diff --git a/docs/api/api.rst b/docs/api/api.rst
--- a/docs/api/api.rst
+++ b/docs/api/api.rst
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ OUTPUT::
                 "email" :    "<email>",
                 "active" :   "<bool>",
                 "admin" :    "<bool>",
-                "ldap" :     "<ldap_dn>"
+                "ldap_dn" :  "<ldap_dn>"
             }
 
     error:  null
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ OUTPUT::
                 "email" :    "<email>",
                 "active" :   "<bool>",
                 "admin" :    "<bool>",
-                "ldap" :     "<ldap_dn>"
+                "ldap_dn" :  "<ldap_dn>"
               },
     	      …
             ]
@@ -191,14 +191,15 @@ INPUT::
     api_key : "<api_key>"
     method :  "update_user"
     args :    {
+                "userid" : "<user_id or username>",
                 "username" :  "<username>",
                 "password" :  "<password>",
                 "email" :     "<useremail>",
-                "firstname" : "<firstname> = None",
-                "lastname" :  "<lastname> = None",
-                "active" :    "<bool> = True",
-                "admin" :     "<bool> = False",
-                "ldap_dn" :   "<ldap_dn> = None"
+                "firstname" : "<firstname>",
+                "lastname" :  "<lastname>",
+                "active" :    "<bool>",
+                "admin" :     "<bool>",
+                "ldap_dn" :   "<ldap_dn>"
               }
 
 OUTPUT::
diff --git a/rhodecode/controllers/api/api.py b/rhodecode/controllers/api/api.py
--- a/rhodecode/controllers/api/api.py
+++ b/rhodecode/controllers/api/api.py
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ class ApiController(JSONRPCController):
             email=user.email,
             active=user.active,
             admin=user.admin,
-            ldap=user.ldap_dn
+            ldap_dn=user.ldap_dn
         )
 
     @HasPermissionAllDecorator('hg.admin')
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ class ApiController(JSONRPCController):
                     email=user.email,
                     active=user.active,
                     admin=user.admin,
-                    ldap=user.ldap_dn
+                    ldap_dn=user.ldap_dn
                 )
             )
         return result
@@ -168,8 +168,8 @@ class ApiController(JSONRPCController):
             raise JSONRPCError('failed to create user %s' % username)
 
     @HasPermissionAllDecorator('hg.admin')
-    def update_user(self, apiuser, username, password, email, firstname=None,
-                    lastname=None, active=True, admin=False, ldap_dn=None):
+    def update_user(self, apiuser, userid, username, password, email,
+                    firstname, lastname, active, admin, ldap_dn):
         """
         Updates given user
 
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ class ApiController(JSONRPCController):
         :param admin:
         :param ldap_dn:
         """
-        if not User.get_by_username(username):
+        if not UserModel().get_user(userid):
             raise JSONRPCError("user %s does not exist" % username)
 
         try:
diff --git a/rhodecode/model/user.py b/rhodecode/model/user.py
--- a/rhodecode/model/user.py
+++ b/rhodecode/model/user.py
@@ -74,6 +74,9 @@ class UserModel(BaseModel):
                                           "get_user_%s" % user_id))
         return user.get(user_id)
 
+    def get_user(self, user):
+        return self.__get_user(user)
+
     def get_by_username(self, username, cache=False, case_insensitive=False):
 
         if case_insensitive: