diff --git a/mercurial/error.py b/mercurial/error.py
--- a/mercurial/error.py
+++ b/mercurial/error.py
@@ -252,3 +252,6 @@ class UnsupportedBundleSpecification(Exc
 
 class CorruptedState(Exception):
     """error raised when a command is not able to read its state from file"""
+
+class RichIOError(Abort):
+    """An IOError that can also have a hint attached."""
diff --git a/mercurial/httppeer.py b/mercurial/httppeer.py
--- a/mercurial/httppeer.py
+++ b/mercurial/httppeer.py
@@ -75,6 +75,41 @@ def encodevalueinheaders(value, header, 
 
     return result
 
+def _wraphttpresponse(resp):
+    """Wrap an HTTPResponse with common error handlers.
+
+    This ensures that any I/O from any consumer raises the appropriate
+    error and messaging.
+    """
+    origread = resp.read
+
+    class readerproxy(resp.__class__):
+        def read(self, size=None):
+            try:
+                return origread(size)
+            except httplib.IncompleteRead as e:
+                # e.expected is an integer if length known or None otherwise.
+                if e.expected:
+                    msg = _('HTTP request error (incomplete response; '
+                            'expected %d bytes got %d)') % (e.expected,
+                                                           len(e.partial))
+                else:
+                    msg = _('HTTP request error (incomplete response)')
+
+                raise error.RichIOError(
+                    msg,
+                    hint=_('this may be an intermittent network failure; '
+                           'if the error persists, consider contacting the '
+                           'network or server operator'))
+            except httplib.HTTPException as e:
+                raise error.RichIOError(
+                    _('HTTP request error (%s)') % e,
+                    hint=_('this may be an intermittent failure; '
+                           'if the error persists, consider contacting the '
+                           'network or server operator'))
+
+    resp.__class__ = readerproxy
+
 class httppeer(wireproto.wirepeer):
     def __init__(self, ui, path):
         self.path = path
@@ -223,6 +258,10 @@ class httppeer(wireproto.wirepeer):
             self.ui.debug('http error while sending %s command\n' % cmd)
             self.ui.traceback()
             raise IOError(None, inst)
+
+        # Insert error handlers for common I/O failures.
+        _wraphttpresponse(resp)
+
         # record the url we got redirected to
         resp_url = resp.geturl()
         if resp_url.endswith(qs):
diff --git a/tests/test-http-bad-server.t b/tests/test-http-bad-server.t
--- a/tests/test-http-bad-server.t
+++ b/tests/test-http-bad-server.t
@@ -267,10 +267,10 @@ Server sends an incomplete capabilities 
   $ hg --config badserver.closeaftersendbytes=180 serve -p $HGPORT -d --pid-file=hg.pid -E error.log
   $ cat hg.pid > $DAEMON_PIDS
 
-TODO client spews a stack due to uncaught httplib.IncompleteRead
-
-  $ hg clone http://localhost:$HGPORT/ clone 2> /dev/null
-  [1]
+  $ hg clone http://localhost:$HGPORT/ clone
+  abort: HTTP request error (incomplete response; expected 385 bytes got 20)
+  (this may be an intermittent network failure; if the error persists, consider contacting the network or server operator)
+  [255]
 
   $ killdaemons.py $DAEMON_PIDS
 
@@ -461,11 +461,11 @@ Server sends empty HTTP body for getbund
   $ hg --config badserver.closeaftersendbytes=933 serve -p $HGPORT -d --pid-file=hg.pid -E error.log
   $ cat hg.pid > $DAEMON_PIDS
 
-TODO client spews a stack due to uncaught httplib.IncompleteRead
-
-  $ hg clone http://localhost:$HGPORT/ clone 2> /dev/null
+  $ hg clone http://localhost:$HGPORT/ clone
   requesting all changes
-  [1]
+  abort: HTTP request error (incomplete response)
+  (this may be an intermittent network failure; if the error persists, consider contacting the network or server operator)
+  [255]
 
   $ killdaemons.py $DAEMON_PIDS
 
@@ -525,11 +525,11 @@ Server sends partial compression string
   $ hg --config badserver.closeaftersendbytes=945 serve -p $HGPORT -d --pid-file=hg.pid -E error.log
   $ cat hg.pid > $DAEMON_PIDS
 
-TODO client spews a stack due to uncaught httplib.IncompleteRead
-
-  $ hg clone http://localhost:$HGPORT/ clone 2> /dev/null
+  $ hg clone http://localhost:$HGPORT/ clone
   requesting all changes
-  [1]
+  abort: HTTP request error (incomplete response; expected 1 bytes got 3)
+  (this may be an intermittent network failure; if the error persists, consider contacting the network or server operator)
+  [255]
 
   $ killdaemons.py $DAEMON_PIDS
 
@@ -593,7 +593,8 @@ Server sends partial bundle2 header magi
 
   $ hg clone http://localhost:$HGPORT/ clone
   requesting all changes
-  abort: connection ended unexpectedly
+  abort: HTTP request error (incomplete response; expected 1 bytes got 3)
+  (this may be an intermittent network failure; if the error persists, consider contacting the network or server operator)
   [255]
 
   $ killdaemons.py $DAEMON_PIDS
@@ -616,7 +617,8 @@ Server sends incomplete bundle2 stream p
 
   $ hg clone http://localhost:$HGPORT/ clone
   requesting all changes
-  abort: connection ended unexpectedly
+  abort: HTTP request error (incomplete response; expected 1 bytes got 3)
+  (this may be an intermittent network failure; if the error persists, consider contacting the network or server operator)
   [255]
 
   $ killdaemons.py $DAEMON_PIDS
@@ -640,7 +642,8 @@ Servers stops after bundle2 stream param
 
   $ hg clone http://localhost:$HGPORT/ clone
   requesting all changes
-  abort: connection ended unexpectedly
+  abort: HTTP request error (incomplete response)
+  (this may be an intermittent network failure; if the error persists, consider contacting the network or server operator)
   [255]
 
   $ killdaemons.py $DAEMON_PIDS
@@ -664,7 +667,8 @@ Server stops sending after bundle2 part 
 
   $ hg clone http://localhost:$HGPORT/ clone
   requesting all changes
-  abort: connection ended unexpectedly
+  abort: HTTP request error (incomplete response)
+  (this may be an intermittent network failure; if the error persists, consider contacting the network or server operator)
   [255]
 
   $ killdaemons.py $DAEMON_PIDS
@@ -785,7 +789,8 @@ Server stops sending after 0 length payl
   added 1 changesets with 1 changes to 1 files
   transaction abort!
   rollback completed
-  abort: connection ended unexpectedly
+  abort: HTTP request error (incomplete response)
+  (this may be an intermittent network failure; if the error persists, consider contacting the network or server operator)
   [255]
 
   $ killdaemons.py $DAEMON_PIDS