diff --git a/Annex.hs b/Annex.hs
index b9e71c9314..2c6402ac35 100644
--- a/Annex.hs
+++ b/Annex.hs
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ data AnnexState = AnnexState
 	, catfilehandle :: Maybe CatFileHandle
 	, forcebackend :: Maybe String
 	, forcenumcopies :: Maybe Int
-	, defaultkey :: Maybe String
 	, toremote :: Maybe String
 	, fromremote :: Maybe String
 	, limit :: Either [Utility.Matcher.Token (FilePath -> Annex Bool)] (Utility.Matcher.Matcher (FilePath -> Annex Bool))
@@ -85,7 +84,6 @@ newState gitrepo = AnnexState
 	, catfilehandle = Nothing
 	, forcebackend = Nothing
 	, forcenumcopies = Nothing
-	, defaultkey = Nothing
 	, toremote = Nothing
 	, fromremote = Nothing
 	, limit = Left []
diff --git a/Command/FromKey.hs b/Command/FromKey.hs
index 4e4644708f..b910dd1f09 100644
--- a/Command/FromKey.hs
+++ b/Command/FromKey.hs
@@ -12,26 +12,26 @@ import Command
 import qualified Annex.Queue
 import Annex.Content
 import Types.Key
-import Config
 
 def :: [Command]
-def = [command "fromkey" paramPath seek "adds a file using a specific key"]
+def = [command "fromkey" (paramPair paramKey paramPath) seek
+	"adds a file using a specific key"]
 
 seek :: [CommandSeek]
-seek = [withFilesMissing start]
+seek = [withWords start]
 
-start :: FilePath -> CommandStart
-start file = notBareRepo $ do
-	key <- cmdlineKey
+start :: [String] -> CommandStart
+start (keyname:file:[]) = notBareRepo $ do
+	let key = maybe (error "bad key") id $ readKey keyname
 	inbackend <- inAnnex key
 	unless inbackend $ error $
-		"key ("++keyName key++") is not present in backend"
+		"key ("++ keyname ++") is not present in backend"
 	showStart "fromkey" file
-	next $ perform file
+	next $ perform key file
+start _ = error "specify a key and a dest file"
 
-perform :: FilePath -> CommandPerform
-perform file = do
-	key <- cmdlineKey
+perform :: Key -> FilePath -> CommandPerform
+perform key file = do
 	link <- calcGitLink file key
 	liftIO $ createDirectoryIfMissing True (parentDir file)
 	liftIO $ createSymbolicLink link file
diff --git a/Command/SetContent.hs b/Command/SetContent.hs
index d62faa445f..0ecfa34bd4 100644
--- a/Command/SetContent.hs
+++ b/Command/SetContent.hs
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ seek = [withWords start]
 
 start :: [FilePath] -> CommandStart
 start (src:dest:[]) = do
-	showStart "setkey" dest
+	showStart "setcontent" dest
 	next $ perform src dest
 start _ = error "specify a src file and a dest file"
 
diff --git a/Config.hs b/Config.hs
index f994002b93..bf929219df 100644
--- a/Config.hs
+++ b/Config.hs
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ module Config where
 import Common.Annex
 import qualified Git
 import qualified Annex
-import Types.Key (readKey)
 
 type ConfigKey = String
 
@@ -92,15 +91,3 @@ getNumCopies v =
 			g <- gitRepo
 			return $ read $ Git.configGet g config "1"
 		config = "annex.numcopies"
-
-{- The Key specified by the --key parameter. -}
-cmdlineKey :: Annex Key
-cmdlineKey  = do
-	k <- Annex.getState Annex.defaultkey
-	case k of
-		Nothing -> nokey
-		Just "" -> nokey
-		Just kstring -> maybe badkey return $ readKey kstring
-	where
-		nokey = error "please specify the key with --key"
-		badkey = error "bad key"
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 91e4a18af1..25f18f7950 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ git-annex (3.20111026) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
   * unused, dropunused: Now work in bare repositories.
   * Removed the setkey command, and added a setcontent command with a more
     useful interface.
+  * The fromkey command now takes the key as its first parameter. The --key
+    option is no longer used.
 
