diff --git a/client/src/AdriftClient.ts b/client/src/AdriftClient.ts
index 16d0dde..c969895 100644
--- a/client/src/AdriftClient.ts
+++ b/client/src/AdriftClient.ts
@@ -71,11 +71,21 @@ export class AdriftBareClient extends Client {
     let initalCloseHappened = false;
     ws.addEventListener("close", (e) => {
       if (!initalCloseHappened) {
+        // we can freely mess with the fake readyState here because there is no
+        //  readyStateChange listener for WebSockets
         onReadyState(WebSocket.CONNECTING);
         e.stopImmediatePropagation();
         initalCloseHappened = true;
       }
     });
+    let initialErrorHappened = false;
+    ws.addEventListener("error", (e) => {
+      if (!initialErrorHappened) {
+        onReadyState(WebSocket.CONNECTING);
+        e.stopImmediatePropagation();
+        initialErrorHappened = true;
+      }
+    });
 
     let { send, close } = this.connection.wsconnect(
       remote,
@@ -95,6 +105,7 @@ export class AdriftBareClient extends Client {
         );
       },
       (message: string) => {
+        console.log({ message });
         ws.dispatchEvent(new ErrorEvent("error", { message }));
       }
     );
diff --git a/client/src/Connection.ts b/client/src/Connection.ts
index 1219528..39ed606 100644
--- a/client/src/Connection.ts
+++ b/client/src/Connection.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
 } from "protocol";
 
 type OpenWSMeta = {
+  onopen: () => void;
   onclose: (code: number, reason: string, wasClean: boolean) => void;
   onmessage: (data: any) => void;
   onerror: (message: string) => void;
@@ -20,7 +21,7 @@ type OpenWSMeta = {
 export class Connection {
   requestCallbacks: Record<number, Function> = {};
   openRequestStreams: Record<number, ReadableStreamDefaultController<any>> = {};
-  openingSockets: Record<number, { onopen: () => void; rest: OpenWSMeta }> = {};
+  openingSockets: Record<number, OpenWSMeta> = {};
   openSockets: Record<number, OpenWSMeta> = {};
 
   counter: number = 0;
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ export class Connection {
     const msgText = () => new TextDecoder().decode(data.slice(cursor));
     const msgJSON = () => JSON.parse(msgText());
 
+    console.log({ requestType });
     switch (requestType) {
       case S2CRequestTypes.HTTPResponseStart:
         const payload = msgJSON();
@@ -77,10 +79,10 @@ export class Connection {
         break;
 
       case S2CRequestTypes.WSOpen:
-        const { onopen, rest } = this.openingSockets[requestID];
+        const socketMeta = this.openingSockets[requestID];
         delete this.openingSockets[requestID];
-        this.openSockets[requestID] = rest;
-        onopen();
+        this.openSockets[requestID] = socketMeta;
+        setTimeout(() => socketMeta.onopen());
         break;
 
       case S2CRequestTypes.WSDataText: {
@@ -98,7 +100,8 @@ export class Connection {
       }
 
       case S2CRequestTypes.WSClose: {
-        const socketMeta = this.openSockets[requestID];
+        const socketMeta =
+          this.openingSockets[requestID] || this.openSockets[requestID];
         if (!socketMeta) return;
         const payload: WSClosePayload = msgJSON();
         setTimeout(() =>
@@ -108,16 +111,18 @@ export class Connection {
             "wasClean" in payload ? Boolean(payload.wasClean) : false
           )
         );
+        delete this.openingSockets[requestID];
         delete this.openSockets[requestID];
         break;
       }
 
       case S2CRequestTypes.WSError: {
-        const socketMeta = this.openSockets[requestID];
+        const socketMeta =
+          this.openingSockets[requestID] || this.openSockets[requestID];
         if (!socketMeta) return;
         const payload: WSErrorPayload = msgJSON();
         setTimeout(() => socketMeta.onerror(payload.message));
-        setTimeout(() => socketMeta.onclose(1006, "", false));
+        // don't delete socket entries because server will send close after this
         break;
       }
 
@@ -187,7 +192,9 @@ export class Connection {
     // this can't be async, just call onopen when opened
     this.openingSockets[seq] = {
       onopen,
-      rest: { onmessage, onclose, onerror },
+      onmessage,
+      onclose,
+      onerror,
     };
 
     return {
diff --git a/server/src/server.ts b/server/src/server.ts
index 39b74e4..6bea84c 100644
--- a/server/src/server.ts
+++ b/server/src/server.ts
@@ -246,8 +246,8 @@ export class AdriftServer {
         const ws = (this.sockets[seq] = new WebSocket(payload.url));
         ws.binaryType = "arraybuffer";
         ws.onerror = (e) => {
-          // WSError implies close with code 1006, reason "" and wasClean false
           this.sendWSError(seq, { message: e.message });
+          // onclose will be called after this with code 1006, reason "" and wasClean false
         };
         ws.onopen = () => {
           this.sendWSOpen(seq);