diff --git a/mercurial/cmdutil.py b/mercurial/cmdutil.py
--- a/mercurial/cmdutil.py
+++ b/mercurial/cmdutil.py
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@
         status = repo.status(match=match)
         if not force:
             repo.checkcommitpatterns(wctx, vdirs, match, status, fail)
-        diffopts = patch.difffeatureopts(ui, opts=opts, whitespace=True)
+        diffopts = patch.difffeatureopts(ui, opts=opts)
         diffopts.nodates = True
         diffopts.git = True
         diffopts.showfunc = True
diff --git a/tests/test-commit-interactive.t b/tests/test-commit-interactive.t
--- a/tests/test-commit-interactive.t
+++ b/tests/test-commit-interactive.t
@@ -1807,3 +1807,30 @@
   n   0         -1 unset               subdir/f1
   $ hg status -A subdir/f1
   M subdir/f1
+
+making --interactive not ignore whitespaces with the following hgrc:
+[diff]
+ignorews=True
+  $ hg init issue6042
+  $ cd issue6042
+  $ echo '[diff]' >> $HGRCPATH
+  $ echo 'ignorews=True' >> $HGRCPATH
+  $ echo a > a
+  $ hg ci -Am 'add a'
+  adding a
+  $ echo 'a ' > a
+  $ hg diff
+  $ hg commit -i -m 'add ws to a' <<EOF
+  > y
+  > y
+  > n
+  > EOF
+  diff --git a/a b/a
+  1 hunks, 1 lines changed
+  examine changes to 'a'? [Ynesfdaq?] y
+  
+  @@ -1,1 +1,1 @@
+  -a
+  +a 
+  record this change to 'a'? [Ynesfdaq?] y
+