--- a/vcssync/mozvcssync/overlay.py
+++ b/vcssync/mozvcssync/overlay.py
@@ -120,17 +120,17 @@ def overlay_hg_repos(source_repo_url, de
         if not result_push_url:
             return
 
         logger.warn('pushing %d new changesets on head %s to %s' % (
                     new_count, new_tip.node(), result_push_url))
         for rev in hrepo.log(revrange=b'%d::%s' % (old_tip.rev() + 1,
                                                    new_tip.node())):
             logger.warn('%s:%s: %s' % (rev[0], rev[1][0:12],
-                                       rev[5].splitlines()[0]))
+                                       rev[5].decode('utf-8').splitlines()[0]))
 
         try:
             run_hg(logger, hrepo,
                    [b'push', b'-r', new_tip.node(), result_push_url])
         except hglib.error.CommandError as e:
             # Detect likely push race and convert exception so caller
             # can retry.
             if b'push creates new remote head' in e.out:

new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vcssync/tests/test-overlay-hg-push-unicode.t
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+  $ . $TESTDIR/vcssync/tests/helpers.sh
+  $ standardoverlayenv > /dev/null 2>&1
+
+Test unicode in commit descriptions
+
+  $ cd server/overlay-source
+  $ echo 1 > file2
+  $ hg commit --encoding utf-8 -A -m 'add file2 with unicode テスト'
+  adding file2
+  $ cd ../..
+
+  $ overlay-hg-repos http://localhost:$HGPORT/overlay-source http://localhost:$HGPORT/overlay-dest \
+  >   repo --into subdir --result-push-url http://localhost:$HGPORT/overlay-dest
+  repo does not exist; cloning http://localhost:$HGPORT/overlay-dest
+  requesting all changes
+  adding changesets
+  adding manifests
+  adding file changes
+  added 1 changesets with 2 changes to 2 files
+  executing: hg strip --no-backup -r 'not public()'
+  hg> abort: empty revision set
+  (ignoring strip failure)
+  resolving destination revision: tip
+  executing: hg identify http://localhost:$HGPORT/overlay-dest -r tip
+  hg> 88dd2a5005e6
+  commencing overlay of http://localhost:$HGPORT/overlay-source
+  executing: hg overlay http://localhost:$HGPORT/overlay-source --into subdir -d 88dd2a5005e6e795674d8253cec4dde9f9f77457
+  hg> pulling http://localhost:$HGPORT/overlay-source into $TESTTMP/repo/.hg/localhost~3a*__overlay-source (glob)
+  hg> requesting all changes
+  hg> adding changesets
+  hg> adding manifests
+  hg> adding file changes
+  hg> added 3 changesets with 4 changes to 4 files
+  hg> 76f0fc85e215 -> 67c9543981c6: initial - add source-file0 and source-file1
+  hg> d92cc0ff6f1a -> eaf64eb11964: add dir0/file0
+  hg> 2943afe809e4 -> 45ba9d247354: add file2 with unicode \xe3\x83\x86\xe3\x82\xb9\xe3\x83\x88 (esc)
+  3 new changesets; new tip is 45ba9d247354df64fa1811413f28f043ba6b7cdf
+  pushing 3 new changesets on head 45ba9d247354df64fa1811413f28f043ba6b7cdf to http://localhost:$HGPORT/overlay-dest
+  1:67c9543981c6: initial - add source-file0 and source-file1
+  2:eaf64eb11964: add dir0/file0
+  3:45ba9d247354: add file2 with unicode \xe3\x83\x86\xe3\x82\xb9\xe3\x83\x88 (esc)
+  executing: hg push -r 45ba9d247354df64fa1811413f28f043ba6b7cdf http://localhost:$HGPORT/overlay-dest
+  hg> pushing to http://localhost:$HGPORT/overlay-dest
+  hg> searching for changes
+  hg> remote: adding changesets
+  hg> remote: adding manifests
+  hg> remote: adding file changes
+  hg> remote: added 3 changesets with 4 changes to 4 files
+