diff --git a/fabric/contrib/project.py b/fabric/contrib/project.py
index aa6a65b2ee..1c7edb4d74 100644
--- a/fabric/contrib/project.py
+++ b/fabric/contrib/project.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 from datetime import datetime
 from tempfile import mkdtemp
 
-from fabric.network import needs_host
+from fabric.network import needs_host, key_filenames
 from fabric.operations import local, run, put
 from fabric.state import env, output
 
@@ -85,14 +85,12 @@ def rsync_project(remote_dir, local_dir=None, exclude=(), delete=False,
     exclusions = tuple([str(s).replace('"', '\\\\"') for s in exclude])
     # Honor SSH key(s)
     key_string = ""
-    if env.key_filename:
-        keys = env.key_filename
-        # For ease of use, coerce stringish key filename into list
-        if not isinstance(env.key_filename, (list, tuple)):
-            keys = [keys]
+    keys = key_filenames()
+    if keys:
         key_string = "-i " + " -i ".join(keys)
-    # Honor nonstandard port
-    port_string = ("-p %s" % env.port) if (env.port != '22') else ""
+    # Port
+    user, host, port = normalize(env.host_string)
+    port_string = "-p %s" % port
     # RSH
     rsh_string = ""
     if key_string or port_string:
@@ -109,8 +107,7 @@ def rsync_project(remote_dir, local_dir=None, exclude=(), delete=False,
     if local_dir is None:
         local_dir = '../' + getcwd().split(sep)[-1]
     # Create and run final command string
-    cmd = "rsync %s %s %s@%s:%s" % (options, local_dir, env.user,
-        env.host, remote_dir)
+    cmd = "rsync %s %s %s@%s:%s" % (options, local_dir, user, host, remote_dir)
     if output.running:
         print("[%s] rsync_project: %s" % (env.host_string, cmd))
     return local(cmd)
diff --git a/fabric/network.py b/fabric/network.py
index 325b681abb..468bd69c46 100644
--- a/fabric/network.py
+++ b/fabric/network.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 
 from functools import wraps
 import getpass
+import os
 import re
 import threading
 import time
@@ -97,24 +98,54 @@ def __contains__(self, key):
         return dict.__contains__(self, normalize_to_string(key))
 
 
-def ssh_config():
+def ssh_config(host_string=None):
     """
-    Load (memoize) and parse the configured SSH config file.
+    Return ssh configuration dict for current env.host_string host value.
 
-    Assumes that if it's been called, the SSH config option has been set to
-    True, and aborts if it can't load the requested file.
+    Memoizes the loaded SSH config file, but not the specific per-host results.
+
+    May give an explicit host string as ``host_string``.
     """
     from fabric.state import env
     if '_ssh_config' not in env:
         try:
             conf = ssh.SSHConfig()
-            path = env.ssh_config_path
+            path = os.path.expanduser(env.ssh_config_path)
             with open(path) as fd:
                 conf.parse(fd)
                 env._ssh_config = conf
         except IOError, e:
             abort("Unable to load SSH config file '%s'" % path)
-    return env._ssh_config
+    host = parse_host_string(host_string or env.host_string)['host']
+    return env._ssh_config.lookup(host)
+
+
+def key_filenames():
+    """
+    Returns list of SSH key filenames for the current env.host_string.
+
+    Takes into account ssh_config and env.key_filename, including normalization
+    to a list. Also performs ``os.path.expanduser`` expansion on any key
+    filenames.
+    """
+    from fabric.state import env
+    keys = env.key_filename
+    # For ease of use, coerce stringish key filename into list
+    if not isinstance(env.key_filename, (list, tuple)):
+        keys = [keys]
+    # Strip out any empty strings (such as the default value...meh)
+    keys = filter(bool, keys)
+    # Honor SSH config
+    if env.use_ssh_config:
+        # TODO: fix ssh so it correctly treats IdentityFile as a list
+        conf = ssh_config()
+        if 'identityfile' in conf:
+            keys.append(conf['identityfile'])
+    return map(os.path.expanduser, keys)
+
+
+def parse_host_string(host_string):
+    return host_regex.match(host_string).groupdict()
 
