diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/maven/Http.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/maven/Http.kt
index 237f41f2..81b6acf7 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/maven/Http.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/maven/Http.kt
@@ -41,14 +41,6 @@ public class Http {
         return get(null, null, url)
     }
 
-    private fun builder(user: String?, password: String?) : Request.Builder {
-        val result = Request.Builder()
-        user?.let {
-            result.header("Authorization", Credentials.basic(user, password))
-        }
-        return result
-    }
-
     fun percentProgressCallback(totalSize: Long) : (Long) -> Unit {
         return { num: Long ->
             val progress = num * 100 / totalSize
@@ -61,6 +53,7 @@ public class Http {
     }
 
     public fun uploadFile(user: String? = null, password: String? = null, url: String, file: TypedFile,
+            post: Boolean,
             progressCallback: (Long) -> Unit = {},
             headers: Headers = Headers.of(),
             success: (Response) -> Unit = {},
@@ -70,11 +63,19 @@ public class Http {
         fullHeaders.set("Content-Type", file.mimeType())
         headers.names().forEach { fullHeaders.set(it, headers.get(it)) }
 
-        val request = builder(user, password)
+        user?.let {
+            fullHeaders.set("Authorization", Credentials.basic(user, password))
+        }
+
+        val requestBuilder = Request.Builder()
                 .headers(fullHeaders.build())
                 .url(url)
-                .post(CountingFileRequestBody(file.file(), file.mimeType(), progressCallback))
-                .build()
+        val request =
+            (if (post)
+                requestBuilder.post(CountingFileRequestBody(file.file(), file.mimeType(), progressCallback))
+            else
+                requestBuilder.put(CountingFileRequestBody(file.file(), file.mimeType(), progressCallback)))
+            .build()
 
         log(2, "Uploading $file to $url")
         val response = OkHttpClient().newCall(request).execute()
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/misc/GithubApi.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/misc/GithubApi.kt
index f9570364..4955de1c 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/misc/GithubApi.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/misc/GithubApi.kt
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ public class GithubApi @Inject constructor(val executors: KobaltExecutors,
         val url = "$strippedUrl?name=$fileName&label=$fileName"
         val headers = Headers.of("Authorization", "token $token")
         val totalSize = typedFile.file().length()
-        http.uploadFile(url = url, file = typedFile, headers = headers,
+        http.uploadFile(url = url, file = typedFile, headers = headers, post = true, // Github requires POST
                 progressCallback = http.percentProgressCallback(totalSize))
 
         return Observable.just(UploadAssetResponse(tagName, tagName))
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/publish/JCenterApi.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/publish/JCenterApi.kt
index 9e7077ef..e2920ff5 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/publish/JCenterApi.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/publish/JCenterApi.kt
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 package com.beust.kobalt.plugin.publish
 
 import com.beust.kobalt.KobaltException
-import com.beust.kobalt.api.Project
 import com.beust.kobalt.TaskResult
+import com.beust.kobalt.api.Project
 import com.beust.kobalt.maven.Gpg
 import com.beust.kobalt.maven.Http
 import com.beust.kobalt.maven.Md5
@@ -31,8 +31,13 @@ open public class UnauthenticatedJCenterApi @Inject constructor(open val http: H
         const val BINTRAY_URL_API_CONTENT = BINTRAY_URL_API + "/content"
     }
 
-    fun parseResponse(response: String) : JsonObject {
-        return JsonParser().parse(response).asJsonObject
+    fun parseResponse(response: String, networkResponse: String?) : JsonObject {
+        if (networkResponse != null && ! networkResponse.isBlank()) {
+            val jo = JsonParser().parse(response).asJsonObject
+            return jo
+        } else {
+            return JsonParser().parse(response).asJsonObject
+        }
 //        return Parser().parse(ByteArrayInputStream(response.toByteArray(Charset.defaultCharset()))) as JsonObject
     }
 
@@ -57,8 +62,11 @@ public class JCenterApi @Inject constructor (@Nullable @Assisted("username") val
         val url = arrayListOf(UnauthenticatedJCenterApi.BINTRAY_URL_API, "packages", username!!, "maven", packageName)
                 .joinToString("/")
         val response = http.get(username, password, url).getAsString()
-        val jo = parseResponse(response)
+        val jo = parseResponse(response, null)
 
+        jo.get("message")?.let {
+            throw KobaltException("Error from JCenter: $it")
+        }
         return jo.get("name").asString == packageName
     }
 
@@ -151,10 +159,11 @@ public class JCenterApi @Inject constructor (@Nullable @Assisted("username") val
             filesToUpload.forEach { file ->
                 http.uploadFile(username, password, fileToPath(file) + optionPath,
                         TypedFile(MediaType.ANY_APPLICATION_TYPE.toString(), file),
+                        post = false, // JCenter requires PUT
                         success = { r: Response -> results.add(true) },
                         error = { r: Response ->
                             results.add(false)
-                            val jo = parseResponse(r.body().string())
+                            val jo = parseResponse(r.body().string(), r.networkResponse().body().string())
                             errorMessages.add(jo.get("message").asString ?: "No message found")
                         })
                 val end = if (i >= fileCount) "\n" else ""