diff --git a/src/pkg/http/httptest/recorder.go b/src/pkg/http/httptest/recorder.go
index 44571ddd2bc..ec7bde8aae2 100644
--- a/src/pkg/http/httptest/recorder.go
+++ b/src/pkg/http/httptest/recorder.go
@@ -6,17 +6,13 @@
 package httptest
 
 import (
-	"bufio"
 	"bytes"
 	"http"
-	"io"
 	"os"
 )
 
 // ResponseRecorder is an implementation of http.ResponseWriter that
 // records its mutations for later inspection in tests.
-//
-// Note that Hijack is not implemented and simply panics.
 type ResponseRecorder struct {
 	Code    int           // the HTTP response code from WriteHeader
 	Header  http.Header   // if non-nil, the headers to populate
@@ -81,8 +77,3 @@ func (rw *ResponseRecorder) WriteHeader(code int) {
 func (rw *ResponseRecorder) Flush() {
 	rw.Flushed = true
 }
-
-// Hijack is not implemented in ResponseRecorder and instead panics.
-func (rw *ResponseRecorder) Hijack() (io.ReadWriteCloser, *bufio.ReadWriter, os.Error) {
-	panic("Hijack not implemented in ResponseRecorder")
-}
diff --git a/src/pkg/http/server.go b/src/pkg/http/server.go
index 977c8c2297a..a2a0e14246d 100644
--- a/src/pkg/http/server.go
+++ b/src/pkg/http/server.go
@@ -81,7 +81,10 @@ type ResponseWriter interface {
 
 	// Flush sends any buffered data to the client.
 	Flush()
+}
 
+// A Hijacker is an HTTP request which be taken over by an HTTP handler.
+type Hijacker interface {
 	// Hijack lets the caller take over the connection.
 	// After a call to Hijack(), the HTTP server library
 	// will not do anything else with the connection.
diff --git a/src/pkg/rpc/server.go b/src/pkg/rpc/server.go
index 9dcda414807..f185cd16e5a 100644
--- a/src/pkg/rpc/server.go
+++ b/src/pkg/rpc/server.go
@@ -527,7 +527,7 @@ func (server *Server) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
 		io.WriteString(w, "405 must CONNECT\n")
 		return
 	}
-	conn, _, err := w.Hijack()
+	conn, _, err := w.(http.Hijacker).Hijack()
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Print("rpc hijacking ", w.RemoteAddr(), ": ", err.String())
 		return
diff --git a/src/pkg/websocket/server.go b/src/pkg/websocket/server.go
index 25f057ba5b0..37149f044d4 100644
--- a/src/pkg/websocket/server.go
+++ b/src/pkg/websocket/server.go
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ func getKeyNumber(s string) (r uint32) {
 
 // ServeHTTP implements the http.Handler interface for a Web Socket
 func (f Handler) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
-	rwc, buf, err := w.Hijack()
+	rwc, buf, err := w.(http.Hijacker).Hijack()
 	if err != nil {
 		panic("Hijack failed: " + err.String())
 		return
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ func (f Draft75Handler) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	rwc, buf, err := w.Hijack()
+	rwc, buf, err := w.(http.Hijacker).Hijack()
 	if err != nil {
 		panic("Hijack failed: " + err.String())
 		return