diff --git a/webmagic-core/src/main/java/us/codecraft/webmagic/downloader/HttpClientDownloader.java b/webmagic-core/src/main/java/us/codecraft/webmagic/downloader/HttpClientDownloader.java
index 9e77ef5f..fa907a1d 100644
--- a/webmagic-core/src/main/java/us/codecraft/webmagic/downloader/HttpClientDownloader.java
+++ b/webmagic-core/src/main/java/us/codecraft/webmagic/downloader/HttpClientDownloader.java
@@ -82,14 +82,14 @@ public class HttpClientDownloader extends AbstractDownloader {
         }
         logger.info("downloading page {}", request.getUrl());
         CloseableHttpResponse httpResponse = null;
-        int statusCode=0;
+        int statusCode = 0;
         try {
             HttpHost proxyHost = null;
             Proxy proxy = null; //TODO
-            if (site.getHttpProxyPool() != null && site.getHttpProxyPool().isEnable()) {
+            if (site != null && site.getHttpProxyPool() != null && site.getHttpProxyPool().isEnable()) {
                 proxy = site.getHttpProxyFromPool();
                 proxyHost = proxy.getHttpHost();
-            } else if(site.getHttpProxy()!= null){
+            } else if (site != null && site.getHttpProxy() != null){
                 proxyHost = site.getHttpProxy();
             }
             
@@ -107,25 +107,21 @@ public class HttpClientDownloader extends AbstractDownloader {
             }
         } catch (IOException e) {
             logger.warn("download page {} error", request.getUrl(), e);
-            if (site.getCycleRetryTimes() > 0) {
+            if (site != null && site.getCycleRetryTimes() > 0) {
                 return addToCycleRetry(request, site);
             }
             onError(request);
             return null;
         } finally {
+            if (httpResponse != null) {
+                //ensure the connection is released back to pool
+                EntityUtils.consumeQuietly(httpResponse.getEntity());
+            }
         	request.putExtra(Request.STATUS_CODE, statusCode);
-            if (site.getHttpProxyPool()!=null && site.getHttpProxyPool().isEnable()) {
+            if (site != null && site.getHttpProxyPool() != null && site.getHttpProxyPool().isEnable()) {
                 site.returnHttpProxyToPool((HttpHost) request.getExtra(Request.PROXY), (Integer) request
                         .getExtra(Request.STATUS_CODE));
             }
-            try {
-                if (httpResponse != null) {
-                    //ensure the connection is released back to pool
-                    EntityUtils.consume(httpResponse.getEntity());
-                }
-            } catch (IOException e) {
-                logger.warn("close response fail", e);
-            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -138,19 +134,23 @@ public class HttpClientDownloader extends AbstractDownloader {
         return acceptStatCode.contains(statusCode);
     }
 
-    protected HttpUriRequest getHttpUriRequest(Request request, Site site, Map<String, String> headers,HttpHost proxy) {
+    protected HttpUriRequest getHttpUriRequest(Request request, Site site, Map<String, String> headers, HttpHost proxy) {
         RequestBuilder requestBuilder = selectRequestMethod(request).setUri(request.getUrl());
         if (headers != null) {
             for (Map.Entry<String, String> headerEntry : headers.entrySet()) {
                 requestBuilder.addHeader(headerEntry.getKey(), headerEntry.getValue());
             }
         }
-        RequestConfig.Builder requestConfigBuilder = RequestConfig.custom()
-                .setConnectionRequestTimeout(site.getTimeOut())
-                .setSocketTimeout(site.getTimeOut())
-                .setConnectTimeout(site.getTimeOut())
-                .setCookieSpec(CookieSpecs.BEST_MATCH);
-        if (proxy !=null) {
+
+        RequestConfig.Builder requestConfigBuilder = RequestConfig.custom();
+        if (site != null) {
+            requestConfigBuilder.setConnectionRequestTimeout(site.getTimeOut())
+                    .setSocketTimeout(site.getTimeOut())
+                    .setConnectTimeout(site.getTimeOut())
+                    .setCookieSpec(CookieSpecs.BEST_MATCH);
+        }
+
+        if (proxy != null) {
 			requestConfigBuilder.setProxy(proxy);
 			request.putExtra(Request.PROXY, proxy);
 		}
diff --git a/webmagic-core/src/main/java/us/codecraft/webmagic/downloader/HttpClientGenerator.java b/webmagic-core/src/main/java/us/codecraft/webmagic/downloader/HttpClientGenerator.java
index 1a0b2bdb..aec53091 100644
--- a/webmagic-core/src/main/java/us/codecraft/webmagic/downloader/HttpClientGenerator.java
+++ b/webmagic-core/src/main/java/us/codecraft/webmagic/downloader/HttpClientGenerator.java
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ public class HttpClientGenerator {
         CredentialsProvider credsProvider = null;
         HttpClientBuilder httpClientBuilder = HttpClients.custom();
         
