diff --git a/src/lay/lay/laySalt.cc b/src/lay/lay/laySalt.cc
index 4f5f428b7..2abf3c519 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/laySalt.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/laySalt.cc
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 */
 
 #include "laySalt.h"
+#include "laySaltParsedURL.h"
 
 #include "tlString.h"
 #include "tlFileUtils.h"
@@ -492,16 +493,18 @@ Salt::create_grain (const SaltGrain &templ, SaltGrain &target, double timeout, t
 
       //  otherwise download from the URL using Git or SVN
 
-      if (templ.protocol () == Git) {
+      lay::SaltParsedURL purl (templ.url ());
+
+      if (purl.protocol () == Git) {
 
 #if defined(HAVE_GIT2)
         tl::info << QObject::tr ("Downloading package from '%1' to '%2' using Git protocol ..").arg (tl::to_qstring (templ.url ())).arg (tl::to_qstring (target.path ()));
-        res = tl::GitObject::download (templ.url (), target.path (), templ.branch (), timeout, callback);
+        res = tl::GitObject::download (templ.url (), target.path (), purl.subfolder (), purl.branch (), timeout, callback);
 #else
         throw tl::Exception (tl::to_string (QObject::tr ("Unable to install package '%1' - git protocol not compiled in").arg (tl::to_qstring (target.name ()))));
 #endif
 
-      } else if (templ.protocol () == WebDAV || templ.protocol () == DefaultProtocol) {
+      } else if (purl.protocol () == WebDAV || purl.protocol () == DefaultProtocol) {
 
         tl::info << QObject::tr ("Downloading package from '%1' to '%2' using SVN/WebDAV protocol ..").arg (tl::to_qstring (templ.url ())).arg (tl::to_qstring (target.path ()));
         res = tl::WebDAVObject::download (templ.url (), target.path (), timeout, callback);
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/laySaltController.cc b/src/lay/lay/laySaltController.cc
index 2a10a8894..efd85a58e 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/laySaltController.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/laySaltController.cc
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include "laySaltController.h"
 #include "laySaltManagerDialog.h"
 #include "laySaltDownloadManager.h"
+#include "laySaltParsedURL.h"
 #include "layConfig.h"
 #include "layMainWindow.h"
 #include "layQtTools.h"
@@ -202,40 +203,18 @@ SaltController::install_packages (const std::vector<std::string> &packages, bool
       }
     }
 
-    if (n.find ("http:") == 0 || n.find ("https:") == 0 || n.find ("file:") == 0 || n[0] == '/' || n[0] == '\\') {
+    lay::SaltParsedURL purl (n);
+    const std::string &url = purl.url ();
+
+    if (url.find ("http:") == 0 || url.find ("https:") == 0 || url.find ("file:") == 0 || url[0] == '/' || url[0] == '\\') {
 
       //  its a URL
-      manager.register_download (std::string (), std::string (), n, DefaultProtocol, std::string (), v);
-
-    } else if (n.find ("git@") == 0) {
-
-      //  git protocol:
-      //    "git@<url>"
-      //    "git@<url>[<branch>]"
-
-      std::string url (n, 4);
-      size_t br = url.find ("[");
-      std::string branch;
-      if (br != std::string::npos && url.back () == ']') {
-        branch = std::string (url, br + 1, url.size () - br - 2);
-        url = std::string (url, 0, br);
-      }
-
-      manager.register_download (std::string (), std::string (), url, Git, branch, v);
-
-    } else if (n.find ("svn@") == 0) {
-
-      //  svn protocol:
-      //    "svn@<url>"
-
-      std::string url (n, 4);
-      //  its a URL
-      manager.register_download (std::string (), std::string (), url, WebDAV, std::string (), v);
+      manager.register_download (std::string (), std::string (), n, v);
 
     } else {
 
       //  its a plain name
-      manager.register_download (n, std::string (), std::string (), DefaultProtocol, std::string (), v);
+      manager.register_download (n, std::string (), std::string (), v);
 
