages so that CI will skip builds`)
+		gitSkipMessage = fs.String("git-ci-skip-message", "", "additional text for commit messages, useful for skipping builds in CI. Use this to supply specific text, or set --git-ci-skip")
 
 		gitPollInterval = fs.Duration("git-poll-interval", 5*time.Minute, "period at which to poll git repo for new commits")
 		// registry
@@ -146,6 +149,10 @@ func main() {
 		}
 	}
 
+	if *gitSkipMessage == "" && *gitSkip {
+		*gitSkipMessage = defaultGitSkipMessage
+	}
+
 	if len(*gitPath) > 0 && (*gitPath)[0] == '/' {
 		logger.Log("err", "git subdirectory (--git-path) should not have leading forward slash")
 		os.Exit(1)
@@ -320,13 +327,14 @@ func main() {
 
 	gitRemote := git.Remote{URL: *gitURL}
 	gitConfig := git.Config{
-		Path:      *gitPath,
-		Branch:    *gitBranch,
-		SyncTag:   *gitSyncTag,
-		NotesRef:  *gitNotesRef,
-		UserName:  *gitUser,
-		UserEmail: *gitEmail,
-		SetAuthor: *gitSetAuthor,
+		Path:        *gitPath,
+		Branch:      *gitBranch,
+		SyncTag:     *gitSyncTag,
+		NotesRef:    *gitNotesRef,
+		UserName:    *gitUser,
+		UserEmail:   *gitEmail,
+		SetAuthor:   *gitSetAuthor,
+		SkipMessage: *gitSkipMessage,
 	}
 
 	repo := git.NewRepo(gitRemote)
diff --git a/daemon/daemon.go b/daemon/daemon.go
index e42b88bf6..c952c0790 100644
--- a/daemon/daemon.go
+++ b/daemon/daemon.go
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@ func (d *Daemon) updatePolicy(spec update.Spec, updates policy.Updates) DaemonJo
 		if d.GitConfig.SetAuthor {
 			commitAuthor = spec.Cause.User
 		}
-		commitAction := &git.CommitAction{Author: commitAuthor, Message: policyCommitMessage(updates, spec.Cause)}
+		commitAction := git.CommitAction{Author: commitAuthor, Message: policyCommitMessage(updates, spec.Cause)}
 		if err := working.CommitAndPush(ctx, commitAction, &git.Note{JobID: jobID, Spec: spec}); err != nil {
 			// On the chance pushing failed because it was not
 			// possible to fast-forward, ask for a sync so the
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ func (d *Daemon) release(spec update.Spec, c release.Changes) DaemonJobFunc {
 			if d.GitConfig.SetAuthor {
 				commitAuthor = spec.Cause.User
 			}
-			commitAction := &git.CommitAction{Author: commitAuthor, Message: commitMsg}
+			commitAction := git.CommitAction{Author: commitAuthor, Message: commitMsg}
 			if err := working.CommitAndPush(ctx, commitAction, &git.Note{JobID: jobID, Spec: spec, Result: result}); err != nil {
 				// On the chance pushing failed because it was not
 				// possible to fast-forward, ask the repo to fetch
diff --git a/daemon/loop_test.go b/daemon/loop_test.go
index d6b551926..f9cf1c51c 100644
--- a/daemon/loop_test.go
+++ b/daemon/loop_test.go
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ func TestDoSync_WithNewCommit(t *testing.T) {
 			return err
 		}
 
-		commitAction := &git.CommitAction{Author: "", Message: "test commit"}
+		commitAction := git.CommitAction{Author: "", Message: "test commit"}
 		err = checkout.CommitAndPush(ctx, commitAction, nil)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
diff --git a/git/gittest/repo.go b/git/gittest/repo.go
index 2d60a5d78..1bc6c7b2b 100644
--- a/git/gittest/repo.go
+++ b/git/gittest/repo.go
@@ -59,33 +59,43 @@ func Repo(t *testing.T) (*git.Repo, func()) {
 	}), cleanup
 }
 
-func Checkout(t *testing.T) (*git.Checkout, func()) {
+// CheckoutWithConfig makes a standard repo, clones it, and returns
+// the clone, the original repo, and a cleanup function.
+func CheckoutWithConfig(t *testing.T, config git.Config) (*git.Checkout, *git.Repo, func()) {
 	repo, cleanup := Repo(t)
 	shutdown, wg := make(chan struct{}), &sync.WaitGroup{}
 	wg.Add(1)
 	go repo.Start(shutdown, wg)
 	WaitForRepoReady(repo, t)
 
-	config := git.Config{
-		Branch:    "master",
-		UserName:  "example",
-		UserEmail: "example@example.com",
-		SyncTag:   "flux-test",
-		NotesRef:  "fluxtest",
-	}
 	co, err := repo.Clone(context.Background(), config)
 	if err != nil {
 		close(shutdown)
 		cleanup()
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
-	return co, func() {
+	return co, repo, func() {
 		close(shutdown)
 		co.Clean()
 		cleanup()
 	}
 }
 
+var TestConfig git.Config = git.Config{
+	Branch:    "master",
+	UserName:  "example",
+	UserEmail: "example@example.com",
+	SyncTag:   "flux-test",
+	NotesRef:  "fluxtest",
+}
+
+// Checkout makes a standard repo, clones it, and returns the clone
+// with a cleanup function.
+func Checkout(t *testing.T) (*git.Checkout, func()) {
+	checkout, _, cleanup := CheckoutWithConfig(t, TestConfig)
+	return checkout, cleanup
+}
+
 func execCommand(cmd string, args ...string) error {
 	c := exec.Command(cmd, args...)
 	c.Stderr = ioutil.Discard
diff --git a/git/gittest/repo_test.go b/git/gittest/repo_test.go
index aa05ee724..378ebaa5b 100644
--- a/git/gittest/repo_test.go
+++ b/git/gittest/repo_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"reflect"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	"context"
 
