diff --git a/api/agent/protocol/json.go b/api/agent/protocol/json.go
index c85672790..77f065c27 100644
--- a/api/agent/protocol/json.go
+++ b/api/agent/protocol/json.go
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import (
 
 // This is sent into the function
 // All HTTP request headers should be set in env
-type JSONIO struct {
+type jsonio struct {
 	Headers    http.Header `json:"headers,omitempty"`
 	Body       string      `json:"body"`
 	StatusCode int         `json:"status_code,omitempty"`
@@ -25,65 +25,35 @@ func (p *JSONProtocol) IsStreamable() bool {
 	return true
 }
 
-type RequestEncoder struct {
-	*json.Encoder
+func writeString(err error, dst io.Writer, str string) error {
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	_, err = io.WriteString(dst, str)
+	return err
 }
 
-func (h *JSONProtocol) DumpJSON(w io.Writer, req *http.Request) error {
+func (h *JSONProtocol) DumpJSON(req *http.Request) error {
 	stdin := json.NewEncoder(h.in)
-	_, err := io.WriteString(h.in, `{`)
-	if err != nil {
-		// this shouldn't happen
-		return err
-	}
-
 	bb := new(bytes.Buffer)
-	_, err = bb.ReadFrom(req.Body)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	reqData := bb.String()
-	if reqData != "" {
-		_, err := io.WriteString(h.in, `"body": `)
-		if err != nil {
-			// this shouldn't happen
-			return err
-		}
-		err = stdin.Encode(reqData)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		_, err = io.WriteString(h.in, `,`)
-		if err != nil {
-			// this shouldn't happen
-			return err
-		}
-		defer bb.Reset()
-	}
-	_, err = io.WriteString(h.in, `"headers:"`)
-	if err != nil {
-		// this shouldn't happen
-		return err
-	}
+	_, err := bb.ReadFrom(req.Body)
+	err = writeString(err, h.in, "{")
+	err = writeString(err, h.in, `"body":`)
+	err = stdin.Encode(bb.String())
+	err = writeString(err, h.in, ",")
+	defer bb.Reset()
+	err = writeString(err, h.in, `"headers":`)
 	err = stdin.Encode(req.Header)
-	if err != nil {
-		// this shouldn't happen
-		return err
-	}
-	_, err = io.WriteString(h.in, `"}`)
-	if err != nil {
-		// this shouldn't happen
-		return err
-	}
-	return nil
+	err = writeString(err, h.in, "}")
+	return err
 }
 
 func (h *JSONProtocol) Dispatch(w io.Writer, req *http.Request) error {
-	err := h.DumpJSON(w, req)
+	err := h.DumpJSON(req)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	jout := new(JSONIO)
+	jout := new(jsonio)
 	dec := json.NewDecoder(h.out)
 	if err := dec.Decode(jout); err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/api/agent/protocol/json_test.go b/api/agent/protocol/json_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f485ad94a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/agent/protocol/json_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+package protocol
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"testing"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/url"
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"io"
+	"encoding/json"
+)
+
+type RequestData struct {
+	A string `json:"a"`
+}
+
+func TestJSONProtocolDumpJSONRequestWithData(t *testing.T) {
+	req := &http.Request{
+		Method: http.MethodPost,
+		URL: &url.URL{
+			Scheme: "http",
+			Host: "localhost:8080",
+			Path: "/v1/apps",
+			RawQuery: "something=something&etc=etc",
+		},
+		ProtoMajor: 1,
+		ProtoMinor: 1,
+		Header: http.Header{
+			"Host": []string{"localhost:8080"},
+			"User-Agent": []string{"curl/7.51.0"},
+			"Content-Type": []string{"application/json"},
+		},
+		Host: "localhost:8080",
+	}
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	json.NewEncoder(&buf).Encode(RequestData{A: "a"})
+	req.Body = ioutil.NopCloser(&buf)
+
+	r, w := io.Pipe()
+	proto := JSONProtocol{w,r}
+	go func() {
+		err := proto.DumpJSON(req)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Error(err.Error())
+		}
+		w.Close()
+	}()
+	incomingReq := new(jsonio)
+	bb := new(bytes.Buffer)
+
+	_, err := bb.ReadFrom(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err.Error())
+	}
+	err = json.Unmarshal(bb.Bytes(), incomingReq)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err.Error())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestJSONProtocolDumpJSONRequestWithoutData(t *testing.T) {
+	req := &http.Request{
+		Method: http.MethodPost,
+		URL: &url.URL{
+			Scheme: "http",
+			Host: "localhost:8080",
+			Path: "/v1/apps",
+			RawQuery: "something=something&etc=etc",
+		},
+		ProtoMajor: 1,
+		ProtoMinor: 1,
+		Header: http.Header{
+			"Host": []string{"localhost:8080"},
+			"User-Agent": []string{"curl/7.51.0"},
+			"Content-Type": []string{"application/json"},
+		},
+		Host: "localhost:8080",
+	}
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	req.Body = ioutil.NopCloser(&buf)
+
+	r, w := io.Pipe()
+	proto := JSONProtocol{w,r}
+	go func() {
+		err := proto.DumpJSON(req)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Error(err.Error())
+		}
+		w.Close()
+	}()
+	incomingReq := new(jsonio)
+	bb := new(bytes.Buffer)
+
+	_, err := bb.ReadFrom(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err.Error())
+	}
+	err = json.Unmarshal(bb.Bytes(), incomingReq)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err.Error())
+	}
+}