diff --git a/src/net/http/transport.go b/src/net/http/transport.go
index 5fe3e6ebb49..e41b20a15ba 100644
--- a/src/net/http/transport.go
+++ b/src/net/http/transport.go
@@ -606,6 +606,9 @@ func (t *Transport) roundTrip(req *Request) (*Response, error) {
 		} else if !pconn.shouldRetryRequest(req, err) {
 			// Issue 16465: return underlying net.Conn.Read error from peek,
 			// as we've historically done.
+			if e, ok := err.(nothingWrittenError); ok {
+				err = e.error
+			}
 			if e, ok := err.(transportReadFromServerError); ok {
 				err = e.err
 			}
@@ -2032,6 +2035,9 @@ func (pc *persistConn) mapRoundTripError(req *transportRequest, startBytesWritte
 	}
 
 	if _, ok := err.(transportReadFromServerError); ok {
+		if pc.nwrite == startBytesWritten {
+			return nothingWrittenError{err}
+		}
 		// Don't decorate
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/src/net/http/transport_internal_test.go b/src/net/http/transport_internal_test.go
index 1cce27235df..2ed637e9f03 100644
--- a/src/net/http/transport_internal_test.go
+++ b/src/net/http/transport_internal_test.go
@@ -52,8 +52,8 @@ func TestTransportPersistConnReadLoopEOF(t *testing.T) {
 	conn.Close() // simulate the server hanging up on the client
 
 	_, err = pc.roundTrip(treq)
-	if !isTransportReadFromServerError(err) && err != errServerClosedIdle {
-		t.Errorf("roundTrip = %#v, %v; want errServerClosedIdle or transportReadFromServerError", err, err)
+	if !isNothingWrittenError(err) && !isTransportReadFromServerError(err) && err != errServerClosedIdle {
+		t.Errorf("roundTrip = %#v, %v; want errServerClosedIdle, transportReadFromServerError, or nothingWrittenError", err, err)
 	}
 
 	<-pc.closech
@@ -63,6 +63,11 @@ func TestTransportPersistConnReadLoopEOF(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func isNothingWrittenError(err error) bool {
+	_, ok := err.(nothingWrittenError)
+	return ok
+}
+
 func isTransportReadFromServerError(err error) bool {
 	_, ok := err.(transportReadFromServerError)
 	return ok