diff --git a/src/http/client.zig b/src/http/client.zig
index 385e8e0a..052ce228 100644
--- a/src/http/client.zig
+++ b/src/http/client.zig
@@ -716,7 +716,7 @@ pub const Request = struct {
     }
 
     fn newReader(self: *Request) Reader {
-        return Reader.init(self._state, &self._keepalive);
+        return Reader.init(self._state);
     }
 
     // Does additional setup of the request for the firsts (i.e. non-redirect) call.
@@ -879,12 +879,14 @@ pub const Request = struct {
         });
     }
 
-    fn requestCompleted(self: *Request, response: ResponseHeader) void {
+    fn requestCompleted(self: *Request, response: ResponseHeader, can_keepalive: bool) void {
         const notification = self.notification orelse return;
         if (self._notified_complete) {
             return;
         }
+
         self._notified_complete = true;
+        self._keepalive = can_keepalive;
         notification.dispatch(.http_request_complete, &.{
             .id = self.id,
             .url = self.request_uri,
@@ -1111,14 +1113,14 @@ fn AsyncHandler(comptime H: type, comptime L: type) type {
                 .handler_error => {
                     // handler should never have been called if we're redirecting
                     std.debug.assert(self.redirect == null);
-                    self.request.requestCompleted(self.reader.response);
+                    self.request.requestCompleted(self.reader.response, self.reader.keepalive);
                     self.deinit();
                     return;
                 },
                 .done => {
                     const redirect = self.redirect orelse {
                         var handler = self.handler;
-                        self.request.requestCompleted(self.reader.response);
+                        self.request.requestCompleted(self.reader.response, self.reader.keepalive);
                         self.deinit();
 
                         // Emit the done chunk. We expect the caller to do
@@ -1560,8 +1562,6 @@ const SyncHandler = struct {
                 var decompressor = std.compress.gzip.decompressor(compress_reader.reader());
                 try decompressor.decompress(body.writer(request.arena));
 
-                self.request.requestCompleted(reader.response);
-
                 return .{
                     .header = reader.response,
                     ._done = true,
@@ -1781,8 +1781,8 @@ const SyncHandler = struct {
 
 // Used for reading the response (both the header and the body)
 const Reader = struct {
-    // ref request.keepalive
-    keepalive: *bool,
+    // Wether, from the reader's point of view, this connection could be kept-alive
+    keepalive: bool,
 
     // always references state.header_buf
     header_buf: []u8,
@@ -1802,13 +1802,13 @@ const Reader = struct {
     // Whether or not the current header has to be skipped [because it's too long].
     skip_current_header: bool,
 
-    fn init(state: *State, keepalive: *bool) Reader {
+    fn init(state: *State) Reader {
         return .{
             .pos = 0,
             .response = .{},
             .body_reader = null,
             .header_done = false,
-            .keepalive = keepalive,
+            .keepalive = false,
             .skip_current_header = false,
             .header_buf = state.header_buf,
             .arena = state.arena.allocator(),
@@ -1835,7 +1835,6 @@ const Reader = struct {
                 // us to emit whatever data we have, but it isn't safe to keep
                 // the connection alive.
                 std.debug.assert(result.done == true);
-                self.keepalive.* = false;
             }
             return result;
         }
@@ -1930,7 +1929,7 @@ const Reader = struct {
                 // We think we're done reading the body, but we still have data
                 // We'll return what we have as-is, but close the connection
                 // because we don't know what state it's in.
-                self.keepalive.* = false;
+                self.keepalive = false;
             } else {
                 result.unprocessed = unprocessed;
             }
@@ -1945,7 +1944,7 @@ const Reader = struct {
 
         if (response.get("connection")) |connection| {
             if (std.ascii.eqlIgnoreCase(connection, "close")) {
-                self.keepalive.* = false;
+                self.keepalive = false;
             }
         }
 
@@ -2005,7 +2004,7 @@ const Reader = struct {
             }
             const protocol = data[0..9];
             if (std.mem.eql(u8, protocol, "HTTP/1.1 ")) {
-                self.keepalive.* = true;
+                self.keepalive = true;
             } else if (std.mem.eql(u8, protocol, "HTTP/1.0 ") == false) {
                 return error.InvalidStatusLine;
             }
@@ -2387,7 +2386,7 @@ pub const Response = struct {
                 return data;
             }
             if (self._done) {
-                self._request.requestCompleted(self.header);
+                self._request.requestCompleted(self.header, self._reader.keepalive);
                 return null;
             }
 
@@ -3396,8 +3395,7 @@ const CaptureHandler = struct {
 
 fn testReader(state: *State, res: *TestResponse, data: []const u8) !void {
     var status: u16 = 0;
-    var keepalive = false;
-    var r = Reader.init(state, &keepalive);
+    var r = Reader.init(state);
 
     // dupe it so that we have a mutable copy
     const owned = try testing.allocator.dupe(u8, data);