diff --git a/example-config.yaml b/example-config.yaml
index f1b72855..f2a96e96 100644
--- a/example-config.yaml
+++ b/example-config.yaml
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 homeserver:
     address: https://matrix.org
     domain: matrix.org
+    verify_ssl: true
 
 # Application service host/registration related details
 # Changing these values requires regeneration of the registration.
diff --git a/mautrix_appservice/appservice.py b/mautrix_appservice/appservice.py
index bb340607..bd775df4 100644
--- a/mautrix_appservice/appservice.py
+++ b/mautrix_appservice/appservice.py
@@ -28,9 +28,10 @@ from .state_store import StateStore
 
 class AppService:
     def __init__(self, server, domain, as_token, hs_token, bot_localpart, loop=None, log=None,
-                 query_user=None, query_alias=None):
+                 verify_ssl=True, query_user=None, query_alias=None):
         self.server = server
         self.domain = domain
+        self.verify_ssl = verify_ssl
         self.as_token = as_token
         self.hs_token = hs_token
         self.bot_mxid = f"@{bot_localpart}:{domain}"
@@ -80,7 +81,10 @@ class AppService:
 
     @contextmanager
     def run(self, host="127.0.0.1", port=8080):
-        self._http_session = aiohttp.ClientSession(loop=self.loop)
+        connector = None
+        if self.server.startswith("https://") and not self.verify_ssl:
+            connector = aiohttp.TCPConnector(verify_ssl=False)
+        self._http_session = aiohttp.ClientSession(loop=self.loop, connector=connector)
         self._intent = HTTPAPI(base_url=self.server, domain=self.domain, bot_mxid=self.bot_mxid,
                                token=self.as_token, log=self.log, state_store=self.state_store,
                                client_session=self._http_session).bot_intent()
diff --git a/mautrix_telegram/__main__.py b/mautrix_telegram/__main__.py
index 2c5ce1ff..6023a7c8 100644
--- a/mautrix_telegram/__main__.py
+++ b/mautrix_telegram/__main__.py
@@ -85,7 +85,8 @@ loop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
 
 appserv = AppService(config["homeserver.address"], config["homeserver.domain"],
                      config["appservice.as_token"], config["appservice.hs_token"],
-                     config["appservice.bot_username"], log="mau.as", loop=loop)
+                     config["appservice.bot_username"], log="mau.as", loop=loop,
+                     verify_ssl=config["homeserver.verify_ssl"])
 
 context = Context(appserv, db_session, config, loop, None, None, telethon_session_container)
 
diff --git a/mautrix_telegram/config.py b/mautrix_telegram/config.py
index b7bcf8bc..070f04ec 100644
--- a/mautrix_telegram/config.py
+++ b/mautrix_telegram/config.py
@@ -183,6 +183,8 @@ class Config(DictWithRecursion):
                          "Use inline images instead of m.image to make rich captions possible.\n"
                          "N.B. Inline images are not supported on all clients (e.g. Riot iOS).")
             self.comment_newline("bridge.inline_images")
+        if "homeserver.verify_ssl" not in self:
+            self["homeserver.verify_ssl"] = True
         self["version"] = 2
         return self["version"]