diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/client-gen/generators/generator_for_clientset.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/client-gen/generators/generator_for_clientset.go
index 20e8796bfa5..b0212296c1c 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/client-gen/generators/generator_for_clientset.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/client-gen/generators/generator_for_clientset.go
@@ -77,9 +77,10 @@ func (g *genClientset) GenerateType(c *generator.Context, t *types.Type, w io.Wr
 		"Config":                               c.Universe.Type(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/rest", Name: "Config"}),
 		"DefaultKubernetesUserAgent":           c.Universe.Function(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/rest", Name: "DefaultKubernetesUserAgent"}),
 		"RESTClientInterface":                  c.Universe.Type(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/rest", Name: "Interface"}),
+		"RESTHTTPClientFor":                    c.Universe.Function(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/rest", Name: "HTTPClientFor"}),
 		"DiscoveryInterface":                   c.Universe.Type(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/discovery", Name: "DiscoveryInterface"}),
 		"DiscoveryClient":                      c.Universe.Type(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/discovery", Name: "DiscoveryClient"}),
-		"NewDiscoveryClientForConfig":          c.Universe.Function(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/discovery", Name: "NewDiscoveryClientForConfig"}),
+		"NewDiscoveryClientForConfigAndClient": c.Universe.Function(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/discovery", Name: "NewDiscoveryClientForConfigAndClient"}),
 		"NewDiscoveryClientForConfigOrDie":     c.Universe.Function(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/discovery", Name: "NewDiscoveryClientForConfigOrDie"}),
 		"NewDiscoveryClient":                   c.Universe.Function(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/discovery", Name: "NewDiscoveryClient"}),
 		"flowcontrolNewTokenBucketRateLimiter": c.Universe.Function(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/util/flowcontrol", Name: "NewTokenBucketRateLimiter"}),
@@ -91,6 +92,7 @@ func (g *genClientset) GenerateType(c *generator.Context, t *types.Type, w io.Wr
 	}
 	sw.Do(getDiscoveryTemplate, m)
 	sw.Do(newClientsetForConfigTemplate, m)
+	sw.Do(newClientsetForConfigAndClientTemplate, m)
 	sw.Do(newClientsetForConfigOrDieTemplate, m)
 	sw.Do(newClientsetForRESTClientTemplate, m)
 
@@ -136,22 +138,43 @@ var newClientsetForConfigTemplate = `
 // NewForConfig creates a new Clientset for the given config.
 // If config's RateLimiter is not set and QPS and Burst are acceptable, 
 // NewForConfig will generate a rate-limiter in configShallowCopy.
+// NewForConfig is equivalent to NewForConfigAndClient(c, httpClient),
+// where httpClient was generated with rest.HTTPClientFor(c).
 func NewForConfig(c *$.Config|raw$) (*Clientset, error) {
 	configShallowCopy := *c
+
+	// share the transport between all clients
+	httpClient, err := $.RESTHTTPClientFor|raw$(&configShallowCopy)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return NewForConfigAndClient(&configShallowCopy, httpClient)
+}
+`
+
+var newClientsetForConfigAndClientTemplate = `
+// NewForConfigAndClient creates a new Clientset for the given config and http client.
+// Note the http client provided takes precedence over the configured transport values.
+// If config's RateLimiter is not set and QPS and Burst are acceptable,
+// NewForConfigAndClient will generate a rate-limiter in configShallowCopy.
+func NewForConfigAndClient(c *$.Config|raw$, httpClient *http.Client) (*Clientset, error) {
+	configShallowCopy := *c
 	if configShallowCopy.RateLimiter == nil && configShallowCopy.QPS > 0 {
 		if configShallowCopy.Burst <= 0 {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("burst is required to be greater than 0 when RateLimiter is not set and QPS is set to greater than 0")
 		}
 		configShallowCopy.RateLimiter = $.flowcontrolNewTokenBucketRateLimiter|raw$(configShallowCopy.QPS, configShallowCopy.Burst)
 	}
+
 	var cs Clientset
 	var err error
-$range .allGroups$    cs.$.LowerCaseGroupGoName$$.Version$, err =$.PackageAlias$.NewForConfig(&configShallowCopy)
+$range .allGroups$    cs.$.LowerCaseGroupGoName$$.Version$, err =$.PackageAlias$.NewForConfigAndClient(&configShallowCopy, httpClient)
 	if err!=nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 $end$
-	cs.DiscoveryClient, err = $.NewDiscoveryClientForConfig|raw$(&configShallowCopy)
+	cs.DiscoveryClient, err = $.NewDiscoveryClientForConfigAndClient|raw$(&configShallowCopy, httpClient)
 	if err!=nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -163,11 +186,11 @@ var newClientsetForConfigOrDieTemplate = `
 // NewForConfigOrDie creates a new Clientset for the given config and
 // panics if there is an error in the config.
 func NewForConfigOrDie(c *$.Config|raw$) *Clientset {
-	var cs Clientset
-$range .allGroups$    cs.$.LowerCaseGroupGoName$$.Version$ =$.PackageAlias$.NewForConfigOrDie(c)
-$end$
-	cs.DiscoveryClient = $.NewDiscoveryClientForConfigOrDie|raw$(c)
-	return &cs
+	cs, err := NewForConfig(c)
+	if err!=nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	return cs
 }
 `
 
