diff --git a/http/handler.go b/http/handler.go
index d493fbe3e9..aef85e9756 100644
--- a/http/handler.go
+++ b/http/handler.go
@@ -97,11 +97,7 @@ func request(core *vault.Core, w http.ResponseWriter, rawReq *http.Request, r *l
 		respondStandby(core, w, rawReq.URL)
 		return resp, false
 	}
-	if respondCommon(w, resp, err) {
-		return resp, false
-	}
-	if err != nil {
-		respondErrorStatus(w, err)
+	if respondErrorCommon(w, resp, err) {
 		return resp, false
 	}
 
@@ -192,18 +188,6 @@ func requestWrapTTL(r *http.Request, req *logical.Request) (*logical.Request, er
 	return req, nil
 }
 
-// Determines the type of the error being returned and sets the HTTP
-// status code appropriately
-func respondErrorStatus(w http.ResponseWriter, err error) {
-	status := http.StatusInternalServerError
-	switch {
-	// Keep adding more error types here to appropriate the status codes
-	case err != nil && errwrap.ContainsType(err, new(vault.StatusBadRequest)):
-		status = http.StatusBadRequest
-	}
-	respondError(w, status, err)
-}
-
 func respondError(w http.ResponseWriter, status int, err error) {
 	// Adjust status code when sealed
 	if errwrap.Contains(err, vault.ErrSealed.Error()) {
@@ -227,33 +211,43 @@ func respondError(w http.ResponseWriter, status int, err error) {
 	enc.Encode(resp)
 }
 
-func respondCommon(w http.ResponseWriter, resp *logical.Response, err error) bool {
-	if resp == nil {
+func respondErrorCommon(w http.ResponseWriter, resp *logical.Response, err error) bool {
+	// If there are no errors return
+	if err == nil && (resp == nil || !resp.IsError()) {
 		return false
 	}
 
-	if resp.IsError() {
-		statusCode := http.StatusBadRequest
-
-		if err != nil {
-			switch err {
-			case logical.ErrPermissionDenied:
-				statusCode = http.StatusForbidden
-			case logical.ErrUnsupportedOperation:
-				statusCode = http.StatusMethodNotAllowed
-			case logical.ErrUnsupportedPath:
-				statusCode = http.StatusNotFound
-			case logical.ErrInvalidRequest:
-				statusCode = http.StatusBadRequest
-			}
-		}
-
-		err := fmt.Errorf("%s", resp.Data["error"].(string))
-		respondError(w, statusCode, err)
-		return true
+	// Start out with internal server error since in most of these cases there
+	// won't be a response so this won't be overridden
+	statusCode := http.StatusInternalServerError
+	// If we actually have a response, start out with bad request
+	if resp != nil {
+		statusCode = http.StatusBadRequest
 	}
 
-	return false
+	// Now, check the error itself; if it has a specific logical error, set the
+	// appropriate code
+	if err != nil {
+		switch {
+		case errwrap.ContainsType(err, new(vault.StatusBadRequest)):
+			statusCode = http.StatusBadRequest
+		case errwrap.Contains(err, logical.ErrPermissionDenied.Error()):
+			statusCode = http.StatusForbidden
+		case errwrap.Contains(err, logical.ErrUnsupportedOperation.Error()):
+			statusCode = http.StatusMethodNotAllowed
+		case errwrap.Contains(err, logical.ErrUnsupportedPath.Error()):
+			statusCode = http.StatusNotFound
+		case errwrap.Contains(err, logical.ErrInvalidRequest.Error()):
+			statusCode = http.StatusBadRequest
+		}
+	}
+
+	if resp != nil {
+		err = fmt.Errorf("%s", resp.Data["error"].(string))
+	}
+
+	respondError(w, statusCode, err)
+	return true
 }
 
 func respondOk(w http.ResponseWriter, body interface{}) {
diff --git a/http/logical_test.go b/http/logical_test.go
index c498140d2b..0a8296ba3d 100644
--- a/http/logical_test.go
+++ b/http/logical_test.go
@@ -30,8 +30,11 @@ func TestLogical(t *testing.T) {
 	testResponseStatus(t, resp, 204)
 
 	// READ
-	resp = testHttpGet(t, token, addr+"/v1/secret/foo")
+	// Bad token should return a 403
+	resp = testHttpGet(t, token+"bad", addr+"/v1/secret/foo")
+	testResponseStatus(t, resp, 403)
 
+	resp = testHttpGet(t, token, addr+"/v1/secret/foo")
 	var actual map[string]interface{}
 	var nilWarnings interface{}
 	expected := map[string]interface{}{