diff --git a/federationapi/inthttp/server.go b/federationapi/inthttp/server.go
index 02d4bc3c6..a8b829a71 100644
--- a/federationapi/inthttp/server.go
+++ b/federationapi/inthttp/server.go
@@ -221,11 +221,10 @@ func AddRoutes(intAPI api.FederationInternalAPI, internalAPIMux *mux.Router) {
 	)
 }
 
-func federationClientError(err error) *api.FederationClientError {
-	if err == nil {
-		return nil
-	}
+func federationClientError(err error) error {
 	switch ferr := err.(type) {
+	case nil:
+		return nil
 	case api.FederationClientError:
 		return &ferr
 	case *api.FederationClientError:
diff --git a/internal/httputil/http.go b/internal/httputil/http.go
index a700c9684..1e07ee33c 100644
--- a/internal/httputil/http.go
+++ b/internal/httputil/http.go
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ func PostJSON[reqtype, restype any, errtype error](
 	}
 	if res.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
 		if len(body) == 0 {
-			return fmt.Errorf("HTTP %d from %s", res.StatusCode, apiURL)
+			return fmt.Errorf("HTTP %d from %s (no response body)", res.StatusCode, apiURL)
 		}
 		var reserr errtype
 		if err = json.Unmarshal(body, reserr); err != nil {