diff --git a/api/api.go b/api/api.go
index 3951ed13d63..95fcd734425 100644
--- a/api/api.go
+++ b/api/api.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"compress/gzip"
 	"crypto/tls"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"net"
@@ -930,8 +931,16 @@ func parseWriteMeta(resp *http.Response, q *WriteMeta) error {
 
 // decodeBody is used to JSON decode a body
 func decodeBody(resp *http.Response, out interface{}) error {
-	dec := json.NewDecoder(resp.Body)
-	return dec.Decode(out)
+	switch resp.ContentLength {
+	case 0:
+		if out == nil {
+			return nil
+		}
+		return errors.New("Got 0 byte response with non-nil decode object")
+	default:
+		dec := json.NewDecoder(resp.Body)
+		return dec.Decode(out)
+	}
 }
 
 // encodeBody is used to encode a request body
diff --git a/api/nodes.go b/api/nodes.go
index 4a264eb4d33..7072dadc3f7 100644
--- a/api/nodes.go
+++ b/api/nodes.go
@@ -413,17 +413,15 @@ func (n *Nodes) Stats(nodeID string, q *QueryOptions) (*HostStats, error) {
 }
 
 func (n *Nodes) GC(nodeID string, q *QueryOptions) error {
-	var resp struct{}
 	path := fmt.Sprintf("/v1/client/gc?node_id=%s", nodeID)
-	_, err := n.client.query(path, &resp, q)
+	_, err := n.client.query(path, nil, q)
 	return err
 }
 
 // TODO Add tests
 func (n *Nodes) GcAlloc(allocID string, q *QueryOptions) error {
-	var resp struct{}
 	path := fmt.Sprintf("/v1/client/allocation/%s/gc", allocID)
-	_, err := n.client.query(path, &resp, q)
+	_, err := n.client.query(path, nil, q)
 	return err
 }