     }
 
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/laySaltDownloadManager.cc b/src/lay/lay/laySaltDownloadManager.cc
index 4d9032f6c..cc0b625d7 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/laySaltDownloadManager.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/laySaltDownloadManager.cc
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ ConfirmationDialog::ConfirmationDialog (QWidget *parent)
 }
 
 void
-ConfirmationDialog::add_info (const std::string &name, bool update, const std::string &version, const std::string &url, Protocol protocol, const std::string &branch)
+ConfirmationDialog::add_info (const std::string &name, bool update, const std::string &version, const std::string &url)
 {
   QTreeWidgetItem *item = new QTreeWidgetItem (list);
   m_items_by_name.insert (std::make_pair (name, item));
@@ -68,18 +68,7 @@ ConfirmationDialog::add_info (const std::string &name, bool update, const std::s
   item->setText (0, tl::to_qstring (name));
   item->setText (1, update ? tr ("UPDATE") : tr ("INSTALL"));
   item->setText (2, tl::to_qstring (version));
-
-  if (protocol == WebDAV) {
-    item->setText (3, tl::to_qstring ("svn@" + url));
-  } else if (protocol == Git) {
-    if (branch.empty ()) {
-      item->setText (3, tl::to_qstring ("git@" + url));
-    } else {
-      item->setText (3, tl::to_qstring ("git@" + url + "[" + branch + "]"));
-    }
-  } else {
-    item->setText (3, tl::to_qstring (url));
-  }
+  item->setText (3, tl::to_qstring (url));
 
   for (int column = 0; column < list->colorCount (); ++column) {
     item->setData (column, Qt::ForegroundRole, QVariant (QBrush (update ? QColor (Qt::blue) : QColor (Qt::black))));
@@ -180,9 +169,9 @@ SaltDownloadManager::SaltDownloadManager ()
 }
 
 void
-SaltDownloadManager::register_download (const std::string &name, const std::string &token, const std::string &url, Protocol protocol, const std::string &branch, const std::string &version)
+SaltDownloadManager::register_download (const std::string &name, const std::string &token, const std::string &url, const std::string &version)
 {
-  m_registry.push_back (Descriptor (name, token, url, protocol, branch, version));
+  m_registry.push_back (Descriptor (name, token, url, version));
 }
 
 void
@@ -255,7 +244,7 @@ SaltDownloadManager::compute_list (const lay::Salt &salt, const lay::Salt &salt_
               if (tl::verbosity() >= 20) {
                 tl::log << "Considering for update as dependency: " << d->name << " (" << d->version << ") with URL " << d->url;
               }
-              m_registry.push_back (Descriptor (d->name, std::string (), d->url, d->protocol, d->branch, d->version));
+              m_registry.push_back (Descriptor (d->name, std::string (), d->url, d->version));
 
             } else {
               if (tl::verbosity() >= 20) {
@@ -268,7 +257,7 @@ SaltDownloadManager::compute_list (const lay::Salt &salt, const lay::Salt &salt_
             if (tl::verbosity() >= 20) {
               tl::log << "Considering for download as dependency: " << d->name << " (" << d->version << ") with URL " << d->url;
             }
-            m_registry.push_back (Descriptor (d->name, std::string (), d->url, d->protocol, d->branch, d->version));
+            m_registry.push_back (Descriptor (d->name, std::string (), d->url, d->version));
 
           }
 
@@ -341,7 +330,8 @@ SaltDownloadManager::fetch_missing (const lay::Salt &salt, const lay::Salt &salt
       }
 
       try {
-        p->grain = SaltGrain::from_url (p->url, p->protocol, p->branch);
+        //  @@@ Take from repo index for Git protocol?
+        p->grain = SaltGrain::from_url (p->url);
       } catch (tl::Exception &ex) {
         throw tl::Exception (tl::to_string (QObject::tr ("Error fetching spec file for package '%1': %2").arg (tl::to_qstring (p->name)).arg (tl::to_qstring (ex.msg ()))));
       }
@@ -398,7 +388,7 @@ SaltDownloadManager::make_confirmation_dialog (QWidget *parent, const lay::Salt
     const lay::SaltGrain *g = salt.grain_by_name (p->name);
     if (g) {
       //  \342\206\222 is UTF-8 "right arrow"
-      dialog->add_info (p->name, true, g->version () + " \342\206\222 " + p->version, p->url, p->protocol, p->branch);
+      dialog->add_info (p->name, true, g->version () + " \342\206\222 " + p->version, p->url);
     }
   }
 
@@ -406,7 +396,7 @@ SaltDownloadManager::make_confirmation_dialog (QWidget *parent, const lay::Salt
   for (std::vector<Descriptor>::const_iterator p = m_registry.begin (); p != m_registry.end (); ++p) {
     const lay::SaltGrain *g = salt.grain_by_name (p->name);
     if (!g) {
-      dialog->add_info (p->name, false, p->version, p->url, p->protocol, p->branch);
+      dialog->add_info (p->name, false, p->version, p->url);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/laySaltDownloadManager.h b/src/lay/lay/laySaltDownloadManager.h
index 04c3ef2b5..a81e0f973 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/laySaltDownloadManager.h
+++ b/src/lay/lay/laySaltDownloadManager.h
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ Q_OBJECT
 public:
   ConfirmationDialog (QWidget *parent);
 
