diff --git a/lib/httpreader/httpreader.go b/lib/httpreader/httpreader.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..62338e76e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/httpreader/httpreader.go
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+package httpreader
+
+import (
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+
+	"golang.org/x/xerrors"
+)
+
+// HttpReader is a reader which will read a http resource with a simple get request.
+// Before first Read it will be passed over JsonRPC as a URL.
+type HttpReader struct {
+	URL string
+
+	reader io.ReadCloser
+}
+
+func (h *HttpReader) Close() error {
+	h.URL = ""
+	if h.reader != nil {
+		return h.reader.Close()
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (h *HttpReader) Read(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
+	if h.reader == nil {
+		res, err := http.Get(h.URL)
+		if err != nil {
+			return 0, err
+		}
+		if res.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+			return 0, xerrors.Errorf("unexpected http status %d", res.StatusCode)
+		}
+
+		// mark the reader as reading
+		h.URL = ""
+		h.reader = res.Body
+	}
+	if h.reader == nil {
+		return 0, xerrors.Errorf("http reader closed")
+	}
+
+	return h.reader.Read(p)
+}
+
+var _ io.ReadCloser = &HttpReader{}
diff --git a/lib/rpcenc/reader.go b/lib/rpcenc/reader.go
index 4e3ebb8c2..0f268aadf 100644
--- a/lib/rpcenc/reader.go
+++ b/lib/rpcenc/reader.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"github.com/filecoin-project/lotus/lib/httpreader"
 	"io"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"net/http"
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ type StreamType string
 const (
 	Null       StreamType = "null"
 	PushStream StreamType = "push"
+	HttpUrl    StreamType = "http"
 	// TODO: Data transfer handoff to workers?
 )
 
@@ -105,6 +107,9 @@ func ReaderParamEncoder(addr string) jsonrpc.Option {
 		if r, ok := r.(*nullreader.NullReader); ok {
 			return reflect.ValueOf(ReaderStream{Type: Null, Info: fmt.Sprint(r.N)}), nil
 		}
+		if r, ok := r.(*httpreader.HttpReader); ok && r.URL != "" {
+			return reflect.ValueOf(ReaderStream{Type: HttpUrl, Info: r.URL}), nil
+		}
 
 		reqID := uuid.New()
 		u, err := url.Parse(addr)
@@ -413,13 +418,16 @@ func ReaderParamDecoder() (http.HandlerFunc, jsonrpc.ServerOption) {
 			return reflect.Value{}, xerrors.Errorf("unmarshaling reader id: %w", err)
 		}
 
-		if rs.Type == Null {
+		switch rs.Type {
+		case Null:
 			n, err := strconv.ParseInt(rs.Info, 10, 64)
 			if err != nil {
 				return reflect.Value{}, xerrors.Errorf("parsing null byte count: %w", err)
 			}
 
 			return reflect.ValueOf(nullreader.NewNullReader(abi.UnpaddedPieceSize(n))), nil
+		case HttpUrl:
+			return reflect.ValueOf(&httpreader.HttpReader{URL: rs.Info}), nil
 		}
 
 		u, err := uuid.Parse(rs.Info)