diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 9780433d5..7f6c11f11 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -16,7 +16,9 @@ before_install:
 install: true
 
 script:
+  - env | grep TRAVIS_
   - make .govet
   - make .golint
-  - make .gitvalidation
+  - echo "${TRAVIS_COMMIT_RANGE} -> ${TRAVIS_COMMIT_RANGE/.../..} (travis-ci/travis-ci#4596)"
+  - TRAVIS_COMMIT_RANGE="${TRAVIS_COMMIT_RANGE/.../..}" make .gitvalidation
   - make docs
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 41c2409ac..1d5401828 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ endif
 # When this is running in travis, it will only check the travis commit range
 .gitvalidation:
 	@which git-validation > /dev/null 2>/dev/null || (echo "ERROR: git-validation not found. Consider 'make install.tools' target" && false)
-ifeq ($(TRAVIS),true)
+ifdef TRAVIS_COMMIT_RANGE
 	git-validation -q -run DCO,short-subject,dangling-whitespace
 else
 	git-validation -v -run DCO,short-subject,dangling-whitespace -range $(EPOCH_TEST_COMMIT)..HEAD