diff --git a/jcheck/src/main/java/org/openjdk/skara/jcheck/CommitterCheck.java b/jcheck/src/main/java/org/openjdk/skara/jcheck/CommitterCheck.java
index db79a67a4..a6c3f4406 100644
--- a/jcheck/src/main/java/org/openjdk/skara/jcheck/CommitterCheck.java
+++ b/jcheck/src/main/java/org/openjdk/skara/jcheck/CommitterCheck.java
@@ -75,9 +75,12 @@ Iterator<Issue> check(Commit commit, CommitMessage message, JCheckConfiguration
         }
 
         var username = committer.email().split("@")[0];
-        if (!hasRole(project, role, username, version)) {
-            log.finer("issue: committer does not have role " + role);
-            return iterator(new CommitterIssue(project, metadata));
+        var allowedToMerge = conf.checks().committer().allowedToMerge();
+        if (!commit.isMerge() || !allowedToMerge.contains(username)) {
+            if (!hasRole(project, role, username, version)) {
+                log.finer("issue: committer does not have role " + role);
+                return iterator(new CommitterIssue(project, metadata));
+            }
         }
 
         return iterator();
diff --git a/jcheck/src/main/java/org/openjdk/skara/jcheck/CommitterConfiguration.java b/jcheck/src/main/java/org/openjdk/skara/jcheck/CommitterConfiguration.java
index 612d0dbc6..7993ded21 100644
--- a/jcheck/src/main/java/org/openjdk/skara/jcheck/CommitterConfiguration.java
+++ b/jcheck/src/main/java/org/openjdk/skara/jcheck/CommitterConfiguration.java
@@ -24,22 +24,30 @@
 
 import org.openjdk.skara.ini.Section;
 
+import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 
 public class CommitterConfiguration {
-    static final CommitterConfiguration DEFAULT = new CommitterConfiguration("committer");
+    static final CommitterConfiguration DEFAULT = new CommitterConfiguration("committer", Set.of());
 
     private final String role;
+    private final Set<String> allowedToMerge;
 
-    CommitterConfiguration(String role) {
+    CommitterConfiguration(String role, Set<String> allowedToMerge) {
         this.role = role;
+        this.allowedToMerge = allowedToMerge;
     }
 
     public String role() {
         return role;
     }
 
+    public Set<String> allowedToMerge() {
+        return allowedToMerge;
+    }
+
     static String name() {
         return "committer";
     }
@@ -50,7 +58,12 @@ static CommitterConfiguration parse(Section s) {
         }
 
         var role = s.get("role", DEFAULT.role());
-        return new CommitterConfiguration(role);
+        var usernames = s.get("allowed-to-merge", "");
+        var allowedToMerge = new HashSet<String>();
+        for (var username : usernames.split(",")) {
+            allowedToMerge.add(username.trim());
+        }
+        return new CommitterConfiguration(role, allowedToMerge);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/jcheck/src/test/java/org/openjdk/skara/jcheck/CommitterCheckTests.java b/jcheck/src/test/java/org/openjdk/skara/jcheck/CommitterCheckTests.java
index 5f435e399..613f448ed 100644
--- a/jcheck/src/test/java/org/openjdk/skara/jcheck/CommitterCheckTests.java
+++ b/jcheck/src/test/java/org/openjdk/skara/jcheck/CommitterCheckTests.java
@@ -75,6 +75,15 @@ class CommitterCheckTests {
         "error = committer"
     );
 
+    private static Commit mergeCommit(Author author, Author committer) {
+        var hash = new Hash("0123456789012345678901234567890123456789");
+        var parents = List.of(hash, hash);
+        var date = ZonedDateTime.now();
+        var message = List.of("Merge");
+        var metadata = new CommitMetadata(hash, parents, author, committer, date, message);
+        return new Commit(metadata, List.of());
+    }
+
     private static Commit commit(Author author, Author committer) {
         var hash = new Hash("0123456789012345678901234567890123456789");
         var parents = List.of(new Hash("12345789012345789012345678901234567890"));
@@ -227,4 +236,40 @@ void missingCommitterEmailShouldFail() throws IOException {
         assertEquals(message, issue.message());
         assertEquals(Severity.ERROR, issue.severity());
     }
+
+    @Test
+    void allowedToMerge() throws IOException {
+        var author = new Author("baz", "baz@localhost");
+        var committer = new Author("baz", "baz@localhost");
+        var commit = mergeCommit(author, committer);
+        var message = message(commit);
+        var check = new CommitterCheck(census());
+        var issues = toList(check.check(commit, message, conf()));
+
+        assertEquals(1, issues.size());
+        assertTrue(issues.get(0) instanceof CommitterIssue);
+
+        check = new CommitterCheck(census());
+        var text = new ArrayList<>(CONFIGURATION);
+        text.addAll(List.of("[checks \"committer\"]", "allowed-to-merge=baz"));
+        var conf = JCheckConfiguration.parse(text);
+        issues = toList(check.check(commit, message, conf));
+        assertEquals(List.of(), issues);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void allowedToMergeShouldOnlyWorkForMergeCommits() throws IOException {
+        var author = new Author("baz", "baz@localhost");
+        var committer = new Author("baz", "baz@localhost");
+        var commit = commit(author, committer);
+        var message = message(commit);
+        var check = new CommitterCheck(census());
+        var text = new ArrayList<>(CONFIGURATION);
+        text.addAll(List.of("[checks \"committer\"]", "allowed-to-merge=baz"));
+        var conf = JCheckConfiguration.parse(text);
+        var issues = toList(check.check(commit, message, conf));
+
+        assertEquals(1, issues.size());
+        assertTrue(issues.get(0) instanceof CommitterIssue);
+    }
 }