diff --git a/apply_issue.py b/apply_issue.py
index d79ee7b88c..3d606466e7 100755
--- a/apply_issue.py
+++ b/apply_issue.py
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ def main():
   parser.add_option(
       '-e',
       '--email',
-      help='Email address for authenticating with Rietveld')
+      help='IGNORED: Kept for compatibility.')
   parser.add_option(
       '-i', '--issue', type='int', help='Rietveld issue number')
   parser.add_option(
@@ -56,15 +56,16 @@ def main():
   if not options.server:
     parser.error('Require a valid server')
 
-  # TODO(rogerta): Remove me, it's ugly.
-  if options.email == '=':
-    options.email = ''
-
-  obj = rietveld.Rietveld(options.server, options.email, None)
+  obj = rietveld.Rietveld(options.server, '', None)
+  try:
+    properties = obj.get_issue_properties(options.issue, False)
+  except rietveld.upload.ClientLoginError:
+    # Requires login.
+    obj = rietveld.Rietveld(options.server, None, None)
+    properties = obj.get_issue_properties(options.issue, False)
 
   if not options.patchset:
-    options.patchset = obj.get_issue_properties(
-        options.issue, False)['patchsets'][-1]
+    options.patchset = properties['patchsets'][-1]
     print('No patchset specified. Using patchset %d' % options.patchset)
 
   print('Downloading the patch.')
diff --git a/rietveld.py b/rietveld.py
index 8f95a5db2f..fd00e93ab0 100644
--- a/rietveld.py
+++ b/rietveld.py
@@ -46,12 +46,11 @@ class Rietveld(object):
             get_creds,
             extra_headers=extra_headers or {})
     else:
-      self.rpc_server = upload.GetRpcServer(url, email)
-      # If email is given as an empty string, then assume we want to make
-      # requests that do not need authentication.  Bypass authentication by
-      # setting the flag to True.
       if email == '':
-        self.rpc_server.authenticated = True
+        get_creds = lambda: (email, None)
+        self.rpc_server = upload.HttpRpcServer(url, get_creds)
+      else:
+        self.rpc_server = upload.GetRpcServer(url, email)
 
     self._xsrf_token = None
     self._xsrf_token_time = None
diff --git a/third_party/upload.py b/third_party/upload.py
index 11849fd67d..581ab4d8c4 100755
--- a/third_party/upload.py
+++ b/third_party/upload.py
@@ -165,7 +165,6 @@ class ClientLoginError(urllib2.HTTPError):
   def __init__(self, url, code, msg, headers, args):
     urllib2.HTTPError.__init__(self, url, code, msg, headers, None)
     self.args = args
-    self.reason = args["Error"]
     self.info = args.get("Info", None)