diff --git a/Annex.hs b/Annex.hs
index 8f60a0bf49..303881fa09 100644
--- a/Annex.hs
+++ b/Annex.hs
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ new gitrepo allbackends = do
 	where
 		prep = do
 			-- read git config and update state
-			gitrepo' <- liftIO $ Git.configRead gitrepo
+			gitrepo' <- liftIO $ Git.configRead gitrepo Nothing
 			Annex.gitRepoChange gitrepo'
 
 {- performs an action in the Annex monad -}
diff --git a/GitRepo.hs b/GitRepo.hs
index 874b5c3c9b..505dd06eb2 100644
--- a/GitRepo.hs
+++ b/GitRepo.hs
@@ -246,9 +246,11 @@ pipeNullSplit repo params = do
 	where
 		split0 s = filter (not . null) $ split "\0" s
 
-{- Runs git config and populates a repo with its config. -}
-configRead :: Repo -> IO Repo
-configRead repo@(Repo { location = Dir d }) = do
+{- Runs git config and populates a repo with its config. 
+ -
+ - For a ssh repository, a list of ssh options may optionally be specified. -}
+configRead :: Repo -> Maybe [String] -> IO Repo
+configRead repo@(Repo { location = Dir d }) _ = do
 	{- Cannot use pipeRead because it relies on the config having
 	   been already read. Instead, chdir to the repo. -}
 	cwd <- getCurrentDirectory
@@ -256,10 +258,13 @@ configRead repo@(Repo { location = Dir d }) = do
 		(\_ -> changeWorkingDirectory cwd) $
 			pOpen ReadFromPipe "git" ["config", "--list"] $
 				hConfigRead repo
-configRead repo = assertSsh repo $ do
-	pOpen ReadFromPipe "ssh" [urlHost repo, sshcommand] $ hConfigRead repo
+configRead repo sshopts = assertSsh repo $ do
+	pOpen ReadFromPipe "ssh" params $ hConfigRead repo
 	where
-		sshcommand = "cd " ++ (shellEscape $ urlPath repo) ++
+		params = case sshopts of
+				Nothing -> [urlHost repo, command]
+				Just l -> l ++ [urlHost repo, command]
+		command = "cd " ++ (shellEscape $ urlPath repo) ++
 				" && git config --list"
 hConfigRead :: Repo -> Handle -> IO Repo
 hConfigRead repo h = do
diff --git a/Remotes.hs b/Remotes.hs
index c28ba5afed..bb77b00b31 100644
--- a/Remotes.hs
+++ b/Remotes.hs
@@ -94,8 +94,8 @@ inAnnex r key = do
 			Annex.eval a (Core.inAnnex key)
 		checkremote = do
 			Core.showNote ("checking " ++ Git.repoDescribe r ++ "...")
-			inannex <- runCmd r ("test -e " ++
-				(shellEscape $ annexLocation r key)) []
+			inannex <- runCmd r "test"
+				[ "-e", (shellEscape $ annexLocation r key)]
 			-- XXX Note that ssh failing and the file not existing
 			-- are not currently differentiated.
 			return $ Right inannex
@@ -172,11 +172,12 @@ commandLineRemote = do
  - returns the updated git repo. -}
 tryGitConfigRead :: Git.Repo -> Annex (Either Git.Repo Git.Repo)
 tryGitConfigRead r = do
+	sshoptions <- repoConfig r "annex-ssh-options" ""
 	if (Map.null $ Git.configMap r)
 		then do
 			-- configRead can fail due to IO error or
 			-- for other reasons; catch all possible exceptions
-			result <- liftIO $ (try (Git.configRead r)::IO (Either SomeException (Git.Repo)))
+			result <- liftIO $ (try (Git.configRead r $ Just $ words sshoptions)::IO (Either SomeException (Git.Repo)))
 			case (result) of
 				Left _ -> return $ Left r
 				Right r' -> do
diff --git a/UUID.hs b/UUID.hs
index d683e0b98e..ffd2cd46dc 100644
--- a/UUID.hs
+++ b/UUID.hs
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ setConfig key value = do
 	g <- Annex.gitRepo
 	liftIO $ Git.run g ["config", key, value]
 	-- re-read git config and update the repo's state
-	g' <- liftIO $ Git.configRead g
+	g' <- liftIO $ Git.configRead g Nothing
 	Annex.gitRepoChange g'
 
 {- Filters a list of repos to ones that have listed UUIDs. -}