diff --git a/josh-core/src/filter/opt.rs b/josh-core/src/filter/opt.rs
index 64fe12455..c5f96ff16 100644
--- a/josh-core/src/filter/opt.rs
+++ b/josh-core/src/filter/opt.rs
@@ -315,6 +315,8 @@ fn common_post(filters: &Vec<Filter>) -> Option<(Filter, Vec<Filter>)> {
             common_post.map(|c| (c, rest))
         } else if let Op::Prefix(_) = to_op(c) {
             common_post.map(|c| (c, rest))
+        } else if let Op::Message(..) = to_op(c) {
+            common_post.map(|c| (c, rest))
         } else {
             None
         }
diff --git a/tests/filter/compose_message.t b/tests/filter/compose_message.t
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a7d471138
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/filter/compose_message.t
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+  $ export TESTTMP=${PWD}
+
+  $ cd ${TESTTMP}
+  $ git init -q repo 1> /dev/null
+  $ cd repo
+
+  $ mkdir -p mono extras
+  $ echo a > mono/a.txt
+  $ echo b > extras/b.txt
+  $ git add .
+  $ git commit -m "initial commit" 1> /dev/null
+
+  $ josh-filter -p ':[:/mono,:/extras]:"REWRITTEN"'
+  :[
+      :/mono
+      :/extras
+  ]:"REWRITTEN"
+
+  $ josh-filter ':[:/mono,:/extras]:"REWRITTEN"' > /dev/null
+  $ git log --pretty=%B -1 FILTERED_HEAD
+  REWRITTEN