diff --git a/README b/README
index 26a9fe4ecb..43a9bb5e95 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -1486,7 +1486,8 @@ If an installation has only one user, this can simplify a lot of the
 interface. It also makes the user's profile the root URL.
 
 enabled: Whether to run in "single user mode". Default false.
-nickname: nickname of the single user.
+nickname: nickname of the single user. If no nickname is specified,
+          the site owner account will be used (if present).
 
 robotstxt
 ---------
diff --git a/classes/User.php b/classes/User.php
index e784fd9e9a..c68be223de 100644
--- a/classes/User.php
+++ b/classes/User.php
@@ -875,4 +875,33 @@ class User extends Memcached_DataObject
 
         return $owner;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Pull the primary site account to use in single-user mode.
+     * If a valid user nickname is listed in 'singleuser':'nickname'
+     * in the config, this will be used; otherwise the site owner
+     * account is taken by default.
+     *
+     * @return User
+     * @throws ServerException if no valid single user account is present
+     * @throws ServerException if called when not in single-user mode
+     */
+    static function singleUser()
+    {
+        if (common_config('singleuser', 'enabled')) {
+            $nickname = common_config('singleuser', 'nickname');
+            if ($nickname) {
+                $user = User::staticGet('nickname', $nickname);
+            } else {
+                $user = User::siteOwner();
+            }
+            if ($user) {
+                return $user;
+            } else {
+                throw new ServerException(_("No single user defined for single-user mode."));
+            }
+        } else {
+            throw new ServerException(_('Single-user mode code called when not enabled.'));
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/lib/action.php b/lib/action.php
index 55ee83bde6..e273b5d040 100644
--- a/lib/action.php
+++ b/lib/action.php
@@ -419,8 +419,9 @@ class Action extends HTMLOutputter // lawsuit
                                              'class' => 'vcard'));
         if (Event::handle('StartAddressData', array($this))) {
             if (common_config('singleuser', 'enabled')) {
+                $user = User::singleUser();
                 $url = common_local_url('showstream',
-                                        array('nickname' => common_config('singleuser', 'nickname')));
+                                        array('nickname' => $user->nickname));
             } else {
                 $url = common_local_url('public');
             }
diff --git a/lib/router.php b/lib/router.php
index b1cc8d5294..8c682cefa9 100644
--- a/lib/router.php
+++ b/lib/router.php
@@ -701,16 +701,8 @@ class Router
 
             if (common_config('singleuser', 'enabled')) {
 
-                $user = User::siteOwner();
-
-                if (!empty($user)) {
-                    $nickname = $user->nickname;
-                } else {
-                    $nickname = common_config('singleuser', 'nickname');
-                    if (empty($nickname)) {
-                        throw new ServerException(_("No single user defined for single-user mode."));
-                    }
-                }
+                $user = User::singleUser();
+                $nickname = $user->nickname;
 
                 foreach (array('subscriptions', 'subscribers',
                                'all', 'foaf', 'xrds',
diff --git a/lib/util.php b/lib/util.php
index 5a94182bda..86380af281 100644
--- a/lib/util.php
+++ b/lib/util.php
@@ -974,8 +974,9 @@ function common_tag_link($tag)
     $canonical = common_canonical_tag($tag);
     if (common_config('singleuser', 'enabled')) {
         // regular TagAction isn't set up in 1user mode
+        $user = User::singleUser();
         $url = common_local_url('showstream',
-                                array('nickname' => common_config('singleuser', 'nickname'),
+                                array('nickname' => $user->nickname,
                                       'tag' => $canonical));
     } else {
         $url = common_local_url('tag', array('tag' => $canonical));