diff --git a/config/autostart/checkaccount.cfg b/config/autostart/checkaccount.cfg
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6c39634f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/autostart/checkaccount.cfg
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+// check account during startup
+//  * ask for password, if required
+//  * offer to create new account, if none exists
+
+sleep 1000 checkaccount 1
diff --git a/config/autostart/welcome.cfg b/config/autostart/welcome.cfg
index eff3d5f8..64fd89ec 100644
--- a/config/autostart/welcome.cfg
+++ b/config/autostart/welcome.cfg
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 // show main menu on startup, if enabled
 
 if $showmenuonstartup [
-  sleep 1000 [ showmenu main ] 1
+  sleep 2000 [ if (strlen (curmenu)) [] [showmenu main ] ] 1
 ]
 
diff --git a/config/menus_settings.cfg b/config/menus_settings.cfg
index 481cd47b..af8d0e04 100644
--- a/config/menus_settings.cfg
+++ b/config/menus_settings.cfg
@@ -836,5 +836,42 @@ menuinit [
     ]
 ]
 
+// game account management menus
+
+newmenu "enter password"
+menuitemtextinput "please enter the password for your game account\t" "" [ echo "checking..." ; authsetup passd $arg1 checkaccount ] [] 64 1
+
+newmenu "offer account"
+menuitem "To create a game account, AC needs some entropy. To generate" -1
+menuitem "that, you need to play against bots for 10 minutes first..." -1
+menuitem "" -1
+menuitem "\t\t\f0[Start]" [tmp_mode = 8; tmp_isbotteammode = 0; tmp_numbots = (+ 7 (rnd 4)) ; tmp_botmap = (at "ac_scaffold ac_desert2 ac_complex" (rnd 3)); sleep 605000 __createaccount 1 ; startbotmap]
+menuitem "\t\t[Not now...]" closemenu
+
+tempalias __createaccount [
+  disconnect
+  kickallbots
+  showmenu "create account"
+]
+
+newmenu "create account"
+menuinit [ authsetup genpre; authsetup genpriv; authsetup genpub; echo "\f4temp account created." ; tempalias ___ppass "" ; tempalias ___pass "" ]
+menuitemtextinput "please enter a password for account restoration\t" "" [___ppass = $arg1] [] 64
+menuitemtextinput "please enter a password for your game account\t" "" [___pass = $arg1] [] 64
+menuitem "" -1
+menuitem "\t\t\f0[Ok]" [ authsetup newppass $___ppass ; authsetup newpass $___pass ; ___ppass = "" ; ___pass = "" ; if (authsetup) [ echo "created account" (mypubkey)] checkaccount ]
+
+const checkaccount [
+  if (authsetup) [
+    echo "\f0using account " (mypubkey)
+  ] [
+    if (authsetup needpass) [] [ exec config/authprivate.cfg ]
+    if (authsetup needpass) [
+      showmenu "enter password"
+    ] [
+      showmenu "offer account"
+    ]
+  ]
+]
 
 persistidents 1
diff --git a/source/src/crypto.cpp b/source/src/crypto.cpp
index ffa66b04..b9d0f584 100644
--- a/source/src/crypto.cpp
+++ b/source/src/crypto.cpp
@@ -880,6 +880,15 @@ void authsetup(char **args, int numargs)  // set up private and public keys
 }
 COMMAND(authsetup, "v");
 
+void mypubkey()
+{
+    string res = "";
+    if(sk) bin2hex(res, sk + 32, 32);
+    result(res);
+}
+COMMAND(mypubkey, "");
+
+
 /////////////////////////////////////////////////  misc key management  //////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 // * used to sign certs or other stuff
 // * dev/admin/master keys