-  void add_info (const std::string &name, bool update, const std::string &version, const std::string &url, Protocol protocol, const std::string &branch);
+  void add_info (const std::string &name, bool update, const std::string &version, const std::string &url);
 
   bool is_confirmed () const  { return m_confirmed; }
   bool is_cancelled () const  { return m_cancelled; }
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ public:
    *
    *  The target directory can be empty. In this case, the downloader will pick an appropriate one.
    */
-  void register_download (const std::string &name, const std::string &token, const std::string &url, Protocol protocol, const std::string &branch, const std::string &version);
+  void register_download (const std::string &name, const std::string &token, const std::string &url, const std::string &version);
 
   /**
    *  @brief Computes the dependencies after all required packages have been registered
@@ -145,8 +145,8 @@ public:
 private:
   struct Descriptor
   {
-    Descriptor (const std::string &_name, const std::string &_token, const std::string &_url, Protocol _protocol, const std::string &_branch, const std::string &_version)
-      : name (_name), token (_token), url (_url), protocol (_protocol), branch (_branch), version (_version), downloaded (false)
+    Descriptor (const std::string &_name, const std::string &_token, const std::string &_url, const std::string &_version)
+      : name (_name), token (_token), url (_url), version (_version), downloaded (false)
     { }
 
     bool operator< (const Descriptor &other) const
@@ -170,8 +170,6 @@ private:
     std::string name;
     std::string token;
     std::string url;
-    Protocol protocol;
-    std::string branch;
     std::string version;
     bool downloaded;
     lay::SaltGrain grain;
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/laySaltGrain.cc b/src/lay/lay/laySaltGrain.cc
index b956e11a0..e887066e7 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/laySaltGrain.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/laySaltGrain.cc
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 
 #include "laySaltGrain.h"
 #include "laySaltController.h"
+#include "laySaltParsedURL.h"
 #include "tlString.h"
 #include "tlXMLParser.h"
 #include "tlHttpStream.h"
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ namespace lay
 static const std::string grain_filename = "grain.xml";
 
 SaltGrain::SaltGrain ()
-  : m_protocol (DefaultProtocol), m_hidden (false)
+  : m_hidden (false)
 {
   //  .. nothing yet ..
 }
@@ -68,9 +69,7 @@ SaltGrain::operator== (const SaltGrain &other) const
          m_license == other.m_license &&
          m_hidden == other.m_hidden &&
          m_authored_time == other.m_authored_time &&
-         m_installed_time == other.m_installed_time &&
-         m_protocol == other.m_protocol &&
-         m_branch == other.m_branch
+         m_installed_time == other.m_installed_time
       ;
 }
 
@@ -116,18 +115,6 @@ SaltGrain::set_url (const std::string &u)
   m_url = u;
 }
 
-void
-SaltGrain::set_branch (const std::string &b)
-{
-  m_branch = b;
-}
-
-void
-SaltGrain::set_protocol (const Protocol &p)
-{
-  m_protocol = p;
-}
-
 void
 SaltGrain::set_title (const std::string &t)
 {
@@ -410,30 +397,6 @@ struct ImageConverter
   }
 };
 
-struct ProtocolConverter
-{
-  std::string to_string (const Protocol &protocol) const
-  {
-    if (protocol == lay::WebDAV) {
-      return std::string ("svn");
-    } else if (protocol == lay::Git) {
-      return std::string ("git");
-    } else {
-      return std::string ();
-    }
-  }
-
-  void from_string (const std::string &s, Protocol &res) const
-  {
-    res = lay::DefaultProtocol;
-    if (s == "svn" || s == "SVN" || s == "WebDAV") {
-      res = lay::WebDAV;
-    } else if (s == "git" || s == "Git" || s == "GIT") {
-      res = lay::Git;
-    }
-  }
-};
-
 static tl::XMLElementList *sp_xml_elements = 0;
 
