diff --git a/mercurial/cmdutil.py b/mercurial/cmdutil.py
--- a/mercurial/cmdutil.py
+++ b/mercurial/cmdutil.py
@@ -2715,9 +2715,14 @@ def commitforceeditor(repo, ctx, subs, f
     # run editor in the repository root
     olddir = os.getcwd()
     os.chdir(repo.root)
+
+    # make in-memory changes visible to external process
+    tr = repo.currenttransaction()
+    repo.dirstate.write(tr)
+    pending = tr and tr.writepending() and repo.root
+
     editortext = repo.ui.edit(committext, ctx.user(), ctx.extra(),
-                              editform=editform)
-
+                        editform=editform, pending=pending)
     text = re.sub("(?m)^HG:.*(\n|$)", "", editortext)
     os.chdir(olddir)
 
diff --git a/mercurial/ui.py b/mercurial/ui.py
--- a/mercurial/ui.py
+++ b/mercurial/ui.py
@@ -835,7 +835,8 @@ class ui(object):
         if self.debugflag:
             opts['label'] = opts.get('label', '') + ' ui.debug'
             self.write(*msg, **opts)
-    def edit(self, text, user, extra=None, editform=None):
+
+    def edit(self, text, user, extra=None, editform=None, pending=None):
         if extra is None:
             extra = {}
         (fd, name) = tempfile.mkstemp(prefix="hg-editor-", suffix=".txt",
@@ -854,6 +855,8 @@ class ui(object):
                     break
             if editform:
                 environ.update({'HGEDITFORM': editform})
+            if pending:
+                environ.update({'HG_PENDING': pending})
 
             editor = self.geteditor()
 
diff --git a/tests/test-commit-amend.t b/tests/test-commit-amend.t
--- a/tests/test-commit-amend.t
+++ b/tests/test-commit-amend.t
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ Refuse to amend public csets:
 
 Nothing to amend:
 
-  $ hg ci --amend
+  $ hg ci --amend -m 'base1'
   nothing changed
   [1]
 
diff --git a/tests/test-import.t b/tests/test-import.t
--- a/tests/test-import.t
+++ b/tests/test-import.t
@@ -447,6 +447,92 @@ page for detail).
   $ hg --cwd b parents --template 'parent: {rev}\n'
   parent: 1
 
+  $ hg --cwd b update -q -C 0
+  $ hg --cwd b --config extensions.strip= strip -q 1
+
+Test visibility of in-memory distate changes inside transaction to
+external process
+
+  $ echo foo > a/foo
+  $ hg --cwd a commit -A -m 'adding foo' foo
+  $ hg --cwd a export -o '../patch%R' 3
+
+  $ cat > $TESTTMP/checkvisibility.sh <<EOF
+  > echo "===="
+  > hg parents --template "VISIBLE {rev}:{node|short}\n"
+  > hg status -amr
+  > # test that pending changes are hidden
+  > unset HG_PENDING
+  > hg parents --template "ACTUAL  {rev}:{node|short}\n"
+  > hg status -amr
+  > echo "===="
+  > EOF
+
+== test visibility to external editor
+
+  $ (cd b && sh "$TESTTMP/checkvisibility.sh")
+  ====
+  VISIBLE 0:80971e65b431
+  ACTUAL  0:80971e65b431
+  ====
+
+  $ HGEDITOR="sh $TESTTMP/checkvisibility.sh" hg --cwd b import -v --edit ../patch1 ../patch2 ../patch3
+  applying ../patch1
+  patching file a
+  ====
+  VISIBLE 0:80971e65b431
+  M a
+  ACTUAL  0:80971e65b431
+  M a
+  ====
+  committing files:
+  a
+  committing manifest
+  committing changelog
+  created 1d4bd90af0e4
+  applying ../patch2
+  patching file a
+  ====
+  VISIBLE 1:1d4bd90af0e4
+  M a
+  ACTUAL  0:80971e65b431
+  M a
+  ====
+  committing files:
+  a
+  committing manifest
+  committing changelog
+  created 6d019af21222
+  applying ../patch3
+  patching file foo
+  adding foo
+  ====
+  VISIBLE 2:6d019af21222
+  A foo
+  ACTUAL  0:80971e65b431
+  M a
+  ====
+  committing files:
+  foo
+  committing manifest
+  committing changelog
+  created 55e3f75b2378
+
+  $ hg --cwd b rollback -q
+
+(content of file "a" is already changed and it should be recognized as
+"M", even though dirstate is restored to one before "hg import")
+
+  $ (cd b && sh "$TESTTMP/checkvisibility.sh")
+  ====
+  VISIBLE 0:80971e65b431
+  M a
+  ACTUAL  0:80971e65b431
+  M a
+  ====
+  $ hg --cwd b revert --no-backup a
+  $ rm -f b/foo
+
   $ rm -r b
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test-mq-qrefresh-replace-log-message.t b/tests/test-mq-qrefresh-replace-log-message.t
--- a/tests/test-mq-qrefresh-replace-log-message.t
+++ b/tests/test-mq-qrefresh-replace-log-message.t
@@ -2,6 +2,13 @@ Environment setup for MQ
 
   $ echo "[extensions]" >> $HGRCPATH
   $ echo "mq=" >> $HGRCPATH
+  $ cat >> $HGRCPATH <<EOF
+  > [defaults]
+  > # explicit date to commit with fixed hashid
+  > qnew = -d "0 0"
+  > qrefresh = -d "0 0"
+  > qfold = -d "0 0"
+  > EOF
   $ hg init
   $ hg qinit
 
@@ -191,3 +198,47 @@ Test saving last-message.txt:
   
   
   test saving last-message.txt
+
+Test visibility of in-memory distate changes outside transaction to
+external process
+
+  $ cat > $TESTTMP/checkvisibility.sh <<EOF
+  > echo "===="
+  > hg parents --template "{rev}:{node|short}\n"
+  > hg status -arm
+  > echo "===="
+  > EOF
+
+== test visibility to external editor
+
+  $ hg update -C -q first-patch
+  $ rm -f file2
+  $ hg qpush -q second-patch --config hooks.pretxncommit.unexpectedabort=
+  now at: second-patch
+  $ echo bbbb >> file2
+
+  $ sh "$TESTTMP/checkvisibility.sh"
+  ====
+  1:e30108269082
+  M file2
+  ====
+
+  $ HGEDITOR='sh "$TESTTMP/checkvisibility.sh"' hg qrefresh -e
+  ====
+  0:25e397dabed2
+  A file2
+  ====
+  transaction abort!
+  rollback completed
+  note: commit message saved in .hg/last-message.txt
+  refresh interrupted while patch was popped! (revert --all, qpush to recover)
+  abort: pretxncommit.unexpectedabort hook exited with status 1
+  [255]
+
+(rebuilding at failure of qrefresh bases on rev #0, and it causes
+dropping status of "file2")
+
+  $ sh "$TESTTMP/checkvisibility.sh"
+  ====
+  0:25e397dabed2
+  ====