diff -r e2d2354807f3 -r fef8f0742da9 src/luan/modules/http/Implementation.luan
--- a/src/luan/modules/http/Implementation.luan	Tue Feb 06 21:25:55 2018 -0700
+++ b/src/luan/modules/http/Implementation.luan	Tue Feb 06 22:04:47 2018 -0700
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 return {
---	luan = "luan:http/jetty/"
-	luan = "luan:http/impl/"
+	luan = "luan:http/jetty/"
+--	luan = "luan:http/impl/"
 }

diff -r e2d2354807f3 -r fef8f0742da9 src/luan/modules/http/impl/Http.luan
--- a/src/luan/modules/http/impl/Http.luan	Tue Feb 06 21:25:55 2018 -0700
+++ b/src/luan/modules/http/impl/Http.luan	Tue Feb 06 22:04:47 2018 -0700
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 java()
 local Luan = require "luan:Luan.luan"
 local error = Luan.error
+local assert_string = Luan.assert_string or error()
 local ipairs = Luan.ipairs or error()
 local pairs = Luan.pairs or error()
 local type = Luan.type or error()
@@ -15,8 +16,11 @@
 local HttpServicer = require "java:luan.modules.http.impl.HttpServicer"
 local IoLuan = require "java:luan.modules.IoLuan"
 local LuanJava = require "java:luan.Luan"
+local Response = require "java:luan.webserver.Response"
 local ResponseOutputStream = require "java:luan.webserver.ResponseOutputStream"
+local Status = require "java:luan.webserver.Status"
 local OutputStreamWriter = require "java:java.io.OutputStreamWriter"
+local HashMap = require "java:java.util.HashMap"
 
 
 local Http = {}
@@ -60,22 +64,27 @@
 }
 Http.STATUS = STATUS
 
-function Http.new_response(java)
-	java or error()
+function Http.new_response()
 	local this = {}
 	Http.response = this
-	this.java = java
 
-	this.headers = {}
+	function this.reset()
+		this.java = Response.new()
+		this.headers = {}
+		this.status = STATUS.OK
+		this.writer = nil
+	end
 
-	this.status = STATUS.OK
+	this.reset()
 
 	function this.send_redirect(location)
+		this.reset()
 		this.status = STATUS.FOUND
 		this.headers["location"] = location
 	end
 
 	function this.send_error(status,msg)
+		this.reset()
 		this.status = status
 		if msg ~= nil then
 			this.headers["content-type"] = "text/plain"
@@ -85,7 +94,14 @@
 	end
 
 	function this.set_cookie(name,value,attributes)
-		HttpServicer.setCookie(this.java,name,value,attributes)
+		attributes = attributes or {}
+		local attrMap = HashMap.new()
+		for attr_name, attr_value in pairs(attributes) do
+			assert_string(attr_name)
+			assert_string(attr_value)
+			attrMap.put(attr_name,attr_value)
+		end
+		this.java.setCookie(name,value,attrMap)
 	end
 
 	function this.set_persistent_cookie(name,value,attributes)
@@ -101,12 +117,14 @@
 	end
 
 	function this.text_writer()
+		this.writer and "writer already set"
 		this.writer = ResponseOutputStream.new(this.java)
 		this.writer = OutputStreamWriter.new(this.writer)
 		return IoLuan.textWriter(this.writer)
 	end
 
 	function this.binary_writer()
+		this.writer and "writer already set"
 		this.writer = ResponseOutputStream.new(this.java)
 		return IoLuan.binaryWriter(this.writer)
 	end
@@ -114,6 +132,19 @@
 	return this
 end
 
+function Http.finish()  -- called only from java
+	local response = Http.response or error()
+	local java = response.java or error()
+	java.status = Status.getStatus(response.status)
+	for name, value in pairs(response.headers) do
+		assert_string(name)
+		value = LuanJava.toJava(value)
+		java.headers.put(name,value)
+	end
+	response.writer and response.writer.close()
+	return java
+end
+
 
 function Http.uncache_site()
 	for k in pairs(Table.copy(Package.loaded)) do

diff -r e2d2354807f3 -r fef8f0742da9 src/luan/modules/http/impl/HttpServicer.java
--- a/src/luan/modules/http/impl/HttpServicer.java	Tue Feb 06 21:25:55 2018 -0700
+++ b/src/luan/modules/http/impl/HttpServicer.java	Tue Feb 06 22:04:47 2018 -0700
@@ -1,15 +1,9 @@
 package luan.modules.http.impl;
 
-import java.io.Closeable;
-import java.io.IOException;
-import java.util.Map;
-import java.util.HashMap;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 import luan.webserver.Request;
 import luan.webserver.Response;
-import luan.webserver.Status;
-import luan.Luan;
 import luan.LuanState;
 import luan.LuanFunction;
 import luan.LuanException;
@@ -48,51 +42,14 @@
 		newRequestFn.call( luan, new Object[]{request} );
 
 		// response
-		Response response = new Response();
 		LuanFunction newResponseFn = (LuanFunction)module.rawGet("new_response");
-		LuanTable responseTbl = (LuanTable)newResponseFn.call( luan, new Object[]{response} );
+		newResponseFn.call(luan);
 
 		fn.call(luan);
 
-		response.status = Status.getStatus( Luan.asInteger(responseTbl.rawGet("status")) );
-		LuanTable headersTbl = (LuanTable)responseTbl.rawGet("headers");
-		if( !headersTbl.rawIsEmpty() ) {
-			Map headers = (Map)Luan.toJava(headersTbl);
-			for( Object obj : headers.entrySet() ) {
-				Map.Entry entry = (Map.Entry)obj;
-				String name = (String)entry.getKey();
-				Object value = entry.getValue();
-				response.headers.put(name,value);
-			}
-		}
-		Closeable writer = (Closeable)responseTbl.rawGet("writer");
-		if( writer != null ) {
-			try {
-				((Closeable)writer).close();
-			} catch(IOException e) {
-				throw new RuntimeException(e);
-			}
-		}
-
+		LuanFunction finishFn = (LuanFunction)module.rawGet("finish");
+		Response response = (Response)finishFn.call(luan);
 		return response;
 	}
 
-	public static void setCookie(LuanState luan,Response response,String name,String value,LuanTable attributesTbl)
-		throws LuanException
-	{
-		Map<String,String> attributes = new HashMap<String,String>();
-		if( attributesTbl != null ) {
-			for( Map.Entry entry : attributesTbl.iterable(luan) ) {
-				String key = (String)entry.getKey();
-				if( !(key instanceof String) )
-					throw new LuanException("cookie attribute name must be string");
-				String val = (String)entry.getValue();
-				if( !(val instanceof String) )
-					throw new LuanException("cookie attribute value must be string");
-				attributes.put(key,val);
-			}
-		}
-		response.setCookie(name,value,attributes);
-	}
-
 }