diff --git a/control/controlbase/conn.go b/control/controlbase/conn.go
index 0e28f4d08..aba8d755e 100644
--- a/control/controlbase/conn.go
+++ b/control/controlbase/conn.go
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
 // Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
 // license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
 
-// Package noise implements the base transport of the Tailscale 2021
-// control protocol.
+// Package controlbase implements the base transport of the Tailscale
+// 2021 control protocol.
 //
 // The base transport implements Noise IK, instantiated with
 // Curve25519, ChaCha20Poly1305 and BLAKE2s.
diff --git a/control/controlbase/conn_test.go b/control/controlbase/conn_test.go
index a8328bd0b..c0dfa9940 100644
--- a/control/controlbase/conn_test.go
+++ b/control/controlbase/conn_test.go
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ func TestConnStd(t *testing.T) {
 		serverErr := make(chan error, 1)
 		go func() {
 			var err error
-			c2, err = Server(context.Background(), s2, controlKey)
+			c2, err = Server(context.Background(), s2, controlKey, nil)
 			serverErr <- err
 		}()
 		c1, err = Client(context.Background(), s1, machineKey, controlKey.Public())
@@ -319,7 +319,7 @@ func pairWithConns(t *testing.T, clientConn, serverConn net.Conn) (*Conn, *Conn)
 	)
 	go func() {
 		var err error
-		server, err = Server(context.Background(), serverConn, controlKey)
+		server, err = Server(context.Background(), serverConn, controlKey, nil)
 		serverErr <- err
 	}()
 
diff --git a/control/controlbase/handshake.go b/control/controlbase/handshake.go
index 57606581c..393576ee8 100644
--- a/control/controlbase/handshake.go
+++ b/control/controlbase/handshake.go
@@ -50,21 +50,23 @@ func protocolVersionPrologue(version uint16) []byte {
 	return strconv.AppendUint(ret, uint64(version), 10)
 }
 
-// Client initiates a control client handshake, returning the resulting
-// control connection.
+// HandshakeContinuation upgrades a net.Conn to a Conn. The net.Conn
+// is assumed to have already sent the client>server handshake
+// initiation message.
+type HandshakeContinuation func(context.Context, net.Conn) (*Conn, error)
+
+// ClientDeferred initiates a control client handshake, returning the
+// initial message to send to the server and a continuation to
+// finalize the handshake.
 //
-// The context deadline, if any, covers the entire handshaking
-// process. Any preexisting Conn deadline is removed.
-func Client(ctx context.Context, conn net.Conn, machineKey key.MachinePrivate, controlKey key.MachinePublic) (*Conn, error) {
-	if deadline, ok := ctx.Deadline(); ok {
-		if err := conn.SetDeadline(deadline); err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("setting conn deadline: %w", err)
-		}
-		defer func() {
-			conn.SetDeadline(time.Time{})
-		}()
-	}
-
+// ClientDeferred is split in this way for RTT reduction: we run this
+// protocol after negotiating a protocol switch from HTTP/HTTPS. If we
+// completely serialized the negotiation followed by the handshake,
+// we'd pay an extra RTT to transmit the handshake initiation after
+// protocol switching. By splitting the handshake into an initial
+// message and a continuation, we can embed the handshake initiation
+// into the HTTP protocol switching request and avoid a bit of delay.
+func ClientDeferred(machineKey key.MachinePrivate, controlKey key.MachinePublic) (initialHandshake []byte, continueHandshake HandshakeContinuation, err error) {
 	var s symmetricState
 	s.Initialize()
 
@@ -83,18 +85,53 @@ func Client(ctx context.Context, conn net.Conn, machineKey key.MachinePrivate, c
 	s.MixHash(machineEphemeralPub.UntypedBytes())
 	cipher, err := s.MixDH(machineEphemeral, controlKey)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("computing es: %w", err)
+		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("computing es: %w", err)
 	}
 	machineKeyPub := machineKey.Public()
 	s.EncryptAndHash(cipher, init.MachinePub(), machineKeyPub.UntypedBytes())
 	cipher, err = s.MixDH(machineKey, controlKey)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("computing ss: %w", err)
+		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("computing ss: %w", err)
 	}
 	s.EncryptAndHash(cipher, init.Tag(), nil) // empty message payload
 
-	if _, err := conn.Write(init[:]); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("writing initiation: %w", err)
+	cont := func(ctx context.Context, conn net.Conn) (*Conn, error) {
+		return continueClientHandshake(ctx, conn, &s, machineKey, machineEphemeral, controlKey)
+	}
+	return init[:], cont, nil
+}
+
+// Client wraps ClientDeferred and immediately invokes the returned
+// continuation with conn.
+//
+// This is a helper for when you don't need the fancy
+// continuation-style handshake, and just want to synchronously
+// upgrade a net.Conn to a secure transport.
+func Client(ctx context.Context, conn net.Conn, machineKey key.MachinePrivate, controlKey key.MachinePublic) (*Conn, error) {
+	init, cont, err := ClientDeferred(machineKey, controlKey)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	if _, err := conn.Write(init); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return cont(ctx, conn)
+}
+
+func continueClientHandshake(ctx context.Context, conn net.Conn, s *symmetricState, machineKey, machineEphemeral key.MachinePrivate, controlKey key.MachinePublic) (*Conn, error) {
+	// No matter what, this function can only run once per s. Ensure
+	// attempted reuse causes a panic.
+	defer func() {
+		s.finished = true
+	}()
+
+	if deadline, ok := ctx.Deadline(); ok {
+		if err := conn.SetDeadline(deadline); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("setting conn deadline: %w", err)
+		}
+		defer func() {
+			conn.SetDeadline(time.Time{})
+		}()
 	}
 