 tl::XMLElementList &
@@ -450,8 +413,6 @@ SaltGrain::xml_elements ()
       tl::make_member (&SaltGrain::doc, &SaltGrain::set_doc, "doc") +
       tl::make_member (&SaltGrain::doc_url, &SaltGrain::set_doc_url, "doc-url") +
       tl::make_member (&SaltGrain::url, &SaltGrain::set_url, "url") +
-      tl::make_member (&SaltGrain::branch, &SaltGrain::set_branch, "branch") +
-      tl::make_member (&SaltGrain::protocol, &SaltGrain::set_protocol, "protocol", ProtocolConverter ()) +
       tl::make_member (&SaltGrain::license, &SaltGrain::set_license, "license") +
       tl::make_member (&SaltGrain::author, &SaltGrain::set_author, "author") +
       tl::make_member (&SaltGrain::author_contact, &SaltGrain::set_author_contact, "author-contact") +
@@ -462,8 +423,6 @@ SaltGrain::xml_elements ()
       tl::make_element (&SaltGrain::begin_dependencies, &SaltGrain::end_dependencies, &SaltGrain::add_dependency, "depends",
         tl::make_member (&SaltGrainDependency::name, "name") +
         tl::make_member (&SaltGrainDependency::url, "url") +
-        tl::make_member (&SaltGrainDependency::protocol, "protocol", ProtocolConverter ()) +
-        tl::make_member (&SaltGrainDependency::branch, "branch") +
         tl::make_member (&SaltGrainDependency::version, "version")
       )
     );
@@ -550,14 +509,17 @@ SaltGrain::from_path (const std::string &path)
 }
 
 tl::InputStream *
-SaltGrain::stream_from_url (std::string &url, Protocol protocol, const std::string &branch, double timeout, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback)
+SaltGrain::stream_from_url (std::string &generic_url, double timeout, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback)
 {
-  if (url.empty ()) {
+  if (generic_url.empty ()) {
     throw tl::Exception (tl::to_string (QObject::tr ("No download link available")));
   }
 
+  lay::SaltParsedURL purl (generic_url);
+  const std::string &url = purl.url ();
+
   //  base relative URL's on the salt mine URL
-  if (url.find ("http:") != 0 && url.find ("https:") != 0 && url.find ("file:") != 0 && !url.empty() && url[0] != '/' && url[0] != '\\' && lay::SaltController::instance ()) {
+  if (purl.protocol () == lay::DefaultProtocol && url.find ("http:") != 0 && url.find ("https:") != 0 && url.find ("file:") != 0 && !url.empty() && url[0] != '/' && url[0] != '\\' && lay::SaltController::instance ()) {
 
     //  replace the last component ("repository.xml") by the given path
     QUrl sami_url (tl::to_qstring (lay::SaltController::instance ()->salt_mine_url ()));
@@ -567,15 +529,16 @@ SaltGrain::stream_from_url (std::string &url, Protocol protocol, const std::stri
     }
     sami_url.setPath (path_comp.join (QString::fromUtf8 ("/")));
 
-    url = tl::to_string (sami_url.toString ());
+    //  return the full path as a file path, not an URL
+    generic_url = tl::to_string (sami_url.toString ());
 
   }
 
   if (url.find ("http:") == 0 || url.find ("https:") == 0) {
 
-    if (protocol == lay::Git) {
+    if (purl.protocol () == lay::Git) {
 #if defined(HAVE_GIT2)
-      return tl::GitObject::download_item (url, SaltGrain::spec_file (), branch, timeout, callback);
+      return tl::GitObject::download_item (url, SaltGrain::spec_file (), purl.subfolder (), purl.branch (), timeout, callback);
 #else
       throw tl::Exception (tl::to_string (QObject::tr ("Cannot download from Git - Git support not compiled in")));
 #endif
@@ -591,10 +554,10 @@ SaltGrain::stream_from_url (std::string &url, Protocol protocol, const std::stri
 }
 
 SaltGrain
-SaltGrain::from_url (const std::string &url_in, Protocol protocol, const std::string &branch, double timeout, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback)
+SaltGrain::from_url (const std::string &url_in, double timeout, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback)
 {
   std::string url = url_in;
-  std::unique_ptr<tl::InputStream> stream (stream_from_url (url, protocol, branch, timeout, callback));
+  std::unique_ptr<tl::InputStream> stream (stream_from_url (url, timeout, callback));
 
   SaltGrain g;
   g.load (*stream);
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/laySaltGrain.h b/src/lay/lay/laySaltGrain.h
index 1919e98ab..58e429ffa 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/laySaltGrain.h
+++ b/src/lay/lay/laySaltGrain.h
@@ -39,15 +39,6 @@ namespace tl
 namespace lay
 {
 
