diff --git a/hgext/mq.py b/hgext/mq.py
--- a/hgext/mq.py
+++ b/hgext/mq.py
@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@ refresh contents of top applied patch   
 '''
 
 from mercurial.i18n import _
-from mercurial import commands, cmdutil, hg, patch, revlog, util, changegroup
+from mercurial import commands, cmdutil, hg, patch, revlog, util
+from mercurial import repair
 import os, sys, re, errno
 
 commands.norepo += " qclone qversion"
@@ -629,71 +630,9 @@ class queue:
         self.removeundo(repo)
 
     def strip(self, repo, rev, update=True, backup="all", wlock=None):
-        def limitheads(chlog, stop):
-            """return the list of all nodes that have no children"""
-            p = {}
-            h = []
-            stoprev = 0
-            if stop in chlog.nodemap:
-                stoprev = chlog.rev(stop)
-
-            for r in xrange(chlog.count() - 1, -1, -1):
-                n = chlog.node(r)
-                if n not in p:
-                    h.append(n)
-                if n == stop:
-                    break
-                if r < stoprev:
-                    break
-                for pn in chlog.parents(n):
-                    p[pn] = 1
-            return h
-
-        def bundle(cg):
-            backupdir = repo.join("strip-backup")
-            if not os.path.isdir(backupdir):
-                os.mkdir(backupdir)
-            name = os.path.join(backupdir, "%s" % revlog.short(rev))
-            name = savename(name)
-            self.ui.warn("saving bundle to %s\n" % name)
-            return changegroup.writebundle(cg, name, "HG10BZ")
-
-        def stripall(revnum):
-            mm = repo.changectx(rev).manifest()
-            seen = {}
-
-            for x in xrange(revnum, repo.changelog.count()):
-                for f in repo.changectx(x).files():
-                    if f in seen:
-                        continue
-                    seen[f] = 1
-                    if f in mm:
-                        filerev = mm[f]
-                    else:
-                        filerev = 0
-                    seen[f] = filerev
-            # we go in two steps here so the strip loop happens in a
-            # sensible order.  When stripping many files, this helps keep
-            # our disk access patterns under control.
-            seen_list = seen.keys()
-            seen_list.sort()
-            for f in seen_list:
-                ff = repo.file(f)
-                filerev = seen[f]
-                if filerev != 0:
-                    if filerev in ff.nodemap:
-                        filerev = ff.rev(filerev)
-                    else:
-                        filerev = 0
-                ff.strip(filerev, revnum)
-
         if not wlock:
             wlock = repo.wlock()
         lock = repo.lock()
-        chlog = repo.changelog
-        # TODO delete the undo files, and handle undo of merge sets
-        pp = chlog.parents(rev)
-        revnum = chlog.rev(rev)
 
         if update:
             self.check_localchanges(repo, refresh=False)
@@ -701,62 +640,8 @@ class queue:
             hg.clean(repo, urev, wlock=wlock)
             repo.dirstate.write()
 
-        # save is a list of all the branches we are truncating away
-        # that we actually want to keep.  changegroup will be used
-        # to preserve them and add them back after the truncate
-        saveheads = []
-        savebases = {}
-
-        heads = limitheads(chlog, rev)
-        seen = {}
-
-        # search through all the heads, finding those where the revision
-        # we want to strip away is an ancestor.  Also look for merges
-        # that might be turned into new heads by the strip.
-        while heads:
-            h = heads.pop()
-            n = h
-            while True:
-                seen[n] = 1
-                pp = chlog.parents(n)
-                if pp[1] != revlog.nullid:
-                    for p in pp:
-                        if chlog.rev(p) > revnum and p not in seen:
-                            heads.append(p)
-                if pp[0] == revlog.nullid:
-                    break
-                if chlog.rev(pp[0]) < revnum:
-                    break
-                n = pp[0]
-                if n == rev:
-                    break
-            r = chlog.reachable(h, rev)
-            if rev not in r:
-                saveheads.append(h)
-                for x in r:
-                    if chlog.rev(x) > revnum:
-                        savebases[x] = 1
-
-        # create a changegroup for all the branches we need to keep
-        if backup == "all":
-            backupch = repo.changegroupsubset([rev], chlog.heads(), 'strip')
-            bundle(backupch)
-        if saveheads:
-            backupch = repo.changegroupsubset(savebases.keys(), saveheads, 'strip')
-            chgrpfile = bundle(backupch)
-
-        stripall(revnum)
-
-        change = chlog.read(rev)
-        chlog.strip(revnum, revnum)
-        repo.manifest.strip(repo.manifest.rev(change[0]), revnum)
         self.removeundo(repo)
-        if saveheads:
-            self.ui.status("adding branch\n")
-            commands.unbundle(self.ui, repo, "file:%s" % chgrpfile,
-                              update=False)
-            if backup != "strip":
-                os.unlink(chgrpfile)
+        repair.strip(self.ui, repo, rev, backup)
 
     def isapplied(self, patch):
         """returns (index, rev, patch)"""