 	// Read in the payload and look for errors/protocol violations from the server.
@@ -122,10 +159,10 @@ func Client(ctx context.Context, conn net.Conn, machineKey key.MachinePrivate, c
 	// <- e, ee, se
 	controlEphemeralPub := key.MachinePublicFromRaw32(mem.B(resp.EphemeralPub()))
 	s.MixHash(controlEphemeralPub.UntypedBytes())
-	if _, err = s.MixDH(machineEphemeral, controlEphemeralPub); err != nil {
+	if _, err := s.MixDH(machineEphemeral, controlEphemeralPub); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("computing ee: %w", err)
 	}
-	cipher, err = s.MixDH(machineKey, controlEphemeralPub)
+	cipher, err := s.MixDH(machineKey, controlEphemeralPub)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("computing se: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -156,9 +193,13 @@ func Client(ctx context.Context, conn net.Conn, machineKey key.MachinePrivate, c
 // Server initiates a control server handshake, returning the resulting
 // control connection.
 //
+// optionalInit can be the client's initial handshake message as
+// returned by ClientDeferred, or nil in which case the initial
+// message is read from conn.
+//
 // The context deadline, if any, covers the entire handshaking
 // process.
-func Server(ctx context.Context, conn net.Conn, controlKey key.MachinePrivate) (*Conn, error) {
+func Server(ctx context.Context, conn net.Conn, controlKey key.MachinePrivate, optionalInit []byte) (*Conn, error) {
 	if deadline, ok := ctx.Deadline(); ok {
 		if err := conn.SetDeadline(deadline); err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("setting conn deadline: %w", err)
@@ -190,7 +231,12 @@ func Server(ctx context.Context, conn net.Conn, controlKey key.MachinePrivate) (
 	s.Initialize()
 
 	var init initiationMessage
-	if _, err := io.ReadFull(conn, init.Header()); err != nil {
+	if optionalInit != nil {
+		if len(optionalInit) != len(init) {
+			return nil, sendErr("wrong handshake initiation size")
+		}
+		copy(init[:], optionalInit)
+	} else if _, err := io.ReadFull(conn, init.Header()); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	if init.Version() != protocolVersion {
@@ -202,8 +248,11 @@ func Server(ctx context.Context, conn net.Conn, controlKey key.MachinePrivate) (
 	if init.Length() != len(init.Payload()) {
 		return nil, sendErr("wrong handshake initiation length")
 	}
-	if _, err := io.ReadFull(conn, init.Payload()); err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+	// if optionalInit was provided, we have the payload already.
+	if optionalInit == nil {
+		if _, err := io.ReadFull(conn, init.Payload()); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
 	}
 
 	// prologue. Can only do this once we at least think the client is
diff --git a/control/controlbase/handshake_test.go b/control/controlbase/handshake_test.go
index a5664c11a..9cdc6f5f2 100644
--- a/control/controlbase/handshake_test.go
+++ b/control/controlbase/handshake_test.go
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ func TestHandshake(t *testing.T) {
 	)
 	go func() {
 		var err error
-		server, err = Server(context.Background(), serverConn, serverKey)
+		server, err = Server(context.Background(), serverConn, serverKey, nil)
 		serverErr <- err
 	}()
 
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ func TestNoReuse(t *testing.T) {
 		)
 		go func() {
 			var err error
-			server, err = Server(context.Background(), serverConn, serverKey)
+			server, err = Server(context.Background(), serverConn, serverKey, nil)
 			serverErr <- err
 		}()
 
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ func TestTampering(t *testing.T) {
 			serverErr             = make(chan error, 1)
 		)
 		go func() {
-			_, err := Server(context.Background(), serverConn, serverKey)
+			_, err := Server(context.Background(), serverConn, serverKey, nil)
 			// If the server failed, we have to close the Conn to
 			// unblock the client.
 			if err != nil {
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ func TestTampering(t *testing.T) {
 			serverErr             = make(chan error, 1)
 		)
 		go func() {
-			_, err := Server(context.Background(), serverConn, serverKey)
+			_, err := Server(context.Background(), serverConn, serverKey, nil)
 			serverErr <- err
 		}()
 
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ func TestTampering(t *testing.T) {
 			serverErr             = make(chan error, 1)
 		)
 		go func() {
-			server, err := Server(context.Background(), serverConn, serverKey)
+			server, err := Server(context.Background(), serverConn, serverKey, nil)
 			serverErr <- err
 			_, err = io.WriteString(server, strings.Repeat("a", 14))
 			serverErr <- err
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@ func TestTampering(t *testing.T) {
 			serverErr             = make(chan error, 1)
 		)
 		go func() {
-			server, err := Server(context.Background(), serverConn, serverKey)
+			server, err := Server(context.Background(), serverConn, serverKey, nil)
 			serverErr <- err
 			var bs [100]byte
 			// The server needs a timeout if the tampering is hitting the length header.
diff --git a/control/controlbase/interop_test.go b/control/controlbase/interop_test.go
index 04bd7f41d..3417639fe 100644
--- a/control/controlbase/interop_test.go
+++ b/control/controlbase/interop_test.go
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ func TestInteropClient(t *testing.T) {
 	)
 
 	go func() {
-		server, err := Server(context.Background(), s2, controlKey)
+		server, err := Server(context.Background(), s2, controlKey, nil)
 		serverErr <- err
 		if err != nil {
 			return