diff --git a/build.xml b/build.xml
index ad55fb6b3..9d00bf551 100644
--- a/build.xml
+++ b/build.xml
@@ -87,6 +87,13 @@
     <property name="rcdir" value="com/fsck/k9/remotecontrol/**" />
 
     <property name="changelog-path-src" value="res/xml/changelog_master.xml" />
+
+    <!-- Name given to the remote git repository -->
+    <property name="origin" value="origin" />
+
+    <!-- Name used for the temporary gh-pages branch in the local git repo -->
+    <property name="gh-pages-tmp" value="gh-pages-tmp" />
+
     <condition property="android.executable" value="android.bat">
         <os family="windows" />
     </condition>
@@ -158,6 +165,22 @@
             <arg line="diff-index --cached --quiet HEAD" />
         </exec>
 
+        <!-- Check that the temporary gh-pages branch doesn't exist in the local git repo -->
+        <exec executable="git" failonerror="true" outputproperty="gh-pages-tmp-status" errorproperty="gh-pages-tmp-status-error">
+            <arg line="branch --list ${gh-pages-tmp}" />
+        </exec>
+        <if.contrib>
+            <equals arg1="${gh-pages-tmp-status}" arg2="" />
+            <else>
+                <fail>Temporary branch ${gh-pages-tmp} exists (but should not).</fail>
+            </else>
+        </if.contrib>
+
+        <!-- Assure that we have the latest gh-pages branch -->
+        <exec executable="git" failonerror="true">
+            <arg line="fetch ${origin} +refs/heads/gh-pages:refs/remotes/${origin}/gh-pages" />
+        </exec>
+
     </target>
 
     <target name="-set-version" depends="-get-version-name,-get-version-code">
@@ -199,29 +222,52 @@
 
     <!-- Copy the changelog to the gh-pages branch. -->
     <target name="-update-gh-pages-branch">
+
+        <!-- Create a temporary branch for use in updating the remote gh-pages branch.  -->
+        <exec executable="git" failonerror="true">
+            <arg line="branch ${gh-pages-tmp} ${origin}/gh-pages" />
+        </exec>
+
+        <!-- Save HEAD before switching branches -->
         <exec executable="git" failonerror="true" outputproperty="git-branch-ref" errorproperty="git-branch-ref-error">
             <arg line="symbolic-ref HEAD" />
         </exec>
+
+        <!-- Switch to the temporary branch with no checkout.  The working tree remains untouched. -->
         <exec executable="git" failonerror="true">
-            <arg line="symbolic-ref HEAD refs/heads/gh-pages" />
+            <arg line="symbolic-ref HEAD refs/heads/${gh-pages-tmp}" />
         </exec>
+
+        <!--  Clean up the index on the temporary branch -->
         <exec executable="git" failonerror="true">
             <arg line="reset -q" />
         </exec>
+
+        <!-- Retrieve tree info for the changelog file to be copied from HEAD -->
         <exec executable="git" failonerror="true" outputproperty="git-ls-tree" errorproperty="git-ls-tree-error">
             <arg line="ls-tree ${git-branch-ref} ${changelog-path-src}" />
         </exec>
+
+        <!-- Update the path and name of the changelog for where it will be stored in the temp. branch -->
         <regex property="changelog-path-dst" input="${git-branch-ref}" regexp=".*/([^/]+$)" select="changelog_\1_branch.xml" />
         <regex property="git-index-info" input="${git-ls-tree}" regexp="(.*\t).*" select="\1${changelog-path-dst}" />
+
+        <!-- Add the changelog to the index -->
         <exec executable="git" failonerror="true" inputstring="${git-index-info}">
             <arg line="update-index --index-info" />
         </exec>
+
+        <!-- Commit the changelog -->
         <exec executable="git" failonerror="true">
             <arg line="commit -m'Update changelog for version ${version-name}'" />
         </exec>
+
+        <!-- Switch back to HEAD, again without touching the (original) working tree -->
         <exec executable="git" failonerror="true">
             <arg line="symbolic-ref HEAD ${git-branch-ref}" />
         </exec>
+
+        <!-- Clean up the index for HEAD -->
         <exec executable="git" failonerror="true">
             <arg line="reset -q" />
         </exec>
@@ -229,7 +275,12 @@
 
     <target name="-push-version">
         <exec executable="git" failonerror="true">
-            <arg line="push origin HEAD gh-pages tag ${version-name}" />
+            <arg line="push ${origin} HEAD ${gh-pages-tmp}:gh-pages tag ${version-name}" />
+        </exec>
+
+        <!--  Delete the temporary branch -->
+        <exec executable="git" failonerror="true">
+            <arg line="branch -D ${gh-pages-tmp}" />
         </exec>
     </target>