diff --git a/plugins/git4idea/rt/src/org/jetbrains/git4idea/ssh/GitSSHHandler.java b/plugins/git4idea/rt/src/org/jetbrains/git4idea/ssh/GitSSHHandler.java
index 0feebcbb0cf8..edf82dbaf2a3 100644
--- a/plugins/git4idea/rt/src/org/jetbrains/git4idea/ssh/GitSSHHandler.java
+++ b/plugins/git4idea/rt/src/org/jetbrains/git4idea/ssh/GitSSHHandler.java
@@ -38,6 +38,10 @@ public interface GitSSHHandler {
    * Name of environment variable for SSH executable
    */
   @NonNls String GIT_SSH_ENV = "GIT_SSH";
+  /**
+   * Name of environment variable for SSH executable variant
+   */
+  @NonNls String GIT_SSH_VAR = "GIT_SSH_VARIANT";
   /**
    * Name of the handler
    */
diff --git a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/commands/GitHandlerAuthenticationManager.java b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/commands/GitHandlerAuthenticationManager.java
index 497a033626e0..44745e87612d 100644
--- a/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/commands/GitHandlerAuthenticationManager.java
+++ b/plugins/git4idea/src/git4idea/commands/GitHandlerAuthenticationManager.java
@@ -110,6 +110,7 @@ class GitHandlerAuthenticationManager implements AutoCloseable {
   private void prepareSshAuth() throws IOException {
     GitXmlRpcSshService ssh = ServiceManager.getService(GitXmlRpcSshService.class);
     myHandler.addCustomEnvironmentVariable(GitSSHHandler.GIT_SSH_ENV, ssh.getScriptPath().getPath());
+    myHandler.addCustomEnvironmentVariable(GitSSHHandler.GIT_SSH_VAR, "ssh");
     mySshHandler = ssh.registerHandler(new GitSSHGUIHandler(myProject, myHandler.isIgnoreAuthenticationRequest()), myProject);
     myHandler.addCustomEnvironmentVariable(GitSSHHandler.SSH_HANDLER_ENV, mySshHandler.toString());
     int port = ssh.getXmlRcpPort();