diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 135922c881..ea6b1030cc 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 - [#8001](https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/issues/8001): Map types correctly when using a regex and one of the measurements is empty.
 - [#8040](https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/issues/8040): Reduce the expression in a subquery to avoid a panic.
 - [#7968](https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/issues/7968): Properly select a tag within a subquery.
+- [#8028](https://github.com/influxdata/influxdb/issues/8028): Fix panic in collectd when configured to read types DB from directory.
 
 ## v1.2.0 [2017-01-24]
 
diff --git a/services/collectd/service.go b/services/collectd/service.go
index 1f8175d9f1..cbfb90a0d7 100644
--- a/services/collectd/service.go
+++ b/services/collectd/service.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 package collectd // import "github.com/influxdata/influxdb/services/collectd"
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"net"
@@ -114,7 +115,10 @@ func (s *Service) Open() error {
 		if stat, err := os.Stat(s.Config.TypesDB); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("Stat(): %s", err)
 		} else if stat.IsDir() {
-			alltypesdb := new(api.TypesDB)
+			alltypesdb, err := api.NewTypesDB(&bytes.Buffer{})
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
 			var readdir func(path string)
 			readdir = func(path string) {
 				files, err := ioutil.ReadDir(path)
diff --git a/services/collectd/service_test.go b/services/collectd/service_test.go
index fd588e6446..63e4e72e38 100644
--- a/services/collectd/service_test.go
+++ b/services/collectd/service_test.go
@@ -3,8 +3,10 @@ package collectd
 import (
 	"encoding/hex"
 	"errors"
+	"io/ioutil"
 	"net"
 	"os"
+	"path"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -53,6 +55,60 @@ func TestService_OpenClose(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// Test that the service can read types DB files from a directory.
+func TestService_Open_TypesDBDir(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	// Make a temp dir to write types.db into.
+	tmpDir, err := ioutil.TempDir(os.TempDir(), "")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	defer os.RemoveAll(tmpDir)
+
+	// Write types.db.
+	if err := ioutil.WriteFile(path.Join(tmpDir, "types.db"), []byte(typesDBText), 0777); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Setup config to read all files in the temp dir.
+	c := Config{
+		BindAddress:   "127.0.0.1:0",
+		Database:      "collectd_test",
+		BatchSize:     1000,
+		BatchDuration: toml.Duration(time.Second),
+		TypesDB:       tmpDir,
+	}
+
+	s := &TestService{
+		Config:     c,
+		Service:    NewService(c),
+		MetaClient: &internal.MetaClientMock{},
+	}
+
+	if testing.Verbose() {
+		s.Service.WithLogger(zap.New(
+			zap.NewTextEncoder(),
+			zap.Output(os.Stderr),
+		))
+	}
+
+	s.MetaClient.CreateDatabaseFn = func(name string) (*meta.DatabaseInfo, error) {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+
+	s.Service.PointsWriter = s
+	s.Service.MetaClient = s.MetaClient
+
+	if err := s.Service.Open(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	if err := s.Service.Close(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+}
+
 // Test that the service checks / creates the target database every time we
 // try to write points.
 func TestService_CreatesDatabase(t *testing.T) {