diff --git a/src/remote/configuration/__init__.py b/src/remote/configuration/__init__.py
index d4596c8..0353bc9 100644
--- a/src/remote/configuration/__init__.py
+++ b/src/remote/configuration/__init__.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 class RemoteConfig:
     """Single remote connection description"""
 
-    # remote machine's hostname
+    # remote machine's hostname, with optional username@ prefix
     host: str
     # relative path to the working directory on remote machine starting from user home dir
     directory: Path
diff --git a/src/remote/configuration/shared.py b/src/remote/configuration/shared.py
index fe4fc73..f4a56f3 100644
--- a/src/remote/configuration/shared.py
+++ b/src/remote/configuration/shared.py
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@
 from pathlib import Path
 
 DEFAULT_REMOTE_ROOT = ".remotes"
-HOST_REGEX = r"[-\w]+(\.[-\w]+)*"
-PATH_REGEX = r"/?[-.\w\s]+(/[-.\w\s]+)*/?"
+HOST_REGEX = r"([-\w]+@)?[-\w]+(\.[-\w]+)*"
+PATH_REGEX = r"/?[-.\w\s][-.\w\s:]*(/[-.\w\s:]+)*/?"
 
 
 def hash_path(path: Path):
diff --git a/src/remote/entrypoints.py b/src/remote/entrypoints.py
index 1370d9e..d49812a 100644
--- a/src/remote/entrypoints.py
+++ b/src/remote/entrypoints.py
@@ -79,12 +79,14 @@ def _add_remote_host(config: WorkspaceConfig, connection: str):
     """Add a new remote host to the workspace config, check the connection, and save it if connection is ok
 
     :param config: the workspace config decription object
-    :param connection: connection string in format of 'host-name[:remote_dir]'
+    :param connection: connection string in format of '[user@]host-name[:remote_dir]'
     """
-    parts = connection.split(":")
-    remote_host = parts[0]
+    remote_host, sep, path = connection.partition(":")
     config_medium = get_configuration_medium(config)
-    remote_dir = config_medium.generate_remote_directory(config) if len(parts) == 1 else Path(parts[1])
+    if sep:
+        remote_dir = Path(path)
+    else:
+        remote_dir = config_medium.generate_remote_directory(config)
 
     added, index = config.add_remote_host(remote_host, remote_dir)
     if not added:
@@ -108,7 +110,7 @@ def _add_remote_host(config: WorkspaceConfig, connection: str):
 
 
 @click.command(context_settings=DEFAULT_CONTEXT_SETTINGS)
-@click.argument("connection", metavar="host-name[:remote_dir]", callback=validate_connection_string)
+@click.argument("connection", metavar="[user@]host-name[:remote_dir]", callback=validate_connection_string)
 @log_exceptions
 def remote_add(connection: str):
     """Add one more host for remote connection to a config file"""
@@ -118,7 +120,7 @@ def remote_add(connection: str):
 
 
 @click.command(context_settings=DEFAULT_CONTEXT_SETTINGS)
-@click.argument("connection", metavar="host-name[:remote_dir]", callback=validate_connection_string)
+@click.argument("connection", metavar="[user@]host-name[:remote_dir]", callback=validate_connection_string)
 @log_exceptions
 def remote_init(connection: str):
     """Initiate workspace for the remote execution in the current working directory"""
diff --git a/test/test_entrypoints.py b/test/test_entrypoints.py
index c54023b..f2d0d0f 100644
--- a/test/test_entrypoints.py
+++ b/test/test_entrypoints.py
@@ -27,6 +27,24 @@
 TEST_DIR = ".remotes/my project"
 TEST_CONFIG = f"{TEST_HOST}:{shlex.quote(TEST_DIR)}"
 
+TEST_HOSTS = [
+    ("host", True),
+    ("host123", True),
+    ("host.domain.com", True),
+    ("ho-st.dom-ain.as1234", True),
+    ("ho-st.dom-ain.as1234:/home/dir", True),
+    ("ho-st.dom-ain.as1234:.home/dir.dir", True),
+    ("ho-st.dom-ain.as1234:.home/dir.dir/123/", True),
+    ("ho-st.dom-ain.as1234:.home/dir.dir/123/:something", True),
+    ("ho-st.dom-ain.as1234::/home/dir", False),
+    ("some_user@host", True),
+    ("some user@host", False),
+    ("some:user@host", False),
+    ("user@host:", False),
+    ("user@:/home/dir", False),
+    ("@host:/home/dir", False),
+]
+
 
 @contextmanager
 def cwd(path):
@@ -76,20 +94,7 @@ def test_function(num):
         test_function(0)
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize(
-    "connection, is_valid",
-    [
-        ("host", True),
-        ("host123", True),
-        ("host.domain.com", True),
-        ("ho-st.dom-ain.as1234", True),
-        ("ho-st.dom-ain.as1234:/home/dir", True),
-        ("ho-st.dom-ain.as1234:.home/dir.dir", True),
-        ("ho-st.dom-ain.as1234:.home/dir.dir/123/", True),
-        ("ho-st.dom-ain.as1234:.home/dir.dir/123/:something", False),
-        ("ho-st.dom-ain.as1234::/home/dir", False),
-    ],
-)
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("connection, is_valid", TEST_HOSTS)
 def test_validate_connection_string(connection, is_valid):
     if is_valid:
         entrypoints.validate_connection_string(None, None, connection)
@@ -278,11 +283,12 @@ def test_remote_init_fails_if_workspace_is_already_initated(tmp_workspace):
     assert (tmp_workspace / CONFIG_FILE_NAME).read_text() == f"{TEST_CONFIG}\n"
 
 
-def test_remote_init_fails_on_input_validation(tmp_path):
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("connection", [connection for connection, is_valid in TEST_HOSTS if not is_valid])
+def test_remote_init_fails_on_input_validation(tmp_path, connection):
     runner = CliRunner()
 
     with cwd(tmp_path):
-        result = runner.invoke(entrypoints.remote_init, ["host:path:path"])
+        result = runner.invoke(entrypoints.remote_init, [connection])
 
     assert result.exit_code == 2
 
@@ -309,11 +315,12 @@ def test_remote_commands_fail_on_no_workspace(tmp_path):
         assert result.output == f"Cannot resolve the remote workspace in {tmp_path}\n"
 
 
-def test_remote_add_fails_on_input_validation(tmp_path):
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("connection", [connection for connection, is_valid in TEST_HOSTS if not is_valid])
+def test_remote_add_fails_on_input_validation(tmp_path, connection):
     runner = CliRunner()
 
     with cwd(tmp_path):
-        result = runner.invoke(entrypoints.remote_add, ["host:path:path"])
+        result = runner.invoke(entrypoints.remote_add, [connection])
 
     assert result.exit_code == 2