diff --git a/lib/Cake/Controller/Component/AuthComponent.php b/lib/Cake/Controller/Component/AuthComponent.php
index 1b65fd921..3e62e2cc9 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Controller/Component/AuthComponent.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Controller/Component/AuthComponent.php
@@ -611,8 +611,12 @@ class AuthComponent extends Component {
 			$user = $this->identify($this->request, $this->response);
 		}
 		if ($user) {
-			$this->Session->renew();
-			$this->Session->write(static::$sessionKey, $user);
+			if (static::$sessionKey) {
+				$this->Session->renew();
+				$this->Session->write(static::$sessionKey, $user);
+			} else {
+				static::$_user = $user;
+			}
 			$event = new CakeEvent('Auth.afterIdentify', $this, array('user' => $user));
 			$this->_Collection->getController()->getEventManager()->dispatch($event);
 		}
diff --git a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Controller/Component/AuthComponentTest.php b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Controller/Component/AuthComponentTest.php
index 0ff514df6..00e1b3559 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Controller/Component/AuthComponentTest.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Controller/Component/AuthComponentTest.php
@@ -1721,6 +1721,27 @@ class AuthComponentTest extends CakeTestCase {
 		$this->Auth->startup($this->Controller);
 	}
 
+/**
+ * testStatelessLoginSetUserNoSessionStart method
+ *
+ * @return void
+ */
+	public function testStatelessLoginSetUserNoSessionStart() {
+		$user = array(
+			'id' => 1,
+			'username' => 'mark'
+		);
+
+		AuthComponent::$sessionKey = false;
+		$result = $this->Auth->login($user);
+		$this->assertTrue($result);
+
+		$this->assertTrue($this->Auth->loggedIn());
+		$this->assertEquals($user, $this->Auth->user());
+
+		$this->assertFalse($this->Auth->Session->started());
+	}
+
 /**
  * testStatelessAuthNoSessionStart method
  *