diff --git a/src/net/http/client.go b/src/net/http/client.go
index da35557e3f..fc4a792edd 100644
--- a/src/net/http/client.go
+++ b/src/net/http/client.go
@@ -357,7 +357,9 @@ func basicAuth(username, password string) string {
 //
 // An error is returned if there were too many redirects or if there
 // was an HTTP protocol error. A non-2xx response doesn't cause an
-// error.
+// error. Any returned error will be of type *url.Error. The url.Error
+// value's Timeout method will report true if request timed out or was
+// canceled.
 //
 // When err is nil, resp always contains a non-nil resp.Body.
 // Caller should close resp.Body when done reading from it.
@@ -382,7 +384,9 @@ func Get(url string) (resp *Response, err error) {
 //
 // An error is returned if the Client's CheckRedirect function fails
 // or if there was an HTTP protocol error. A non-2xx response doesn't
-// cause an error.
+// cause an error. Any returned error will be of type *url.Error. The
+// url.Error value's Timeout method will report true if request timed
+// out or was canceled.
 //
 // When err is nil, resp always contains a non-nil resp.Body.
 // Caller should close resp.Body when done reading from it.
@@ -457,6 +461,15 @@ func redirectBehavior(reqMethod string, resp *Response, ireq *Request) (redirect
 	return redirectMethod, shouldRedirect, includeBody
 }
 
+// urlErrorOp returns the (*url.Error).Op value to use for the
+// provided (*Request).Method value.
+func urlErrorOp(method string) string {
+	if method == "" {
+		return "Get"
+	}
+	return method[:1] + strings.ToLower(method[1:])
+}
+
 // Do sends an HTTP request and returns an HTTP response, following
 // policy (such as redirects, cookies, auth) as configured on the
 // client.
@@ -490,10 +503,26 @@ func redirectBehavior(reqMethod string, resp *Response, ireq *Request) (redirect
 // provided that the Request.GetBody function is defined.
 // The NewRequest function automatically sets GetBody for common
 // standard library body types.
+//
+// Any returned error will be of type *url.Error. The url.Error
+// value's Timeout method will report true if request timed out or was
+// canceled.
 func (c *Client) Do(req *Request) (*Response, error) {
+	return c.do(req)
+}
+
+var testHookClientDoResult func(retres *Response, reterr error)
+
+func (c *Client) do(req *Request) (retres *Response, reterr error) {
+	if testHookClientDoResult != nil {
+		defer func() { testHookClientDoResult(retres, reterr) }()
+	}
 	if req.URL == nil {
 		req.closeBody()
-		return nil, errors.New("http: nil Request.URL")
+		return nil, &url.Error{
+			Op:  urlErrorOp(req.Method),
+			Err: errors.New("http: nil Request.URL"),
+		}
 	}
 
 	var (
@@ -512,7 +541,6 @@ func (c *Client) Do(req *Request) (*Response, error) {
 		if !reqBodyClosed {
 			req.closeBody()
 		}
-		method := valueOrDefault(reqs[0].Method, "GET")
 		var urlStr string
 		if resp != nil && resp.Request != nil {
 			urlStr = stripPassword(resp.Request.URL)
@@ -520,7 +548,7 @@ func (c *Client) Do(req *Request) (*Response, error) {
 			urlStr = stripPassword(req.URL)
 		}
 		return &url.Error{
-			Op:  method[:1] + strings.ToLower(method[1:]),
+			Op:  urlErrorOp(reqs[0].Method),
 			URL: urlStr,
 			Err: err,
 		}
@@ -617,6 +645,7 @@ func (c *Client) Do(req *Request) (*Response, error) {
 			reqBodyClosed = true
 			if !deadline.IsZero() && didTimeout() {
 				err = &httpError{
+					// TODO: early in cycle: s/Client.Timeout exceeded/timeout or context cancelation/
 					err:     err.Error() + " (Client.Timeout exceeded while awaiting headers)",
 					timeout: true,
 				}
@@ -827,6 +856,7 @@ func (b *cancelTimerBody) Read(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
 	}
 	if b.reqDidTimeout() {
 		err = &httpError{
+			// TODO: early in cycle: s/Client.Timeout exceeded/timeout or context cancelation/
 			err:     err.Error() + " (Client.Timeout exceeded while reading body)",
 			timeout: true,
 		}
diff --git a/src/net/http/export_test.go b/src/net/http/export_test.go
index 5ff85bc7c8..bc0db53a2c 100644
--- a/src/net/http/export_test.go
+++ b/src/net/http/export_test.go
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@ package http
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"fmt"
 	"net"
+	"net/url"
 	"sort"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
@@ -40,6 +42,21 @@ func init() {
 	// When not under test, these values are always nil
 	// and never assigned to.
 	testHookMu = new(sync.Mutex)
+
+	testHookClientDoResult = func(res *Response, err error) {
+		if err != nil {
+			if _, ok := err.(*url.Error); !ok {
+				panic(fmt.Sprintf("unexpected Client.Do error of type %T; want *url.Error", err))
+			}
+		} else {
+			if res == nil {
+				panic("Client.Do returned nil, nil")
+			}
+			if res.Body == nil {
+				panic("Client.Do returned nil res.Body and no error")
+			}
+		}
+	}
 }
 
 var (
diff --git a/src/net/http/roundtrip.go b/src/net/http/roundtrip.go
index c8e691cc46..2ec736bfb1 100644
--- a/src/net/http/roundtrip.go
+++ b/src/net/http/roundtrip.go
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@ package http
 //
 // For higher-level HTTP client support (such as handling of cookies
 // and redirects), see Get, Post, and the Client type.
+//
+// Like the RoundTripper interface, the error types returned
+// by RoundTrip are unspecified.
 func (t *Transport) RoundTrip(req *Request) (*Response, error) {
 	return t.roundTrip(req)
 }
diff --git a/src/net/http/server.go b/src/net/http/server.go
index 91caca7267..0e34b72320 100644
--- a/src/net/http/server.go
+++ b/src/net/http/server.go
@@ -2426,7 +2426,7 @@ func HandleFunc(pattern string, handler func(ResponseWriter, *Request)) {
 // connections and they were configured with "h2" in the TLS
 // Config.NextProtos.
 //
-// Serve always returns a non-nil reror.
+// Serve always returns a non-nil error.
 func Serve(l net.Listener, handler Handler) error {
 	srv := &Server{Handler: handler}
 	return srv.Serve(l)