diff --git a/include/haproxy/http_client-t.h b/include/haproxy/http_client-t.h
index 611d56829..df25de397 100644
--- a/include/haproxy/http_client-t.h
+++ b/include/haproxy/http_client-t.h
@@ -30,7 +30,12 @@ struct httpclient {
 	unsigned int flags;                   /* other flags */
 };
 
-#define    HTTPCLIENT_F_ENDED        0x00000001
+/* Action (FA) to do */
+#define    HTTPCLIENT_FA_STOP         0x00000001   /* stops the httpclient at the next IO handler call */
+#define    HTTPCLIENT_FA_AUTOKILL     0x00000002   /* sets the applet to destroy the httpclient struct itself */
+
+/* status (FS) */
+#define    HTTPCLIENT_FS_ENDED        0x00010000 /* the httpclient is stopped */
 
 /* States of the HTTP Client Appctx */
 enum {
diff --git a/include/haproxy/http_client.h b/include/haproxy/http_client.h
index e4f6fb04c..c0d544781 100644
--- a/include/haproxy/http_client.h
+++ b/include/haproxy/http_client.h
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 #include <haproxy/http_client-t.h>
 
 void httpclient_destroy(struct httpclient *hc);
+void httpclient_stop_and_destroy(struct httpclient *hc);
 struct httpclient *httpclient_new(void *caller, enum http_meth_t meth, struct ist url);
 
 struct appctx *httpclient_start(struct httpclient *hc);
@@ -20,7 +21,7 @@ static inline int httpclient_data(struct httpclient *hc)
 /* Return 1 if the httpclient ended and won't receive any new data */
 static inline int httpclient_ended(struct httpclient *hc)
 {
-	return !!(hc->flags & HTTPCLIENT_F_ENDED);
+	return !!(hc->flags & HTTPCLIENT_FS_ENDED);
 }
 
 #endif /* ! _HAPROXY_HTTCLIENT_H */
diff --git a/src/http_client.c b/src/http_client.c
index 3ea86c21e..6055a01cc 100644
--- a/src/http_client.c
+++ b/src/http_client.c
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ static void hc_cli_release(struct appctx *appctx)
 	struct httpclient *hc = appctx->ctx.cli.p0;
 
 	/* Everything possible was printed on the CLI, we can destroy the client */
-	httpclient_destroy(hc);
+	httpclient_stop_and_destroy(hc);
 
 	return;
 }
@@ -407,6 +407,27 @@ out:
 	return NULL;
 }
 
+/*
+ * This function tries to destroy the httpclient if it wasn't running.
+ * If it was running, stop the client and ask it to autodestroy itself.
+ *
+ * Once this fonction is used, all pointer sto the client must be removed
+ *
+ */
+void httpclient_stop_and_destroy(struct httpclient *hc)
+{
+
+	/* The httpclient was already stopped, we can safely destroy it */
+	if (hc->flags & HTTPCLIENT_FS_ENDED) {
+		httpclient_destroy(hc);
+	} else {
+	/* if the client wasn't stopped, ask for a stop and destroy */
+		hc->flags |= (HTTPCLIENT_FA_AUTOKILL | HTTPCLIENT_FA_STOP);
+		if (hc->appctx)
+			appctx_wakeup(hc->appctx);
+	}
+}
+
 /* Free the httpclient */
 void httpclient_destroy(struct httpclient *hc)
 {
@@ -415,6 +436,10 @@ void httpclient_destroy(struct httpclient *hc)
 
 	if (!hc)
 		return;
+
+	/* we should never destroy a client which was not stopped */
+	BUG_ON(!httpclient_ended(hc));
+
 	/* request */
 	istfree(&hc->req.url);
 	b_free(&hc->req.buf);
@@ -480,6 +505,11 @@ static void httpclient_applet_io_handler(struct appctx *appctx)
 
 
 	while (1) {
+
+		/* required to stop */
+		if (hc->flags & HTTPCLIENT_FA_STOP)
+			goto end;
+
 		switch(appctx->st0) {
 
 			case HTTPCLIENT_S_REQ:
@@ -667,11 +697,17 @@ static void httpclient_applet_release(struct appctx *appctx)
 	struct httpclient *hc = appctx->ctx.httpclient.ptr;
 
 	/* mark the httpclient as ended */
-	hc->flags |= HTTPCLIENT_F_ENDED;
+	hc->flags |= HTTPCLIENT_FS_ENDED;
 	/* the applet is leaving, remove the ptr so we don't try to call it
 	 * again from the caller */
 	hc->appctx = NULL;
 
+
+	/* destroy the httpclient when set to autotokill */
+	if (hc->flags & HTTPCLIENT_FA_AUTOKILL) {
+		httpclient_destroy(hc);
+	}
+
 	return;
 }