-/**
- *  @brief An enum describing the protocol to use for download
- */
-enum Protocol {
-  DefaultProtocol = 0,
-  WebDAV = 1,
-  Git = 2
-};
-
 /**
  *  @brief A descriptor for one dependency
  *  A dependency can be specified either through a name (see name property)
@@ -59,13 +50,10 @@ enum Protocol {
 struct SaltGrainDependency
 {
   SaltGrainDependency ()
-    : protocol (DefaultProtocol)
   { }
 
   std::string name;
   std::string url;
-  Protocol protocol;
-  std::string branch;
   std::string version;
 
   bool operator== (const SaltGrainDependency &other) const
@@ -356,32 +344,6 @@ public:
    */
   void set_url (const std::string &u);
 
-  /**
-   *  @brief Gets the download protocol
-   */
-  const Protocol &protocol () const
-  {
-    return m_protocol;
-  }
-
-  /**
-   *  @brief Sets the download protocol
-   */
-  void set_protocol (const Protocol &p);
-
-  /**
-   *  @brief Gets the Git branch
-   */
-  const std::string &branch () const
-  {
-    return m_branch;
-  }
-
-  /**
-   *  @brief Sets the Git branch
-   */
-  void set_branch (const std::string &b);
-
   /**
    *  @brief Gets a value indicating whether the grain is hidden
    *  A grain can be hidden (in Salt.Mine) if it's a pure dependency package
@@ -507,18 +469,16 @@ public:
    *  This method will return a grain constructed from the downloaded data.
    *  The data is read from "URL/grain.xml". This method will throw an
    *  exception if an error occurs during reading.
-   *  protocol is the protocol to use and branch the Git branch.
    */
-  static SaltGrain from_url (const std::string &url, Protocol protocol, const std::string &branch, double timeout = 60.0, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback = 0);
+  static SaltGrain from_url (const std::string &url, double timeout = 60.0, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback = 0);
 
   /**
    *  @brief Returns a stream prepared for downloading the grain
    *  The stream is a new'd object and needs to be deleted by the caller.
    *  "url" is the download URL on input and gets modified to match the
    *  actual URL if it is a relative one.
-   *  protocol is the protocol to use and branch the Git branch.
    */
-  static tl::InputStream *stream_from_url (std::string &url, Protocol protocol, const std::string &branch, double timeout = 60.0, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback = 0);
+  static tl::InputStream *stream_from_url (std::string &url, double timeout = 60.0, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback = 0);
 
   /**
    *  @brief Gets the name of the spec file ("grain.xml")
@@ -542,8 +502,6 @@ private:
   std::string m_author;
   std::string m_author_contact;
   std::string m_license;
-  Protocol m_protocol;
-  std::string m_branch;
   bool m_hidden;
   QDateTime m_authored_time, m_installed_time;
   QImage m_icon, m_screenshot;
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/laySaltGrainDetailsTextWidget.cc b/src/lay/lay/laySaltGrainDetailsTextWidget.cc
index 28eb81c6a..1992b20c9 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/laySaltGrainDetailsTextWidget.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/laySaltGrainDetailsTextWidget.cc
@@ -305,6 +305,7 @@ SaltGrainDetailsTextWidget::details_text ()
         if (! d->url.empty ()) {
           stream << " - ";
           stream << "[" << tl::to_qstring (tl::escaped_to_html (d->url)) << "]<br/>";
+          //  @@@ TODO: protocol and branch
         }
       }
       stream << "</p>";
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/laySaltGrainPropertiesDialog.cc b/src/lay/lay/laySaltGrainPropertiesDialog.cc
index 200bce4eb..fa6321f6e 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/laySaltGrainPropertiesDialog.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/laySaltGrainPropertiesDialog.cc
@@ -178,6 +178,7 @@ SaltGrainPropertiesDialog::update_controls ()
     dependency_changed (item, 0);
     item->setData (1, Qt::UserRole, tl::to_qstring (d->version));
     dependency_changed (item, 1);
+    //  @@@ TODO: protocol and branch?
     item->setData (2, Qt::UserRole, tl::to_qstring (d->url));
     dependency_changed (item, 2);
 
@@ -244,6 +245,7 @@ SaltGrainPropertiesDialog::update_data ()
       dep.name = tl::to_string (name);
       dep.version = tl::to_string (version);
       dep.url = tl::to_string (url);
+      //  @@@ TODO: set protocol and branch
       m_grain.dependencies ().push_back (dep);
     }
 
