diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/client/account/AccountConstants.java b/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/client/account/AccountConstants.java
index 6ee84fc966..81dd7f41bf 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/client/account/AccountConstants.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/client/account/AccountConstants.java
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ public interface AccountConstants extends Constants {
 
   String addSshKeyPanelHeader();
   String addSshKeyHelp();
+  String invalidSshKeyError();
 
   String webIdLastUsed();
   String webIdEmail();
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/client/account/AccountConstants.properties b/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/client/account/AccountConstants.properties
index a4feca1628..c81d7cfc30 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/client/account/AccountConstants.properties
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/client/account/AccountConstants.properties
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ buttonLinkIdentity = Link Another Identity
 
 addSshKeyPanelHeader = Add SSH Public Key
 addSshKeyHelp = (<a href="http://github.com/guides/providing-your-ssh-key" target="_blank">GitHub's Guide to SSH Keys</a>)
+invalidSshKeyError = Invalid SSH Key
 
 watchedProjects = Watched Projects
 buttonWatchProject = Watch
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/client/account/SshKeyPanel.java b/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/client/account/SshKeyPanel.java
index 6b00b3bd50..4638507a8b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/client/account/SshKeyPanel.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/client/account/SshKeyPanel.java
@@ -14,9 +14,11 @@
 
 package com.google.gerrit.client.account;
 
+import com.google.gerrit.client.ErrorDialog;
 import com.google.gerrit.client.FormatUtil;
 import com.google.gerrit.client.reviewdb.AccountSshKey;
 import com.google.gerrit.client.rpc.GerritCallback;
+import com.google.gerrit.client.rpc.InvalidSshKeyException;
 import com.google.gerrit.client.ui.FancyFlexTable;
 import com.google.gerrit.client.ui.SmallHeading;
 import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.Button;
@@ -31,6 +33,7 @@ import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.TextArea;
 import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.VerticalPanel;
 import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.Widget;
 import com.google.gwt.user.client.ui.FlexTable.FlexCellFormatter;
+import com.google.gwtjsonrpc.client.RemoteJsonException;
 import com.google.gwtjsonrpc.client.VoidResult;
 
 import java.util.HashSet;
@@ -98,7 +101,21 @@ class SshKeyPanel extends Composite {
         @Override
         public void onFailure(final Throwable caught) {
           addNew.setEnabled(true);
-          super.onFailure(caught);
+
+          if (isInvalidSshKey(caught)) {
+            new ErrorDialog(Util.C.invalidSshKeyError()).center();
+
+          } else {
+            super.onFailure(caught);
+          }
+        }
+
+        private boolean isInvalidSshKey(final Throwable caught) {
+          if (caught instanceof InvalidSshKeyException) {
+            return true;
+          }
+          return caught instanceof RemoteJsonException
+              && InvalidSshKeyException.MESSAGE.equals(caught.getMessage());
         }
       });
     }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/client/rpc/InvalidSshKeyException.java b/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/client/rpc/InvalidSshKeyException.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7fb01ab6d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/client/rpc/InvalidSshKeyException.java
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+// Copyright 2009 Google Inc.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package com.google.gerrit.client.rpc;
+
+/** Error indicating the SSH key string is invalid as supplied. */
+public class InvalidSshKeyException extends Exception {
+  public static final String MESSAGE = "Invalid SSH Key";
+
+  public InvalidSshKeyException() {
+    super(MESSAGE);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/AccountSecurityImpl.java b/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/AccountSecurityImpl.java
index 4907245008..912a7fad9a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/AccountSecurityImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/gerrit/server/AccountSecurityImpl.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import com.google.gerrit.client.reviewdb.ContributorAgreement;
 import com.google.gerrit.client.reviewdb.ReviewDb;
 import com.google.gerrit.client.rpc.BaseServiceImplementation;
 import com.google.gerrit.client.rpc.Common;
+import com.google.gerrit.client.rpc.InvalidSshKeyException;
 import com.google.gerrit.client.rpc.NoSuchEntityException;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.ssh.SshUtil;
 import com.google.gwt.user.client.rpc.AsyncCallback;
@@ -75,7 +76,7 @@ class AccountSecurityImpl extends BaseServiceImplementation implements
   public void addSshKey(final String keyText,
       final AsyncCallback<AccountSshKey> callback) {
     run(callback, new Action<AccountSshKey>() {
-      public AccountSshKey run(final ReviewDb db) throws OrmException {
+      public AccountSshKey run(final ReviewDb db) throws OrmException, Failure {
         int max = 0;
         final Account.Id me = Common.getAccountId();
         for (final AccountSshKey k : db.accountSshKeys().byAccount(me)) {
@@ -92,11 +93,12 @@ class AccountSecurityImpl extends BaseServiceImplementation implements
         try {
           SshUtil.parse(newKey);
         } catch (NoSuchAlgorithmException e) {
-          newKey.setInvalid();
+          throw new Failure(new InvalidSshKeyException());
         } catch (InvalidKeySpecException e) {
-          newKey.setInvalid();
+          throw new Failure(new InvalidSshKeyException());
         } catch (NoSuchProviderException e) {
-          newKey.setInvalid();
+          log.error("Cannot parse SSH key", e);
+          throw new Failure(new InvalidSshKeyException());
         }
         db.accountSshKeys().insert(Collections.singleton(newKey));
         SshUtil.invalidate(Common.getAccountCache().get(me, db));