diff --git a/mercurial_keyring.py b/mercurial_keyring.py
--- a/mercurial_keyring.py
+++ b/mercurial_keyring.py
@@ -702,11 +702,15 @@ command = meu.command(cmdtable)
 
 @command('keyring_check',
          [],
-         _("keyring_check [PATH]"))
+         _("keyring_check [PATH]"),
+         optionalrepo=True)
 def cmd_keyring_check(ui, repo, *path_args, **opts):   # pylint: disable=unused-argument
     """
     Prints basic info (whether password is currently saved, and how is
-    it identified) for given path or for all defined repo paths which are HTTP.
+    it identified) for given path.
+
+    Can be run without parameters to show status for all (current repository) paths which
+    are HTTP-like.
     """
     defined_paths = [(name, url)
                      for name, url in ui.configitems('paths')]
@@ -716,10 +720,14 @@ def cmd_keyring_check(ui, repo, *path_ar
         paths = [(path_arg, defined_paths_dic.get(path_arg, path_arg))
                  for path_arg in path_args]
     else:
+        if not repo:
+            ui.status(_("Url to check not specified. Either run ``hg keyring_check https://...``, or run the command inside some repository (to test all defined paths).\n"))
+            return
         paths = [(name, url) for name, url in defined_paths]
 
     if not paths:
         ui.status(_("keyring_check: no paths defined\n"))
+        return
 
     handler = HTTPPasswordHandler()
 
@@ -744,10 +752,14 @@ def cmd_keyring_check(ui, repo, *path_ar
 
 @command('keyring_clear',
          [],
-         _('hg keyring_clear PATH'))
+         _('hg keyring_clear PATH-OR-ALIAS'),
+         optionalrepo=True)
 def cmd_keyring_clear(ui, repo, path, **opts):  # pylint: disable=unused-argument
     """
     Drops password bound to given path (if any is saved).
+
+    Parameter can be given as full url (``https://John@bitbucket.org``) or as the name
+    of path alias (``bitbucket``).
     """
     path_url = path
     for name, url in ui.configitems('paths'):
@@ -755,7 +767,7 @@ def cmd_keyring_clear(ui, repo, path, **
             path_url = url
             break
     if not is_http_path(path_url):
-        ui.warn(_("%s is not a http path (%s)") % (path, path_url))
+        ui.status(_("%s is not a http path (and %s can't be resolved as path alias)\n") % (path, path_url))
         return
 
     handler = HTTPPasswordHandler()