diff --git a/src/main/java/org/kohsuke/github/GitHub.java b/src/main/java/org/kohsuke/github/GitHub.java
index 9037572c7c..66b6ffe1df 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/kohsuke/github/GitHub.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/kohsuke/github/GitHub.java
@@ -128,10 +128,10 @@ public class GitHub {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Obtains the credential from "~/.github"
+     * Obtains the credential from "~/.github" or from the System Environment Properties.
      */
     public static GitHub connect() throws IOException {
-        return GitHubBuilder.fromPropertyFile().build();
+        return GitHubBuilder.fromCredentials().build();
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/kohsuke/github/GitHubBuilder.java b/src/main/java/org/kohsuke/github/GitHubBuilder.java
index baf26a6415..e08a8dd2a2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/kohsuke/github/GitHubBuilder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/kohsuke/github/GitHubBuilder.java
@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.FileInputStream;
+import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Properties;
 
 /**
@@ -12,19 +14,89 @@
  */
 public class GitHubBuilder {
     private String endpoint = GitHub.GITHUB_URL;
-    private String user;
-    private String password;
-    private String oauthToken;
+    
+    // default scoped so unit tests can read them.
+    /* private */ String user;
+    /* private */ String password;
+    /* private */ String oauthToken;
+    
     private HttpConnector connector;
 
     public GitHubBuilder() {
     }
 
+    /**
+     * First check if the credentials are configured using the ~/.github properties file.
+     * 
+     * If no user is specified it means there is no configuration present so check the environment instead.
+     * 
+     * the system properties for the login, password or oauth environment variables.
+     * 
+     * @return the configured Builder from credentials defined on the system or in the environment.
+     * 
+     * @throws IOException
+     */
+    public static GitHubBuilder fromCredentials() throws IOException {
+    	
+    	GitHubBuilder builder;
+		try {
+			builder = fromPropertyFile();
+			
+			if (builder.user != null)
+	    		return builder;
+	    	else
+	    		return fromEnvironment();
+	    	
+		} catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
+			return fromEnvironment();
+		}
+    
+    }
+    
+    public static GitHubBuilder fromEnvironment(String loginVariableName, String passwordVariableName, String oauthVariableName) throws IOException {
+    	
+    	
+    	Properties env = new Properties();
+    	
+    	Object loginValue = System.getenv(loginVariableName);
+    	
+    	if (loginValue != null)
+    		env.put("login", loginValue);
+    	
+    	Object passwordValue = System.getenv(passwordVariableName);
+    	
+    	if (passwordValue != null)
+    		env.put("password", passwordValue);
+
+    	Object oauthValue = System.getenv(oauthVariableName);
+    	
+    	if (oauthValue != null)
+    		env.put("oauth", oauthValue);
+    	
+    	return fromProperties(env);
+
+    }
+    
+    public static GitHubBuilder fromEnvironment() throws IOException {
+    	
+    	Properties props = new Properties();
+    	
+    	Map<String, String> env = System.getenv();
+    	
+    	for (Map.Entry<String, String> element : env.entrySet()) {
+			
+    		props.put(element.getKey(), element.getValue());
+		}
+    	
+        return fromProperties(props);
+    }
+    
     public static GitHubBuilder fromPropertyFile() throws IOException {
         File homeDir = new File(System.getProperty("user.home"));
         File propertyFile = new File(homeDir, ".github");
         return fromPropertyFile(propertyFile.getPath());
     }
+    
     public static GitHubBuilder fromPropertyFile(String propertyFileName) throws IOException {
         Properties props = new Properties();
         FileInputStream in = null;
@@ -34,6 +106,11 @@ public static GitHubBuilder fromPropertyFile(String propertyFileName) throws IOE
         } finally {
             IOUtils.closeQuietly(in);
         }
+     
+        return fromProperties(props);
+    }
+    
+    public static GitHubBuilder fromProperties(Properties props) {
         GitHubBuilder self = new GitHubBuilder();
         self.withOAuthToken(props.getProperty("oauth"), props.getProperty("login"));
         self.withPassword(props.getProperty("login"), props.getProperty("password"));
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/kohsuke/github/GitHubTest.java b/src/test/java/org/kohsuke/github/GitHubTest.java
index 6ff39feec9..25a7a09d2a 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/kohsuke/github/GitHubTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/kohsuke/github/GitHubTest.java
@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 package org.kohsuke.github;
 
