diff --git a/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/explorer/state b/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/explorer/state
index f7940741..38f1bd3c 100755
--- a/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/explorer/state
+++ b/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/explorer/state
@@ -27,6 +27,18 @@ else
    keyid="$__object_id"
 fi
 
-apt-key export "$keyid" | head -n 1 | grep -Fqe "BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK" \
-   && echo present \
-   || echo absent
+keydir="$(cat "$__object/parameter/keydir")"
+keyfile="$keydir/$__object_id.gpg"
+
+if [ -d "$keydir" ]
+then
+   if [ -f "$keyfile" ]
+   then echo present
+   else echo absent
+   fi
+else
+   # fallback to deprecated apt-key
+   apt-key export "$keyid" | head -n 1 | grep -Fqe "BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK" \
+      && echo present \
+      || echo absent
+fi
diff --git a/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/gencode-remote b/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/gencode-remote
index 9c4fa00c..47c8bb49 100755
--- a/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/gencode-remote
+++ b/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/gencode-remote
@@ -31,12 +31,84 @@ if [ "$state_should" = "$state_is" ]; then
    exit 0
 fi
 
+keydir="$(cat "$__object/parameter/keydir")"
+keyfile="$keydir/$__object_id.gpg"
+
 case "$state_should" in
    present)
       keyserver="$(cat "$__object/parameter/keyserver")"
-      echo "apt-key adv --keyserver \"$keyserver\" --recv-keys \"$keyid\""
+
+      if [ -f "$__object/parameter/uri" ]; then
+         uri="$(cat "$__object/parameter/uri")"
+
+         if [ -d "$keydir" ]; then
+            cat << EOF
+
+curl -s -L \\
+    -o "$keyfile" \\
+    "$uri"
+
+if grep -Fq 'BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK' \\
+    "$keyfile"
+then
+    cat "$keyfile" \\
+        | gpg --export > "$keyfile"
+fi
+
+EOF
+         else
+            # fallback to deprecated apt-key
+            echo "curl -s -L '$uri' | apt-key add -"
+         fi
+      elif [ -d "$keydir" ]; then
+         tmp='/tmp/cdist_apt_key_tmp'
+
+         # we need to kill gpg after 30 seconds, because gpg
+         # can get stuck if keyserver is not responding.
+         # exporting env var and not exit 1,
+         # because we need to clean up and kill dirmngr.
+         cat << EOF
+
+mkdir -m 700 -p "$tmp"
+
+if timeout 30s \\
+    gpg --homedir "$tmp" \\
+        --keyserver "$keyserver" \\
+        --recv-keys "$keyid"
+then
+    gpg --homedir "$tmp" \\
+        --export "$keyid" \\
+        > "$keyfile"
+else
+    export GPG_GOT_STUCK=1
+fi
+
+GNUPGHOME="$tmp" gpgconf --kill dirmngr
+
+rm -rf "$tmp"
+
+if [ -n "\$GPG_GOT_STUCK" ]
+then
+    echo "GPG GOT STUCK - no response from keyserver after 30 seconds" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+EOF
+      else
+         # fallback to deprecated apt-key
+         echo "apt-key adv --keyserver \"$keyserver\" --recv-keys \"$keyid\""
+      fi
+
+      echo "added '$keyid'" >> "$__messages_out"
    ;;
    absent)
-      echo "apt-key del \"$keyid\""
+      if [ -f "$keyfile" ]; then
+         echo "rm '$keyfile'"
+      else
+         # fallback to deprecated apt-key
+         echo "apt-key del \"$keyid\""
+      fi
+
+      echo "removed '$keyid'" >> "$__messages_out"
    ;;
 esac
diff --git a/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/man.rst b/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/man.rst
index 9009877e..234bc715 100644
--- a/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/man.rst
+++ b/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/man.rst
@@ -28,6 +28,12 @@ keyserver
    the keyserver from which to fetch the key. If omitted the default set
    in ./parameter/default/keyserver is used.
 
+keydir
+   key save location, defaults to ``/etc/apt/trusted.pgp.d``
+
+uri
+   the URI from which to download the key
+
 
 EXAMPLES
 --------
@@ -47,15 +53,20 @@ EXAMPLES
     # same thing with other keyserver
     __apt_key UbuntuArchiveKey --keyid 437D05B5 --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com
 
+    # download key from the internet
+    __apt_key rabbitmq \
+       --uri http://www.rabbitmq.com/rabbitmq-signing-key-public.asc
+
 
 AUTHORS
 -------
 Steven Armstrong <steven-cdist--@--armstrong.cc>
+Ander Punnar <ander-at-kvlt-dot-ee>
 
 
 COPYING
 -------
-Copyright \(C) 2011-2014 Steven Armstrong. You can redistribute it
-and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as
-published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the
+Copyright \(C) 2011-2019 Steven Armstrong and Ander Punnar. You can
+redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public
+License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the
 License, or (at your option) any later version.
diff --git a/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/manifest b/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/manifest
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..010357cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/manifest
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+#!/bin/sh -e
+
+__package gnupg
+
+if [ -f "$__object/parameter/uri" ]
+then __package curl
+else __package dirmngr
+fi
diff --git a/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/parameter/default/keydir b/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/parameter/default/keydir
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..190eb2de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/parameter/default/keydir
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+/etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d
diff --git a/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/parameter/optional b/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/parameter/optional
index 18cf2586..de647375 100644
--- a/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/parameter/optional
+++ b/cdist/conf/type/__apt_key/parameter/optional
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
 state
 keyid
 keyserver
+keydir
+uri