diff --git a/kallithea/controllers/admin/auth_settings.py b/kallithea/controllers/admin/auth_settings.py
--- a/kallithea/controllers/admin/auth_settings.py
+++ b/kallithea/controllers/admin/auth_settings.py
@@ -131,7 +131,6 @@ class AuthSettingsController(BaseControl
                     v = ','.join(v)
                 log.debug("%s = %s", k, str(v))
                 setting = Setting.create_or_update(k, v)
-                Session().add(setting)
             Session().commit()
             h.flash(_('Auth settings updated successfully'),
                        category='success')
diff --git a/kallithea/controllers/admin/defaults.py b/kallithea/controllers/admin/defaults.py
--- a/kallithea/controllers/admin/defaults.py
+++ b/kallithea/controllers/admin/defaults.py
@@ -71,7 +71,6 @@ class DefaultsController(BaseController)
             form_result = _form.to_python(dict(request.POST))
             for k, v in form_result.iteritems():
                 setting = Setting.create_or_update(k, v)
-                Session().add(setting)
             Session().commit()
             h.flash(_('Default settings updated successfully'),
                     category='success')
diff --git a/kallithea/controllers/admin/settings.py b/kallithea/controllers/admin/settings.py
--- a/kallithea/controllers/admin/settings.py
+++ b/kallithea/controllers/admin/settings.py
@@ -208,25 +208,14 @@ class SettingsController(BaseController)
                     force_defaults=False)
 
             try:
-                sett1 = Setting.create_or_update('title',
-                                            form_result['title'])
-                Session().add(sett1)
-
-                sett2 = Setting.create_or_update('realm',
-                                            form_result['realm'])
-                Session().add(sett2)
-
-                sett3 = Setting.create_or_update('ga_code',
-                                            form_result['ga_code'])
-                Session().add(sett3)
-
-                sett4 = Setting.create_or_update('captcha_public_key',
-                                    form_result['captcha_public_key'])
-                Session().add(sett4)
-
-                sett5 = Setting.create_or_update('captcha_private_key',
-                                    form_result['captcha_private_key'])
-                Session().add(sett5)
+                for setting in (
+                    'title',
+                    'realm',
+                    'ga_code',
+                    'captcha_public_key',
+                    'captcha_private_key',
+                ):
+                    Setting.create_or_update(setting, form_result[setting])
 
                 Session().commit()
                 set_app_settings(config)
@@ -279,9 +268,7 @@ class SettingsController(BaseController)
                     ('clone_uri_tmpl', 'clone_uri_tmpl', 'unicode'),
                 ]
                 for setting, form_key, type_ in settings:
-                    sett = Setting.create_or_update(setting,
-                                        form_result[form_key], type_)
-                    Session().add(sett)
+                    Setting.create_or_update(setting, form_result[form_key], type_)
 
                 Session().commit()
                 set_app_settings(config)
diff --git a/kallithea/model/db.py b/kallithea/model/db.py
--- a/kallithea/model/db.py
+++ b/kallithea/model/db.py
@@ -271,6 +271,7 @@ class Setting(Base, BaseModel):
             val = Optional.extract(val)
             type = Optional.extract(type)
             res = cls(key, val, type)
+            Session().add(res)
         else:
             res.app_settings_name = key
             if not isinstance(val, Optional):
diff --git a/kallithea/tests/conftest.py b/kallithea/tests/conftest.py
--- a/kallithea/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/kallithea/tests/conftest.py
@@ -60,8 +60,7 @@ def _set_settings(*kvtseq):
         k = kvt[0]
         v = kvt[1]
         t = kvt[2] if len(kvt) == 3 else 'unicode'
-        setting = Setting.create_or_update(k, v, t)
-        session.add(setting)
+        Setting.create_or_update(k, v, t)
     session.commit()
 
 
@@ -82,8 +81,7 @@ def set_test_settings():
     for k, v, t in settings_snapshot:
         if t == 'list' and hasattr(v, '__iter__'):
             v = ','.join(v) # Quirk: must format list value manually.
-        s = Setting.create_or_update(k, v, t)
-        session.add(s)
+        Setting.create_or_update(k, v, t)
     session.commit()
 
 @pytest.yield_fixture
diff --git a/kallithea/tests/models/test_settings.py b/kallithea/tests/models/test_settings.py
--- a/kallithea/tests/models/test_settings.py
+++ b/kallithea/tests/models/test_settings.py
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ name = 'spam-setting-name'
 def test_passing_list_setting_value_results_in_string_valued_setting():
     assert Setting.get_by_name(name) is None
     setting = Setting.create_or_update(name, ['spam', 'eggs'])
-    Session().add(setting)
     Session().flush()
     try:
         assert Setting.get_by_name(name) is not None
@@ -23,7 +22,6 @@ def test_list_valued_setting_creation_re
     assert Setting.get_by_name(name) is None
     # Quirk: need manual formatting of list setting value.
     setting = Setting.create_or_update(name, 'spam,eggs', type='list')
-    Session().add(setting)
     Session().flush()
     try:
         assert setting.app_settings_value == ['spam', 'eggs']