diff --git a/builder/amazon/common/step_get_password.go b/builder/amazon/common/step_get_password.go
index d40566620..291e97878 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/common/step_get_password.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/common/step_get_password.go
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ func (s *StepGetPassword) Cleanup(multistep.StateBag) {
 func (s *StepGetPassword) waitForPassword(state multistep.StateBag, cancel <-chan struct{}) (string, error) {
 	ec2conn := state.Get("ec2").(*ec2.EC2)
 	instance := state.Get("instance").(*ec2.Instance)
-	privateKey := state.Get("privateKey").(string)
+	privateKey := s.Comm.SSHPrivateKey
 
 	for {
 		select {
diff --git a/builder/amazon/common/step_key_pair.go b/builder/amazon/common/step_key_pair.go
index 927101fcf..0198fceb3 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/common/step_key_pair.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/common/step_key_pair.go
@@ -8,17 +8,17 @@ import (
 	"runtime"
 
 	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go/service/ec2"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/helper/communicator"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/helper/multistep"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/packer/packer"
 )
 
 type StepKeyPair struct {
 	Debug                bool
+	Comm                 *communicator.Config
 	SSHAgentAuth         bool
 	DebugKeyPath         string
 	TemporaryKeyPairName string
-	KeyPairName          string
-	PrivateKeyFile       string
 
 	doCleanup bool
 }
@@ -26,29 +26,28 @@ type StepKeyPair struct {
 func (s *StepKeyPair) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.StateBag) multistep.StepAction {
 	ui := state.Get("ui").(packer.Ui)
 
-	if s.PrivateKeyFile != "" {
+	if s.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile != "" {
 		ui.Say("Using existing SSH private key")
-		privateKeyBytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(s.PrivateKeyFile)
+		privateKeyBytes, err := ioutil.ReadFile(s.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile)
 		if err != nil {
 			state.Put("error", fmt.Errorf(
 				"Error loading configured private key file: %s", err))
 			return multistep.ActionHalt
 		}
 
-		state.Put("keyPair", s.KeyPairName)
-		state.Put("privateKey", string(privateKeyBytes))
+		s.Comm.SSHPrivateKey = privateKeyBytes
 
 		return multistep.ActionContinue
 	}
 
-	if s.SSHAgentAuth && s.KeyPairName == "" {
+	if s.SSHAgentAuth && s.Comm.SSHKeyPair == "" {
 		ui.Say("Using SSH Agent with key pair in Source AMI")
 		return multistep.ActionContinue
 	}
 
-	if s.SSHAgentAuth && s.KeyPairName != "" {
-		ui.Say(fmt.Sprintf("Using SSH Agent for existing key pair %s", s.KeyPairName))
-		state.Put("keyPair", s.KeyPairName)
+	if s.SSHAgentAuth && s.Comm.SSHKeyPair != "" {
+		ui.Say(fmt.Sprintf("Using SSH Agent for existing key pair %s", s.Comm.SSHKeyPair))
+		state.Put("keyPair", s.Comm.SSHKeyPair)
 		return multistep.ActionContinue
 	}
 
@@ -70,9 +69,9 @@ func (s *StepKeyPair) Run(_ context.Context, state multistep.StateBag) multistep
 
 	s.doCleanup = true
 
-	// Set some state data for use in future steps
-	state.Put("keyPair", s.TemporaryKeyPairName)
-	state.Put("privateKey", *keyResp.KeyMaterial)
+	// Set some data for use in future steps
+	s.Comm.SSHKeyPair = s.TemporaryKeyPairName
+	s.Comm.SSHPrivateKey = []byte(*keyResp.KeyMaterial)
 
