diff --git a/share/completions/git.fish b/share/completions/git.fish
index 70ce6cb49..f1cca7ba0 100644
--- a/share/completions/git.fish
+++ b/share/completions/git.fish
@@ -84,19 +84,17 @@ function __fish_git_files
     # to get _all_ kinds of staged files.
 
     # git status --porcelain gives us all the info we need, in a format we don't.
-    # The v2 format thankfully doesn't use " M" to denote a changed unstaged file
-    # and "M " to denote a changed staged file, opting for a "." in place of the space.
-    # So the v1 format would require something other than this `while read` loop.
-    #
-    # Unfortunately, the v2 format is really 4 different subformats
-    # - see the explanation inline. (Or on https://git-scm.com/docs/git-status)
+    # The v2 format has better documentation and doesn't use " " to denote anything,
+    # but it's only been added in git 2.11.0, which was released November 2016.
+    # Instead, we use the v1 format, without explicitly specifying it (since that errors out as well).
     #
     # Also, we ignore submodules because they aren't useful as arguments (generally),
     # and they slow things down quite significantly.
     # E.g. `git reset $submodule` won't do anything (not even print an error).
+    # --ignore-submodules=all was added in git 1.7.2, released July 2010.
     set -l use_next
-    command git status --porcelain=2 -z --ignore-submodules=all \
-    | while read -laz -d ' ' line
+    command git status --porcelain -z --ignore-submodules=all \
+    | while read -lz -d '' line
         # The entire line is the "from" from a rename.
         if set -q use_next[1]
             contains -- $use_next $argv
@@ -105,67 +103,66 @@ function __fish_git_files
             continue
         end
 
+        # The format is two characters for status, then a space and then
+        # up to a NUL for the filename.
+        #
+        # Use IFS to handle newlines in filenames.
+        set -l IFS
+        set -l stat (string sub -l 2 -- $line)
+        set -l file (string sub -s 4 -- $line)
+        set -e IFS
+
         # The basic status format is "XY", where X is "our" state (meaning the staging area),
-        # and "Y" is "their" state.
-        # A "." means it's unmodified.
-        switch "$line[1..2]"
-            case 'u *'
+        # and "Y" is "their" state (meaning the work tree).
+        # A " " means it's unmodified.
+        switch "$stat"
+            case DD AU UD UA DU AA UU
                 # Unmerged
-                # "Unmerged entries have the following format; the first character is a "u" to distinguish from ordinary changed entries."
-                # "u <xy> <sub> <m1> <m2> <m3> <mW> <h1> <h2> <h3> <path>"
-                # This is first to distinguish it from normal modifications et al.
                 contains -- unmerged $argv
-                and printf '%s\t%s\n' "$line[11..-1]" (_ "Unmerged file")
-            case '? .R*' '? R.*'
+                and printf '%s\t%s\n' "$file" (_ "Unmerged file")
+            case 'R ' RM RD
                 # Renamed/Copied
-                # From the docs: "Renamed or copied entries have the following format:"
-                # "2 <XY> <sub> <mH> <mI> <mW> <hH> <hI> <X><score> <path><sep><origPath>"
-                # Since <sep> is NUL, the <origPath> (meaning the old name) is in the next batch.
-                # TODO: Do we care about the new one?
+                # These have the "from" name as the next batch.
+                # TODO: Do we care about the new name?
                 set use_next renamed
                 continue
-            case '? .C*' '? C.*'
+            case 'C ' CM CD
                 set use_next copied
                 continue
-            case '? A.*'
+            case 'A ' AM AD
                 # Additions are only shown here if they are staged.
                 # Otherwise it's an untracked file.
                 contains -- added $argv; or contains -- all-staged $argv
-                and printf '%s\t%s\n' "$line[9..-1]" (_ "Added file")
-            case '? .M*'
+                and printf '%s\t%s\n' "$file" (_ "Added file")
+            case '?M'
                 # Modified
-                # From the docs: "Ordinary changed entries have the following format:"
-                # "1 <XY> <sub> <mH> <mI> <mW> <hH> <hI> <path>"
-                # Since <path> can contain spaces, print from element 9 onwards
                 contains -- modified $argv
-                and printf '%s\t%s\n' "$line[9..-1]" (_ "Modified file")
-            case '? M.*'
-                # If the character is first ("M."), then that means it's "our" change,
+                and printf '%s\t%s\n' "$file" (_ "Modified file")
+            case 'M?'
+                # If the character is first ("M "), then that means it's "our" change,
                 # which means it is staged.
                 # This is useless for many commands - e.g. `checkout` won't do anything with this.
                 # So it needs to be requested explicitly.
                 contains -- modified-staged $argv; or contains -- all-staged $argv
-                and printf '%s\t%s\n' "$line[9..-1]" (_ "Staged modified file")
-            case '? .D*'
+                and printf '%s\t%s\n' "$file" (_ "Staged modified file")
+            case '?D'
                 contains -- deleted $argv
-                and printf '%s\t%s\n' "$line[9..-1]" (_ "Deleted file")
-            case '? D.*'
+                and printf '%s\t%s\n' "$file" (_ "Deleted file")
+            case 'D?'
                 # TODO: The docs are unclear on this.
                 # There is both X unmodified and Y either M or D ("not updated")
                 # and Y is D and X is unmodified or [MARC] ("deleted in work tree").
                 # For our purposes, we assume this is a staged deletion.
                 contains -- deleted-staged $argv; or contains -- all-staged $argv
-                and printf '%s\t%s\n' "$line[9..-1]" (_ "Staged deleted file")
-            case '\? *'
+                and printf '%s\t%s\n' "$file" (_ "Staged deleted file")
+            case '\?\?'
                 # Untracked
-                # "? <path>" - print from element 2 on.
                 contains -- untracked $argv
-                and printf '%s\t%s\n' "$line[2..-1]" (_ "Untracked file")
-            case '! *'
+                and printf '%s\t%s\n' "$file" (_ "Untracked file")
+            case '!!'
                 # Ignored
-                # "! <path>" - print from element 2 on.
                 contains -- ignored $argv
-                and printf '%s\t%s\n' "$line[2..-1]" (_ "Ignored file")
+                and printf '%s\t%s\n' "$file" (_ "Ignored file")
         end
     end
 end