diff --git a/src/proto/conn.rs b/src/proto/conn.rs
index a7573947d8..8f1a32fd51 100644
--- a/src/proto/conn.rs
+++ b/src/proto/conn.rs
@@ -869,18 +869,11 @@ mod tests {
                 other => panic!("unexpected frame: {:?}", other)
             }
 
-            // client
+            // client 
             let io = AsyncIo::new_buf(vec![], 1);
             let mut conn = Conn::<_, proto::Chunk, ClientTransaction>::new(io, Default::default());
             conn.state.busy();
 
-            match conn.poll() {
-                Ok(Async::NotReady) => {},
-                other => panic!("unexpected frame: {:?}", other)
-            }
-
-            // once mid-request, returns the error
-            conn.state.writing = super::Writing::KeepAlive;
             match conn.poll() {
                 Err(ref err) if err.kind() == ::std::io::ErrorKind::UnexpectedEof => {},
                 other => panic!("unexpected frame: {:?}", other)
diff --git a/src/proto/dispatch.rs b/src/proto/dispatch.rs
index bd7b86caf2..903855418d 100644
--- a/src/proto/dispatch.rs
+++ b/src/proto/dispatch.rs
@@ -184,11 +184,23 @@ where
     }
 
     fn is_done(&self) -> bool {
+        trace!(
+            "is_done; read={}, write={}, should_poll={}, body={}",
+            self.conn.is_read_closed(),
+            self.conn.is_write_closed(),
+            self.dispatch.should_poll(),
+            self.body_rx.is_some(),
+        );
         let read_done = self.conn.is_read_closed();
-        let write_done = self.conn.is_write_closed() ||
-            (!self.dispatch.should_poll() && self.body_rx.is_none());
 
-        read_done && write_done
+        if !T::should_read_first() && read_done {
+            // a client that cannot read may was well be done.
+            true
+        } else {
+            let write_done = self.conn.is_write_closed() ||
+                (!self.dispatch.should_poll() && self.body_rx.is_none());
+            read_done && write_done
+        }
     }
 }