 	// If we're in debug mode, output the private key to the working
 	// directory.
diff --git a/builder/amazon/ebs/builder.go b/builder/amazon/ebs/builder.go
index 5733038a2..eb707654e 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/ebs/builder.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/ebs/builder.go
@@ -180,11 +180,10 @@ func (b *Builder) Run(ui packer.Ui, hook packer.Hook, cache packer.Cache) (packe
 		},
 		&awscommon.StepKeyPair{
 			Debug:                b.config.PackerDebug,
+			Comm:                 &b.config.RunConfig.Comm,
 			SSHAgentAuth:         b.config.Comm.SSHAgentAuth,
 			DebugKeyPath:         fmt.Sprintf("ec2_%s.pem", b.config.PackerBuildName),
-			KeyPairName:          b.config.SSHKeyPairName,
 			TemporaryKeyPairName: b.config.TemporaryKeyPairName,
-			PrivateKeyFile:       b.config.RunConfig.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile,
 		},
 		&awscommon.StepSecurityGroup{
 			SecurityGroupIds:      b.config.SecurityGroupIds,
diff --git a/builder/amazon/ebssurrogate/builder.go b/builder/amazon/ebssurrogate/builder.go
index 657c49d5f..03a89603e 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/ebssurrogate/builder.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/ebssurrogate/builder.go
@@ -197,11 +197,10 @@ func (b *Builder) Run(ui packer.Ui, hook packer.Hook, cache packer.Cache) (packe
 		},
 		&awscommon.StepKeyPair{
 			Debug:                b.config.PackerDebug,
+			Comm:                 &b.config.RunConfig.Comm,
 			SSHAgentAuth:         b.config.Comm.SSHAgentAuth,
 			DebugKeyPath:         fmt.Sprintf("ec2_%s.pem", b.config.PackerBuildName),
-			KeyPairName:          b.config.SSHKeyPairName,
 			TemporaryKeyPairName: b.config.TemporaryKeyPairName,
-			PrivateKeyFile:       b.config.RunConfig.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile,
 		},
 		&awscommon.StepSecurityGroup{
 			SecurityGroupIds:      b.config.SecurityGroupIds,
diff --git a/builder/amazon/ebsvolume/builder.go b/builder/amazon/ebsvolume/builder.go
index b31ecd23b..4d3cbd970 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/ebsvolume/builder.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/ebsvolume/builder.go
@@ -172,11 +172,10 @@ func (b *Builder) Run(ui packer.Ui, hook packer.Hook, cache packer.Cache) (packe
 		},
 		&awscommon.StepKeyPair{
 			Debug:                b.config.PackerDebug,
+			Comm:                 &b.config.RunConfig.Comm,
 			SSHAgentAuth:         b.config.Comm.SSHAgentAuth,
 			DebugKeyPath:         fmt.Sprintf("ec2_%s.pem", b.config.PackerBuildName),
-			KeyPairName:          b.config.SSHKeyPairName,
 			TemporaryKeyPairName: b.config.TemporaryKeyPairName,
-			PrivateKeyFile:       b.config.RunConfig.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile,
 		},
 		&awscommon.StepSecurityGroup{
 			SecurityGroupIds:      b.config.SecurityGroupIds,
diff --git a/builder/amazon/instance/builder.go b/builder/amazon/instance/builder.go
index 11c91edc1..578fab40a 100644
--- a/builder/amazon/instance/builder.go
+++ b/builder/amazon/instance/builder.go
@@ -258,10 +258,9 @@ func (b *Builder) Run(ui packer.Ui, hook packer.Hook, cache packer.Cache) (packe
 		},
 		&awscommon.StepKeyPair{
 			Debug:                b.config.PackerDebug,
+			Comm:                 &b.config.RunConfig.Comm,
 			SSHAgentAuth:         b.config.Comm.SSHAgentAuth,
 			DebugKeyPath:         fmt.Sprintf("ec2_%s.pem", b.config.PackerBuildName),
-			KeyPairName:          b.config.SSHKeyPairName,
-			PrivateKeyFile:       b.config.RunConfig.Comm.SSHPrivateKeyFile,
 			TemporaryKeyPairName: b.config.TemporaryKeyPairName,
 		},
 		&awscommon.StepSecurityGroup{