diff --git a/pkg/client/client.go b/pkg/client/client.go
index 444fa65bb7c..a33dd85ff74 100644
--- a/pkg/client/client.go
+++ b/pkg/client/client.go
@@ -47,6 +47,16 @@ type ClientInterface interface {
 	DeleteService(string) error
 }
 
+// StatusErr might get returned from an api call if your request is still being processed
+// and hence the expected return data is not available yet.
+type StatusErr struct {
+	Status api.Status
+}
+
+func (s *StatusErr) Error() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("Status: %v (%#v)", s.Status.Status, s)
+}
+
 // AuthInfo is used to store authorization information
 type AuthInfo struct {
 	User     string
@@ -93,6 +103,13 @@ func (c *Client) doRequest(request *http.Request) ([]byte, error) {
 	if response.StatusCode < http.StatusOK || response.StatusCode > http.StatusPartialContent {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("request [%#v] failed (%d) %s: %s", request, response.StatusCode, response.Status, string(body))
 	}
+	if response.StatusCode == http.StatusAccepted {
+		var status api.Status
+		if err := api.DecodeInto(body, &status); err == nil {
+			return nil, &StatusErr{status}
+		}
+		// Sometimes the server returns 202 even though it completely handled the request.
+	}
 	return body, err
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/client/client_test.go b/pkg/client/client_test.go
index 41563790a37..51f7b4f353e 100644
--- a/pkg/client/client_test.go
+++ b/pkg/client/client_test.go
@@ -427,3 +427,37 @@ func TestDoRequest(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	fakeHandler.ValidateRequest(t, "/foo/bar", "GET", nil)
 }
+
+func TestDoRequestAccepted(t *testing.T) {
+	status := api.Status{Status: api.StatusWorking}
+	expectedBody, _ := api.Encode(status)
+	fakeHandler := util.FakeHandler{
+		StatusCode:   202,
+		ResponseBody: string(expectedBody),
+		T:            t,
+	}
+	testServer := httptest.NewTLSServer(&fakeHandler)
+	request, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", testServer.URL+"/foo/bar", nil)
+	auth := AuthInfo{User: "user", Password: "pass"}
+	c := New(testServer.URL, &auth)
+	body, err := c.doRequest(request)
+	if request.Header["Authorization"] == nil {
+		t.Errorf("Request is missing authorization header: %#v", *request)
+	}
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Error("Unexpected non-error")
+		return
+	}
+	se, ok := err.(*StatusErr)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected kind of error: %#v", err)
+		return
+	}
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(se.Status, status) {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected status: %#v", se.Status)
+	}
+	if body != nil {
+		t.Errorf("Expected nil body, but saw: '%s'", body)
+	}
+	fakeHandler.ValidateRequest(t, "/foo/bar", "GET", nil)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/client/request.go b/pkg/client/request.go
index c75e13f7a6d..a8ad1da0bbc 100644
--- a/pkg/client/request.go
+++ b/pkg/client/request.go
@@ -166,6 +166,14 @@ func (r *Request) Do() Result {
 		return Result{err: err}
 	}
 	respBody, err := r.c.doRequest(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		if statusErr, ok := err.(*StatusErr); ok {
+			// TODO: using the information in statusErr,
+			// loop querying the server to wait and retrieve
+			// the actual result.
+			_ = statusErr
+		}
+	}
 	return Result{respBody, err}
 }