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.lang.reflect.Field;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Properties;
+
 import junit.framework.TestCase;
 
 /**
@@ -21,4 +28,97 @@ public void testGitHubServerWithoutServer() throws Exception {
         GitHub hub = GitHub.connectUsingPassword("kohsuke", "bogus");
         assertEquals("https://api.github.com/test", hub.getApiURL("/test").toString());
     }
+    
+    public void testGitHubFromEnvironment() throws IOException {
+    	
+    	Map<String, String>props = new HashMap<String, String>();
+    	
+    	props.put("login", "bogus");
+    	
+    	setupEnvironment(props);
+    	
+    	GitHub hub = GitHub.connect();
+    	
+    	assertEquals("bogus", hub.login);
+    	
+    }
+    
+    public void testGitHubBuilderFromEnvironment() throws IOException {
+    	
+    	Map<String, String>props = new HashMap<String, String>();
+    	
+    	props.put("login", "bogus");
+    	props.put("oauth", "bogus");
+    	props.put("password", "bogus");
+    	
+    	setupEnvironment(props);
+    	
+    	GitHubBuilder builder = GitHubBuilder.fromEnvironment();
+    	
+    	assertEquals("bogus", builder.user);
+    	assertEquals("bogus", builder.oauthToken);
+    	assertEquals("bogus", builder.password);
+    	
+    }
+    
+    /*
+     * Copied from StackOverflow: http://stackoverflow.com/a/7201825/2336755
+     * 
+     * This allows chaning the process environment.
+     */
+    private void setupEnvironment(Map<String, String> newenv) {
+    	  try
+    	    {
+    	        Class<?> processEnvironmentClass = Class.forName("java.lang.ProcessEnvironment");
+    	        Field theEnvironmentField = processEnvironmentClass.getDeclaredField("theEnvironment");
+    	        theEnvironmentField.setAccessible(true);
+    	        Map<String, String> env = (Map<String, String>) theEnvironmentField.get(null);
+    	        env.putAll(newenv);
+    	        Field theCaseInsensitiveEnvironmentField = processEnvironmentClass.getDeclaredField("theCaseInsensitiveEnvironment");
+    	        theCaseInsensitiveEnvironmentField.setAccessible(true);
+    	        Map<String, String> cienv = (Map<String, String>)     theCaseInsensitiveEnvironmentField.get(null);
+    	        cienv.putAll(newenv);
+    	    }
+    	    catch (NoSuchFieldException e)
+    	    {
+    	      try {
+    	        Class[] classes = Collections.class.getDeclaredClasses();
+    	        Map<String, String> env = System.getenv();
+    	        for(Class cl : classes) {
+    	            if("java.util.Collections$UnmodifiableMap".equals(cl.getName())) {
+    	                Field field = cl.getDeclaredField("m");
+    	                field.setAccessible(true);
+    	                Object obj = field.get(env);
+    	                Map<String, String> map = (Map<String, String>) obj;
+    	                map.clear();
+    	                map.putAll(newenv);
+    	            }
+    	        }
+    	      } catch (Exception e2) {
+    	        e2.printStackTrace();
+    	      }
+    	    } catch (Exception e1) {
+    	        e1.printStackTrace();
+    	    } 
+		
+	}
+
+	public void testGitHubBuilderFromCustomEnvironment() throws IOException {
+    	
+		Map<String, String>props = new HashMap<String, String>();
+    	
+    	props.put("customLogin", "bogusLogin");
+    	props.put("customOauth", "bogusOauth");
+    	props.put("customPassword", "bogusPassword");
+    	
+    	setupEnvironment(props);
+    	
+    	GitHubBuilder builder = GitHubBuilder.fromEnvironment("customLogin", "customPassword", "customOauth");
+    	
+    	assertEquals("bogusLogin", builder.user);
+    	assertEquals("bogusOauth", builder.oauthToken);
+    	assertEquals("bogusPassword", builder.password);
+    	
+    }
+    
 }