@@ -584,9 +586,10 @@ SaltGrainPropertiesDialog::accept ()
     }
 
     if (!d->url.empty ()) {
+      //  @@@ TODO: only do for SVN repo
       SaltGrain gdep;
       try {
-        gdep = SaltGrain::from_url (d->url, d->protocol, d->branch);
+        gdep = SaltGrain::from_url (d->url);
         if (gdep.name () != d->name) {
           dependencies_alert->error () << tr ("Package name obtained from download URL is not the expected name.") << tl::endl
                                        << tr ("Downloaded name: ") << gdep.name () << tl::endl
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/laySaltManagerDialog.cc b/src/lay/lay/laySaltManagerDialog.cc
index 4e135e266..98f084ab7 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/laySaltManagerDialog.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/laySaltManagerDialog.cc
@@ -683,7 +683,7 @@ BEGIN_PROTECTED
       SaltGrain *g = model->grain_from_index (index);
       //  NOTE: checking for valid_name prevents bad entries inside the download list
       if (g && model->is_marked (g->name ()) && SaltGrain::valid_name (g->name ())) {
-        manager.register_download (g->name (), g->token (), g->url (), g->protocol (), g->branch (), g->version ());
+        manager.register_download (g->name (), g->token (), g->url (), g->version ());
         any = true;
       }
     }
@@ -1190,17 +1190,13 @@ SaltManagerDialog::get_remote_grain_info (lay::SaltGrain *g, SaltGrainDetailsTex
     details->setHtml (html);
 
     std::string url = g->url ();
-    Protocol protocol = g->protocol ();
-    std::string branch = g->branch ();
 
     m_downloaded_grain.reset (new SaltGrain ());
     m_downloaded_grain->set_url (url);
-    m_downloaded_grain->set_protocol (protocol);
-    m_downloaded_grain->set_branch (branch);
 
     //  NOTE: stream_from_url may modify the URL, hence we set it again
     ProcessEventCallback callback;
-    m_downloaded_grain_reader.reset (SaltGrain::stream_from_url (url, protocol, branch, 60.0, &callback));
+    m_downloaded_grain_reader.reset (SaltGrain::stream_from_url (url, 60.0, &callback));
     m_downloaded_grain->set_url (url);
 
     tl::InputHttpStream *http = dynamic_cast<tl::InputHttpStream *> (m_downloaded_grain_reader->base ());
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/laySaltParsedURL.h b/src/lay/lay/laySaltParsedURL.h
index bc076f76b..770395a64 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/laySaltParsedURL.h
+++ b/src/lay/lay/laySaltParsedURL.h
@@ -29,6 +29,15 @@
 namespace lay
 {
 
+/**
+ *  @brief An enum describing the protocol to use for download
+ */
+enum Protocol {
+  DefaultProtocol = 0,
+  WebDAV = 1,
+  Git = 2
+};
+
 /**
  *  @brief A class representing a SaltGrain URL
  *
diff --git a/src/tl/tl/tlGit.cc b/src/tl/tl/tlGit.cc
index 3279bef16..eb2336b7f 100644
--- a/src/tl/tl/tlGit.cc
+++ b/src/tl/tl/tlGit.cc
@@ -243,26 +243,17 @@ checkout_branch (git_repository *repo, git_remote *remote, const git_checkout_op
 }
 
 void
-GitObject::read (const std::string &org_url, const std::string &org_filter, const std::string &branch, double timeout, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback)
+GitObject::read (const std::string &org_url, const std::string &org_filter, const std::string &subfolder, const std::string &branch, double timeout, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback)
 {
   std::string url = org_url;
+
   std::string filter = org_filter;
-
-  std::string subdir;
-
-  std::string url_terminator (".git/");
-  size_t url_end = url.find (url_terminator);
-  if (url_end != std::string::npos) {
-
-    subdir = std::string (url, url_end + url_terminator.size ());
-
-    url = std::string (url, 0, url_end + url_terminator.size () - 1);
+  if (! subfolder.empty ()) {
     if (filter.empty ()) {
-      filter = subdir + "/**";
+      filter = subfolder + "/**";
     } else {
-      filter = subdir + "/" + filter;
+      filter = subfolder + "/" + filter;
     }
-
   }
 
   //  @@@ use callback, timeout?
@@ -343,9 +334,9 @@ GitObject::read (const std::string &org_url, const std::string &org_filter, cons
   }
 
