diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/discovery/helper.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/discovery/helper.go
index 41a580807e5..0222e188bb6 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/discovery/helper.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/discovery/helper.go
@@ -104,8 +104,8 @@ func NegotiateVersion(client DiscoveryInterface, requiredGV *schema.GroupVersion
 		return &clientRegisteredGVs[0], nil
 	}
 
-	return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to negotiate an api version; server supports: %v, client supports: %v",
-		serverVersions, clientVersions)
+	// fall back to an empty GroupVersion.  Most client commands no longer respect a GroupVersion anyway
+	return &schema.GroupVersion{}, nil
 }
 
 // GroupVersionResources converts APIResourceLists to the GroupVersionResources.
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/discovery/helper_blackbox_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/discovery/helper_blackbox_test.go
index 3232bffb73a..9093316e876 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/discovery/helper_blackbox_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/client-go/discovery/helper_blackbox_test.go
@@ -118,9 +118,9 @@ func TestNegotiateVersion(t *testing.T) {
 			statusCode:      http.StatusNotFound,
 		},
 		{
-			name:       "discovery fails due to 403 Forbidden errors and thus serverVersions is empty, no fallback GroupVersion",
-			expectErr:  func(err error) bool { return strings.Contains(err.Error(), "failed to negotiate an api version;") },
-			statusCode: http.StatusForbidden,
+			name:            "discovery fails due to 403 Forbidden errors and thus serverVersions is empty, fallback to empty GroupVersion",
+			expectedVersion: &schema.GroupVersion{},
+			statusCode:      http.StatusForbidden,
 		},
 	}