diff --git a/src/gl-setup b/src/gl-setup
index b00560a..ca815f8 100755
--- a/src/gl-setup
+++ b/src/gl-setup
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ touch $HOME/.ssh/authorized_keys
 gl-compile-conf -q
 
 # setup push-to-admin
-[ -n "$pubkey_file" ] && (
+[ -n "$pubkey_file" ] || [ -n "$GITOLITE_HTTP_HOME" ] && (
     cd $HOME; cd $REPO_BASE/gitolite-admin.git
     GIT_WORK_TREE=$GL_ADMINDIR; export GIT_WORK_TREE
     git add conf/gitolite.conf keydir
diff --git a/t/smart-http-smoke-test/README b/t/smart-http-smoke-test/README
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..09d2178
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/smart-http-smoke-test/README
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+quick smoke test for smart http mode.
+
+  - tested on fedora 16; YDMV
+  - tests are designed for "just installed" case; running them twice will fail
+
+step 1: as root, run
+
+    t/smart-http-smoke-test/install
+
+step 2: as any normal user, run
+
+    prove t/smart-http-smoke-test/t01
diff --git a/t/smart-http-smoke-test/install b/t/smart-http-smoke-test/install
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..7fa3d0a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/smart-http-smoke-test/install
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+die() { echo "$@"; exit 1; }
+
+id | grep '=0(root)' || die "you must run this as root"
+umask 0022
+
+cd ~apache
+rm -rf gitolite-home
+mkdir gitolite-home
+export GITOLITE_HTTP_HOME
+GITOLITE_HTTP_HOME=/var/www/gitolite-home
+PATH=$PATH:$GITOLITE_HTTP_HOME/bin
+
+cd gitolite-home
+git clone /tmp/gitolite.git gitolite-source
+
+cd gitolite-source
+src/gl-system-install $GITOLITE_HTTP_HOME/bin $GITOLITE_HTTP_HOME/share/gitolite/conf $GITOLITE_HTTP_HOME/share/gitolite/hooks
+
+echo '$ENV{GIT_HTTP_BACKEND} = "/usr/libexec/git-core/git-http-backend";' > 1
+echo '$ENV{PATH} .= ":$ENV{GITOLITE_HTTP_HOME}/bin";'  >> 1
+cat /var/www/gitolite-home/share/gitolite/conf/example.gitolite.rc >> 1
+\mv 1 /var/www/gitolite-home/share/gitolite/conf/example.gitolite.rc
+
+gl-setup -q tester
+
+chown -R apache.apache $GITOLITE_HTTP_HOME
+
+cat <<EOF1 > /etc/httpd/conf.d/gitolite.conf
+SetEnv GIT_PROJECT_ROOT /var/www/gitolite-home/repositories
+ScriptAlias /git/ /var/www/gitolite-home/bin/gl-auth-command/
+ScriptAlias /gitmob/ /var/www/gitolite-home/bin/gl-auth-command/
+SetEnv GITOLITE_HTTP_HOME /var/www/gitolite-home
+SetEnv GIT_HTTP_EXPORT_ALL
+
+<Location /git>
+    AuthType Basic
+    AuthName "Private Git Access"
+    Require valid-user
+    AuthUserFile /tmp/gitolite-http-authuserfile
+</Location>
+EOF1
+
+htpasswd -bc /tmp/gitolite-http-authuserfile tester tester
+map "htpasswd -b /tmp/gitolite-http-authuserfile % %" u{1..6}
+
+service httpd restart
+
diff --git a/t/smart-http-smoke-test/t01 b/t/smart-http-smoke-test/t01
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..d5f5d82
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/smart-http-smoke-test/t01
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+die() { echo "$@"; exit 1; }
+
+# git clone `url u1 r1`
+url() {
+    echo http://$1:$1@localhost/git/$2.git
+}
+
+# `cmd sitaram info`
+cmd() {
+    c="curl http://$1:$1@localhost/git"
+    shift
+    c="$c/$1"
+    shift
+
+    if [ -n "$1" ]
+    then
+        c="$c?$1"
+        shift
+    fi
+    while [ -n "$1" ]
+    do
+        c="$c+$1"
+        shift
+    done
+
+    echo $c
+}
+
+export tmp=$(mktemp -d);
+trap "rm -rf $tmp" 0;
+cd $tmp
+
+tsh "plan 29"
+
+tsh "
+    ## ls-remote tester admin
+    git ls-remote `url tester gitolite-admin`
+        ok
+        /HEAD/
+        /refs.heads.master/
+    ## clone
+    git clone `url tester gitolite-admin`
+        ok
+        /Cloning into/
+    ls -al gitolite-admin/conf
+        /gitolite.conf/
+" || die "step 1"
+
+cd gitolite-admin
+echo repo t2 >> conf/gitolite.conf
+echo 'RW+  = u1 u2' >> conf/gitolite.conf
+
+tsh "
+    ## add, commit, push
+    git add conf/gitolite.conf
+        ok
+        !/./
+    git commit -m t2
+        ok
+        /1 file.*changed/
+    git push
+        ok
+        /creating t2/ or die run this on a fresh install please...
+        /Initialized.*var.www.gitolite-home.repositories.t2.git/
+        /To http:..tester:tester.localhost.git.gitolite-admin.git/
+        /master -. master/
+    ## various ls-remotes
+    git ls-remote `url u1 gitolite-admin`
+        !ok
+        /DENIED to u1/
+    git ls-remote `url u1 t2`
+        ok
+        !/./
+    git ls-remote `url u2 t2`
+        ok
+        !/./
+    git ls-remote `url u3 t2`
+        !ok
+        /DENIED to u3/
+    ## push to u1:t2
+    git push      `url u1 t2` master:master
+        ok
+        /To http:..u1:u1.localhost.git.t2.git/
+        /master -. master/
+    git ls-remote `url u2 t2`
+        ok
+        /HEAD/
+        /refs.heads.master/
+" || die "step 2"