diff --git a/app/controllers/invitations_controller.rb b/app/controllers/invitations_controller.rb
index 89c774ffd..512be9b48 100644
--- a/app/controllers/invitations_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/invitations_controller.rb
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ class InvitationsController < Devise::InvitationsController
     begin
       invitation_token = params[:user][:invitation_token]
       if invitation_token.nil? || invitation_token.blank?
-        raise "Invalid Invite Token"
+        raise I18n.t('invitations.check_token.not_found')
       end
       user = User.find_by_invitation_token(params[:user][:invitation_token])
       user.seed_aspects
diff --git a/app/models/invitation.rb b/app/models/invitation.rb
index bfdcb0dcb..dc98f9d39 100644
--- a/app/models/invitation.rb
+++ b/app/models/invitation.rb
@@ -28,34 +28,44 @@ class Invitation
     create_invitee(opts)
   end
 
+  def self.new_or_existing_user_by_email(email)
+    existing_user = User.first(:email => email)
+    if existing_user
+      existing_user
+    else
+      result = User.new()
+      result.email = email
+      result.valid?
+      result
+    end
+  end
+
   def self.create_invitee(opts = {})
-    invitee = User.find_or_initialize_with_error_by(:email, opts[:email])
+    invitee = new_or_existing_user_by_email(opts[:email])
+    return invitee unless opts[:email].match Devise.email_regexp
     invitee.invites = opts[:invites]
     if invitee.new_record?
-      invitee.errors.clear if invitee.email.try(:match, Devise.email_regexp)
-    else
-      invitee.errors.add(:email, :taken) unless invitee.invited?
-    end
-
-    if invitee.errors.empty?
-
-      if opts[:from]
-        invitee.save(:validate => false)
-        Invitation.create!(:from => opts[:from],
-                           :to => invitee,
-                           :into => opts[:into],
-                           :message => opts[:message])
-
-        opts[:from].invites -= 1 unless opts[:from].invites == 0
-        opts[:from].save!
-        invitee.reload
-      end
-
+      invitee.errors.clear
       invitee.serialized_private_key ||= User.generate_key
       invitee.send(:generate_invitation_token)
-      invitee.invite! 
-      Rails.logger.info("event=invitation_sent to=#{opts[:email]} #{"inviter=#{opts[:from].diaspora_handle}" if opts[:from]}")
+    elsif invitee.invitation_token.nil?
+      return invitee
     end
+
+    if opts[:from]
+      invitee.save(:validate => false)
+      Invitation.create!(:from => opts[:from],
+                         :to => invitee,
+                         :into => opts[:into],
+                         :message => opts[:message])
+
+      opts[:from].invites -= 1 unless opts[:from].invites == 0
+      opts[:from].save!
+      invitee.reload
+    end
+
+    invitee.invite! 
+    Rails.logger.info("event=invitation_sent to=#{opts[:email]} #{"inviter=#{opts[:from].diaspora_handle}" if opts[:from]}")
     invitee
   end
 
diff --git a/spec/models/invitation_spec.rb b/spec/models/invitation_spec.rb
index 20329da34..68d129c0c 100644
--- a/spec/models/invitation_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/invitation_spec.rb
@@ -43,6 +43,28 @@ describe Invitation do
     @invitation.message.should == "!"
   end
 
+  describe '.new_or_existing_user_by_email' do
+    let(:inv){Invitation.new_or_existing_user_by_email(@email)}
+    before do
+      @users = []
+      8.times do
+        @users << make_user
+      end
+    end
+    it 'returns User.new for a non-existent user' do
+      @email = "maggie@example.org"
+      inv.email.should == @email
+      inv.persisted?.should be_false
+      lambda {
+        inv.reload
+      }.should raise_error /does not exist/
+    end
+    it 'returns an existing user' do
+      @email = @users[3].email
+      inv.should == @users[3]
+    end
+  end
+
   describe '.invite' do
     it 'creates an invitation' do
       lambda {
@@ -110,7 +132,6 @@ describe Invitation do
     end
 
     context 'invalid email' do
-    
       it 'return a user with errors' do
         new_user = Invitation.invite(:email => "fkjlsdf", :from => user, :into => aspect)
         new_user.should have(1).errors_on(:email)
@@ -120,6 +141,36 @@ describe Invitation do
   end
 
   describe '.create_invitee' do
+    context 'with an existing invitee' do
+      before do
+        @valid_params = {:from => user, 
+          :email => @email, 
+          :into => aspect, 
+          :message => @message}
+        @invitee = Invitation.create_invitee(:email => @email)
+      end
+      it 'creates no user' do
+        lambda {
+          Invitation.create_invitee(@valid_params)
+        }.should_not change(User, :count)
+      end
+      it 'sends mail' do
+        lambda {
+          Invitation.create_invitee(@valid_params)
+        }.should change{Devise.mailer.deliveries.size}.by(1)
+      end
+      it 'does not set the key' do
+        lambda {
+          Invitation.create_invitee(@valid_params)
+        }.should_not change{@invitee.reload.serialized_private_key}
+      end
+      it 'does not change the invitation token' do
+        pending "until this passes, old invitation emails will be invalidated by new ones"
+        lambda {
+          Invitation.create_invitee(@valid_params)
+        }.should_not change{@invitee.reload.invitation_token}
+      end
+    end
     context 'with an inviter' do
       before do
         @message = "whatever"