diff --git a/python/ipnb/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/ipnb/configuration/IpnbConfigurable.form b/python/ipnb/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/ipnb/configuration/IpnbConfigurable.form
index bb094c529790..62bcbb739ba5 100644
--- a/python/ipnb/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/ipnb/configuration/IpnbConfigurable.form
+++ b/python/ipnb/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/ipnb/configuration/IpnbConfigurable.form
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 <form xmlns="http://www.intellij.com/uidesigner/form/" version="1" bind-to-class="org.jetbrains.plugins.ipnb.configuration.IpnbConfigurable">
-  <grid id="27dc6" binding="myMainPanel" layout-manager="GridLayoutManager" row-count="4" column-count="2" same-size-horizontally="false" same-size-vertically="false" hgap="-1" vgap="-1">
+  <grid id="27dc6" binding="myMainPanel" layout-manager="GridLayoutManager" row-count="5" column-count="2" same-size-horizontally="false" same-size-vertically="false" hgap="-1" vgap="-1">
     <margin top="0" left="0" bottom="0" right="0"/>
     <constraints>
       <xy x="20" y="20" width="657" height="302"/>
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@
       </grid>
       <vspacer id="9a11e">
         <constraints>
-          <grid row="3" column="0" row-span="1" col-span="2" vsize-policy="6" hsize-policy="1" anchor="0" fill="2" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false"/>
+          <grid row="4" column="0" row-span="1" col-span="2" vsize-policy="6" hsize-policy="1" anchor="0" fill="2" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false"/>
         </constraints>
       </vspacer>
       <component id="b88d4" class="com.intellij.ui.TitledSeparator">
@@ -118,6 +118,27 @@
           <text value="Remote notebook credentials"/>
         </properties>
       </component>
+      <grid id="161aa" layout-manager="GridLayoutManager" row-count="1" column-count="2" same-size-horizontally="false" same-size-vertically="false" hgap="-1" vgap="-1">
+        <margin top="0" left="0" bottom="0" right="0"/>
+        <constraints>
+          <grid row="3" column="0" row-span="1" col-span="1" vsize-policy="3" hsize-policy="3" anchor="0" fill="3" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false"/>
+        </constraints>
+        <properties/>
+        <border type="none"/>
+        <children>
+          <component id="9a652" class="com.intellij.ui.components.JBLabel" binding="myWarningLabel">
+            <constraints>
+              <grid row="0" column="0" row-span="1" col-span="1" vsize-policy="0" hsize-policy="0" anchor="0" fill="0" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false"/>
+            </constraints>
+            <properties/>
+          </component>
+          <hspacer id="cab57">
+            <constraints>
+              <grid row="0" column="1" row-span="1" col-span="1" vsize-policy="1" hsize-policy="6" anchor="0" fill="1" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false"/>
+            </constraints>
+          </hspacer>
+        </children>
+      </grid>
     </children>
   </grid>
 </form>
diff --git a/python/ipnb/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/ipnb/configuration/IpnbConfigurable.java b/python/ipnb/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/ipnb/configuration/IpnbConfigurable.java
index f2e71742e9c6..616e7c614961 100644
--- a/python/ipnb/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/ipnb/configuration/IpnbConfigurable.java
+++ b/python/ipnb/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/ipnb/configuration/IpnbConfigurable.java
@@ -7,11 +7,16 @@ import com.intellij.openapi.options.SearchableConfigurable;
 import com.intellij.openapi.project.Project;
 import com.intellij.openapi.ui.TextFieldWithBrowseButton;
 import com.intellij.openapi.util.text.StringUtil;
+import com.intellij.ui.JBColor;
+import com.intellij.ui.components.JBLabel;
 import com.intellij.ui.components.JBTextField;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.Nls;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;
 
 import javax.swing.*;
+import java.awt.*;
+import java.awt.event.FocusAdapter;
+import java.awt.event.FocusEvent;
 
 public class IpnbConfigurable implements SearchableConfigurable {
   private JPanel myMainPanel;
@@ -20,17 +25,47 @@ public class IpnbConfigurable implements SearchableConfigurable {
   private JBTextField myArgumentsField;
   private JPasswordField myPasswordField;
   private JBTextField myUsernameField;
+  private JBLabel myWarningLabel;
   @NotNull private final Project myProject;
 
   public IpnbConfigurable(@NotNull Project project) {
     myProject = project;
+    myWarningLabel.setForeground(new JBColor(new Color(164, 145, 52), new Color(187, 181, 41)));
     final FileChooserDescriptor fileChooserDescriptor = FileChooserDescriptorFactory.createSingleFolderDescriptor();
     myWorkingDirField.addBrowseFolderListener("Select Working Directory", null, myProject, fileChooserDescriptor);
     myFieldUrl.setText(IpnbSettings.getInstance(myProject).getURL());
+    myFieldUrl.addFocusListener(createUrlProtocolValidationListener());
+    myUsernameField.addFocusListener(createUrlProtocolValidationListener());
+    myPasswordField.addFocusListener(createUrlProtocolValidationListener());
     myWorkingDirField.setText(IpnbSettings.getInstance(myProject).getWorkingDirectory());
     myArgumentsField.setText(IpnbSettings.getInstance(myProject).getArguments());
   }
 
+  @NotNull
+  private FocusAdapter createUrlProtocolValidationListener() {
+    return new FocusAdapter() {
+      @Override
+      public void focusLost(FocusEvent e) {
+        setWarningLabelText();
+      }
+    };
+  }
+
+  private void setWarningLabelText() {
+    final boolean isRemote = !myUsernameField.getText().isEmpty() && myPasswordField.getPassword().length > 0;
+    final String url = myFieldUrl.getText();
+    if (isRemote && !url.startsWith("https")) {
+      myWarningLabel.setText("Only HTTPS urls are supported in remote notebooks");
+      return;
+    }
+    if (!isRemote && url.startsWith("https")) {
+      myWarningLabel.setText("Only HTTP urls are supported in local notebooks");
+      return;
+    }
+
+    myWarningLabel.setText("");
+  }
+
   @Nls
   @Override
   public String getDisplayName() {
@@ -98,6 +133,8 @@ public class IpnbConfigurable implements SearchableConfigurable {
     myArgumentsField.setText(IpnbSettings.getInstance(myProject).getArguments());
     myUsernameField.setText(IpnbSettings.getInstance(myProject).getUsername());
     myPasswordField.setText(IpnbSettings.getInstance(myProject).getPassword());
+
+    setWarningLabelText();
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/python/ipnb/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/ipnb/protocol/IpnbConnection.java b/python/ipnb/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/ipnb/protocol/IpnbConnection.java
index 0051603b9d21..db39d22d7ec6 100644
--- a/python/ipnb/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/ipnb/protocol/IpnbConnection.java
+++ b/python/ipnb/src/org/jetbrains/plugins/ipnb/protocol/IpnbConnection.java
@@ -94,8 +94,13 @@ public class IpnbConnection {
     myProject = project;
     myCookieManager = new CookieManager();
     CookieHandler.setDefault(myCookieManager);
-    if (!isRemote() && !myURI.getScheme().equals("http")) {
-      throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Only http urls are supported for local notebooks");
+    if (!isRemote()) {
+      if (!myURI.getScheme().equals("http")) {
+        throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Only http urls are supported for local notebooks");
+      }
+    }
+    else if (!myURI.getScheme().equals("https")) {
+      throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Only https urls are supported for remote notebooks");
     }
     
     initXSRF(myURI.toString());