diff --git a/entries/from_url.py b/entries/from_url.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b19475f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/entries/from_url.py
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+from urllib.parse import urlparse
+
+from django.contrib.sites.models import Site
+from django.http import HttpResponse
+from django.urls import resolve, Resolver404
+from micropub.views import error
+from lemoncurry.middleware import ResponseException
+
+from .models import Entry
+
+
+def from_url(url: str) -> Entry:
+    domain = Site.objects.get_current().domain
+    if not url:
+        raise ResponseException(error.bad_req('url parameter required'))
+    if '//' not in url:
+        url = '//' + url
+    parts = urlparse(url, scheme='https')
+    if parts.scheme not in ('http', 'https') or parts.netloc != domain:
+        raise ResponseException(error.bad_req('url does not point to this site'))
+
+    try:
+        match = resolve(parts.path)
+    except Resolver404:
+        raise ResponseException(error.bad_req('url does not point to a valid page on this site'))
+
+    if match.view_name != 'entries:entry':
+        raise ResponseException(error.bad_req('url does not point to an entry on this site'))
+
+    try:
+        entry = Entry.objects.get(pk=match.kwargs['id'])
+    except Entry.DoesNotExist:
+        raise ResponseException(error.bad_req('url does not point to an existing entry'))
+
+    return entry
diff --git a/lemoncurry/middleware.py b/lemoncurry/middleware.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..02221bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lemoncurry/middleware.py
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+from django.http import HttpRequest, HttpResponse
+from django.utils.deprecation import MiddlewareMixin
+
+
+class ResponseException(Exception):
+    def __init__(self, response: HttpResponse) -> None:
+        self.response = response
+
+
+class ResponseExceptionMiddleware(MiddlewareMixin):
+    def process_exception(self, request: HttpRequest, exception: Exception) -> HttpResponse:
+        if isinstance(exception, ResponseException):
+            return exception.response
+        raise exception
diff --git a/lemoncurry/settings/base.py b/lemoncurry/settings/base.py
index 38ccee7..efc25ae 100644
--- a/lemoncurry/settings/base.py
+++ b/lemoncurry/settings/base.py
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ MIDDLEWARE = [
     'django.contrib.messages.middleware.MessageMiddleware',
     'django.contrib.sites.middleware.CurrentSiteMiddleware',
     'django.middleware.clickjacking.XFrameOptionsMiddleware',
+    'lemoncurry.middleware.ResponseExceptionMiddleware',
 ]
 
 ROOT_URLCONF = 'lemoncurry.urls'
diff --git a/micropub/views/delete.py b/micropub/views/delete.py
index 5daa696..4fc1f3e 100644
--- a/micropub/views/delete.py
+++ b/micropub/views/delete.py
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 from django.http import HttpResponse
-from django.urls import resolve, Resolver404
-from urllib.parse import urlparse
 from ronkyuu import webmention
 
+from entries.from_url import from_url
 from entries.jobs import ping_hub, send_mentions
-from entries.models import Entry
 
 from . import error
 
@@ -18,27 +16,7 @@ def delete(request):
     if request.content_type not in normalise:
         return error.unsupported_type(request.content_type)
     url = normalise[request.content_type](request)
-    if not url:
-        return error.bad_req('url parameter required')
-
-    if '//' not in url:
-        url = '//' + url
-    url = urlparse(url, scheme='https')
-
-    if url.scheme not in ('http', 'https') or url.netloc != request.site.domain:
-        return error.bad_req('url does not point to this site')
-    try:
-        match = resolve(url.path)
-    except Resolver404:
-        return error.bad_req('url does not point to a valid page on this site')
-
-    if match.view_name != 'entries:entry':
-        return error.bad_req('url does not point to an entry on this site')
-
-    try:
-        entry = Entry.objects.get(pk=match.kwargs['id'])
-    except Entry.DoesNotExist:
-        return error.bad_req('url does not point to an existing entry')
+    entry = from_url(url)
 
     if entry.author != request.token.user:
         return error.forbid('entry belongs to another user')