-        if(proxy!=null && StringUtils.isNotBlank(proxy.getUser()) && StringUtils.isNotBlank(proxy.getPassword()))
+        if (proxy != null && StringUtils.isNotBlank(proxy.getUser()) && StringUtils.isNotBlank(proxy.getPassword()))
         {
             credsProvider= new BasicCredentialsProvider();
             credsProvider.setCredentials(
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ public class HttpClientGenerator {
             httpClientBuilder.setDefaultCredentialsProvider(credsProvider);
         }
 
-        if(site!=null&&site.getHttpProxy()!=null&&site.getUsernamePasswordCredentials()!=null){
+        if (site != null && site.getHttpProxy()!= null && site.getUsernamePasswordCredentials() != null){
             credsProvider = new BasicCredentialsProvider();
             credsProvider.setCredentials(
                     new AuthScope(site.getHttpProxy()),//可以访问的范围
@@ -137,14 +137,19 @@ public class HttpClientGenerator {
         }
         //解决post/redirect/post 302跳转问题
         httpClientBuilder.setRedirectStrategy(new CustomRedirectStrategy());
-        
-        SocketConfig socketConfig = SocketConfig.custom().setSoTimeout(site.getTimeOut()).setSoKeepAlive(true).setTcpNoDelay(true).build();
+
+        SocketConfig.Builder socketConfigBuilder = SocketConfig.custom();
+        socketConfigBuilder.setSoKeepAlive(true).setTcpNoDelay(true);
+        if (site != null) {
+            socketConfigBuilder.setSoTimeout(site.getTimeOut());
+        }
+        SocketConfig socketConfig = socketConfigBuilder.build();
         httpClientBuilder.setDefaultSocketConfig(socketConfig);
         connectionManager.setDefaultSocketConfig(socketConfig);
         if (site != null) {
             httpClientBuilder.setRetryHandler(new DefaultHttpRequestRetryHandler(site.getRetryTimes(), true));
+            generateCookie(httpClientBuilder, site);
         }
-        generateCookie(httpClientBuilder, site);
         return httpClientBuilder.build();
     }
 
diff --git a/webmagic-core/src/test/java/us/codecraft/webmagic/downloader/HttpClientDownloaderTest.java b/webmagic-core/src/test/java/us/codecraft/webmagic/downloader/HttpClientDownloaderTest.java
index 0e442a87..5440b338 100644
--- a/webmagic-core/src/test/java/us/codecraft/webmagic/downloader/HttpClientDownloaderTest.java
+++ b/webmagic-core/src/test/java/us/codecraft/webmagic/downloader/HttpClientDownloaderTest.java
@@ -145,4 +145,20 @@ public class HttpClientDownloaderTest {
             }
         });
     }
+
+    @Test
+    public void test_download_when_task_is_null() throws Exception {
+        HttpServer server = httpserver(12306);
+        server.response("foo");
+        Runner.running(server, new Runnable() {
+            @Override
+            public void run() throws Exception {
+                final HttpClientDownloader httpClientDownloader = new HttpClientDownloader();
+                Request request = new Request();
+                request.setUrl("http://127.0.0.1:12306/");
+                Page page = httpClientDownloader.download(request, null);
+                assertThat(page.getRawText()).isEqualTo("foo");
+            }
+        });
+    }
 }