diff --git a/app/controllers/uploads_controller.rb b/app/controllers/uploads_controller.rb
index 03f0319c9df..32de5345470 100644
--- a/app/controllers/uploads_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/uploads_controller.rb
@@ -7,16 +7,18 @@ class UploadsController < ApplicationController
     file = params[:file] || params[:files].first
     url = params[:url]
 
-    # TODO: support for API providing a URL (cf. AvatarUploadService)
-
     Scheduler::Defer.later("Create Upload") do
-      upload = Upload.create_for(
-        current_user.id,
-        file.tempfile,
-        file.original_filename,
-        file.tempfile.size,
-        content_type: file.content_type
-      )
+      # 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)
+      else
+        tempfile = file.tempfile
+        filename = file.original_filename
+        content_type = file.content_type
+      end
+
+      upload = Upload.create_for(current_user.id, tempfile, filename, tempfile.size, content_type: content_type)
 
       if upload.errors.empty? && current_user.admin?
         retain_hours = params[:retain_hours].to_i
@@ -26,6 +28,8 @@ class UploadsController < ApplicationController
       data = upload.errors.empty? ? upload : { errors: upload.errors.values.flatten }
 
       MessageBus.publish("/uploads/#{type}", data.as_json, user_ids: [current_user.id])
+
+      tempfile.try(:close!) rescue nil
     end
 
     # HACK FOR IE9 to prevent the "download dialog"
diff --git a/lib/avatar_upload_service.rb b/lib/avatar_upload_service.rb
deleted file mode 100644
index 6cc4db35b18..00000000000
--- a/lib/avatar_upload_service.rb
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,23 +0,0 @@
-require_dependency "file_helper"
-
-class AvatarUploadService
-
-  attr_accessor :source
-  attr_reader :filesize, :filename, :file
-
-  def initialize(file, source)
-    @source = source
-    @file, @filename, @filesize = construct(file)
-  end
-
-  def construct(file)
-    case source
-    when :url
-      tmp = FileHelper.download(file, SiteSetting.max_image_size_kb.kilobytes, "discourse-avatar")
-      [tmp, File.basename(URI.parse(file).path), tmp.size]
-    when :image
-      [file.tempfile, file.original_filename, file.tempfile.size]
-    end
-  end
-
-end
diff --git a/spec/components/avatar_upload_service_spec.rb b/spec/components/avatar_upload_service_spec.rb
deleted file mode 100644
index 2be4ccc0ad8..00000000000
--- a/spec/components/avatar_upload_service_spec.rb
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,58 +0,0 @@
-require "spec_helper"
-require "avatar_upload_service"
-
-describe AvatarUploadService do
-
-  let(:logo) { file_from_fixtures("logo.png") }
-
-  let(:file) do
-    ActionDispatch::Http::UploadedFile.new({ filename: 'logo.png', tempfile: logo })
-  end
-
-  let(:url) { "http://cdn.discourse.org/assets/logo.png" }
-
-  describe "#construct" do
-    context "when avatar is in the form of a file upload" do
-      let(:avatar_file) { AvatarUploadService.new(file, :image) }
-
-      it "should have a filesize" do
-        expect(avatar_file.filesize).to be > 0
-      end
-
-      it "should have a filename" do
-        expect(avatar_file.filename).to eq("logo.png")
-      end
-
-      it "should have a file" do
-        expect(avatar_file.file).to eq(file.tempfile)
-      end
-
-      it "should have a source as 'image'" do
-        expect(avatar_file.source).to eq(:image)
-      end
-    end
-
-    context "when file is in the form of a URL" do
-      let(:avatar_file) { AvatarUploadService.new(url, :url) }
-
-      before { FileHelper.stubs(:download).returns(logo) }
-
-      it "should have a filesize" do
-        expect(avatar_file.filesize).to be > 0
-      end
-
-      it "should have a filename" do
-        expect(avatar_file.filename).to eq("logo.png")
-      end
-
-      it "should have a file" do
-        expect(avatar_file.file).to eq(logo)
-      end
-
-      it "should have a source as 'url'" do
-        expect(avatar_file.source).to eq(:url)
-      end
-    end
-  end
-
-end