diff --git a/pkg/remote/connutil.go b/pkg/remote/connutil.go
index 025b78622..ee8910fab 100644
--- a/pkg/remote/connutil.go
+++ b/pkg/remote/connutil.go
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ import (
 	"os/user"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"regexp"
-	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/wavetermdev/waveterm/pkg/panichandler"
@@ -27,16 +26,8 @@ func ParseOpts(input string) (*SSHOpts, error) {
 	if m == nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid format of user@host argument")
 	}
-	remoteUser, remoteHost, remotePortStr := m[1], m[2], m[3]
+	remoteUser, remoteHost, remotePort := m[1], m[2], m[3]
 	remoteUser = strings.Trim(remoteUser, "@")
-	var remotePort int
-	if remotePortStr != "" {
-		var err error
-		remotePort, err = strconv.Atoi(remotePortStr)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid port specified on user@host argument")
-		}
-	}
 
 	return &SSHOpts{SSHHost: remoteHost, SSHUser: remoteUser, SSHPort: remotePort}, nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/remote/sshclient.go b/pkg/remote/sshclient.go
index 8a9a1e50f..ac1cedaa7 100644
--- a/pkg/remote/sshclient.go
+++ b/pkg/remote/sshclient.go
@@ -661,21 +661,27 @@ func ConnectToClient(connCtx context.Context, opts *SSHOpts, currentClient *ssh.
 		return nil, debugInfo.JumpNum, ConnectionError{ConnectionDebugInfo: debugInfo, Err: err}
 	}
 
-	connFlags.SshUser = &opts.SSHUser
-	connFlags.SshHostName = &opts.SSHHost
-	portStr := fmt.Sprintf("%d", opts.SSHPort)
-	connFlags.SshPort = &portStr
+	if opts.SSHUser != "" {
+		connFlags.SshUser = &opts.SSHUser
+	}
+	//connFlags.SshHostName = &opts.SSHHost
+	if opts.SSHPort != "" {
+		connFlags.SshPort = &opts.SSHPort
+	}
 
 	rawName := opts.String()
-	savedKeywords, ok := wconfig.ReadFullConfig().Connections[rawName]
+	fullConfig := wconfig.ReadFullConfig()
+	internalSshConfigKeywords, ok := fullConfig.Connections[rawName]
 	if !ok {
-		savedKeywords = wshrpc.ConnKeywords{}
+		internalSshConfigKeywords = wshrpc.ConnKeywords{}
 	}
+	partialMerged := mergeKeywords(sshConfigKeywords, &internalSshConfigKeywords)
+	sshKeywords := mergeKeywords(partialMerged, connFlags)
 
-	sshKeywords, err := combineSshKeywords(connFlags, sshConfigKeywords, &savedKeywords)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, debugInfo.JumpNum, ConnectionError{ConnectionDebugInfo: debugInfo, Err: err}
-	}
+	// handle these separately since they append
+	sshKeywords.SshIdentityFile = append(sshKeywords.SshIdentityFile, connFlags.SshIdentityFile...)
+	sshKeywords.SshIdentityFile = append(sshKeywords.SshIdentityFile, internalSshConfigKeywords.SshIdentityFile...)
+	sshKeywords.SshIdentityFile = append(sshKeywords.SshIdentityFile, sshConfigKeywords.SshIdentityFile...)
 
 	for _, proxyName := range sshKeywords.SshProxyJump {
 		proxyOpts, err := ParseOpts(proxyName)
@@ -777,7 +783,15 @@ func findSshConfigKeywords(hostPattern string) (*wshrpc.ConnKeywords, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	sshKeywords.SshUser = ptr(trimquotes.TryTrimQuotes(userRaw))
+	userClean := trimquotes.TryTrimQuotes(userRaw)
+	if userClean == "" {
+		userDetails, err := user.Current()
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		userClean = userDetails.Username
+	}
+	sshKeywords.SshUser = &userClean
 
 	hostNameRaw, err := WaveSshConfigUserSettings().GetStrict(hostPattern, "HostName")
 	if err != nil {
@@ -883,7 +897,7 @@ func findSshConfigKeywords(hostPattern string) (*wshrpc.ConnKeywords, error) {
 type SSHOpts struct {
 	SSHHost string `json:"sshhost"`
 	SSHUser string `json:"sshuser"`
-	SSHPort int    `json:"sshport,omitempty"`
+	SSHPort string `json:"sshport,omitempty"`
 }
 
 func (opts SSHOpts) String() string {
@@ -892,8 +906,61 @@ func (opts SSHOpts) String() string {
 		stringRepr = opts.SSHUser + "@"
 	}
 	stringRepr = stringRepr + opts.SSHHost
-	if opts.SSHPort != 0 {
+	if opts.SSHPort != "22" && opts.SSHPort != "" {
 		stringRepr = stringRepr + ":" + fmt.Sprint(opts.SSHPort)
 	}
 	return stringRepr
 }
+
+func mergeKeywords(oldKeywords *wshrpc.ConnKeywords, newKeywords *wshrpc.ConnKeywords) *wshrpc.ConnKeywords {
+	if oldKeywords == nil {
+		oldKeywords = &wshrpc.ConnKeywords{}
+	}
+	if newKeywords == nil {
+		return oldKeywords
+	}
+	outKeywords := *oldKeywords
+
+	if newKeywords.SshHostName != nil {
+		outKeywords.SshHostName = newKeywords.SshHostName
+	}
+	if newKeywords.SshUser != nil {
+		outKeywords.SshUser = newKeywords.SshUser
+	}
+	if newKeywords.SshPort != nil {
+		outKeywords.SshPort = newKeywords.SshPort
+	}
+	// skip identityfile (handled separately due to different behavior)
+	if newKeywords.SshBatchMode != nil {
+		outKeywords.SshBatchMode = newKeywords.SshBatchMode
+	}
+	if newKeywords.SshPubkeyAuthentication != nil {
+		outKeywords.SshPubkeyAuthentication = newKeywords.SshPubkeyAuthentication
+	}
+	if newKeywords.SshPasswordAuthentication != nil {
+		outKeywords.SshPasswordAuthentication = newKeywords.SshPasswordAuthentication
+	}
+	if newKeywords.SshKbdInteractiveAuthentication != nil {
+		outKeywords.SshKbdInteractiveAuthentication = newKeywords.SshKbdInteractiveAuthentication
+	}
+	if newKeywords.SshPreferredAuthentications != nil {
+		outKeywords.SshPreferredAuthentications = newKeywords.SshPreferredAuthentications
+	}
+	if newKeywords.SshAddKeysToAgent != nil {
+		outKeywords.SshAddKeysToAgent = newKeywords.SshAddKeysToAgent
+	}
+	if newKeywords.SshIdentityAgent != nil {
+		outKeywords.SshIdentityAgent = newKeywords.SshIdentityAgent
+	}
+	if newKeywords.SshProxyJump != nil {
+		outKeywords.SshProxyJump = newKeywords.SshProxyJump
+	}
+	if newKeywords.SshUserKnownHostsFile != nil {
+		outKeywords.SshUserKnownHostsFile = newKeywords.SshUserKnownHostsFile
+	}
+	if newKeywords.SshGlobalKnownHostsFile != nil {
+		outKeywords.SshGlobalKnownHostsFile = newKeywords.SshGlobalKnownHostsFile
+	}
+
+	return &outKeywords
+}