diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.ssh.apache/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/transport/sshd/JGitClientSession.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.ssh.apache/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/transport/sshd/JGitClientSession.java
index 9b4694c45..dcf330a2a 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.ssh.apache/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/transport/sshd/JGitClientSession.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.ssh.apache/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/transport/sshd/JGitClientSession.java
@@ -149,10 +149,27 @@ public class JGitClientSession extends ClientSessionImpl {
 	@Override
 	protected IoWriteFuture sendIdentification(String ident)
 			throws IOException {
-		// Nothing; we do this below together with the KEX init in
-		// sendStartSsh(). Called only from the ClientSessionImpl constructor,
-		// where the return value is ignored.
-		return null;
+		StatefulProxyConnector proxy = proxyHandler;
+		if (proxy != null) {
+			try {
+				// We must not block here; the framework starts reading messages
+				// from the peer only once the initial sendKexInit() following
+				// this call to sendIdentification() has returned!
+				proxy.runWhenDone(() -> {
+					JGitClientSession.super.sendIdentification(ident);
+					return null;
+				});
+				// Called only from the ClientSessionImpl constructor, where the
+				// return value is ignored.
+				return null;
+			} catch (IOException e) {
+				throw e;
+			} catch (Exception other) {
+				throw new IOException(other.getLocalizedMessage(), other);
+			}
+		} else {
+			return super.sendIdentification(ident);
+		}
 	}
 
 	@Override
@@ -161,12 +178,13 @@ public class JGitClientSession extends ClientSessionImpl {
 		if (proxy != null) {
 			try {
 				// We must not block here; the framework starts reading messages
-				// from the peer only once sendKexInit() has returned!
+				// from the peer only once the initial sendKexInit() has
+				// returned!
 				proxy.runWhenDone(() -> {
-					sendStartSsh();
+					JGitClientSession.super.sendKexInit();
 					return null;
 				});
-				// sendKexInit() is called only from the ClientSessionImpl
+				// This is called only from the ClientSessionImpl
 				// constructor, where the return value is ignored.
 				return null;
 			} catch (IOException e) {
@@ -175,23 +193,10 @@ public class JGitClientSession extends ClientSessionImpl {
 				throw new IOException(other.getLocalizedMessage(), other);
 			}
 		} else {
-			return sendStartSsh();
+			return super.sendKexInit();
 		}
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * Sends the initial messages starting the ssh setup: the client
-	 * identification and the KEX init message.
-	 *
-	 * @return the client's KEX seed
-	 * @throws IOException
-	 *             if something goes wrong
-	 */
-	private byte[] sendStartSsh() throws IOException {
-		super.sendIdentification(clientVersion);
-		return super.sendKexInit();
-	}
-
 	/**
 	 * {@inheritDoc}
 	 *
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.ssh.apache/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/transport/sshd/proxy/AbstractClientProxyConnector.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.ssh.apache/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/transport/sshd/proxy/AbstractClientProxyConnector.java
index 444fbb62e..2e87c5733 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.ssh.apache/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/transport/sshd/proxy/AbstractClientProxyConnector.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.ssh.apache/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/transport/sshd/proxy/AbstractClientProxyConnector.java
@@ -43,7 +43,9 @@
 package org.eclipse.jgit.internal.transport.sshd.proxy;
 
 import java.net.InetSocketAddress;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.List;
 import java.util.concurrent.Callable;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
@@ -61,12 +63,12 @@ public abstract class AbstractClientProxyConnector
 	private static final long DEFAULT_PROXY_TIMEOUT_MILLIS = TimeUnit.SECONDS
 			.toMillis(30L);
 
-	/** Guards {@link #done} and {@link #startSsh}. */
+	/** Guards {@link #done} and {@link #bufferedCommands}. */
 	private Object lock = new Object();
 
 	private boolean done;
 
-	private Callable<Void> startSsh;
+	private List<Callable<Void>> bufferedCommands = new ArrayList<>();
 
 	private AtomicReference<Runnable> unregister = new AtomicReference<>();
 
@@ -173,18 +175,20 @@ public abstract class AbstractClientProxyConnector
 	 *             if starting ssh fails
 	 */
 	protected void setDone(boolean success) throws Exception {
-		Callable<Void> starter;
+		List<Callable<Void>> buffered;
 		Runnable unset = unregister.getAndSet(null);
 		if (unset != null) {
 			unset.run();
 		}
 		synchronized (lock) {
 			done = true;
-			starter = startSsh;
-			startSsh = null;
+			buffered = bufferedCommands;
+			bufferedCommands = null;
 		}
-		if (success && starter != null) {
-			starter.call();
+		if (success && buffered != null) {
+			for (Callable<Void> starter : buffered) {
+				starter.call();
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -192,7 +196,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractClientProxyConnector
 	public void runWhenDone(Callable<Void> starter) throws Exception {
 		synchronized (lock) {
 			if (!done) {
-				this.startSsh = starter;
+				bufferedCommands.add(starter);
 				return;
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.ssh.apache/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/transport/sshd/proxy/StatefulProxyConnector.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.ssh.apache/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/transport/sshd/proxy/StatefulProxyConnector.java
index 0d8e0f93e..6bd836a58 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.ssh.apache/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/transport/sshd/proxy/StatefulProxyConnector.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.ssh.apache/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/transport/sshd/proxy/StatefulProxyConnector.java
@@ -78,12 +78,15 @@ public interface StatefulProxyConnector extends ClientProxyConnector {
 	void messageReceived(IoSession session, Readable buffer) throws Exception;
 
 	/**
-	 * Runs {@code startSsh} once the proxy connection is established.
+	 * Runs {@code command} once the proxy connection is established. May be
+	 * called multiple times; commands are run sequentially. If the proxy
+	 * connection is already established, {@code command} is executed directly
+	 * synchronously.
 	 *
-	 * @param startSsh
+	 * @param command
 	 *            operation to run
 	 * @throws Exception
 	 *             if the operation is run synchronously and throws an exception
 	 */
-	void runWhenDone(Callable<Void> startSsh) throws Exception;
+	void runWhenDone(Callable<Void> command) throws Exception;
 }