@@ -16,6 +17,53 @@ import (
 	"github.com/weaveworks/flux/update"
 )
 
+func TestCommit(t *testing.T) {
+	config := TestConfig
+	config.SkipMessage = " **SKIP**"
+	checkout, repo, cleanup := CheckoutWithConfig(t, config)
+	defer cleanup()
+
+	for file, _ := range testfiles.Files {
+		path := filepath.Join(checkout.ManifestDir(), file)
+		if err := ioutil.WriteFile(path, []byte("FIRST CHANGE"), 0666); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		break
+	}
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 10*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+
+	commitAction := git.CommitAction{Message: "Changed file"}
+	if err := checkout.CommitAndPush(ctx, commitAction, nil); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	err := repo.Refresh(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+	}
+
+	commits, err := repo.CommitsBefore(ctx, "HEAD", "")
+
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(commits) < 1 {
+		t.Fatal("expected at least one commit")
+	}
+	if msg := commits[0].Message; msg != commitAction.Message+config.SkipMessage {
+		t.Errorf(`expected commit message to be:
+
+%s
+
+    but it was
+
+%s
+`, commitAction.Message+config.SkipMessage, msg)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestCheckout(t *testing.T) {
 	repo, cleanup := Repo(t)
 	defer cleanup()
@@ -64,7 +112,7 @@ func TestCheckout(t *testing.T) {
 		changedFile = file
 		break
 	}
-	commitAction := &git.CommitAction{Author: "", Message: "Changed file"}
+	commitAction := git.CommitAction{Author: "", Message: "Changed file"}
 	if err := checkout.CommitAndPush(ctx, commitAction, nil); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -88,7 +136,7 @@ func TestCheckout(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 	}
-	commitAction = &git.CommitAction{Author: "", Message: "Changed file again"}
+	commitAction = git.CommitAction{Author: "", Message: "Changed file again"}
 	if err := checkout.CommitAndPush(ctx, commitAction, &expectedNote); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
diff --git a/git/operations.go b/git/operations.go
index 9c239dc4c..204a2b9b9 100644
--- a/git/operations.go
+++ b/git/operations.go
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ func checkPush(ctx context.Context, workingDir, upstream string) error {
 	return execGitCmd(ctx, workingDir, nil, "push", "--delete", upstream, "tag", CheckPushTag)
 }
 
-func commit(ctx context.Context, workingDir string, commitAction *CommitAction) error {
+func commit(ctx context.Context, workingDir string, commitAction CommitAction) error {
 	commitAuthor := commitAction.Author
 	if commitAuthor != "" {
 		if err := execGitCmd(ctx,
diff --git a/git/working.go b/git/working.go
index b8c286023..0ae412f2b 100644
--- a/git/working.go
+++ b/git/working.go
@@ -9,13 +9,14 @@ import (
 // Config holds some values we use when working in the working clone of
 // a repo.
 type Config struct {
-	Branch    string // branch we're syncing to
-	Path      string // path within the repo containing files we care about
-	SyncTag   string
-	NotesRef  string
-	UserName  string
-	UserEmail string
-	SetAuthor bool
+	Branch      string // branch we're syncing to
+	Path        string // path within the repo containing files we care about
+	SyncTag     string
+	NotesRef    string
+	UserName    string
+	UserEmail   string
+	SetAuthor   bool
+	SkipMessage string
 }
 
 // Checkout is a local working clone of the remote repo. It is
@@ -96,10 +97,13 @@ func (c *Checkout) ManifestDir() string {
 
 // CommitAndPush commits changes made in this checkout, along with any
 // extra data as a note, and pushes the commit and note to the remote repo.
-func (c *Checkout) CommitAndPush(ctx context.Context, commitAction *CommitAction, note *Note) error {
+func (c *Checkout) CommitAndPush(ctx context.Context, commitAction CommitAction, note *Note) error {
 	if !check(ctx, c.dir, c.config.Path) {
 		return ErrNoChanges
 	}
+
+	commitAction.Message += c.config.SkipMessage
+
 	if err := commit(ctx, c.dir, commitAction); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/site/daemon.md b/site/daemon.md
index bb2c3cdab..6bf8b7fd5 100644
--- a/site/daemon.md
+++ b/site/daemon.md
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ fluxd requires setup and offers customization though a multitude of flags.
 |**Git repo & key etc.** |                              ||
 |--git-url               |                               | URL of git repo with Kubernetes manifests; e.g., `git@github.com:weaveworks/flux-example`|
 |--git-branch            | `master`                        | branch of git repo to use for Kubernetes manifests|
+|--git-ci-skip           | false   | when set, fluxd will append `\n\n[ci skip]` to its commit messages |
+|--git-ci-skip-message   | `""`    | if provided, fluxd will append this to commit messages (overrides --git-ci-skip`) |
 |--git-path              |                               | path within git repo to locate Kubernetes manifests (relative path)|
 |--git-user              | `Weave Flux`                    | username to use as git committer|
 |--git-email             | `support@weave.works`           | email to use as git committer|
diff --git a/sync/sync_test.go b/sync/sync_test.go
index 37eb99bcc..b33cfa914 100644
--- a/sync/sync_test.go
+++ b/sync/sync_test.go
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ func TestSync(t *testing.T) {
 		if err := execCommand("rm", res[0]); err != nil {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
-		commitAction := &git.CommitAction{Author: "", Message: "deleted " + res[0]}
+		commitAction := git.CommitAction{Author: "", Message: "deleted " + res[0]}
 		if err := checkout.CommitAndPush(context.Background(), commitAction, nil); err != nil {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}