diff --git a/wavesrv/pkg/remote/sshclient.go b/wavesrv/pkg/remote/sshclient.go
index 31d35de33..26eeee522 100644
--- a/wavesrv/pkg/remote/sshclient.go
+++ b/wavesrv/pkg/remote/sshclient.go
@@ -454,55 +454,134 @@ func createHostKeyCallback(opts *sstore.SSHOpts) (ssh.HostKeyCallback, error) {
 }
 
 func ConnectToClient(opts *sstore.SSHOpts) (*ssh.Client, error) {
-	ssh_config.ReloadConfigs()
-	configIdentityFiles := ssh_config.GetAll(opts.SSHHost, "IdentityFile")
-	identityFiles := []string{opts.SSHIdentity}
-	identityFiles = append(identityFiles, configIdentityFiles...)
+	sshConfigKeywords, err := findSshConfigKeywords(opts.SSHHost)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	sshKeywords, err := combineSshKeywords(opts, sshConfigKeywords)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	publicKeyCallback := ssh.PublicKeysCallback(createPublicKeyCallback(&sshKeywords.IdentityFile, opts.SSHPassword))
+
+	var authMethods []ssh.AuthMethod
+	authMethods = append(authMethods, ssh.RetryableAuthMethod(publicKeyCallback, len(sshKeywords.IdentityFile)))
+	authMethods = append(authMethods, ssh.RetryableAuthMethod(ssh.KeyboardInteractive(createCombinedKbdInteractiveChallenge(opts.SSHPassword)), 2))
+	authMethods = append(authMethods, ssh.RetryableAuthMethod(ssh.PasswordCallback(createCombinedPasswordCallbackPrompt(opts.SSHPassword)), 2))
 
 	hostKeyCallback, err := createHostKeyCallback(opts)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	publicKeyCallback := ssh.PublicKeysCallback(createPublicKeyCallback(&identityFiles, opts.SSHPassword))
-	var authMethods []ssh.AuthMethod
-	authMethods = append(authMethods, ssh.RetryableAuthMethod(publicKeyCallback, len(identityFiles)))
-	authMethods = append(authMethods, ssh.RetryableAuthMethod(ssh.KeyboardInteractive(createCombinedKbdInteractiveChallenge(opts.SSHPassword)), 2))
-	authMethods = append(authMethods, ssh.RetryableAuthMethod(ssh.PasswordCallback(createCombinedPasswordCallbackPrompt(opts.SSHPassword)), 2))
 
-	configUser, _ := ssh_config.GetStrict(opts.SSHHost, "User")
-	configHostName, _ := ssh_config.GetStrict(opts.SSHHost, "HostName")
-	configPort, _ := ssh_config.GetStrict(opts.SSHHost, "Port")
-	var username string
+	clientConfig := &ssh.ClientConfig{
+		User:            sshKeywords.User,
+		Auth:            authMethods,
+		HostKeyCallback: hostKeyCallback,
+	}
+	networkAddr := sshKeywords.HostName + ":" + sshKeywords.Port
+	return ssh.Dial("tcp", networkAddr, clientConfig)
+}
+
+type SshKeywords struct {
+	User                         string
+	HostName                     string
+	Port                         string
+	IdentityFile                 []string
+	BatchMode                    bool
+	PasswordAuthentication       bool
+	KbdInteractiveAuthentication bool
+	PreferredAuthentications     []string
+}
+
+func combineSshKeywords(opts *sstore.SSHOpts, configKeywords *SshKeywords) (*SshKeywords, error) {
+	sshKeywords := &SshKeywords{}
+
 	if opts.SSHUser != "" {
-		username = opts.SSHUser
-	} else if configUser != "" {
-		username = configUser
+		sshKeywords.User = opts.SSHUser
+	} else if configKeywords.User != "" {
+		sshKeywords.User = configKeywords.User
 	} else {
 		user, err := user.Current()
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get user for ssh: %+v", err)
 		}
-		username = user.Username
+		sshKeywords.User = user.Username
 	}
-	var hostName string
-	if configHostName != "" {
-		hostName = configHostName
+
+	// we have to check the host value because of the weird way
+	// we store the pattern as the hostname for imported remotes
+	if configKeywords.HostName != "" {
+		sshKeywords.HostName = configKeywords.HostName
 	} else {
-		hostName = opts.SSHHost
+		sshKeywords.HostName = opts.SSHHost
 	}
-	clientConfig := &ssh.ClientConfig{
-		User:            username,
-		Auth:            authMethods,
-		HostKeyCallback: hostKeyCallback,
-	}
-	var port string
+
 	if opts.SSHPort != 0 && opts.SSHPort != 22 {
-		port = strconv.Itoa(opts.SSHPort)
-	} else if configPort != "" && configPort != "22" {
-		port = configPort
+		sshKeywords.Port = strconv.Itoa(opts.SSHPort)
+	} else if configKeywords.Port != "" && configKeywords.Port != "22" {
+		sshKeywords.Port = configKeywords.Port
 	} else {
-		port = "22"
+		sshKeywords.Port = "22"
 	}
-	networkAddr := hostName + ":" + port
-	return ssh.Dial("tcp", networkAddr, clientConfig)
+
+	sshKeywords.IdentityFile = []string{opts.SSHIdentity}
+	sshKeywords.IdentityFile = append(sshKeywords.IdentityFile, configKeywords.IdentityFile...)
+
+	// these are not officially supported in the waveterm frontend but can be configured
+	// in ssh config files
+	sshKeywords.BatchMode = configKeywords.BatchMode
+	sshKeywords.PasswordAuthentication = configKeywords.PasswordAuthentication
+	sshKeywords.KbdInteractiveAuthentication = configKeywords.KbdInteractiveAuthentication
+	sshKeywords.PreferredAuthentications = configKeywords.PreferredAuthentications
+
+	return sshKeywords, nil
+}
+
+func findSshConfigKeywords(hostPattern string) (*SshKeywords, error) {
+	ssh_config.ReloadConfigs()
+	sshKeywords := &SshKeywords{}
+	var err error
+
+	sshKeywords.User, err = ssh_config.GetStrict(hostPattern, "User")
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	sshKeywords.HostName, err = ssh_config.GetStrict(hostPattern, "HostName")
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	sshKeywords.Port, err = ssh_config.GetStrict(hostPattern, "Port")
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	sshKeywords.IdentityFile = ssh_config.GetAll(hostPattern, "IdentityFile")
+
+	batchModeRaw, err := ssh_config.GetStrict(hostPattern, "BatchMode")
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	sshKeywords.BatchMode = (strings.ToLower(batchModeRaw) == "yes")
+
+	passwordAuthenticationRaw, err := ssh_config.GetStrict(hostPattern, "PasswordAuthentication")
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	sshKeywords.PasswordAuthentication = (strings.ToLower(passwordAuthenticationRaw) == "yes")
+
+	kbdInteractiveAuthenticationRaw, err := ssh_config.GetStrict(hostPattern, "KbdInteractiveAuthentication")
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	sshKeywords.KbdInteractiveAuthentication = (strings.ToLower(kbdInteractiveAuthenticationRaw) == "yes")
+
+	// these are case sensitive in openssh so they are here too
+	sshKeywords.PreferredAuthentications = ssh_config.GetAll(hostPattern, "PreferredAuthentications")
+
+	return sshKeywords, nil
 }