--- a/hgext/absorb.py	Mon Sep 24 14:46:37 2018 -0700
+++ b/hgext/absorb.py	Thu Jan 17 09:17:12 2019 -0800
@@ -726,7 +726,6 @@
                 # nothing changed, nothing commited
                 nextp1 = ctx
                 continue
-            msg = ''
             if self._willbecomenoop(memworkingcopy, ctx, nextp1):
                 # changeset is no longer necessary
                 self.replacemap[ctx.node()] = None