diff --git a/src/client.toit b/src/client.toit
index 40584d9..ff6c5fb 100644
--- a/src/client.toit
+++ b/src/client.toit
@@ -172,6 +172,96 @@ class Client:
     certificate_ = certificate
     add-finalizer this:: this.finalize_
 
+  /**
+  Sends an HTTP request with an optional byte-array body.
+
+  The request is retried on a new connection if a cached connection was
+    closed by the server. GET, HEAD, PUT, DELETE, OPTIONS, and TRACE are
+    retried by default. Other methods are only retried if
+    $retry-on-connection-close is true.
+
+  Since the body is a byte array, it can be replayed safely when reconnecting.
+    Use $new-request for streaming bodies that cannot be replayed.
+
+  This method returns redirect responses without following them.
+  */
+  request method/string data/ByteArray?=null -> Response
+      --uri/string
+      --headers/Headers?=null
+      --content-type/string?=null
+      --retry-on-connection-close/bool?=null:
+    parsed := parse_ uri --web-socket=false
+    retry := retry-on-connection-close == null
+        ? is-idempotent-method_ method
+        : retry-on-connection-close
+    return request_ method data parsed
+        --headers=headers
+        --content-type=content-type
+        --retry-on-connection-close=retry
+
+  /**
+  Sends an HTTP request with an optional byte-array body.
+
+  The request is retried on a new connection if a cached connection was
+    closed by the server. GET, HEAD, PUT, DELETE, OPTIONS, and TRACE are
+    retried by default. Other methods are only retried if
+    $retry-on-connection-close is true.
+
+  Since the body is a byte array, it can be replayed safely when reconnecting.
+    Use $new-request for streaming bodies that cannot be replayed.
+
+  The $query-parameters are encoded into the request path.
+
+  This method returns redirect responses without following them.
+  */
+  request method/string data/ByteArray?=null -> Response
+      --host/string
+      --port/int?=null
+      --path/string="/"
+      --query-parameters/Map?=null
+      --headers/Headers?=null
+      --content-type/string?=null
+      --retry-on-connection-close/bool?=null
+      --use-tls/bool?=null:
+    parsed := parse_ host port path query-parameters use-tls --web-socket=false
+    retry := retry-on-connection-close == null
+        ? is-idempotent-method_ method
+        : retry-on-connection-close
+    return request_ method data parsed
+        --headers=headers
+        --content-type=content-type
+        --retry-on-connection-close=retry
+
+  request_ method/string data/ByteArray? parsed/ParsedUri_ -> Response
+      --headers/Headers?
+      --content-type/string?
+      --retry-on-connection-close/bool:
+    headers = headers ? headers.copy : Headers
+    if headers.single "Transfer-Encoding": throw "INVALID_ARGUMENT"
+    if headers.single "Host": throw "INVALID_ARGUMENT"
+    if content-type:
+      existing := headers.single "Content-Type"
+      if existing and existing.to-ascii-lower != content-type.to-ascii-lower:
+        throw "INVALID_ARGUMENT"
+      headers.set "Content-Type" content-type
+
+    response/Response? := null
+    try-to-reuse_ parsed
+        --retry-on-connection-close=retry-on-connection-close:
+      | connection/Connection |
+      outgoing := connection.new-request method parsed.path headers
+      if data: outgoing.body = io.Reader data
+      response = outgoing.send
+    return response
+
+  is-idempotent-method_ method/string -> bool:
+    return method == GET
+        or method == HEAD
+        or method == PUT
+        or method == DELETE
+        or method == OPTIONS
+        or method == TRACE
+
   /**
   Variant of $(new-request method --host).
 
@@ -203,6 +293,10 @@ class Client:
   Do not use $query-parameters for a $POST request.  See instead $post-form,
     which encodes the key-value pairs in the body as expected for a POST
     request.
+
+  Since the body can be an arbitrary reader, $RequestOutgoing.send cannot
+    replay it after a cached connection has been closed. Use $request for
+    byte-array bodies that should be retried safely.
   */
   new-request method/string -> RequestOutgoing
       --host/string
@@ -454,13 +548,17 @@ class Client:
 
   If $follow-redirects is true, follows redirects (when the status code is 3xx).
 
+  To avoid replaying a non-idempotent request, this method does not retry if a
+    cached connection was closed by the server.
+
   The $use-tls argument can be used to override the default TLS usage of the
     client.
 
   # Advanced
   If the data can be generated dynamically, it's more efficient to create a new
     request with $new-request and to set the $RequestOutgoing.body to a reader
-    that produces the data only when needed.
+    that produces the data only when needed. Such a streaming request cannot be
+    retried automatically if the connection closes while sending it.
   */
   post data/ByteArray -> Response
       --host/string
@@ -519,7 +617,7 @@ class Client:
 
     MAX-REDIRECTS.repeat:
       response := null
-      try-to-reuse_ parsed: | connection |
+      try-to-reuse_ parsed --no-retry-on-connection-close: | connection |
         request := connection.new-request POST parsed.path headers
         request.body = io.Reader data
         response = request.send
@@ -571,6 +669,9 @@ class Client:
     version of this library.  See $(post-json object --uri).
 
   If $follow-redirects is true, follows redirects (when the status code is 3xx).
+
+  To avoid replaying a non-idempotent request, this method does not retry if a
+    cached connection was closed by the server.
   */
   post-json object/any -> Response
       --host/string
@@ -622,6 +723,9 @@ class Client:
     version of this library.  See $(post-form map --uri).
 
