diff --git a/cluster/saltbase/salt/apiserver/default b/cluster/saltbase/salt/apiserver/default
index 5909f097b0a..61cde0d7c4d 100644
--- a/cluster/saltbase/salt/apiserver/default
+++ b/cluster/saltbase/salt/apiserver/default
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@
 
 {% if grains.etcd_servers is defined %}
   {% set etcd_servers = "-etcd_servers=http://" + grains.etcd_servers + ":4001" %}
-  {% set address = "-address=" + grains.etcd_servers %}  
 {% else %}
   {% set ips = salt['mine.get']('roles:kubernetes-master', 'network.ip_addrs', 'grain').values() %}
   {% set etcd_servers = "-etcd_servers=http://" + ips[0][0] + ":4001" %}
diff --git a/cluster/saltbase/salt/controller-manager/default b/cluster/saltbase/salt/controller-manager/default
index 8063293ac4b..e4a89682e62 100644
--- a/cluster/saltbase/salt/controller-manager/default
+++ b/cluster/saltbase/salt/controller-manager/default
@@ -3,7 +3,4 @@
 	{% set daemon_args = "" %}
 {% endif %}
 {% set master="-master=127.0.0.1:8080" %}
-{% if grains.master_ip is defined %}
-  {% set master="-master=" + grains.master_ip + ":8080" %}  
-{% endif %}
 DAEMON_ARGS="{{daemon_args}} {{master}}"
diff --git a/cluster/saltbase/salt/nginx/kubernetes-site b/cluster/saltbase/salt/nginx/kubernetes-site
index 4811db8429b..9702614358d 100644
--- a/cluster/saltbase/salt/nginx/kubernetes-site
+++ b/cluster/saltbase/salt/nginx/kubernetes-site
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ server {
           auth_basic_user_file  /usr/share/nginx/htpasswd;
 
           # Proxy settings
-          proxy_pass http://localhost:8080/;
+          proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080/;
           proxy_connect_timeout 159s;
           proxy_send_timeout   600s;
           proxy_read_timeout   600s;
diff --git a/cluster/vagrant/config-default.sh b/cluster/vagrant/config-default.sh
index d12b4c9d212..48e06b10c77 100755
--- a/cluster/vagrant/config-default.sh
+++ b/cluster/vagrant/config-default.sh
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ NUM_MINIONS=${KUBERNETES_NUM_MINIONS-"3"}
 
 # IP LOCATIONS FOR INTERACTING WITH THE MASTER
 export KUBE_MASTER_IP="10.245.1.2"
-export KUBERNETES_MASTER="http://10.245.1.2:8080"
+export KUBERNETES_MASTER="https://10.245.1.2"
 
 # IP LOCATIONS FOR INTERACTING WITH THE MINIONS
 MINION_IP_BASE="10.245.2."
diff --git a/cluster/vagrant/provision-config.sh b/cluster/vagrant/provision-config.sh
index ae209a97774..98e986e6237 100755
--- a/cluster/vagrant/provision-config.sh
+++ b/cluster/vagrant/provision-config.sh
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ MINION_IP_RANGES=($(eval echo "10.245.{2..${NUM_MINIONS}}.2/24"))
 MINION_SCOPES=""
 
 # simplified setup for local vagrant 2 node cluster
-MASTER_HTPASSWD=passw0rd
-
+MASTER_USER=vagrant
+MASTER_PASSWD=vagrant
 
+# Location to hold temp files for provision process
+KUBE_TEMP=/var/kube-temp
diff --git a/cluster/vagrant/provision-master.sh b/cluster/vagrant/provision-master.sh
index 5062e6a2e37..a546f9b1209 100755
--- a/cluster/vagrant/provision-master.sh
+++ b/cluster/vagrant/provision-master.sh
@@ -18,12 +18,11 @@
 set -e
 source $(dirname $0)/provision-config.sh
 
-# we will run provision to update code each time we test, so we do not want to do salt install each time
-if [ ! -f "/var/kube-vagrant-setup" ]; then
-  mkdir -p /etc/salt/minion.d
-  echo "master: $MASTER_NAME" > /etc/salt/minion.d/master.conf
+# Update salt configuration
+mkdir -p /etc/salt/minion.d
+echo "master: $MASTER_NAME" > /etc/salt/minion.d/master.conf
 
-  cat <<EOF >/etc/salt/minion.d/grains.conf
+cat <<EOF >/etc/salt/minion.d/grains.conf
 grains:
   master_ip: $MASTER_IP
   etcd_servers: $MASTER_IP
@@ -32,27 +31,38 @@ grains:
     - kubernetes-master
 EOF
 
-  # Configure the salt-master
-  # Auto accept all keys from minions that try to join
-  mkdir -p /etc/salt/master.d
-  cat <<EOF >/etc/salt/master.d/auto-accept.conf
+# Configure the salt-master
+# Auto accept all keys from minions that try to join
+mkdir -p /etc/salt/master.d
+cat <<EOF >/etc/salt/master.d/auto-accept.conf
 open_mode: True
 auto_accept: True
 EOF
 
-  cat <<EOF >/etc/salt/master.d/reactor.conf
+cat <<EOF >/etc/salt/master.d/reactor.conf
 # React to new minions starting by running highstate on them.
 reactor:
   - 'salt/minion/*/start':
     - /srv/reactor/start.sls
 EOF
 
-  cat <<EOF >/etc/salt/master.d/salt-output.conf
+cat <<EOF >/etc/salt/master.d/salt-output.conf
 # Minimize the amount of output to terminal
 state_verbose: False
 state_output: mixed  
 EOF
 
