diff --git a/src/main/java/uk/ac/cam/cl/dtg/teaching/chime/frontend/ChimeSubmissionsController.java b/src/main/java/uk/ac/cam/cl/dtg/teaching/chime/frontend/ChimeSubmissionsController.java
index 16bf0e4583b5dbb6b79f405b7142d3c14d1d62ae..55c0cd249f8be0d7c7f06c1d7880a57a487fbc6e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/uk/ac/cam/cl/dtg/teaching/chime/frontend/ChimeSubmissionsController.java
+++ b/src/main/java/uk/ac/cam/cl/dtg/teaching/chime/frontend/ChimeSubmissionsController.java
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ import uk.ac.cam.cl.dtg.teaching.pottery.model.Submission;
 @Path("/submissions")
 public class ChimeSubmissionsController {
 
+  public static final String INITIALISED_NEXT_STEP = "Initialised next step";
   private final Database database;
   private final TemplateProcessor templateProcessor;
   private final PotteryInterface potteryInterface;
@@ -150,7 +151,7 @@ public class ChimeSubmissionsController {
                   taskInfo.potteryTaskId(), submissionDao.localRepo().variant(), skeletonFileName),
           fileWriter);
       if (fileWriter.isWritten()) {
-        g.commit().setMessage("Initialised next step").call();
+        g.commit().setMessage(INITIALISED_NEXT_STEP).call();
       }
     } catch (IOException | GitAPIException e) {
       throw new GitApiError(e);
diff --git a/src/main/java/uk/ac/cam/cl/dtg/teaching/chime/frontend/ChimeTasksController.java b/src/main/java/uk/ac/cam/cl/dtg/teaching/chime/frontend/ChimeTasksController.java
index cbe8ebeea37eb2d1dfdac3d9ed7306408f564799..74853c4d6ca6ade7f78c43860cf8079ea99facfe 100644
--- a/src/main/java/uk/ac/cam/cl/dtg/teaching/chime/frontend/ChimeTasksController.java
+++ b/src/main/java/uk/ac/cam/cl/dtg/teaching/chime/frontend/ChimeTasksController.java
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ import uk.ac.cam.cl.dtg.teaching.pottery.model.RepoInfoWithStatus;
 public class ChimeTasksController {
 
   private static final Pattern INVALID_REPO_NAME_PATTERN = Pattern.compile("[^a-zA-Z0-9-_]");
+  public static final String INITIALISED_TASK = "Initialised task";
 
   private final TemplateProcessor templateProcessor;
   private final PotteryInterface potteryInterface;
@@ -202,7 +203,7 @@ public class ChimeTasksController {
           fileWriter);
       fileWriter.write("LICENSE", Templates.getLicenseFile());
       fileWriter.write("NOTICE", Templates.getNotice(taskInfo, user));
-      g.commit().setMessage("Initialised task").call();
+      g.commit().setMessage(INITIALISED_TASK).call();
 
       Optional<AssessedExerciseDao> assessedExercise =
           AssessedExerciseDao.lookup(taskInfo.potteryTaskId(), q);