diff --git a/actions/openidlogin.php b/actions/openidlogin.php
index 9b0b1793ca..fa04d45765 100644
--- a/actions/openidlogin.php
+++ b/actions/openidlogin.php
@@ -28,7 +28,10 @@ class OpenidloginAction extends Action {
 		if (common_logged_in()) {
 			common_user_error(_t('Already logged in.'));
 		} else if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] == 'POST') {
-			$this->start_openid_login();
+			$result = oid_authenticate($this->trimmed('openid_url'), 'finishopenidlogin');
+			if (is_string($result)) { # error message
+				$this->show_form($result);
+			}
 		} else {
 			$this->show_form();
 		}
@@ -50,88 +53,4 @@ class OpenidloginAction extends Action {
 		common_element_end('form');
 		common_show_footer();
 	}
-
-	function start_openid_login() {
-		# XXX: form token in $_SESSION to prevent XSS
-		# XXX: login throttle
-		$openid_url = $this->trimmed('openid_url');
-
-		$consumer = oid_consumer();
-
-		if (!$consumer) {
-			common_server_error(_t('Cannot instantiate OpenID consumer object.'));
-			return;
-		}
-
-		common_ensure_session();
-
-		$auth_request = $consumer->begin($openid_url);
-
-		// Handle failure status return values.
-		if (!$auth_request) {
-			$this->show_form(_t('Not a valid OpenID.'));
-			return;
-		} else if (Auth_OpenID::isFailure($auth_request)) {
-			$this->show_form(_t('OpenID failure: ') . $auth_request->message);
-			return;
-		}
-
-		$sreg_request = Auth_OpenID_SRegRequest::build(// Required
-													   array(),
-													   // Optional
-													   array('nickname',
-															 'email',
-															 'fullname',
-															 'language',
-															 'timezone',
-															 'postcode',
-															 'country'));
-
-		if ($sreg_request) {
-			$auth_request->addExtension($sreg_request);
-		}
-
-		$trust_root = common_root_url();
-		$process_url = common_local_url('finishopenidlogin');
-
-		if ($auth_request->shouldSendRedirect()) {
-			$redirect_url = $auth_request->redirectURL($trust_root,
-													   $process_url);
-			if (!$redirect_url) {
-			} else if (Auth_OpenID::isFailure($redirect_url)) {
-				$this->show_form(_t('Could not redirect to server: ') . $redirect_url->message);
-				return;
-			} else {
-				common_redirect($redirect_url);
-			}
-		} else {
-			// Generate form markup and render it.
-			$form_id = 'openid_message';
-			$form_html = $auth_request->formMarkup($trust_root, $process_url,
-												   false, array('id' => $form_id));
-			
-			# XXX: This is cheap, but things choke if we don't escape ampersands
-			# in the HTML attributes
-			
-			$form_html = preg_replace('/&/', '&', $form_html);
-			
-			// Display an error if the form markup couldn't be generated;
-			// otherwise, render the HTML.
-			if (Auth_OpenID::isFailure($form_html)) {
-				$this->show_form(_t('Could not create OpenID form: ') . $form_html->message);
-			} else {
-				common_show_header(_t('OpenID Auto-Submit'));
-				common_element('p', 'instructions',
-							   _t('This form should automatically submit itself. '.
-								  'If not, click the submit button to go to your '.
-								  'OpenID provider.'));
-				common_raw($form_html);
-				common_element('script', NULL,
-							   '$(document).ready(function() { ' .
-							   '    $("#'. $form_id .'").submit(); '.
-							   '});');
-				common_show_footer();
-			}
-		}
-	}
 }
diff --git a/actions/openidsettings.php b/actions/openidsettings.php
index c918cc27e6..d4ec8a8cd6 100644
--- a/actions/openidsettings.php
+++ b/actions/openidsettings.php
@@ -80,7 +80,10 @@ class OpenidsettingsAction extends SettingsAction {
 
 	function handle_post() {
 		if ($this->arg('add')) {
-			$this->add_openid();
+			$result = oid_authenticate($this->trimmed('openid_url'), 'finishaddopenid');
+			if (is_string($result)) { # error message
+				$this->show_form($result);
+			}
 		} else if ($this->arg('remove')) {
 			$this->remove_openid();
 		} else {
@@ -105,87 +108,4 @@ class OpenidsettingsAction extends SettingsAction {
 		$this->show_form(_t('OpenID removed.', true));
 		return;
 	}
-	
-	function add_openid() {
-		
-		$openid_url = $this->trimmed('openid_url');
-
-		$consumer = oid_consumer();
-
-		if (!$consumer) {
-			common_server_error(_t('Cannot instantiate OpenID consumer object.'));
-			return;
-		}
-
-		common_ensure_session();
-
-		$auth_request = $consumer->begin($openid_url);
-
-		// Handle failure status return values.
