diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi
index c1ce5bc896373f0b41414e745635d4e952982f60..7d50f31d2056f3cbfb05175ae8b34f7fd9155454 100644
--- a/doc/guix.texi
+++ b/doc/guix.texi
@@ -26447,6 +26447,18 @@ keyring.
 @item @code{identity} (default: @code{#f})
 If specified, the path to the SSH private key to use to authenticate with the
 remote host.
+
+@item @code{host-key} (default: @code{#f})
+This should be the SSH host key of the machine, which looks like this:
+
+@example
+ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3Nz@dots{} root@@example.org
+@end example
+
+When @code{host-key} is @code{#f}, the server is authenticated against
+the @file{~/.ssh/known_hosts} file, just like the OpenSSH @command{ssh}
+client does.
+
 @end table
 @end deftp
 
diff --git a/gnu/machine/ssh.scm b/gnu/machine/ssh.scm
index 6e3ed0e092915254a25408866d533470821cf70c..23ae917b79c460eb52df0aa6a4aac236a2e23620 100644
--- a/gnu/machine/ssh.scm
+++ b/gnu/machine/ssh.scm
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ (define-module (gnu machine ssh)
             machine-ssh-configuration-authorize?
             machine-ssh-configuration-port
             machine-ssh-configuration-user
+            machine-ssh-configuration-host-key
             machine-ssh-configuration-session))
 
 ;;; Commentary:
@@ -87,6 +88,8 @@ (define-record-type* <machine-ssh-configuration> machine-ssh-configuration
   (identity       machine-ssh-configuration-identity       ; path to a private key
                   (default #f))
   (session        machine-ssh-configuration-session        ; session
+                  (default #f))
+  (host-key       machine-ssh-configuration-host-key       ; #f | string
                   (default #f)))
 
 (define (machine-ssh-session machine)
@@ -98,11 +101,13 @@ (define (machine-ssh-session machine)
         (let ((host-name (machine-ssh-configuration-host-name config))
               (user (machine-ssh-configuration-user config))
               (port (machine-ssh-configuration-port config))
-              (identity (machine-ssh-configuration-identity config)))
+              (identity (machine-ssh-configuration-identity config))
+              (host-key (machine-ssh-configuration-host-key config)))
           (open-ssh-session host-name
                             #:user user
                             #:port port
-                            #:identity identity)))))
+                            #:identity identity
+                            #:host-key host-key)))))
 
 
 ;;;