   If $follow-redirects is true, follows redirects (when the status code is 3xx).
+
+  To avoid replaying a non-idempotent request, this method does not retry if a
+    cached connection was closed by the server.
   */
   post-form map/Map -> Response
       --host/string
@@ -659,7 +763,9 @@ class Client:
 
     return post_ encoded parsed --headers=headers --content-type="application/x-www-form-urlencoded" --follow-redirects=follow-redirects
 
-  try-to-reuse_ location/ParsedUri_ [block]:
+  try-to-reuse_ location/ParsedUri_
+      --retry-on-connection-close/bool=true
+      [block]:
     // We try to reuse an existing connection to a server, but a web server can
     // lose interest in a long-running connection at any time and close it, so
     // if it fails we need to reconnect.
@@ -671,7 +777,11 @@ class Client:
       // info to a from-scratch connection attempt.
       for attempt := 0; attempt < 3; attempt++:
         reused := ensure-connection_ location
-        catch --unwind=(: attempt == 2 or ((not reused or not is-close-exception_ it) and it != "RESUME_FAILED")):
+        catch --unwind=(: attempt == 2
+            or ((not reused
+                  or not retry-on-connection-close
+                  or not is-close-exception_ it)
+                and it != "RESUME_FAILED")):
           sock := connection_.socket_
           if sock is tls.Socket and not reused:
             tls-socket := sock as tls.Socket
diff --git a/tests/client-request-retry-test.toit b/tests/client-request-retry-test.toit
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cf783fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/client-request-retry-test.toit
@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
+// Copyright (C) 2026 Toit contributors.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a Zero-Clause BSD license that can
+// be found in the tests/TESTS_LICENSE file.
+
+import expect show *
+import http
+import http.connection show is-close-exception_
+import monitor
+import net
+
+PUT-DATA ::= "put payload".to-byte-array
+POST-DATA ::= "post payload".to-byte-array
+
+main:
+  network := net.open
+  server-socket := network.tcp-listen 0
+  port := server-socket.local-address.port
+  server := http.Server
+  server-done := monitor.Latch
+  response-read := monitor.Semaphore
+  server-closed := monitor.Semaphore
+  received-methods := []
+
+  task::
+    try:
+      server.listen server-socket:: | request/http.RequestIncoming writer/http.ResponseWriter |
+        if request.path == "/warm-up":
+          writer.out.write "ready"
+          writer.close
+          socket := writer.detach
+          response-read.down
+          socket.close
+          server-closed.up
+        else:
+          expect-equals "/upload" request.query.resource
+          expect-equals "yes" (request.headers.single "X-Test")
+          expect-equals "application/octet-stream" (request.headers.single "Content-Type")
+          received-methods.add request.method
+
+          body := request.body.read-all
+          if request.method == http.PUT:
+            expect-equals "put" request.query.parameters["kind"]
+            expect-equals PUT-DATA body
+          else:
+            expect-equals http.POST request.method
+            expect-equals "post" request.query.parameters["kind"]
+            expect-equals POST-DATA body
+          writer.out.write body
+    finally:
+      server-done.set true
+
+  client := http.Client network
+  headers := http.Headers
+  headers.set "X-Test" "yes"
+  try:
+    warm-up client port response-read server-closed
+
+    response := client.request http.PUT PUT-DATA
+        --host="localhost"
+        --port=port
+        --path="/upload"
+        --query-parameters={"kind": "put"}
+        --headers=headers
+        --content-type="application/octet-stream"
+    expect-equals 200 response.status-code
+    expect-equals PUT-DATA response.body.read-all
+
+    warm-up client port response-read server-closed
+
+    // POST isn't idempotent by definition, so it isn't retried without an
+    // explicit opt-in.
+    expect-connection-close:
+      client.request http.POST POST-DATA
+          --uri="http://localhost:$port/upload?kind=post"
+          --headers=headers
+          --content-type="application/octet-stream"
+    expect-equals [http.PUT] received-methods
+
+    warm-up client port response-read server-closed
+
+    expect-connection-close:
+      client.post POST-DATA
+          --uri="http://localhost:$port/upload?kind=post"
+          --headers=headers
+          --content-type="application/octet-stream"
+
+    warm-up client port response-read server-closed
+
+    expect-connection-close:
+      client.post-json {"value": 1}
+          --uri="http://localhost:$port/upload?kind=post"
+          --headers=headers
+
+    warm-up client port response-read server-closed
+
+    expect-connection-close:
+      client.post-form {"value": "1"}
+          --uri="http://localhost:$port/upload?kind=post"
+          --headers=headers
+    expect-equals [http.PUT] received-methods
+
+    warm-up client port response-read server-closed
+
+    response = client.request http.POST POST-DATA
+        --uri="http://localhost:$port/upload?kind=post"
+        --headers=headers
+        --content-type="application/octet-stream"
+        --retry-on-connection-close
+    expect-equals 200 response.status-code
+    expect-equals POST-DATA response.body.read-all
+
+    expect-equals [http.PUT, http.POST] received-methods
+  finally:
+    client.close
+    server.close
+    server-socket.close
+    server-done.get
+    network.close
+
+warm-up client/http.Client port/int
+    response-read/monitor.Semaphore
+    server-closed/monitor.Semaphore:
+  response := client.get --host="localhost" --port=port --path="/warm-up"
+  expect-equals 200 response.status-code
+  data/string? := null
+  try:
+    data = response.body.read-all.to-string
+  finally:
+    response-read.up
+    server-closed.down
+  expect-equals "ready" data
+
+expect-connection-close [block]:
+  exception := catch --trace=(: not is-close-exception_ it): block.call
+  expect
+      is-close-exception_ exception
+      --message="Expected a connection-close exception, got <$exception>"