diff --git a/src/Composer/Factory.php b/src/Composer/Factory.php
index 2e27193a1..b63ad13f1 100644
--- a/src/Composer/Factory.php
+++ b/src/Composer/Factory.php
@@ -208,16 +208,7 @@ class Factory
         // Configuration defaults
         $config = static::createConfig();
         $config->merge($localConfig);
-
-        // reload oauth token from config if available
-        if ($tokens = $config->get('github-oauth')) {
-            foreach ($tokens as $domain => $token) {
-                if (!preg_match('{^[a-z0-9]+$}', $token)) {
-                    throw new \UnexpectedValueException('Your github oauth token for '.$domain.' contains invalid characters: "'.$token.'"');
-                }
-                $io->setAuthentication($domain, $token, 'x-oauth-basic');
-            }
-        }
+        $io->loadConfiguration($config);
 
         $vendorDir = $config->get('vendor-dir');
         $binDir = $config->get('bin-dir');
diff --git a/src/Composer/IO/BaseIO.php b/src/Composer/IO/BaseIO.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8e8a65eaf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Composer/IO/BaseIO.php
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+<?php
+
+/*
+ * This file is part of Composer.
+ *
+ * (c) Nils Adermann <naderman@naderman.de>
+ *     Jordi Boggiano <j.boggiano@seld.be>
+ *
+ * For the full copyright and license information, please view the LICENSE
+ * file that was distributed with this source code.
+ */
+
+namespace Composer\IO;
+
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Input\InputInterface;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Output\OutputInterface;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Helper\HelperSet;
+use Composer\Config;
+
+class BaseIO implements IOInterface
+{
+    protected $authentications = array();
+
+    /**
+     * {@inheritDoc}
+     */
+    public function getAuthentications()
+    {
+        return $this->authentications;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * {@inheritDoc}
+     */
+    public function hasAuthentication($repositoryName)
+    {
+        return isset($this->authentications[$repositoryName]);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * {@inheritDoc}
+     */
+    public function getAuthentication($repositoryName)
+    {
+        if (isset($this->authentications[$repositoryName])) {
+            return $this->authentications[$repositoryName];
+        }
+
+        return array('username' => null, 'password' => null);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * {@inheritDoc}
+     */
+    public function setAuthentication($repositoryName, $username, $password = null)
+    {
+        $this->authentications[$repositoryName] = array('username' => $username, 'password' => $password);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * {@inheritDoc}
+     */
+    public function loadConfiguration(Config $config)
+    {
+        // reload oauth token from config if available
+        if ($tokens = $config->get('github-oauth')) {
+            foreach ($tokens as $domain => $token) {
+                if (!preg_match('{^[a-z0-9]+$}', $token)) {
+                    throw new \UnexpectedValueException('Your github oauth token for '.$domain.' contains invalid characters: "'.$token.'"');
+                }
+                $io->setAuthentication($domain, $token, 'x-oauth-basic');
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/Composer/IO/ConsoleIO.php b/src/Composer/IO/ConsoleIO.php
index 154bed80b..39c070db2 100644
--- a/src/Composer/IO/ConsoleIO.php
+++ b/src/Composer/IO/ConsoleIO.php
@@ -22,12 +22,11 @@ use Symfony\Component\Console\Helper\HelperSet;
  * @author François Pluchino <francois.pluchino@opendisplay.com>
  * @author Jordi Boggiano <j.boggiano@seld.be>
  */
-class ConsoleIO implements IOInterface
+class ConsoleIO extends BaseIO
 {
     protected $input;
     protected $output;
     protected $helperSet;
-    protected $authentications = array();
     protected $lastMessage;
     private $startTime;
 
@@ -225,40 +224,4 @@ class ConsoleIO implements IOInterface
         // not able to hide the answer, proceed with normal question handling
         return $this->ask($question);
     }
-
-    /**
-     * {@inheritDoc}
-     */
-    public function getAuthentications()
-    {
-        return $this->authentications;
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * {@inheritDoc}
-     */
-    public function hasAuthentication($repositoryName)
-    {
-        $auths = $this->getAuthentications();
-
-        return isset($auths[$repositoryName]);
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * {@inheritDoc}
-     */
-    public function getAuthentication($repositoryName)
-    {
-        $auths = $this->getAuthentications();
-
-        return isset($auths[$repositoryName]) ? $auths[$repositoryName] : array('username' => null, 'password' => null);
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * {@inheritDoc}
-     */
-    public function setAuthentication($repositoryName, $username, $password = null)
-    {
-        $this->authentications[$repositoryName] = array('username' => $username, 'password' => $password);
-    }
 }
diff --git a/src/Composer/IO/IOInterface.php b/src/Composer/IO/IOInterface.php
index 168e47a77..b17da6128 100644
--- a/src/Composer/IO/IOInterface.php
+++ b/src/Composer/IO/IOInterface.php
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@
 
 namespace Composer\IO;
 
+use Composer\Config;
+
 /**
  * The Input/Output helper interface.
  *
@@ -155,4 +157,11 @@ interface IOInterface
      * @param string $password       The password
      */
     public function setAuthentication($repositoryName, $username, $password = null);
+
+    /**
+     * Loads authentications from a config instance
+     *
+     * @param Config $config
+     */
+    public function loadConfiguration(Config $config);
 }
diff --git a/src/Composer/IO/NullIO.php b/src/Composer/IO/NullIO.php
index 3895d8b7f..f3ecde0cb 100644
--- a/src/Composer/IO/NullIO.php
+++ b/src/Composer/IO/NullIO.php
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ namespace Composer\IO;
  *
  * @author Christophe Coevoet <stof@notk.org>
  */
-class NullIO implements IOInterface
+class NullIO extends BaseIO
 {
     /**
      * {@inheritDoc}
@@ -104,35 +104,4 @@ class NullIO implements IOInterface
     {
         return null;
     }
-
-    /**
-     * {@inheritDoc}
-     */
-    public function getAuthentications()
-    {
-        return array();
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * {@inheritDoc}
-     */
-    public function hasAuthentication($repositoryName)
-    {
-        return false;
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * {@inheritDoc}
-     */
-    public function getAuthentication($repositoryName)
-    {
-        return array('username' => null, 'password' => null);
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * {@inheritDoc}
-     */
-    public function setAuthentication($repositoryName, $username, $password = null)
-    {
-    }
 }