diff --git a/deploy.inc.php b/deploy.inc.php
index 000a691..7e8d90a 100644
--- a/deploy.inc.php
+++ b/deploy.inc.php
@@ -272,6 +272,7 @@ function deploy_put_file($name, $path, $contents, $opts = 0)
   }
 }
 
+//TODO: use deploy_scp_put_file_async(..) internally?
 function deploy_scp_put_file($name, $local_path, $remote_path, $opts = 0)
 {
   $decl = deploy_get_node($name);
@@ -359,12 +360,13 @@ function deploy_scp_put_file_async($name, $local_path, $remote_path, $opts = 0)
   });
 }
 
-function deploy_rsync_async($name, $src_dir, $dst_dir, $rsync_opts = '', $opts = 0)
+//TODO: use deploy_rsync_async(..) internally?
+function deploy_rsync($name, $src, $dst, $rsync_opts = '', $opts = 0)
 {
-  return Amp\call(function() use($name, $src_dir, $dst_dir, $rsync_opts, $opts) {
-
   $decl = deploy_get_node($name);
 
+  $dst = deploy_str($decl, $dst);
+
   $tmp_key_file = tempnam("/tmp", "ssh_");
   $key_str = $decl->get('ssh_key_str');
 
@@ -372,13 +374,65 @@ function deploy_rsync_async($name, $src_dir, $dst_dir, $rsync_opts = '', $opts =
   {
     file_put_contents($tmp_key_file, $key_str);
 
-    $ssh_transport = "ssh -A -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o ConnectTimeout=90 -o ConnectionAttempts=30 -i $tmp_key_file";
+    foreach($decl->get('hosts') as $host)
+    {
+      list($ssh_host, $ssh_port) = deploy_ssh_host_port($host);
+
+      $ssh_transport = "-e 'ssh -A -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o ConnectTimeout=90 -o ConnectionAttempts=30 -i $tmp_key_file -p $ssh_port'";
+      $ssh_host_prefix = $decl->get('user') . '@' . $ssh_host . ':';
+
+      if($ssh_host === 'localhost')
+      {
+        $ssh_transport = '';
+        $ssh_host_prefix = '';
+      }
+
+      $cmd = "rsync $ssh_transport -a $rsync_opts $src {$ssh_host_prefix}$dst";
+
+      if(($opts & DEPLOY_OPT_SILENT) == 0)
+        echo "[RSN] $host: $cmd\n";
+
+      system($cmd, $ret);
+
+      if($ret !== 0)
+        throw new Exception("Could not rsync $src to remote $dst: $ret");
+    }
+  }
+  finally
+  {
+    unlink($tmp_key_file);
+  }
+}
+
+function deploy_rsync_async($name, $src, $dst, $rsync_opts = '', $opts = 0)
+{
+  return Amp\call(function() use($name, $src, $dst, $rsync_opts, $opts) {
+
+  $decl = deploy_get_node($name);
+
+  $dst = deploy_str($decl, $dst);
+
+  $tmp_key_file = tempnam("/tmp", "ssh_");
+  $key_str = $decl->get('ssh_key_str');
+
+  try
+  {
+    file_put_contents($tmp_key_file, $key_str);
 
     foreach($decl->get('hosts') as $host)
     {
       list($ssh_host, $ssh_port) = deploy_ssh_host_port($host);
 
-      $proc_cmd = "rsync -e '" . $ssh_transport . " -p $ssh_port' -a $rsync_opts $src_dir/ " . $decl->get('user') . '@' . $ssh_host . ":$dst_dir/";
+      $ssh_transport = "-e 'ssh -A -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o ConnectTimeout=90 -o ConnectionAttempts=30 -i $tmp_key_file -p $ssh_port'";
+      $ssh_host_prefix = $decl->get('user') . '@' . $ssh_host . ':';
+
+      if($ssh_host === 'localhost')
+      {
+        $ssh_transport = '';
+        $ssh_host_prefix = '';
+      }
+
+      $proc_cmd = "rsync $ssh_transport -a $rsync_opts $src {$ssh_host_prefix}$dst";
 
       if(($opts & DEPLOY_OPT_SILENT) == 0)
         echo "[RSN] $host: $proc_cmd\n";
@@ -394,7 +448,7 @@ function deploy_rsync_async($name, $src_dir, $dst_dir, $rsync_opts = '', $opts =
       $status = yield $proc->join();
 
       if($status !== 0)
-        throw new Exception("Could not rsync $src_dir to remote $dst_dir: $status");
+        throw new Exception("Could not rsync $src to remote $dst: $status");
     }
   }
   finally