diff --git a/swiftclient/service.py b/swiftclient/service.py
index dddb7db6..df1ffb3e 100644
--- a/swiftclient/service.py
+++ b/swiftclient/service.py
@@ -1012,7 +1012,8 @@ class SwiftService(object):
                 try:
                     no_file = options['no_download']
                     content_type = headers.get('content-type')
-                    if content_type.split(';', 1)[0] == 'text/directory':
+                    if (content_type and
+                       content_type.split(';', 1)[0] == 'text/directory'):
                         make_dir = not no_file and out_file != "-"
                         if make_dir and not isdir(path):
                             mkdirs(path)
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_shell.py b/tests/unit/test_shell.py
index 34c1e767..65132639 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_shell.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_shell.py
@@ -326,6 +326,34 @@ class TestShell(unittest.TestCase):
                 response_dict={})
             mock_open.assert_called_with('object', 'wb')
 
+    @mock.patch('swiftclient.service.Connection')
+    def test_download_no_content_type(self, connection):
+        connection.return_value.get_object.return_value = [
+            {'etag': 'd41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e'},
+            '']
+
+        # Test downloading whole container
+        connection.return_value.get_container.side_effect = [
+            [None, [{'name': 'object'}]],
+            [None, [{'name': 'pseudo/'}]],
+            [None, []],
+        ]
+        connection.return_value.auth_end_time = 0
+        connection.return_value.attempts = 0
+
+        with mock.patch(BUILTIN_OPEN) as mock_open:
+            argv = ["", "download", "container"]
+            swiftclient.shell.main(argv)
+            calls = [mock.call('container', 'object',
+                               headers={}, resp_chunk_size=65536,
+                               response_dict={}),
+                     mock.call('container', 'pseudo/',
+                               headers={}, resp_chunk_size=65536,
+                               response_dict={})]
+            connection.return_value.get_object.assert_has_calls(
+                calls, any_order=True)
+            mock_open.assert_called_once_with('object', 'wb')
+
     @mock.patch('swiftclient.shell.walk')
     @mock.patch('swiftclient.service.Connection')
     def test_upload(self, connection, walk):