  -- Joey Hess <joeyh@debian.org>  Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:58:53 -0400
 
diff --git a/doc/bugs/No_easy_way_to_re-inject_a_file_into_an_annex/comment_4_480a4f72445a636eab1b1c0f816d365c._comment b/doc/bugs/No_easy_way_to_re-inject_a_file_into_an_annex/comment_4_480a4f72445a636eab1b1c0f816d365c._comment
index 4a22d414b2..787173b0a6 100644
--- a/doc/bugs/No_easy_way_to_re-inject_a_file_into_an_annex/comment_4_480a4f72445a636eab1b1c0f816d365c._comment
+++ b/doc/bugs/No_easy_way_to_re-inject_a_file_into_an_annex/comment_4_480a4f72445a636eab1b1c0f816d365c._comment
@@ -4,5 +4,6 @@
  subject="comment 4"
  date="2011-05-14T16:29:35Z"
  content="""
-Although, if you really do want to shoot yourself in the foot, or know you have the old content, you can use `git-annex setkey`.
+Although, if you really do want to shoot yourself in the foot, or know you
+have the old content, you can use `git-annex setcontent`.
 """]]
diff --git a/doc/git-annex.mdwn b/doc/git-annex.mdwn
index abddaa0dea..42997e5342 100644
--- a/doc/git-annex.mdwn
+++ b/doc/git-annex.mdwn
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ subdirectories).
   This is meant to be called from git's pre-commit hook. `git annex init`
   automatically creates a pre-commit hook using this.
 
-* fromkey file
+* fromkey key file
 
   This plumbing-level command can be used to manually set up a file
   in the git repository to link to a specified key.
@@ -406,10 +406,6 @@ subdirectories).
   are in the annex, their backend is known and this option is not
   necessary.
 
-* --key=name
-
-  Specifies a key to operate on.
-
 * -c name=value
 
   Used to override git configuration settings. May be specified multiple times.
diff --git a/test.hs b/test.hs
index 0ef7449162..fa7657b581 100644
--- a/test.hs
+++ b/test.hs
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ blackbox = TestLabel "blackbox" $ TestList
 	-- test order matters, later tests may rely on state from earlier
 	[ test_init
 	, test_add
-	, test_setkey
+	, test_setcontent
 	, test_unannex
 	, test_drop
 	, test_get
@@ -118,15 +118,15 @@ test_add = "git-annex add" ~: TestList [basic, sha1dup, subdirs]
 			writeFile annexedfile $ content annexedfile
 			git_annex "add" ["-q", annexedfile] @? "add failed"
 			annexed_present annexedfile
+			writeFile sha1annexedfile $ content sha1annexedfile
+			git_annex "add" ["-q", sha1annexedfile, "--backend=SHA1"] @? "add with SHA1 failed"
+			annexed_present sha1annexedfile
 			writeFile ingitfile $ content ingitfile
 			boolSystem "git" [Param "add", File ingitfile] @? "git add failed"
 			boolSystem "git" [Params "commit -q -a -m commit"] @? "git commit failed"
 			git_annex "add" ["-q", ingitfile] @? "add ingitfile should be no-op"
 			unannexed ingitfile
 		sha1dup = TestCase $ intmpclonerepo $ do
-			writeFile sha1annexedfile $ content sha1annexedfile
-			git_annex "add" ["-q", sha1annexedfile, "--backend=SHA1"] @? "add with SHA1 failed"
-			annexed_present sha1annexedfile
 			writeFile sha1annexedfiledup $ content sha1annexedfiledup
 			git_annex "add" ["-q", sha1annexedfiledup, "--backend=SHA1"] @? "add of second file with same SHA1 failed"
 			annexed_present sha1annexedfiledup
@@ -140,15 +140,15 @@ test_add = "git-annex add" ~: TestList [basic, sha1dup, subdirs]
 			changeWorkingDirectory "dir"
 			git_annex "add" ["-q", "../dir2"] @? "add of ../subdir failed"
 
-test_setkey :: Test
-test_setkey = "git-annex setkey/fromkey" ~: TestCase $ inmainrepo $ do
+test_setcontent :: Test
+test_setcontent = "git-annex setcontent/fromkey" ~: TestCase $ intmpclonerepo $ do
+	git_annex "drop" ["-q", "--force", sha1annexedfile] @? "drop failed"
 	writeFile tmp $ content sha1annexedfile
 	r <- annexeval $ Types.Backend.getKey backendSHA1 tmp
 	let key = show $ fromJust r
-	git_annex "setkey" ["-q", "--key", key, tmp] @? "setkey failed"
-	git_annex "fromkey" ["-q", "--key", key, sha1annexedfile] @? "fromkey failed"
-	boolSystem "git" [Params "commit -q -a -m commit"] @? "git commit failed"
-	annexed_present sha1annexedfile
+	git_annex "setcontent" ["-q", tmp, sha1annexedfile] @? "setcontent failed"
+	git_annex "fromkey" ["-q", key, sha1annexedfiledup] @? "fromkey failed"
+	annexed_present sha1annexedfiledup
 	where
 		tmp = "tmpfile"