-		if (!$auth_request) {
-			$this->show_form(_t('Not a valid OpenID.'));
-			return;
-		} else if (Auth_OpenID::isFailure($auth_request)) {
-			$this->show_form(_t('OpenID failure: ') . $auth_request->message);
-			return;
-		}
-
-		$sreg_request = Auth_OpenID_SRegRequest::build(// Required
-													   array(),
-													   // Optional
-													   array('nickname',
-															 'email',
-															 'fullname',
-															 'language',
-															 'timezone',
-															 'postcode',
-															 'country'));
-
-		if ($sreg_request) {
-			$auth_request->addExtension($sreg_request);
-		}
-
-		$trust_root = common_root_url();
-		$process_url = common_local_url('finishaddopenid');
-
-		if ($auth_request->shouldSendRedirect()) {
-			$redirect_url = $auth_request->redirectURL($trust_root,
-													   $process_url);
-			if (!$redirect_url) {
-			} else if (Auth_OpenID::isFailure($redirect_url)) {
-				$this->show_form(_t('Could not redirect to server: ') . $redirect_url->message);
-				return;
-			} else {
-				common_redirect($redirect_url);
-			}
-		} else {
-			// Generate form markup and render it.
-			$form_id = 'openid_message';
-			$form_html = $auth_request->formMarkup($trust_root, $process_url,
-												   false, array('id' => $form_id));
-			
-			# XXX: This is cheap, but things choke if we don't escape ampersands
-			# in the HTML attributes
-			
-			$form_html = preg_replace('/&/', '&', $form_html);
-			
-			// Display an error if the form markup couldn't be generated;
-			// otherwise, render the HTML.
-			if (Auth_OpenID::isFailure($form_html)) {
-				$this->show_form(_t('Could not create OpenID form: ') . $form_html->message);
-			} else {
-				common_show_header(_t('OpenID Auto-Submit'));
-				common_element('p', 'instructions',
-							   _t('This form should automatically submit itself. '.
-								  'If not, click the submit button to go to your '.
-								  'OpenID provider.'));
-				common_raw($form_html);
-				common_element('script', NULL,
-							   '$(document).ready(function() { ' .
-							   '    $("#'. $form_id .'").submit(); '.
-							   '});');
-				common_show_footer();
-			}
-		}
-	}
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/openid.php b/lib/openid.php
index c41b3424cd..c280415547 100644
--- a/lib/openid.php
+++ b/lib/openid.php
@@ -59,3 +59,82 @@ function oid_link_user($id, $canonical, $display) {
 	
 	return true;
 }
+
+function oid_authenticate($openid_url, $returnto) {
+		
+		$consumer = oid_consumer();
+
+		if (!$consumer) {
+			common_server_error(_t('Cannot instantiate OpenID consumer object.'));
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		common_ensure_session();
+
+		$auth_request = $consumer->begin($openid_url);
+
+		// Handle failure status return values.
+		if (!$auth_request) {
+			return _t('Not a valid OpenID.');
+		} else if (Auth_OpenID::isFailure($auth_request)) {
+			return _t('OpenID failure: ') . $auth_request->message;
+		}
+
+		$sreg_request = Auth_OpenID_SRegRequest::build(// Required
+													   array(),
+													   // Optional
+													   array('nickname',
+															 'email',
+															 'fullname',
+															 'language',
+															 'timezone',
+															 'postcode',
+															 'country'));
+
+		if ($sreg_request) {
+			$auth_request->addExtension($sreg_request);
+		}
+
+		$trust_root = common_root_url();
+		$process_url = common_local_url($returnto);
+
+		if ($auth_request->shouldSendRedirect()) {
+			$redirect_url = $auth_request->redirectURL($trust_root,
+													   $process_url);
+			if (!$redirect_url) {
+			} else if (Auth_OpenID::isFailure($redirect_url)) {
+				return _t('Could not redirect to server: ') . $redirect_url->message;
+			} else {
+				common_redirect($redirect_url);
+			}
+		} else {
+			// Generate form markup and render it.
+			$form_id = 'openid_message';
+			$form_html = $auth_request->formMarkup($trust_root, $process_url,
+												   false, array('id' => $form_id));
+			
+			# XXX: This is cheap, but things choke if we don't escape ampersands
+			# in the HTML attributes
+			
+			$form_html = preg_replace('/&/', '&', $form_html);
+			
+			// Display an error if the form markup couldn't be generated;
+			// otherwise, render the HTML.
+			if (Auth_OpenID::isFailure($form_html)) {
+				$this->show_form(_t('Could not create OpenID form: ') . $form_html->message);
+			} else {
+				common_show_header(_t('OpenID Auto-Submit'));
+				common_element('p', 'instructions',
+							   _t('This form should automatically submit itself. '.
+								  'If not, click the submit button to go to your '.
+								  'OpenID provider.'));
+				common_raw($form_html);
+				common_element('script', NULL,
+							   '$(document).ready(function() { ' .
+							   '    $("#'. $form_id .'").submit(); '.
+							   '});');
+				common_show_footer();
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
\ No newline at end of file