diff --git a/builder/builder.go b/builder/builder.go
index 8d6c8ef3e2..ac045fe41e 100644
--- a/builder/builder.go
+++ b/builder/builder.go
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ type Docker interface {
 	// Remove removes a container specified by `id`.
 	Remove(id string, cfg *daemon.ContainerRmConfig) error
 	// Commit creates a new Docker image from an existing Docker container.
-	Commit(*daemon.Container, *daemon.ContainerCommitConfig) (*image.Image, error)
+	Commit(string, *daemon.ContainerCommitConfig) (*image.Image, error)
 	// Copy copies/extracts a source FileInfo to a destination path inside a container
 	// specified by a container object.
 	// TODO: make an Extract method instead of passing `decompress`
diff --git a/builder/dockerfile/builder.go b/builder/dockerfile/builder.go
index 0ad257de4e..a75f768e82 100644
--- a/builder/dockerfile/builder.go
+++ b/builder/dockerfile/builder.go
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import (
 	"io"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"os"
-	"runtime"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 
@@ -258,16 +257,6 @@ func BuildFromConfig(config *runconfig.Config, changes []string) (*runconfig.Con
 // Commit will create a new image from a container's changes
 // TODO: remove daemon, make Commit a method on *Builder ?
 func Commit(containerName string, d *daemon.Daemon, c *CommitConfig) (string, error) {
-	container, err := d.Get(containerName)
-	if err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-
-	// It is not possible to commit a running container on Windows
-	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" && container.IsRunning() {
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("Windows does not support commit of a running container")
-	}
-
 	if c.Config == nil {
 		c.Config = &runconfig.Config{}
 	}
@@ -277,20 +266,17 @@ func Commit(containerName string, d *daemon.Daemon, c *CommitConfig) (string, er
 		return "", err
 	}
 
-	if err := runconfig.Merge(newConfig, container.Config); err != nil {
-		return "", err
-	}
-
 	commitCfg := &daemon.ContainerCommitConfig{
-		Pause:   c.Pause,
-		Repo:    c.Repo,
-		Tag:     c.Tag,
-		Author:  c.Author,
-		Comment: c.Comment,
-		Config:  newConfig,
+		Pause:        c.Pause,
+		Repo:         c.Repo,
+		Tag:          c.Tag,
+		Author:       c.Author,
+		Comment:      c.Comment,
+		Config:       newConfig,
+		MergeConfigs: true,
 	}
 
-	img, err := d.Commit(container, commitCfg)
+	img, err := d.Commit(containerName, commitCfg)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
diff --git a/builder/dockerfile/internals.go b/builder/dockerfile/internals.go
index ab6c1cdf19..a82ad7b3d7 100644
--- a/builder/dockerfile/internals.go
+++ b/builder/dockerfile/internals.go
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ func (b *Builder) commit(id string, autoCmd *stringutils.StrSlice, comment strin
 		} else if hit {
 			return nil
 		}
-
 		container, err := b.create()
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -73,11 +72,6 @@ func (b *Builder) commit(id string, autoCmd *stringutils.StrSlice, comment strin
 		defer b.docker.Unmount(container)
 	}
 
-	container, err := b.docker.Container(id)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
 	// Note: Actually copy the struct
 	autoConfig := *b.runConfig
 	autoConfig.Cmd = autoCmd
@@ -89,7 +83,7 @@ func (b *Builder) commit(id string, autoCmd *stringutils.StrSlice, comment strin
 	}
 
 	// Commit the container
-	image, err := b.docker.Commit(container, commitCfg)
+	image, err := b.docker.Commit(id, commitCfg)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/daemon/commit.go b/daemon/commit.go
index 35759a032c..61808eabce 100644
--- a/daemon/commit.go
+++ b/daemon/commit.go
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 package daemon
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
+	"runtime"
+
 	"github.com/docker/docker/image"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/archive"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/ioutils"
@@ -15,17 +18,35 @@ type ContainerCommitConfig struct {
 	Tag     string
 	Author  string
 	Comment string
-	Config  *runconfig.Config
+	// merge container config into commit config before commit
+	MergeConfigs bool
+	Config       *runconfig.Config
 }
 
 // Commit creates a new filesystem image from the current state of a container.
 // The image can optionally be tagged into a repository.
-func (daemon *Daemon) Commit(container *Container, c *ContainerCommitConfig) (*image.Image, error) {
+func (daemon *Daemon) Commit(name string, c *ContainerCommitConfig) (*image.Image, error) {
+	container, err := daemon.Get(name)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	// It is not possible to commit a running container on Windows
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" && container.IsRunning() {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Windows does not support commit of a running container")
+	}
+
 	if c.Pause && !container.isPaused() {
 		daemon.containerPause(container)
 		defer daemon.containerUnpause(container)
 	}
 
+	if c.MergeConfigs {
+		if err := runconfig.Merge(c.Config, container.Config); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	}
+
 	rwTar, err := daemon.exportContainerRw(container)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
diff --git a/daemon/daemonbuilder/builder.go b/daemon/daemonbuilder/builder.go
index f6bbec4d67..0b5528f16f 100644
--- a/daemon/daemonbuilder/builder.go
+++ b/daemon/daemonbuilder/builder.go
@@ -106,8 +106,8 @@ func (d Docker) Remove(id string, cfg *daemon.ContainerRmConfig) error {
 }
 
 // Commit creates a new Docker image from an existing Docker container.
-func (d Docker) Commit(c *daemon.Container, cfg *daemon.ContainerCommitConfig) (*image.Image, error) {
-	return d.Daemon.Commit(c, cfg)
+func (d Docker) Commit(name string, cfg *daemon.ContainerCommitConfig) (*image.Image, error) {
+	return d.Daemon.Commit(name, cfg)
 }
 
 // Retain retains an image avoiding it to be removed or overwritten until a corresponding Release() call.