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/client-gen/generators/generator_for_group.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/client-gen/generators/generator_for_group.go
index 215a0171cae..30284990037 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/client-gen/generators/generator_for_group.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/code-generator/cmd/client-gen/generators/generator_for_group.go
@@ -89,20 +89,22 @@ func (g *genGroup) GenerateType(c *generator.Context, t *types.Type, w io.Writer
 	}
 
 	m := map[string]interface{}{
-		"group":                          g.group,
-		"version":                        g.version,
-		"groupName":                      groupName,
-		"GroupGoName":                    g.groupGoName,
-		"Version":                        namer.IC(g.version),
-		"types":                          g.types,
-		"apiPath":                        apiPath(g.group),
-		"schemaGroupVersion":             c.Universe.Type(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema", Name: "GroupVersion"}),
-		"runtimeAPIVersionInternal":      c.Universe.Variable(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime", Name: "APIVersionInternal"}),
-		"restConfig":                     c.Universe.Type(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/rest", Name: "Config"}),
-		"restDefaultKubernetesUserAgent": c.Universe.Function(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/rest", Name: "DefaultKubernetesUserAgent"}),
-		"restRESTClientInterface":        c.Universe.Type(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/rest", Name: "Interface"}),
-		"restRESTClientFor":              c.Universe.Function(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/rest", Name: "RESTClientFor"}),
-		"SchemeGroupVersion":             c.Universe.Variable(types.Name{Package: path.Vendorless(g.inputPackage), Name: "SchemeGroupVersion"}),
+		"group":                            g.group,
+		"version":                          g.version,
+		"groupName":                        groupName,
+		"GroupGoName":                      g.groupGoName,
+		"Version":                          namer.IC(g.version),
+		"types":                            g.types,
+		"apiPath":                          apiPath(g.group),
+		"schemaGroupVersion":               c.Universe.Type(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema", Name: "GroupVersion"}),
+		"runtimeAPIVersionInternal":        c.Universe.Variable(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime", Name: "APIVersionInternal"}),
+		"restConfig":                       c.Universe.Type(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/rest", Name: "Config"}),
+		"restDefaultKubernetesUserAgent":   c.Universe.Function(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/rest", Name: "DefaultKubernetesUserAgent"}),
+		"restRESTClientInterface":          c.Universe.Type(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/rest", Name: "Interface"}),
+		"RESTHTTPClientFor":                c.Universe.Function(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/rest", Name: "HTTPClientFor"}),
+		"restRESTClientFor":                c.Universe.Function(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/rest", Name: "RESTClientFor"}),
+		"restRESTClientForConfigAndClient": c.Universe.Function(types.Name{Package: "k8s.io/client-go/rest", Name: "RESTClientForConfigAndClient"}),
+		"SchemeGroupVersion":               c.Universe.Variable(types.Name{Package: path.Vendorless(g.inputPackage), Name: "SchemeGroupVersion"}),
 	}
 	sw.Do(groupInterfaceTemplate, m)
 	sw.Do(groupClientTemplate, m)
@@ -123,6 +125,7 @@ func (g *genGroup) GenerateType(c *generator.Context, t *types.Type, w io.Writer
 		}
 	}
 	sw.Do(newClientForConfigTemplate, m)
+	sw.Do(newClientForConfigAndClientTemplate, m)
 	sw.Do(newClientForConfigOrDieTemplate, m)
 	sw.Do(newClientForRESTClientTemplate, m)
 	if g.version == "" {
@@ -164,12 +167,30 @@ func (c *$.GroupGoName$$.Version$Client) $.type|publicPlural$() $.type|public$In
 
 var newClientForConfigTemplate = `
 // NewForConfig creates a new $.GroupGoName$$.Version$Client for the given config.
+// NewForConfig is equivalent to NewForConfigAndClient(c, httpClient),
+// where httpClient was generated with rest.HTTPClientFor(c).
 func NewForConfig(c *$.restConfig|raw$) (*$.GroupGoName$$.Version$Client, error) {
 	config := *c
 	if err := setConfigDefaults(&config); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	client, err := $.restRESTClientFor|raw$(&config)
+	httpClient, err := $.RESTHTTPClientFor|raw$(&config)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return NewForConfigAndClient(&config, httpClient)
+}
+`
+
+var newClientForConfigAndClientTemplate = `
+// NewForConfigAndClient creates a new $.GroupGoName$$.Version$Client for the given config and http client.
+// Note the http client provided takes precedence over the configured transport values.
+func NewForConfigAndClient(c *$.restConfig|raw$, h *http.Client) (*$.GroupGoName$$.Version$Client, error) {
+	config := *c
+	if err := setConfigDefaults(&config); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	client, err := $.restRESTClientForConfigAndClient|raw$(&config, h)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}