diff --git a/app/controllers/uploads_controller.rb b/app/controllers/uploads_controller.rb
index 29e1150b0b3..923f6240785 100644
--- a/app/controllers/uploads_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/uploads_controller.rb
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ class UploadsController < ApplicationController
 
   def create
     type = params.require(:type)
-    file = params[:file] || params[:files].first
+    file = params[:file] || params[:files].try(:first)
     url = params[:url]
     client_id = params[:client_id]
     synchronous = is_api? && params[:synchronous]
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ class UploadsController < ApplicationController
       # API can provide a URL
       if file.nil? && url.present? && is_api?
         tempfile = FileHelper.download(url, SiteSetting.max_image_size_kb.kilobytes, "discourse-upload-#{type}") rescue nil
-        filename = File.basename(URI.parse(file).path)
+        filename = File.basename(URI.parse(url).path)
       else
         tempfile = file.tempfile
         filename = file.original_filename
diff --git a/spec/controllers/uploads_controller_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/uploads_controller_spec.rb
index a29fafd8150..a738489d9d9 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/uploads_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/uploads_controller_spec.rb
@@ -53,6 +53,22 @@ describe UploadsController do
         expect(message.data).to be
       end
 
+      it 'is successful with synchronous api' do
+        SiteSetting.stubs(:authorized_extensions).returns("*")
+        controller.stubs(:is_api?).returns(true)
+
+        Jobs.expects(:enqueue).with(:create_thumbnails, anything)
+
+        FakeWeb.register_uri(:get, "http://example.com/image.png", :body => File.read('spec/fixtures/images/logo.png'))
+
+        xhr :post, :create, url: 'http://example.com/image.png', type: "avatar", synchronous: true
+
+        json = ::JSON.parse(response.body)
+
+        expect(response.status).to eq 200
+        expect(json["id"]).to be
+      end
+
       it 'correctly sets retain_hours for admins' do
         Jobs.expects(:enqueue).with(:create_thumbnails, anything)