diff --git a/be_ssh.c b/be_ssh.c
index 40737e52..69e8b8ab 100644
--- a/be_ssh.c
+++ b/be_ssh.c
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 /*
- * Linking module for programs that are restricted to only using SSH
- * (pscp and psftp). These do not support selection of backend, but
- * must still have a backends[] array mentioning SSH because
- * settings.c will want to consult it during session load.
+ * Linking module for programs that are restricted to only using
+ * SSH-type protocols (pscp and psftp). These still have a choice of
+ * two actual backends, because they can also speak PROT_SSHCONN.
  */
 
 #include <stdio.h>
@@ -12,5 +11,6 @@ const int be_default_protocol = PROT_SSH;
 
 const struct BackendVtable *const backends[] = {
     &ssh_backend,
+    &sshconn_backend,
     NULL
 };
diff --git a/cmdline.c b/cmdline.c
index 826fc358..e7cdc9aa 100644
--- a/cmdline.c
+++ b/cmdline.c
@@ -408,7 +408,7 @@ int cmdline_process_param(const char *p, char *value,
     for (size_t i = 0; backends[i]; i++) {
         if (p[0] == '-' && !strcmp(p+1, backends[i]->id)) {
             RETURN(1);
-            UNAVAILABLE_IN(TOOLTYPE_FILETRANSFER | TOOLTYPE_NONNETWORK);
+            UNAVAILABLE_IN(TOOLTYPE_NONNETWORK);
             SAVEABLE(0);
             set_protocol(conf, backends[i]->protocol);
             if (backends[i]->default_port)
diff --git a/pscp.c b/pscp.c
index 0fde461f..69e1e40e 100644
--- a/pscp.c
+++ b/pscp.c
@@ -322,10 +322,12 @@ static void do_cmd(char *host, char *user, char *cmd)
     }
 
     /*
-     * Force use of SSH. (If they got the protocol wrong we assume the
-     * port is useless too.)
+     * Force protocol to SSH if the user has somehow contrived to
+     * select one we don't support (e.g. by loading an inappropriate
+     * saved session). In that situation we assume the port number is
+     * useless too.)
      */
-    if (conf_get_int(conf, CONF_protocol) != PROT_SSH) {
+    if (!backend_vt_from_proto(conf_get_int(conf, CONF_protocol))) {
         conf_set_int(conf, CONF_protocol, PROT_SSH);
         conf_set_int(conf, CONF_port, 22);
     }
@@ -449,7 +451,9 @@ static void do_cmd(char *host, char *user, char *cmd)
 
     platform_psftp_pre_conn_setup(console_cli_logpolicy);
 
-    err = backend_init(&ssh_backend, pscp_seat, &backend, logctx, conf,
+    err = backend_init(backend_vt_from_proto(
+                           conf_get_int(conf, CONF_protocol)),
+                       pscp_seat, &backend, logctx, conf,
                        conf_get_str(conf, CONF_host),
                        conf_get_int(conf, CONF_port),
                        &realhost, 0,
diff --git a/psftp.c b/psftp.c
index efb5bbff..8399ac07 100644
--- a/psftp.c
+++ b/psftp.c
@@ -2593,10 +2593,12 @@ static int psftp_connect(char *userhost, char *user, int portnumber)
     }
 
     /*
-     * Force use of SSH. (If they got the protocol wrong we assume the
-     * port is useless too.)
+     * Force protocol to SSH if the user has somehow contrived to
+     * select one we don't support (e.g. by loading an inappropriate
+     * saved session). In that situation we assume the port number is
+     * useless too.)
      */
-    if (conf_get_int(conf, CONF_protocol) != PROT_SSH) {
+    if (!backend_vt_from_proto(conf_get_int(conf, CONF_protocol))) {
         conf_set_int(conf, CONF_protocol, PROT_SSH);
         conf_set_int(conf, CONF_port, 22);
     }
@@ -2713,7 +2715,9 @@ static int psftp_connect(char *userhost, char *user, int portnumber)
 
     platform_psftp_pre_conn_setup(console_cli_logpolicy);
 
-    err = backend_init(&ssh_backend, psftp_seat, &backend, psftp_logctx, conf,
+    err = backend_init(backend_vt_from_proto(
+                           conf_get_int(conf, CONF_protocol)),
+                       psftp_seat, &backend, psftp_logctx, conf,
                        conf_get_str(conf, CONF_host),
                        conf_get_int(conf, CONF_port),
                        &realhost, 0,