diff --git a/src/API.jl b/src/API.jl
index 506e19aaf8..99179ee09e 100644
--- a/src/API.jl
+++ b/src/API.jl
@@ -555,12 +555,25 @@ function activate(path::String; shared::Bool=false)
 end
 
 """
-    setprotocol!(proto::Union{Nothing, AbstractString}=nothing)
+    setprotocol!(site::AbstractString, proto::Union{Nothing, AbstractString}=nothing)
 
 Set the protocol used to access GitHub-hosted packages when `add`ing a url or `develop`ing a package.
 Defaults to delegating the choice to the package developer (`proto == nothing`).
-Other choices for `proto` are `"https` or `git`.
+Other choices for `proto` are `"https"` `"git" or `"ssh"`.
 """
-setprotocol!(proto::Union{Nothing, AbstractString}=nothing) = GitTools.setprotocol!(proto)
+function setprotocol!(site::AbstractString, proto::Union{Nothing, AbstractString}=nothing)
+     if site in ("https", "ssh", "git") && proto === nothing
+        Base.depwarn(
+            "`setprotocol!(proto)` is deprecated, use `setprotocol!(\"github.com\", proto)` instead.",
+            :setprotocol!
+        )
+        proto = site
+        site = "github.com"
+    end
+
+    GitTools.setprotocol!(site, proto)
+end
+
+@deprecate setprotocol!(proto::Nothing=nothing) setprotocol!("github.com", proto) false
 
 end # module
diff --git a/src/GitTools.jl b/src/GitTools.jl
index 70e7eff3a9..6d4478a9ea 100644
--- a/src/GitTools.jl
+++ b/src/GitTools.jl
@@ -67,13 +67,21 @@ end
 
 const GIT_REGEX =
     r"^(?:(?<proto>git|ssh|https)://)?(?:[\w\.\+\-:]+@)?(?<hostname>.+?)(?(<proto>)/|:)(?<path>.+?)(?:\.git)?$"
-const GIT_PROTOCOL = Dict{AbstractString, Union{Nothing, AbstractString}}()
+const GIT_PROTOCOL = Dict{String, Union{Nothing, String}}()
 
-function setprotocol!(
-    proto::Union{Nothing, AbstractString}=nothing,
-    site::AbstractString="github.com"
-)
-    GIT_PROTOCOL[site] = proto
+@deprecate setprotocol!(proto::Nothing=nothing) setprotocol!("github.com", proto) false
+
+function setprotocol!(site::AbstractString, proto::Union{Nothing, AbstractString}=nothing)
+     if site in ("https", "ssh", "git") && proto === nothing
+        Base.depwarn(
+            "`setprotocol!(proto)` is deprecated, use `setprotocol!(\"github.com\", proto)` instead.",
+            :setprotocol!
+        )
+        proto = site
+        site = "github.com"
+    end
+
+    GIT_PROTOCOL[lowercase(site)] = proto
 end
 
 function normalize_url(url::AbstractString)
@@ -83,7 +91,7 @@ function normalize_url(url::AbstractString)
     host = m[:hostname]
     path = "$(m[:path]).git"
 
-    proto = get(GIT_PROTOCOL, host, nothing)
+    proto = get(GIT_PROTOCOL, lowercase(host), nothing)
 
     if proto === nothing
         url
diff --git a/src/Pkg.jl b/src/Pkg.jl
index ae94448fe3..72e1007ac1 100644
--- a/src/Pkg.jl
+++ b/src/Pkg.jl
@@ -334,9 +334,9 @@ Below is a comparison between the REPL version and the `PackageSpec` version:
 const PackageSpec = Types.PackageSpec
 
 """
-    Pkg.setprotocol!(proto::Union{Nothing, AbstractString}=nothing)
+    Pkg.setprotocol!(site::AbstractString, proto::Union{Nothing, AbstractString}=nothing)
 
-Set the protocol used to access GitHub-hosted packages when `add`ing a url or `develop`ing a package.
+Set the protocol used to access `site`-hosted packages when `add`ing a url or `develop`ing a package.
 Defaults to 'https', with `proto == nothing` delegating the choice to the package developer.
 """
 const setprotocol! = API.setprotocol!
diff --git a/test/pkg.jl b/test/pkg.jl
index 866481d38c..e851fbb77b 100644
--- a/test/pkg.jl
+++ b/test/pkg.jl
@@ -253,13 +253,13 @@ temp_pkg_dir() do project_path
         mktempdir() do devdir
             withenv("JULIA_PKG_DEVDIR" => devdir) do
                 try
-                    Pkg.setprotocol!("notarealprotocol")
+                    Pkg.setprotocol!("github.com", "notarealprotocol")
                     @test_throws PkgError Pkg.develop("Example")
-                    Pkg.setprotocol!("https")
+                    Pkg.setprotocol!("github.com", "https")
                     Pkg.develop("Example")
                     @test isinstalled(TEST_PKG)
                 finally
-                    Pkg.setprotocol!()
+                    Pkg.setprotocol!("github.com")
                 end
             end
         end
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ temp_pkg_dir() do project_path
                     https_url = "https://github.com/JuliaLang/Example.jl.git"
                     ssh_url = "ssh://git@github.com/JuliaLang/Example.jl.git"
                     @test Pkg.GitTools.normalize_url(https_url) == https_url
-                    Pkg.setprotocol!("ssh")
+                    Pkg.setprotocol!("github.com", "ssh")
                     @test Pkg.GitTools.normalize_url(https_url) == ssh_url
                     # TODO: figure out how to test this without
                     #       having to deploy a ssh key on github
@@ -278,14 +278,19 @@ temp_pkg_dir() do project_path
 
                     https_url = "https://gitlab.example.com/example/Example.jl.git"
                     ssh_url = "ssh://git@gitlab.example.com/example/Example.jl.git"
-                    Pkg.GitTools.setprotocol!(nothing, "gitlab.example.com")
+                    Pkg.setprotocol!("gitlab.example.com")
                     @test Pkg.GitTools.normalize_url(https_url) == https_url
-                    Pkg.GitTools.setprotocol!("ssh", "gitlab.example.com")
+                    Pkg.setprotocol!("gitlab.example.com", "ssh")
                     @test Pkg.GitTools.normalize_url(https_url) == ssh_url
 
+                    @test_deprecated Pkg.setprotocol!()
+                    @test_deprecated Pkg.setprotocol!("ssh")
+                    @test_deprecated Pkg.GitTools.setprotocol!()
+                    @test_deprecated Pkg.GitTools.setprotocol!("ssh")
+
                 finally
-                    Pkg.GitTools.setprotocol!()
-                    Pkg.GitTools.setprotocol!(nothing, "gitlab.example.com")
+                    Pkg.setprotocol!("github.com")
+                    Pkg.setprotocol!("gitlab.example.com")
                 end
             end
         end