diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b381fe0..1171851 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -23,3 +23,13 @@ roles:
         etckeeper_avoid_autocommits: true,
         etckeeper_mailto: root }
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The role sets "root <root@the.host.name>" as the default user/email in
+etckeeper's git config. To change that set these options:
+
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+roles:
+    - { role: etckeeper,                    tags: ['system', 'etckeeper'],
+        etckeeper_user_name: "Charlie Root",
+        etckeeper_user_email: "charlie@corp.com" }
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
diff --git a/defaults/main.yml b/defaults/main.yml
index bb6511a..a958897 100644
--- a/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/defaults/main.yml
@@ -1,2 +1,4 @@
 ---
 etckeeper_avoid_autocommits: false
+etckeeper_user_name: "root"
+etckeeper_user_email: "root@{{ ansible_fqdn}}"
diff --git a/tasks/etckeeper.yml b/tasks/etckeeper.yml
index 48245eb..83013d6 100644
--- a/tasks/etckeeper.yml
+++ b/tasks/etckeeper.yml
@@ -30,6 +30,40 @@
 - name: "etckeeper: Initialize"
   command: etckeeper init creates=/etc/.git/
 
+
+- name: "check git user.name"
+  command: git config user.name
+  args:
+    chdir: /etc
+    warn: off
+  register: name_configured
+  ignore_errors: True
+  changed_when: False
+
+- name: "configure git user.name"
+  command: git config user.name "{{etckeeper_user_name}}"
+  args:
+    chdir: /etc
+    warn: off
+  when: name_configured.stdout != "{{etckeeper_user_name}}"
+
+- name: "check git user.email"
+  command: git config user.email
+  args:
+    chdir: /etc
+    warn: off
+  register: email_configured
+  ignore_errors: True
+  changed_when: False
+
+- name: "configure git user.email"
+  command: git config user.email "{{etckeeper_user_email}}"
+  args:
+    chdir: /etc
+    warn: off
+  when: email_configured.stdout != "{{etckeeper_user_email}}"
+
+
 - name: enable etckeeper commit mails
   template: src=post-commit-mail.j2
             dest=/etc/.git/hooks/post-commit