diff --git a/commands/http/client.go b/commands/http/client.go
index cebdc314b..8dccfcf21 100644
--- a/commands/http/client.go
+++ b/commands/http/client.go
@@ -102,12 +102,14 @@ func (c *client) Send(req cmds.Request) (cmds.Response, error) {
 			ec <- err
 			return
 		}
+
 		// using the overridden JSON encoding in request
 		res, err := getResponse(httpRes, req)
 		if err != nil {
 			ec <- err
 			return
 		}
+
 		rc <- res
 	}()
 
@@ -179,6 +181,8 @@ func getResponse(httpRes *http.Response, req cmds.Request) (cmds.Response, error
 		res.SetLength(length)
 	}
 
+	res.SetCloser(httpRes.Body)
+
 	if len(httpRes.Header.Get(streamHeader)) > 0 {
 		// if output is a stream, we can just use the body reader
 		res.SetOutput(httpRes.Body)
@@ -202,8 +206,15 @@ func getResponse(httpRes *http.Response, req cmds.Request) (cmds.Response, error
 				} else {
 					err = dec.Decode(&v)
 				}
+
+				// since we are just looping reading on the response, the only way to
+				// know we are 'done' is for the consumer to close the response body.
+				// doing so doesnt throw an io.EOF, but we want to treat it like one.
+				if err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "read on closed response body") {
+					err = io.EOF
+				}
 				if err != nil && err != io.EOF {
-					fmt.Println(err.Error())
+					log.Error(err)
 					return
 				}
 
diff --git a/commands/http/handler.go b/commands/http/handler.go
index 8d44b8601..3e7de8e7a 100644
--- a/commands/http/handler.go
+++ b/commands/http/handler.go
@@ -171,12 +171,15 @@ func (i internalHandler) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		// w.WriteHeader(200)
 		err = copyChunks(applicationJson, w, out)
 		if err != nil {
-			log.Debug(err)
+			log.Debug("copy chunks error: ", err)
 		}
 		return
 	}
 
-	flushCopy(w, out)
+	err = flushCopy(w, out)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Debug("Flush copy returned an error: ", err)
+	}
 }
 
 func (i Handler) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
@@ -191,8 +194,8 @@ func flushCopy(w http.ResponseWriter, out io.Reader) error {
 		return copyChunks("", w, out)
 	}
 
-	io.Copy(&flushResponse{w}, out)
-	return nil
+	_, err := io.Copy(&flushResponse{w}, out)
+	return err
 }
 
 // Copies from an io.Reader to a http.ResponseWriter.
diff --git a/commands/response.go b/commands/response.go
index 657dd0403..a40c048df 100644
--- a/commands/response.go
+++ b/commands/response.go
@@ -101,6 +101,10 @@ type Response interface {
 	SetLength(uint64)
 	Length() uint64
 
+	// underlying http connections need to be cleaned up, this is for that
+	Close() error
+	SetCloser(io.Closer)
+
 	// Marshal marshals out the response into a buffer. It uses the EncodingType
 	// on the Request to chose a Marshaler (Codec).
 	Marshal() (io.Reader, error)
@@ -121,6 +125,7 @@ type response struct {
 	length uint64
 	stdout io.Writer
 	stderr io.Writer
+	closer io.Closer
 }
 
 func (r *response) Request() Request {
@@ -214,6 +219,17 @@ func (r *response) Reader() (io.Reader, error) {
 	return r.out, nil
 }
 
+func (r *response) Close() error {
+	if r.closer != nil {
+		return r.closer.Close()
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (r *response) SetCloser(c io.Closer) {
+	r.closer = c
+}
+
 func (r *response) Stdout() io.Writer {
 	return r.stdout
 }