diff --git a/http.c b/http.c
index df9bb71086..98c0b2b362 100644
--- a/http.c
+++ b/http.c
@@ -745,8 +745,7 @@ char *get_remote_object_url(const char *url, const char *hex,
 	return strbuf_detach(&buf, NULL);
 }
 
-int handle_curl_result(struct active_request_slot *slot,
-		       struct slot_results *results)
+int handle_curl_result(struct slot_results *results)
 {
 	if (results->curl_result == CURLE_OK) {
 		credential_approve(&http_auth);
@@ -759,7 +758,6 @@ int handle_curl_result(struct active_request_slot *slot,
 			return HTTP_NOAUTH;
 		} else {
 			credential_fill(&http_auth);
-			init_curl_http_auth(slot->curl);
 			return HTTP_REAUTH;
 		}
 	} else {
@@ -821,7 +819,7 @@ static int http_request(const char *url, void *result, int target, int options)
 
 	if (start_active_slot(slot)) {
 		run_active_slot(slot);
-		ret = handle_curl_result(slot, &results);
+		ret = handle_curl_result(&results);
 	} else {
 		error("Unable to start HTTP request for %s", url);
 		ret = HTTP_START_FAILED;
diff --git a/http.h b/http.h
index 0bd1e849e1..0a80d303e3 100644
--- a/http.h
+++ b/http.h
@@ -78,8 +78,7 @@ extern int start_active_slot(struct active_request_slot *slot);
 extern void run_active_slot(struct active_request_slot *slot);
 extern void finish_active_slot(struct active_request_slot *slot);
 extern void finish_all_active_slots(void);
-extern int handle_curl_result(struct active_request_slot *slot,
-			      struct slot_results *results);
+extern int handle_curl_result(struct slot_results *results);
 
 #ifdef USE_CURL_MULTI
 extern void fill_active_slots(void);
diff --git a/remote-curl.c b/remote-curl.c
index 42716c59cf..278fecdd9b 100644
--- a/remote-curl.c
+++ b/remote-curl.c
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ static int run_slot(struct active_request_slot *slot)
 	slot->curl_result = curl_easy_perform(slot->curl);
 	finish_active_slot(slot);
 
-	err = handle_curl_result(slot, &results);
+	err = handle_curl_result(&results);
 	if (err != HTTP_OK && err != HTTP_REAUTH) {
 		error("RPC failed; result=%d, HTTP code = %ld",
 		      results.curl_result, results.http_code);
@@ -431,6 +431,11 @@ static int post_rpc(struct rpc_state *rpc)
 			return -1;
 	}
 
+	headers = curl_slist_append(headers, rpc->hdr_content_type);
+	headers = curl_slist_append(headers, rpc->hdr_accept);
+	headers = curl_slist_append(headers, "Expect:");
+
+retry:
 	slot = get_active_slot();
 
 	curl_easy_setopt(slot->curl, CURLOPT_NOBODY, 0);
@@ -438,10 +443,6 @@ static int post_rpc(struct rpc_state *rpc)
 	curl_easy_setopt(slot->curl, CURLOPT_URL, rpc->service_url);
 	curl_easy_setopt(slot->curl, CURLOPT_ENCODING, "gzip");
 
-	headers = curl_slist_append(headers, rpc->hdr_content_type);
-	headers = curl_slist_append(headers, rpc->hdr_accept);
-	headers = curl_slist_append(headers, "Expect:");
-
 	if (large_request) {
 		/* The request body is large and the size cannot be predicted.
 		 * We must use chunked encoding to send it.
@@ -515,9 +516,9 @@ static int post_rpc(struct rpc_state *rpc)
 	curl_easy_setopt(slot->curl, CURLOPT_WRITEFUNCTION, rpc_in);
 	curl_easy_setopt(slot->curl, CURLOPT_FILE, rpc);
 
-	do {
-		err = run_slot(slot);
-	} while (err == HTTP_REAUTH && !large_request && !use_gzip);
+	err = run_slot(slot);
+	if (err == HTTP_REAUTH && !large_request && !use_gzip)
+		goto retry;
 	if (err != HTTP_OK)
 		err = -1;