 
 def normalize(host_string, omit_port=False):
@@ -133,14 +164,14 @@ def normalize(host_string, omit_port=False):
         return ('', '') if omit_port else ('', '', '')
     # Parse host string (need this early on to look up host-specific ssh_config
     # values)
-    r = host_regex.match(host_string).groupdict()
+    r = parse_host_string(host_string)
     host = r['host']
     # Env values
     user = env.user
     port = env.port
     # SSH config data
     if env.use_ssh_config:
-        conf = ssh_config().lookup(host)
+        conf = ssh_config(host_string)
         # Only use ssh_config values if the env value appears unmodified from
         # the true defaults. If the user has tweaked them, that new value
         # takes precedence.
@@ -250,7 +281,7 @@ def connect(user, host, port):
                 port=int(port),
                 username=user,
                 password=password,
-                key_filename=env.key_filename,
+                key_filename=key_filenames(),
                 timeout=env.timeout,
                 allow_agent=not env.no_agent,
                 look_for_keys=not env.no_keys
diff --git a/fabric/operations.py b/fabric/operations.py
index e8fdfbd8c8..596ab2233d 100644
--- a/fabric/operations.py
+++ b/fabric/operations.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 
 from fabric.context_managers import settings, char_buffered, hide
 from fabric.io import output_loop, input_loop
-from fabric.network import needs_host, ssh
+from fabric.network import needs_host, ssh, ssh_config
 from fabric.sftp import SFTP
 from fabric.state import env, connections, output, win32, default_channel
 from fabric.thread_handling import ThreadHandler
diff --git a/fabric/state.py b/fabric/state.py
index db0175a66c..a60f7071b3 100644
--- a/fabric/state.py
+++ b/fabric/state.py
@@ -285,6 +285,7 @@ def _rc_path():
     'roles': [],
     'roledefs': {},
     'skip_bad_hosts': False,
+    'ssh_config_path': '~/.ssh/config',
     # -S so sudo accepts passwd via stdin, -p with our known-value prompt for
     # later detection (thus %s -- gets filled with env.sudo_prompt at runtime)
     'sudo_prefix': "sudo -S -p '%s' ",
diff --git a/tests/support/ssh_config b/tests/support/ssh_config
index 6a4c72070b..2b06eb4a4e 100644
--- a/tests/support/ssh_config
+++ b/tests/support/ssh_config
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 Host *
     User satan
     Port 666
+    IdentityFile foobar.pub
 
 Host myhost
     User neighbor
     Port 664
+    IdentityFile neighbor.pub
 
 Host myalias
     HostName otherhost
diff --git a/tests/test_network.py b/tests/test_network.py
index 797db6ee48..6e6ad53306 100644
--- a/tests/test_network.py
+++ b/tests/test_network.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 
 from fabric.context_managers import settings, hide, show
 from fabric.network import (HostConnectionCache, join_host_strings, normalize,
-    denormalize)
+    denormalize, key_filenames)
 from fabric.io import output_loop
 import fabric.network  # So I can call patch_object correctly. Sigh.
 from fabric.state import env, output, _get_system_username
@@ -570,3 +570,56 @@ def test_real_connection(self):
             host_string='testserver',
         ):
             ok_(run("ls /simple").succeeded)
+
+
+class TestKeyFilenames(FabricTest):
+    def test_empty_everything(self):
+        """
+        No env.key_filename and no ssh_config = empty list
+        """
+        with settings(use_ssh_config=False):
+            with settings(key_filename=""):
+                eq_(key_filenames(), [])
+            with settings(key_filename=[]):
+                eq_(key_filenames(), [])
+
+    def test_just_env(self):
+        """
+        Valid env.key_filename and no ssh_config = just env
+        """
+        with settings(use_ssh_config=False):
+            with settings(key_filename="mykey"):
+                eq_(key_filenames(), ["mykey"])
+            with settings(key_filename=["foo", "bar"]):
+                eq_(key_filenames(), ["foo", "bar"])
+
+    def test_just_ssh_config(self):
+        """
+        No env.key_filename + valid ssh_config = ssh value
+        """
+        with settings(use_ssh_config=True, ssh_config_path=support("ssh_config")):
+            for val in ["", []]:
+                with settings(key_filename=val):
+                    eq_(key_filenames(), ["foobar.pub"])
+
+    def test_both(self):
+        """
+        Both env.key_filename + valid ssh_config = both show up w/ env var first
+        """
+        with settings(use_ssh_config=True, ssh_config_path=support("ssh_config")):
+            with settings(key_filename="bizbaz.pub"):
+                eq_(key_filenames(), ["bizbaz.pub", "foobar.pub"])
+            with settings(key_filename=["bizbaz.pub", "whatever.pub"]):
+                expected = ["bizbaz.pub", "whatever.pub", "foobar.pub"]
+                eq_(key_filenames(), expected)
+
+    def test_specific_host(self):
+        """
+        SSH lookup aspect should correctly select per-host value
+        """
+        with settings(
+            use_ssh_config=True,
+            ssh_config_path=support("ssh_config"),
+            host_string="myhost"
+        ):
+            eq_(key_filenames(), ["neighbor.pub"])