diff --git a/querydsl-apt/src/main/java/com/mysema/query/apt/APTFactory.java b/querydsl-apt/src/main/java/com/mysema/query/apt/APTFactory.java
index a823ee9e2..86f1b23ae 100644
--- a/querydsl-apt/src/main/java/com/mysema/query/apt/APTFactory.java
+++ b/querydsl-apt/src/main/java/com/mysema/query/apt/APTFactory.java
@@ -48,7 +48,15 @@ public class APTFactory implements AnnotationProcessorFactory {
             Set<AnnotationTypeDeclaration> atds,
             AnnotationProcessorEnvironment env) {
         try {
-            return new GeneralProcessor(env, jpaSuperClass, jpaEntity, qdDto, jpaEmbeddable);
+            try {
+                // try JPA first
+                Class.forName(jpaSuperClass);
+                return new GeneralProcessor(env, jpaSuperClass, jpaEntity, qdDto, jpaEmbeddable);
+            } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
+                // try Querydsl specific next
+                return new GeneralProcessor(env, null, qdEntity, qdDto, null);
+            }            
+            
         } catch (IOException e) {
             String error = "Caught " + e.getClass().getName();
             throw new RuntimeException(error, e);
diff --git a/querydsl-apt/src/main/java/com/mysema/query/apt/general/GeneralProcessor.java b/querydsl-apt/src/main/java/com/mysema/query/apt/general/GeneralProcessor.java
index 7b34ae1f2..39c1846c9 100644
--- a/querydsl-apt/src/main/java/com/mysema/query/apt/general/GeneralProcessor.java
+++ b/querydsl-apt/src/main/java/com/mysema/query/apt/general/GeneralProcessor.java
@@ -78,12 +78,17 @@ public class GeneralProcessor implements AnnotationProcessor {
         EntityVisitor superclassVisitor = new EntityVisitor();
 
         // mapped superclass
-        AnnotationTypeDeclaration a = (AnnotationTypeDeclaration) env
-                .getTypeDeclaration(superClassAnnotation);
-        for (Declaration typeDecl : env.getDeclarationsAnnotatedWith(a)) {
-            typeDecl.accept(getDeclarationScanner(superclassVisitor, NO_OP));
-        }
-        Map<String, Type> mappedSupertypes = superclassVisitor.types;
+        AnnotationTypeDeclaration a;
+        Map<String, Type> mappedSupertypes;
+        if (superClassAnnotation != null){
+            a = (AnnotationTypeDeclaration) env.getTypeDeclaration(superClassAnnotation);
+            for (Declaration typeDecl : env.getDeclarationsAnnotatedWith(a)) {
+                typeDecl.accept(getDeclarationScanner(superclassVisitor, NO_OP));
+            }
+            mappedSupertypes = superclassVisitor.types;    
+        }else{
+            mappedSupertypes = new HashMap<String,Type>();
+        }        
 
         // domain types
         EntityVisitor entityVisitor = new EntityVisitor();