diff --git a/src/api2/config/remote.rs b/src/api2/config/remote.rs
index ffbba1d2..f053ef36 100644
--- a/src/api2/config/remote.rs
+++ b/src/api2/config/remote.rs
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
-use anyhow::{bail, Error};
+use anyhow::{bail, format_err, Error};
 use serde_json::Value;
 use ::serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 
 use proxmox::api::{api, ApiMethod, Router, RpcEnvironment, Permission};
+use proxmox::http_err;
 use proxmox::tools::fs::open_file_locked;
 
 use crate::api2::types::*;
+use crate::client::{HttpClient, HttpClientOptions};
 use crate::config::cached_user_info::CachedUserInfo;
 use crate::config::remote;
 use crate::config::acl::{PRIV_REMOTE_AUDIT, PRIV_REMOTE_MODIFY};
@@ -301,10 +303,83 @@ pub fn delete_remote(name: String, digest: Option<String>) -> Result<(), Error>
     Ok(())
 }
 
+/// Helper to get client for remote.cfg entry
+pub async fn remote_client(remote: remote::Remote) -> Result<HttpClient, Error> {
+    let options = HttpClientOptions::new()
+        .password(Some(remote.password.clone()))
+        .fingerprint(remote.fingerprint.clone());
+
+    let client = HttpClient::new(
+        &remote.host,
+        remote.port.unwrap_or(8007),
+        &remote.userid,
+        options)?;
+    let _auth_info = client.login() // make sure we can auth
+        .await
+        .map_err(|err| format_err!("remote connection to '{}' failed - {}", remote.host, err))?;
+
+    Ok(client)
+}
+
+
+#[api(
+    input: {
+        properties: {
+            name: {
+                schema: REMOTE_ID_SCHEMA,
+            },
+        },
+    },
+    access: {
+        permission: &Permission::Privilege(&["remote", "{name}"], PRIV_REMOTE_AUDIT, false),
+    },
+    returns: {
+        description: "List the accessible datastores.",
+        type: Array,
+        items: {
+            description: "Datastore name and description.",
+            type: DataStoreListItem,
+        },
+    },
+)]
+/// List datastores of a remote.cfg entry
+pub async fn scan_remote_datastores(name: String) -> Result<Vec<DataStoreListItem>, Error> {
+    let (remote_config, _digest) = remote::config()?;
+    let remote: remote::Remote = remote_config.lookup("remote", &name)?;
+
+    let map_remote_err = |api_err| {
+        http_err!(INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR,
+                  "failed to scan remote '{}' - {}",
+                  &name,
+                  api_err)
+    };
+
+    let client = remote_client(remote)
+        .await
+        .map_err(map_remote_err)?;
+    let api_res = client
+        .get("api2/json/admin/datastore", None)
+        .await
+        .map_err(map_remote_err)?;
+    let parse_res = match api_res.get("data") {
+        Some(data) => serde_json::from_value::<Vec<DataStoreListItem>>(data.to_owned()),
+        None => bail!("remote {} did not return any datastore list data", &name),
+    };
+
+    match parse_res {
+        Ok(parsed) => Ok(parsed),
+        Err(_) => bail!("Failed to parse remote scan api result."),
+    }
+}
+
+const SCAN_ROUTER: Router = Router::new()
+    .get(&API_METHOD_SCAN_REMOTE_DATASTORES);
+
 const ITEM_ROUTER: Router = Router::new()
     .get(&API_METHOD_READ_REMOTE)
     .put(&API_METHOD_UPDATE_REMOTE)
-    .delete(&API_METHOD_DELETE_REMOTE);
+    .delete(&API_METHOD_DELETE_REMOTE)
+    .subdirs(&[("scan", &SCAN_ROUTER)]);
 
 pub const ROUTER: Router = Router::new()
     .get(&API_METHOD_LIST_REMOTES)
diff --git a/src/api2/pull.rs b/src/api2/pull.rs
index d9e9d31d..87015c72 100644
--- a/src/api2/pull.rs
+++ b/src/api2/pull.rs
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ use proxmox::api::{ApiMethod, Router, RpcEnvironment, Permission};
 
 use crate::server::{WorkerTask, jobstate::Job};
 use crate::backup::DataStore;
-use crate::client::{HttpClient, HttpClientOptions, BackupRepository, pull::pull_store};
+use crate::client::{HttpClient, BackupRepository, pull::pull_store};
 use crate::api2::types::*;
 use crate::config::{
     remote,
@@ -50,17 +50,9 @@ pub async fn get_pull_parameters(
     let (remote_config, _digest) = remote::config()?;
     let remote: remote::Remote = remote_config.lookup("remote", remote)?;
 
-    let options = HttpClientOptions::new()
-        .password(Some(remote.password.clone()))
-        .fingerprint(remote.fingerprint.clone());
-
     let src_repo = BackupRepository::new(Some(remote.userid.clone()), Some(remote.host.clone()), remote.port, remote_store.to_string());
 
-    let client = HttpClient::new(&src_repo.host(), src_repo.port(), &src_repo.auth_id(), options)?;
-    let _auth_info = client.login() // make sure we can auth
-        .await
-        .map_err(|err| format_err!("remote connection to '{}' failed - {}", remote.host, err))?;
-
+    let client = crate::api2::config::remote::remote_client(remote).await?;
 
     Ok((client, src_repo, tgt_store))
 }
diff --git a/src/bin/proxmox-backup-manager.rs b/src/bin/proxmox-backup-manager.rs
index 7499446b..e52c2f76 100644
--- a/src/bin/proxmox-backup-manager.rs
+++ b/src/bin/proxmox-backup-manager.rs
@@ -413,29 +413,13 @@ pub fn complete_remote_datastore_name(_arg: &str, param: &HashMap<String, String
 
     let _ = proxmox::try_block!({
         let remote = param.get("remote").ok_or_else(|| format_err!("no remote"))?;
-        let (remote_config, _digest) = config::remote::config()?;
 
-        let remote: config::remote::Remote = remote_config.lookup("remote", &remote)?;
+        let data = crate::tools::runtime::block_on(async move {
+            crate::api2::config::remote::scan_remote_datastores(remote.clone()).await
+        })?;
 
-        let options = HttpClientOptions::new()
-            .password(Some(remote.password.clone()))
-            .fingerprint(remote.fingerprint.clone());
-
-        let client = HttpClient::new(
-            &remote.host,
-            remote.port.unwrap_or(8007),
-            &remote.userid,
-            options,
-        )?;
-
-        let result = crate::tools::runtime::block_on(client.get("api2/json/admin/datastore", None))?;
-
-        if let Some(data) = result["data"].as_array() {
-            for item in data {
-                if let Some(store) = item["store"].as_str() {
-                    list.push(store.to_owned());
-                }
-            }
+        for item in data {
+            list.push(item.store);
         }
 
         Ok(())