diff --git a/cmd/login/add.go b/cmd/login/add.go
index ca53c9c..9beed16 100644
--- a/cmd/login/add.go
+++ b/cmd/login/add.go
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ var CmdLoginAdd = cli.Command{
 		&cli.StringFlag{
 			Name:    "ssh-key",
 			Aliases: []string{"s"},
-			Usage:   "Path to a SSH key to use for pull/push operations",
+			Usage:   "Path to a SSH key to use, overrides auto-discovery",
 		},
 		&cli.BoolFlag{
 			Name:    "insecure",
diff --git a/modules/config/login.go b/modules/config/login.go
index c347533..4ed47bc 100644
--- a/modules/config/login.go
+++ b/modules/config/login.go
@@ -6,16 +6,21 @@ package config
 
 import (
 	"crypto/tls"
+	"encoding/base64"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"io/ioutil"
 	"log"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/http/cookiejar"
 	"net/url"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
 
 	"code.gitea.io/tea/modules/utils"
 
 	"code.gitea.io/sdk/gitea"
+	"golang.org/x/crypto/ssh"
 )
 
 // Login represents a login to a gitea server, you even could add multiple logins for one gitea server
@@ -133,3 +138,65 @@ func (l *Login) GetSSHHost() string {
 
 	return u.Hostname()
 }
+
+// FindSSHKey retrieves the ssh keys registered in gitea, and tries to find
+// a matching private key in ~/.ssh/. If no match is found, path is empty.
+func (l *Login) FindSSHKey() (string, error) {
+	// get keys registered on gitea instance
+	keys, _, err := l.Client().ListMyPublicKeys(gitea.ListPublicKeysOptions{})
+	if err != nil || len(keys) == 0 {
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	// enumerate ~/.ssh/*.pub files
+	glob, err := utils.AbsPathWithExpansion("~/.ssh/*.pub")
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	localPubkeyPaths, err := filepath.Glob(glob)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	// parse each local key with present privkey & compare fingerprints to online keys
+	for _, pubkeyPath := range localPubkeyPaths {
+		var pubkeyFile []byte
+		pubkeyFile, err = ioutil.ReadFile(pubkeyPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		fields := strings.Split(string(pubkeyFile), " ")
+		if len(fields) < 2 { // first word is key type, second word is key material
+			continue
+		}
+
+		var keymaterial []byte
+		keymaterial, err = base64.StdEncoding.DecodeString(fields[1])
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		var pubkey ssh.PublicKey
+		pubkey, err = ssh.ParsePublicKey(keymaterial)
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		privkeyPath := strings.TrimSuffix(pubkeyPath, ".pub")
+		var exists bool
+		exists, err = utils.FileExist(privkeyPath)
+		if err != nil || !exists {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		// if pubkey fingerprints match, return path to corresponding privkey.
+		fingerprint := ssh.FingerprintSHA256(pubkey)
+		for _, key := range keys {
+			if fingerprint == key.Fingerprint {
+				return privkeyPath, nil
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	return "", err
+}
diff --git a/modules/config/login_tasks.go b/modules/config/login_tasks.go
index 3afce60..7a61565 100644
--- a/modules/config/login_tasks.go
+++ b/modules/config/login_tasks.go
@@ -89,6 +89,13 @@ func AddLogin(name, token, user, passwd, sshKey, giteaURL string, insecure bool)
 	// so we just use the hostname
 	login.SSHHost = serverURL.Hostname()
 
+	if len(sshKey) == 0 {
+		login.SSHKey, err = login.FindSSHKey()
+		if err != nil {
+			fmt.Printf("Warning: problem while finding a SSH key: %s\n", err)
+		}
+	}
+
 	// save login to global var
 	Config.Logins = append(Config.Logins, login)
 
diff --git a/modules/git/auth.go b/modules/git/auth.go
index 7b78bad..2334ab7 100644
--- a/modules/git/auth.go
+++ b/modules/git/auth.go
@@ -22,29 +22,26 @@ type pwCallback = func(string) (string, error)
 // GetAuthForURL returns the appropriate AuthMethod to be used in Push() / Pull()
 // operations depending on the protocol, and prompts the user for credentials if
 // necessary.
-func GetAuthForURL(remoteURL *url.URL, authToken, keyFile string, passwordCallback pwCallback) (auth git_transport.AuthMethod, err error) {
+func GetAuthForURL(remoteURL *url.URL, authToken, keyFile string, passwordCallback pwCallback) (git_transport.AuthMethod, error) {
 	switch remoteURL.Scheme {
 	case "http", "https":
 		// gitea supports push/pull via app token as username.
-		auth = &gogit_http.BasicAuth{Password: "", Username: authToken}
+		return &gogit_http.BasicAuth{Password: "", Username: authToken}, nil
 
