diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index ff0843c2..6aca5c4a 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -74,9 +74,10 @@ Legend:
 
 3. Beta
 
- - improve url support, it's a little dumb at the moment
-   - devise a File class that works with URLs
-   - consider adding "other" protocols
+ / improve url support, it's a little dumb at the moment
+   + devise a File class that works with URLs
+   + add URL support to autoxml
+   ? consider adding "other" protocols
      - removable media: media://
 
  + info cmd: reverse dependencies of a package
diff --git a/pisi/pxml/autoxml.py b/pisi/pxml/autoxml.py
index 71b8ea18..523eb986 100644
--- a/pisi/pxml/autoxml.py
+++ b/pisi/pxml/autoxml.py
@@ -397,9 +397,9 @@ class autoxml(oo.autosuper, oo.autoprop):
             cls.__ne__ = notequal            
             
         if xmlfile_support:
-            def read(self, filename, keepDoc = False):
+            def read(self, uri, keepDoc = False, tmpDir = '/tmp'):
                 "read XML file and decode it into a python object"
-                self.readxml(filename)
+                self.readxml(uri, tmpDir)
                 errs = []
                 self.decode(self.rootNode(), errs)
                 if hasattr(self, 'read_hook'):
@@ -416,7 +416,7 @@ class autoxml(oo.autosuper, oo.autoprop):
                     errs.append(_("autoxml.read: File '%s' has errors") % filename)
                     raise Error(*errs)
                     
-            def write(self, filename, keepDoc = False):
+            def write(self, uri, keepDoc = False, tmpDir = '/tmp'):
                 "encode the contents of the python object into an XML file"
                 errs = self.errors()
                 if errs:
@@ -430,7 +430,7 @@ class autoxml(oo.autosuper, oo.autoprop):
                 if errs:
                     errs.append(_("autoxml.write: File encoding '%s' has errors") % filename)
                     raise Error(*errs)
-                self.writexml(filename)
+                self.writexml(uri, tmpDir)
                 if not keepDoc:
                     self.unlink() # get rid of the tree
             
diff --git a/pisi/pxml/xmlext.py b/pisi/pxml/xmlext.py
index ea7dbdeb..07484ca4 100644
--- a/pisi/pxml/xmlext.py
+++ b/pisi/pxml/xmlext.py
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ except:
     try:
         from xmlextcdom import  *
     except:
+        raise Error('cannot find 4suite implementation')
         print 'xmlext: cDomlette/piksemel implementation cannot be loaded, falling back to minidom'
         from xmlextmdom import *
 
diff --git a/pisi/pxml/xmlfile.py b/pisi/pxml/xmlfile.py
index 529018c9..c8cfe6c6 100644
--- a/pisi/pxml/xmlfile.py
+++ b/pisi/pxml/xmlfile.py
@@ -18,5 +18,6 @@ except:
     try:
         from xmlfilecdom import *
     except:
+        raise Error('cannot find 4suite implementation')
         print 'xmlext: cDomlette/piksemel implementation cannot be loaded, falling back to minidom'
         from xmlfilemdom import *
diff --git a/pisi/pxml/xmlfilecdom.py b/pisi/pxml/xmlfilecdom.py
index 8805534d..41c28a97 100644
--- a/pisi/pxml/xmlfilecdom.py
+++ b/pisi/pxml/xmlfilecdom.py
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ XML_NS = unicode(XML_NAMESPACE)
 
 import pisi
 from pisi.pxml.xmlextcdom import *
+from pisi.file import File
+from pisi.util import join_path as join
 
 class Error(pisi.Error):
     pass
@@ -66,16 +68,18 @@ class XmlFile(object):
         """returns root document element"""
         return self.doc.documentElement
 
-    def readxml(self, path):
+    def readxml(self, uri, tmpDir = '/tmp'):
+        uri = File.make_uri(uri)
+        localpath = File.download(uri, tmpDir)
         try:
-            self.doc = ParsePath(path)
+            self.doc = ParsePath(localpath)
             return self.doc.documentElement
         except Ft.FtException, e:
             raise Error(_("File '%s' has invalid XML: %s") % (path, str(e)) )
         except exceptions.ValueError, e:
             raise Error(_("File '%s' not found") % path )
 
-    def writexml(self, path):
+    def writexml(self, uri, tmpDir = '/tmp'):
         f = file(path, 'w')
         PrettyPrint(self.rootNode(), stream = f)
         f.close()