diff --git a/pkg/api/errors/errors.go b/pkg/api/errors/errors.go
index 65791c0af7b..148b1068793 100644
--- a/pkg/api/errors/errors.go
+++ b/pkg/api/errors/errors.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import (
 	"net/http"
 
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/api"
+	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/runtime"
 )
 
 // statusError is an error intended for consumption by a REST API server.
@@ -38,6 +39,16 @@ func (e *statusError) Status() api.Status {
 	return e.status
 }
 
+// FromObject generates an statusError from an api.Status, if that is the type of obj; otherwise,
+// returns an error created by fmt.Errorf.
+func FromObject(obj runtime.Object) error {
+	switch t := obj.(type) {
+	case *api.Status:
+		return &statusError{*t}
+	}
+	return fmt.Errorf("unexpected object: %v", obj)
+}
+
 // NewNotFound returns a new error which indicates that the resource of the kind and the name was not found.
 func NewNotFound(kind, name string) error {
 	return &statusError{api.Status{
diff --git a/pkg/api/errors/errors_test.go b/pkg/api/errors/errors_test.go
index cde0ea3dfb5..49edec7880d 100644
--- a/pkg/api/errors/errors_test.go
+++ b/pkg/api/errors/errors_test.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/api"
+	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/runtime"
 )
 
 func TestErrorNew(t *testing.T) {
@@ -131,3 +132,23 @@ func Test_reasonForError(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("unexpected reason type: %#v", a)
 	}
 }
+
+type TestType struct{}
+
+func (*TestType) IsAnAPIObject() {}
+
+func TestFromObject(t *testing.T) {
+	table := []struct {
+		obj     runtime.Object
+		message string
+	}{
+		{&api.Status{Message: "foobar"}, "foobar"},
+		{&TestType{}, "unexpected object: &{}"},
+	}
+
+	for _, item := range table {
+		if e, a := item.message, FromObject(item.obj).Error(); e != a {
+			t.Errorf("Expected %v, got %v", e, a)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/client/cache/reflector.go b/pkg/client/cache/reflector.go
index 72ceb7b88ab..e0bc6ed4894 100644
--- a/pkg/client/cache/reflector.go
+++ b/pkg/client/cache/reflector.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"reflect"
 	"time"
 
+	apierrs "github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/api/errors"
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/runtime"
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/util"
 	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/watch"
@@ -101,7 +102,7 @@ func (r *Reflector) listAndWatch() {
 			return
 		}
 		if err := r.watchHandler(w, &resourceVersion); err != nil {
-			glog.Errorf("failed to watch %v: %v", r.expectedType, err)
+			glog.Errorf("watch of %v ended with error: %v", r.expectedType, err)
 			return
 		}
 	}
@@ -131,6 +132,9 @@ func (r *Reflector) watchHandler(w watch.Interface, resourceVersion *uint64) err
 		if !ok {
 			break
 		}
+		if event.Type == watch.Error {
+			return apierrs.FromObject(event.Object)
+		}
 		if e, a := r.expectedType, reflect.TypeOf(event.Object); e != a {
 			glog.Errorf("expected type %v, but watch event object had type %v", e, a)
 			continue
@@ -162,6 +166,6 @@ func (r *Reflector) watchHandler(w watch.Interface, resourceVersion *uint64) err
 		glog.Errorf("unexpected watch close - watch lasted less than a second and no items received")
 		return errors.New("very short watch")
 	}
-	glog.Infof("unexpected watch close - %v total items received", eventCount)
+	glog.Infof("watch close - %v total items received", eventCount)
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/config/etcd.go b/pkg/kubelet/config/etcd.go
index 1c4672c558d..4f16bd510d3 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/config/etcd.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/config/etcd.go
@@ -60,18 +60,18 @@ func NewSourceEtcd(key string, client tools.EtcdClient, updates chan<- interface
 }
 
 func (s *SourceEtcd) run() {
-	watching, err := s.helper.Watch(s.key, 0)
-	if err != nil {
-		glog.Errorf("Failed to initialize etcd watch: %v", err)
-		return
-	}
+	watching := s.helper.Watch(s.key, 0)
 	for {
 		select {
 		case event, ok := <-watching.ResultChan():
 			if !ok {
 				return
 			}
-
+			if event.Type == watch.Error {
+				glog.Errorf("Watch error: %v", event.Object)
+				watching.Stop()
+				return
+			}
 			pods, err := eventToPods(event)
 			if err != nil {
 				glog.Errorf("Failed to parse result from etcd watch: %v", err)
diff --git a/pkg/registry/etcd/etcd.go b/pkg/registry/etcd/etcd.go
index 0b9f29081e7..88734a98cb3 100644
--- a/pkg/registry/etcd/etcd.go
+++ b/pkg/registry/etcd/etcd.go
@@ -343,7 +343,7 @@ func (r *Registry) WatchServices(label, field labels.Selector, resourceVersion u
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("label selectors are not supported on services")
 	}
 	if value, found := field.RequiresExactMatch("ID"); found {
-		return r.Watch(makeServiceKey(value), resourceVersion)
+		return r.Watch(makeServiceKey(value), resourceVersion), nil
 	}
 	if field.Empty() {
 		return r.WatchList("/registry/services/specs", resourceVersion, tools.Everything)
@@ -375,7 +375,7 @@ func (r *Registry) WatchEndpoints(label, field labels.Selector, resourceVersion
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("label selectors are not supported on endpoints")
 	}
 	if value, found := field.RequiresExactMatch("ID"); found {
-		return r.Watch(makeServiceEndpointsKey(value), resourceVersion)
+		return r.Watch(makeServiceEndpointsKey(value), resourceVersion), nil
 	}
 	if field.Empty() {
 		return r.WatchList("/registry/services/endpoints", resourceVersion, tools.Everything)
diff --git a/test/integration/etcd_tools_test.go b/test/integration/etcd_tools_test.go
index 87b8134b9c0..a13218df78d 100644
--- a/test/integration/etcd_tools_test.go
+++ b/test/integration/etcd_tools_test.go
@@ -101,10 +101,7 @@ func TestWatch(t *testing.T) {
 		expectedVersion := resp.Node.ModifiedIndex
 
 		// watch should load the object at the current index
-		w, err := helper.Watch(key, 0)
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
-		}
+		w := helper.Watch(key, 0)
 		event := <-w.ResultChan()
 		if event.Type != watch.Added || event.Object == nil {
 			t.Fatalf("expected first value to be set to ADDED, got %#v", event)