 	case "ssh":
 		// try to select right key via ssh-agent. if it fails, try to read a key manually
 		user := remoteURL.User.Username()
-		auth, err = gogit_ssh.DefaultAuthBuilder(user)
-		if err != nil && passwordCallback != nil {
+		auth, err := gogit_ssh.DefaultAuthBuilder(user)
+		if err != nil {
 			signer, err2 := readSSHPrivKey(keyFile, passwordCallback)
 			if err2 != nil {
 				return nil, err2
 			}
 			auth = &gogit_ssh.PublicKeys{User: user, Signer: signer}
 		}
-
-	default:
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("don't know how to handle url scheme %v", remoteURL.Scheme)
+		return auth, nil
 	}
-
-	return
+	return nil, fmt.Errorf("don't know how to handle url scheme %v", remoteURL.Scheme)
 }
 
 func readSSHPrivKey(keyFile string, passwordCallback pwCallback) (sig ssh.Signer, err error) {
@@ -61,7 +58,7 @@ func readSSHPrivKey(keyFile string, passwordCallback pwCallback) (sig ssh.Signer
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	sig, err = ssh.ParsePrivateKey(sshKey)
-	if _, ok := err.(*ssh.PassphraseMissingError); ok {
+	if _, ok := err.(*ssh.PassphraseMissingError); ok && passwordCallback != nil {
 		// allow for up to 3 password attempts
 		for i := 0; i < 3; i++ {
 			var pass string
diff --git a/modules/interact/login.go b/modules/interact/login.go
index 27d6b26..2ada533 100644
--- a/modules/interact/login.go
+++ b/modules/interact/login.go
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ func CreateLogin() error {
 		return err
 	}
 	if optSettings {
-		promptI = &survey.Input{Message: "SSH Key Path: "}
+		promptI = &survey.Input{Message: "SSH Key Path (leave empty for auto-discovery):"}
 		if err := survey.AskOne(promptI, &sshKey); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/modules/task/pull_checkout.go b/modules/task/pull_checkout.go
index 14e48e0..92262a6 100644
--- a/modules/task/pull_checkout.go
+++ b/modules/task/pull_checkout.go
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ package task
 import (
 	"fmt"
 
-	"code.gitea.io/sdk/gitea"
 	"code.gitea.io/tea/modules/config"
 	local_git "code.gitea.io/tea/modules/git"
 
@@ -29,13 +28,11 @@ func PullCheckout(login *config.Login, repoOwner, repoName string, index int64,
 		return err
 	}
 
-	// test if we can pull via SSH, and configure git remote accordingly
 	remoteURL := pr.Head.Repository.CloneURL
-	keys, _, err := client.ListMyPublicKeys(gitea.ListPublicKeysOptions{})
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	if len(keys) != 0 {
+	if len(login.SSHKey) != 0 {
+		// login.SSHKey is nonempty, if user specified a key manually or we automatically
+		// found a matching private key on this machine during login creation.
+		// this means, we are very likely to have a working ssh setup.
 		remoteURL = pr.Head.Repository.SSHURL
 	}
 
@@ -54,9 +51,8 @@ func PullCheckout(login *config.Login, repoOwner, repoName string, index int64,
 	}
 	localRemoteName := localRemote.Config().Name
 
-	// get auth & fetch remote
-	fmt.Printf("Fetching PR %v (head %s:%s) from remote '%s'\n", index, remoteURL, pr.Head.Ref, localRemoteName)
-	url, err := local_git.ParseURL(remoteURL)
+	// get auth & fetch remote via its configured protocol
+	url, err := localRepo.TeaRemoteURL(localRemoteName)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -64,6 +60,7 @@ func PullCheckout(login *config.Login, repoOwner, repoName string, index int64,
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	fmt.Printf("Fetching PR %v (head %s:%s) from remote '%s'\n", index, url, pr.Head.Ref, localRemoteName)
 	err = localRemote.Fetch(&git.FetchOptions{Auth: auth})
 	if err == git.NoErrAlreadyUpToDate {
 		fmt.Println(err)
@@ -72,9 +69,10 @@ func PullCheckout(login *config.Login, repoOwner, repoName string, index int64,
 	}
 
 	// checkout local branch
-	fmt.Printf("Creating branch '%s'\n", localBranchName)
 	err = localRepo.TeaCreateBranch(localBranchName, pr.Head.Ref, localRemoteName)
-	if err == git.ErrBranchExists {
+	if err == nil {
+		fmt.Printf("Created branch '%s'\n", localBranchName)
+	} else if err == git.ErrBranchExists {
 		fmt.Println("There may be changes since you last checked out, run `git pull` to get them.")
 	} else if err != nil {
 		return err