diff --git a/cproxy.c b/cproxy.c
index 9015c656..9217a413 100644
--- a/cproxy.c
+++ b/cproxy.c
@@ -325,14 +325,13 @@ void cproxy_on_close_downstream_conn(conn *c) {
         // ending up here.  That is, drive_machine only
         // seems to move to conn_closing from conn_read.
         //
-        // TODO: Need a retry counter on the upstream conn?
-        //
         if (c->rcurr != NULL &&
             c->rbytes == 0 &&
             d->downstream_used_start == d->downstream_used &&
-            d->downstream_used_start == 1) {
+            d->downstream_used_start == 1 &&
+            d->upstream_conn->cmd_retries < 1) {
+            d->upstream_conn->cmd_retries++;
             uc_retry = d->upstream_conn;
-
             d->upstream_suffix = NULL;
         }
     }
diff --git a/cproxy_protocol.c b/cproxy_protocol.c
index 62753bbb..886ac22d 100644
--- a/cproxy_protocol.c
+++ b/cproxy_protocol.c
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ void cproxy_process_upstream_ascii(conn *c, char *line) {
     // Snapshot rcurr, because the caller, try_read_command(), changes it.
     //
     c->cmd_ascii = c->rcurr;
+    c->cmd_retries = 0;
 
     /* For commands set/add/replace, we build an item and read the data
      * directly into it, then continue in nread_complete().
diff --git a/memcached.h b/memcached.h
index 5db354c3..637f59c0 100644
--- a/memcached.h
+++ b/memcached.h
@@ -413,8 +413,10 @@ struct conn {
     LIBEVENT_THREAD *thread; /* Pointer to the thread object serving this connection */
 
     conn_funcs *funcs;
-    char *cmd_ascii; // Pointer into rbuf, snapshot of rcurr.
     void *extra;
+
+    char *cmd_ascii; // Pointer into rbuf, snapshot of rcurr.
+    int   cmd_retries;
 };
 
 extern conn *listen_conn;