   //  pull subfolder files to target path level
-  if (! subdir.empty ()) {
+  if (! subfolder.empty ()) {
 
-    std::string pp = tl::combine_path (m_local_path, subdir);
+    std::string pp = tl::combine_path (m_local_path, subfolder);
     if (! tl::is_dir (pp)) {
       throw tl::Exception (tl::to_string (tr ("Error cloning Git repo - failed to fetch subdirectory: ")) + pp);
     }
@@ -358,7 +349,7 @@ GitObject::read (const std::string &org_url, const std::string &org_filter, cons
         break;
       }
     }
-    auto pc = tl::split (subdir, "/");
+    auto pc = tl::split (subfolder, "/");
     if (! tl::rename_file (tl::combine_path (m_local_path, pc.front ()), tmp_dir)) {
       throw tl::Exception (tl::to_string (tr ("Error cloning Git repo - failed to rename temp folder")));
     }
@@ -372,18 +363,18 @@ GitObject::read (const std::string &org_url, const std::string &org_filter, cons
 }
 
 bool
-GitObject::download (const std::string &url, const std::string &target, const std::string &branch, double timeout, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback)
+GitObject::download (const std::string &url, const std::string &target, const std::string &subfolder, const std::string &branch, double timeout, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback)
 {
   GitObject obj (target);
-  obj.read (url, std::string (), branch, timeout, callback);
+  obj.read (url, std::string (), subfolder, branch, timeout, callback);
   return false;
 }
 
 tl::InputStream *
-GitObject::download_item (const std::string &url, const std::string &file, const std::string &branch, double timeout, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback)
+GitObject::download_item (const std::string &url, const std::string &file, const std::string &subfolder, const std::string &branch, double timeout, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback)
 {
   GitObject obj;
-  obj.read (url, file, branch, timeout, callback);
+  obj.read (url, file, subfolder, branch, timeout, callback);
 
   //  extract the file and return a memory blob, so we can delete the temp folder
 
diff --git a/src/tl/tl/tlGit.h b/src/tl/tl/tlGit.h
index 68a1db83a..a5d22e342 100644
--- a/src/tl/tl/tlGit.h
+++ b/src/tl/tl/tlGit.h
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ public:
    *  "filter" can be a top-level file to download. If filter is non-empty,
    *  sparse mode is chosen.
    */
-  void read (const std::string &url, const std::string &filter, const std::string &branch, double timeout = 60.0, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback = 0);
+  void read (const std::string &url, const std::string &filter, const std::string &subfolder, const std::string &branch, double timeout = 60.0, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback = 0);
 
   /**
    *  @brief Downloads the collection or file with the given URL
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ public:
    *  "branch" is the remote ref to use. This can be a branch name, a tag name,
    *  a remote ref such as "refs/heads/master" or a symbolic name such as "HEAD".
    */
-  static bool download (const std::string &url, const std::string &target, const std::string &branch, double timeout = 60.0, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback = 0);
+  static bool download (const std::string &url, const std::string &target, const std::string &subfolder, const std::string &branch, double timeout = 60.0, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback = 0);
 
   /**
    *  @brief Gets a stream object for downloading the single item of the given URL
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ public:
    *  The file needs to be a top-level object.
    *  The stream object returned needs to be deleted by the caller.
    */
-  static tl::InputStream *download_item (const std::string &url, const std::string &file, const std::string &branch, double timeout = 60.0, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback = 0);
+  static tl::InputStream *download_item (const std::string &url, const std::string &file, const std::string &subfolder, const std::string &branch, double timeout = 60.0, tl::InputHttpStreamCallback *callback = 0);
 
 private:
   std::string m_local_path;
diff --git a/src/tl/unit_tests/tlGitTests.cc b/src/tl/unit_tests/tlGitTests.cc
index cd9c5fd9e..82d62dacc 100644
--- a/src/tl/unit_tests/tlGitTests.cc
+++ b/src/tl/unit_tests/tlGitTests.cc
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ TEST(1_plain)
 {
   std::string path = tl::TestBase::tmp_file ("repo");
   tl::GitObject repo (path);
-  repo.read (test_url, std::string (), std::string ());
+  repo.read (test_url, std::string (), std::string (), std::string ());
 
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, "LICENSE")), true);
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, ".gitignore")), true);
@@ -41,11 +41,24 @@ TEST(1_plain)
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, "src/macros/xsection.lym")), true);
 }
 
