diff --git a/ic-agent/src/agent/agent_config.rs b/ic-agent/src/agent/agent_config.rs
index 50464ebd..0c9ebee3 100644
--- a/ic-agent/src/agent/agent_config.rs
+++ b/ic-agent/src/agent/agent_config.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+use reqwest::Client;
+
 use crate::{
     agent::{NonceFactory, NonceGenerator},
     identity::{anonymous::AnonymousIdentity, Identity},
@@ -16,7 +18,7 @@ pub struct AgentConfig {
     /// See [`with_ingress_expiry`](super::AgentBuilder::with_ingress_expiry).
     pub ingress_expiry: Option<Duration>,
     /// See [`with_http_client`](super::AgentBuilder::with_http_client).
-    pub client: Option<Arc<dyn HttpService>>,
+    pub client: Option<Client>,
     /// See [`with_route_provider`](super::AgentBuilder::with_route_provider).
     pub route_provider: Option<Arc<dyn RouteProvider>>,
     /// See [`verify_query_signatures`](super::AgentBuilder::with_verify_query_signatures).
@@ -27,6 +29,8 @@ pub struct AgentConfig {
     pub max_response_body_size: Option<usize>,
     /// See [`with_max_tcp_error_retries`](super::AgentBuilder::with_max_tcp_error_retries).
     pub max_tcp_error_retries: usize,
+    /// See [`with_arc_http_middleware`](super::AgentBuilder::with_arc_http_middleware).
+    pub http_service: Option<Arc<dyn HttpService>>,
 }
 
 impl Default for AgentConfig {
@@ -36,6 +40,7 @@ impl Default for AgentConfig {
             identity: Arc::new(AnonymousIdentity {}),
             ingress_expiry: None,
             client: None,
+            http_service: None,
             verify_query_signatures: true,
             max_concurrent_requests: 50,
             route_provider: None,
diff --git a/ic-agent/src/agent/builder.rs b/ic-agent/src/agent/builder.rs
index 063a3fba..638befd2 100644
--- a/ic-agent/src/agent/builder.rs
+++ b/ic-agent/src/agent/builder.rs
@@ -106,17 +106,25 @@ impl AgentBuilder {
 
     /// Provide a pre-configured HTTP client to use. Use this to set e.g. HTTP timeouts or proxy configuration.
     pub fn with_http_client(mut self, client: reqwest::Client) -> Self {
-        self.config.client = Some(Arc::new(client));
+        assert!(
+            self.config.http_service.is_none(),
+            "with_arc_http_middleware cannot be called with with_http_client"
+        );
+        self.config.client = Some(client);
         self
     }
 
     /// Provide a custom `reqwest`-compatible HTTP service, e.g. to add per-request headers for custom boundary nodes.
-    /// Most users will not need this and should use `with_http_client`.
+    /// Most users will not need this and should use `with_http_client`. Cannot be called with `with_http_client`.
     ///
     /// The trait is automatically implemented for any `tower::Service` impl matching the one `reqwest::Client` uses,
-    /// including `reqwest-middleware`. Implementations must provide all automatic retry logic.
+    /// including `reqwest-middleware`. This is a low-level interface, and implementations must provide all automatic retry logic.
     pub fn with_arc_http_middleware(mut self, service: Arc<dyn HttpService>) -> Self {
-        self.config.client = Some(service);
+        assert!(
+            self.config.client.is_none(),
+            "with_arc_http_middleware cannot be called with with_http_client"
+        );
+        self.config.http_service = Some(service);
         self
     }
 
diff --git a/ic-agent/src/agent/mod.rs b/ic-agent/src/agent/mod.rs
index 780c10e1..bb65aee9 100644
--- a/ic-agent/src/agent/mod.rs
+++ b/ic-agent/src/agent/mod.rs
@@ -181,10 +181,10 @@ impl Agent {
             identity: config.identity,
             ingress_expiry: config.ingress_expiry.unwrap_or(DEFAULT_INGRESS_EXPIRY),
             root_key: Arc::new(RwLock::new(IC_ROOT_KEY.to_vec())),
-            client: config.client.unwrap_or_else(|| {
+            client: config.http_service.unwrap_or_else(|| {
                 Arc::new(DefaultRetryLogic {
                     _max_tcp_error_retries: config.max_tcp_error_retries,
-                    client: {
+                    client: config.client.unwrap_or_else(|| {
                         #[cfg(not(target_family = "wasm"))]
                         {
                             Client::builder()
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ impl Agent {
                         {
                             Client::new()
                         }
-                    },
+                    }),
                 })
             }),
             route_provider: config