diff --git a/chell_test.go b/chell_test.go
index 7aa1911..2615ec7 100644
--- a/chell_test.go
+++ b/chell_test.go
@@ -118,8 +118,24 @@ func TestDumpOneFilterOnlyFields(t *testing.T) {
 	err = Dump(&taskSchema3, &task, Only("title", "simple_user"), FieldAliasMapTagName("json"))
 	assert.Nil(t, err)
 
-	data, _ = json.Marshal(taskSchema)
+	data, _ = json.Marshal(taskSchema3)
 	assert.Equal(t, `{"title":"Finish your jobs.","simple_user":{"name":"user:1"},"unknown":""}`, string(data))
+
+	// nil pointer
+	var taskSchema4 *TaskSchema
+	err = Dump(&taskSchema4, &task, Only("title", "simple_user"), FieldAliasMapTagName("json"))
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+
+	data, _ = json.Marshal(taskSchema4)
+	assert.Equal(t, `{"title":"Finish your jobs.","simple_user":{"name":"user:1"},"unknown":""}`, string(data))
+
+	// non-nil pointer to schema
+	var taskSchema5 = &TaskSchema{Unknown: "unknown"}
+	err = Dump(&taskSchema5, &task, Only("title", "simple_user"), FieldAliasMapTagName("json"))
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+
+	data, _ = json.Marshal(taskSchema5)
+	assert.Equal(t, `{"title":"Finish your jobs.","simple_user":{"name":"user:1"},"unknown":"unknown"}`, string(data))
 }
 
 func TestDumpOneExcludeFields(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/schema.go b/schema.go
index 75d07f1..37abb7d 100644
--- a/schema.go
+++ b/schema.go
@@ -31,12 +31,16 @@ func newSchema(v interface{}) *schema {
 	case reflect.Ptr:
 		// var schema *SchemaStruct
 		// ptr := &schema
-		typ, err := innerStructType(rv.Type())
-		if err != nil {
-			panic(fmt.Errorf("cannot get schema struct: %s", err))
+		if rv.Elem().IsNil() {
+			typ, err := innerStructType(rv.Type())
+			if err != nil {
+				panic(fmt.Errorf("cannot get schema struct: %s", err))
+			}
+			schemaValue = reflect.New(typ).Elem()
+			rv.Elem().Set(schemaValue.Addr())
+		} else {
+			schemaValue = rv.Elem().Elem()
 		}
-		schemaValue = reflect.New(typ).Elem()
-		rv.Elem().Set(schemaValue.Addr())
 	default:
 		panic("expect a pointer to struct")
 	}