+# Configure nginx authorization
+mkdir -p $KUBE_TEMP
+mkdir -p /srv/salt/nginx
+echo "Using password: $MASTER_USER:$MASTER_PASSWD"
+python $(dirname $0)/../../third_party/htpasswd/htpasswd.py -b -c ${KUBE_TEMP}/htpasswd $MASTER_USER $MASTER_PASSWD
+MASTER_HTPASSWD=$(cat ${KUBE_TEMP}/htpasswd)
+echo $MASTER_HTPASSWD > /srv/salt/nginx/htpasswd
+
+# we will run provision to update code each time we test, so we do not want to do salt install each time
+if [ ! $(which salt-master) ]; then
+
   # Install Salt
   #
   # We specify -X to avoid a race condition that can cause minion failure to
@@ -67,11 +77,6 @@ EOF
   # (a new service file needs to be added for salt-api)
   curl -sS -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/saltstack/salt-bootstrap/v2014.06.30/bootstrap-salt.sh | sh -s -- -M
 
-  mkdir -p /srv/salt/nginx
-  echo $MASTER_HTPASSWD > /srv/salt/nginx/htpasswd
-
-  # a file we touch to state that base-setup is done
-  echo "Salt configured" > /var/kube-vagrant-setup
 fi
 
 # Build release
diff --git a/cluster/vagrant/provision-minion.sh b/cluster/vagrant/provision-minion.sh
index 0b4161fb7d4..cdac7c302ec 100755
--- a/cluster/vagrant/provision-minion.sh
+++ b/cluster/vagrant/provision-minion.sh
@@ -19,20 +19,19 @@ set -e
 source $(dirname $0)/provision-config.sh
 
 MINION_IP=$4
-# we will run provision to update code each time we test, so we do not want to do salt install each time
-if [ ! -f "/var/kube-vagrant-setup" ]; then
 
-  if [ ! "$(cat /etc/hosts | grep $MASTER_NAME)" ]; then
-    echo "Adding host entry for $MASTER_NAME"
-    echo "$MASTER_IP $MASTER_NAME" >> /etc/hosts
-  fi
+# make sure each minion has an entry in hosts file for master
+if [ ! "$(cat /etc/hosts | grep $MASTER_NAME)" ]; then
+  echo "Adding host entry for $MASTER_NAME"
+  echo "$MASTER_IP $MASTER_NAME" >> /etc/hosts
+fi
 
-  # Prepopulate the name of the Master
-  mkdir -p /etc/salt/minion.d
-  echo "master: $MASTER_NAME" > /etc/salt/minion.d/master.conf
+# Let the minion know who its master is
+mkdir -p /etc/salt/minion.d
+echo "master: $MASTER_NAME" > /etc/salt/minion.d/master.conf
 
-  # Our minions will have a pool role to distinguish them from the master.
-  cat <<EOF >/etc/salt/minion.d/grains.conf
+# Our minions will have a pool role to distinguish them from the master.
+cat <<EOF >/etc/salt/minion.d/grains.conf
 grains:
   minion_ip: $MINION_IP
   etcd_servers: $MASTER_IP
@@ -41,6 +40,8 @@ grains:
   cbr-cidr: $MINION_IP_RANGE
 EOF
 
+# we will run provision to update code each time we test, so we do not want to do salt install each time
+if [ ! $(which salt-minion) ]; then
   # Install Salt
   #
   # We specify -X to avoid a race condition that can cause minion failure to
@@ -50,8 +51,4 @@ EOF
   ## TODO this only works on systemd distros, need to find a work-around as removing -X above fails to start the services installed
   systemctl enable salt-minion
   systemctl start salt-minion
-
-  # a file we touch to state that base-setup is done
-  echo "Salt configured" > /var/kube-vagrant-setup
-
 fi
diff --git a/docs/getting-started-guides/vagrant.md b/docs/getting-started-guides/vagrant.md
index b3cfbe8ae12..23b0ccafb1f 100644
--- a/docs/getting-started-guides/vagrant.md
+++ b/docs/getting-started-guides/vagrant.md
@@ -91,6 +91,28 @@ cluster/kube-push.sh => updates a vagrant cluster
 cluster/kubecfg.sh => interact with the cluster
 ```
 
+### Authenticating with your master
+
+To interact with the cluster, you must authenticate with the master when running cluster/kubecfg.sh commands.
+
+If it's your first time using the cluster, your first invocation of cluster/kubecfg.sh will prompt you for credentials:
+
+```
+cd kubernetes
+cluster/kubecfg.sh list minions
+Please enter Username: vagrant
+Please enter Password: vagrant
+Minion identifier
+----------
+```
+
+The kubecfg.sh command will cache your credentials in a .kubernetes_auth file so you will not be prompted in the future.
+```
+cat ~/.kubernetes_auth
+{"User":"vagrant","Password":"vagrant"}
+```
+
+If you try Kubernetes against multiple cloud providers, make sure this file is correct for your target environment.
 
 ### Running a container
 
@@ -131,6 +153,21 @@ hack/e2e-test.sh
 
 ### Troubleshooting
 
+#### I just created the cluster, but I am getting authorization errors!
+
+You probably have an incorrect ~/.kubernetes_auth file for the cluster you are attempting to contact.
+
+```
+rm ~/.kubernetes_auth
+```
+
+And when using kubecfg.sh, provide the correct credentials:
+
+```
+Please enter Username: vagrant
+Please enter Password: vagrant
+```
+
 #### I just created the cluster, but I do not see my container running!
 
 If this is your first time creating the cluster, the kubelet on each minion schedules a number of docker pull requests to fetch prerequisite images.  This can take some time and as a result may delay your initial pod getting provisioned.