-TEST(2_pathspecs)
+TEST(2_subdir)
 {
   std::string path = tl::TestBase::tmp_file ("repo");
   tl::GitObject repo (path);
-  repo.read (test_url, std::string ("src/**"), std::string ());
+  repo.read (test_url, std::string (), std::string ("src"), std::string ());
+
+  EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, "LICENSE")), false);
+  EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, ".gitignore")), false);
+  EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, ".git")), false);
+  EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, "grain.xml")), true);
+  EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, "macros/xsection.lym")), true);
+}
+
+TEST(3_subdir_as_filter)
+{
+  std::string path = tl::TestBase::tmp_file ("repo");
+  tl::GitObject repo (path);
+  repo.read (test_url, std::string ("src/**"), std::string (), std::string ());
 
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, "LICENSE")), false);
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, ".gitignore")), false);
@@ -54,22 +67,11 @@ TEST(2_pathspecs)
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, "src/macros/xsection.lym")), true);
 }
 
-TEST(3_subdir)
-{
-  std::string path = tl::TestBase::tmp_file ("repo");
-  tl::GitObject repo (path);
-  repo.read (test_url + "/src", std::string (), std::string ());
-
-  EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, ".git")), false);
-  EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, "grain.xml")), true);
-  EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, "macros/xsection.lym")), true);
-}
-
 TEST(4_single_file)
 {
   std::string path = tl::TestBase::tmp_file ("repo");
   tl::GitObject repo (path);
-  repo.read (test_url, std::string ("LICENSE"), std::string ());
+  repo.read (test_url, std::string ("LICENSE"), std::string (), std::string ());
 
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, "LICENSE")), true);
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, ".gitignore")), false);
@@ -81,7 +83,7 @@ TEST(5_single_file_from_subdir)
 {
   std::string path = tl::TestBase::tmp_file ("repo");
   tl::GitObject repo (path);
-  repo.read (test_url + "/src", std::string ("grain.xml"), std::string ());
+  repo.read (test_url, std::string ("grain.xml"), std::string ("src"), std::string ());
 
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, ".git")), false);
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, "grain.xml")), true);
@@ -103,7 +105,7 @@ TEST(6_branch)
 {
   std::string path = tl::TestBase::tmp_file ("repo");
   tl::GitObject repo (path);
-  repo.read (test_url + "/src", std::string ("grain.xml"), std::string ("wip"));
+  repo.read (test_url, std::string ("grain.xml"), std::string ("src"), std::string ("wip"));
 
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, ".git")), false);
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, "grain.xml")), true);
@@ -125,7 +127,7 @@ TEST(7_tag)
 {
   std::string path = tl::TestBase::tmp_file ("repo");
   tl::GitObject repo (path);
-  repo.read (test_url + "/src", std::string ("grain.xml"), std::string ("1.2"));
+  repo.read (test_url, std::string ("grain.xml"), std::string ("src"), std::string ("1.2"));
 
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, ".git")), false);
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, "grain.xml")), true);
@@ -147,7 +149,7 @@ TEST(8_refspec)
 {
   std::string path = tl::TestBase::tmp_file ("repo");
   tl::GitObject repo (path);
-  repo.read (test_url + "/src", std::string ("grain.xml"), std::string ("refs/tags/1.5"));
+  repo.read (test_url, std::string ("grain.xml"), std::string ("src"), std::string ("refs/tags/1.5"));
 
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, ".git")), false);
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, "grain.xml")), true);
@@ -169,7 +171,7 @@ TEST(9_HEAD)
 {
   std::string path = tl::TestBase::tmp_file ("repo");
   tl::GitObject repo (path);
-  repo.read (test_url + "/src", std::string ("grain.xml"), std::string ("HEAD"));
+  repo.read (test_url, std::string ("grain.xml"), std::string ("src"), std::string ("HEAD"));
 
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, ".git")), false);
   EXPECT_EQ (tl::file_exists (tl::combine_path (path, "grain.xml")), true);
@@ -192,7 +194,7 @@ TEST(10_invalid_branch)
   std::string path = tl::TestBase::tmp_file ("repo");
   tl::GitObject repo (path);
   try {
-    repo.read (test_url, std::string (), std::string ("brxxx"));
+    repo.read (test_url, std::string (), std::string (), std::string ("brxxx"));
     EXPECT_EQ (true, false);
   } catch (tl::Exception &ex) {
     EXPECT_EQ (ex.msg (), "Git checkout - Unable to resolve reference name: brxxx");