diff --git a/cpu-miner.c b/cpu-miner.c
index 116d13d..0a8d610 100644
--- a/cpu-miner.c
+++ b/cpu-miner.c
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ static bool submit_upstream_work(CURL *curl, struct work *work)
 			str);
 
 		/* issue JSON-RPC request */
-		val = json_rpc_call(curl, rpc_url, rpc_userpass, s, false, false, NULL);
+		val = json_rpc_call(curl, rpc_url, rpc_userpass, s, NULL, 0);
 		if (unlikely(!val)) {
 			applog(LOG_ERR, "submit_upstream_work json_rpc_call failed");
 			goto out;
@@ -422,8 +422,7 @@ static bool get_upstream_work(CURL *curl, struct work *work)
 	struct timeval tv_start, tv_end, diff;
 
 	gettimeofday(&tv_start, NULL);
-	val = json_rpc_call(curl, rpc_url, rpc_userpass, rpc_req,
-			    want_longpoll, false, NULL);
+	val = json_rpc_call(curl, rpc_url, rpc_userpass, rpc_req, NULL, 0);
 	gettimeofday(&tv_end, NULL);
 
 	if (have_stratum) {
@@ -874,8 +873,8 @@ start:
 		json_t *val, *soval;
 		int err;
 
-		val = json_rpc_call(curl, lp_url, rpc_userpass, rpc_req,
-				    false, true, &err);
+		val = json_rpc_call(curl, lp_url, rpc_userpass, rpc_req, &err,
+				    JSON_RPC_LONGPOLL);
 		if (have_stratum) {
 			if (val)
 				json_decref(val);
diff --git a/miner.h b/miner.h
index c80080e..3f4ad82 100644
--- a/miner.h
+++ b/miner.h
@@ -184,9 +184,12 @@ extern int longpoll_thr_id;
 extern int stratum_thr_id;
 extern struct work_restart *work_restart;
 
+#define JSON_RPC_LONGPOLL	(1 << 0)
+#define JSON_RPC_QUIET_404	(1 << 1)
+
 extern void applog(int prio, const char *fmt, ...);
 extern json_t *json_rpc_call(CURL *curl, const char *url, const char *userpass,
-	const char *rpc_req, bool, bool, int *);
+	const char *rpc_req, int *curl_err, int flags);
 extern char *bin2hex(const unsigned char *p, size_t len);
 extern bool hex2bin(unsigned char *p, const char *hexstr, size_t len);
 extern int timeval_subtract(struct timeval *result, struct timeval *x,
diff --git a/util.c b/util.c
index 893bff5..7557ce4 100644
--- a/util.c
+++ b/util.c
@@ -296,19 +296,19 @@ static int sockopt_keepalive_cb(void *userdata, curl_socket_t fd,
 
 json_t *json_rpc_call(CURL *curl, const char *url,
 		      const char *userpass, const char *rpc_req,
-		      bool longpoll_scan, bool longpoll, int *curl_err)
+		      int *curl_err, int flags)
 {
 	json_t *val, *err_val, *res_val;
 	int rc;
+	long http_rc;
 	struct data_buffer all_data = {0};
 	struct upload_buffer upload_data;
 	json_error_t err;
 	struct curl_slist *headers = NULL;
 	char len_hdr[64];
 	char curl_err_str[CURL_ERROR_SIZE];
-	long timeout = longpoll ? opt_timeout : 30;
+	long timeout = (flags & JSON_RPC_LONGPOLL) ? opt_timeout : 30;
 	struct header_info hi = {0};
-	bool lp_scanning = longpoll_scan && !have_longpoll;
 
 	/* it is assumed that 'curl' is freshly [re]initialized at this pt */
 
@@ -343,7 +343,7 @@ json_t *json_rpc_call(CURL *curl, const char *url,
 		curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_HTTPAUTH, CURLAUTH_BASIC);
 	}
 #if LIBCURL_VERSION_NUM >= 0x070f06
-	if (longpoll)
+	if (flags & JSON_RPC_LONGPOLL)
 		curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_SOCKOPTFUNCTION, sockopt_keepalive_cb);
 #endif
 	curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_POST, 1);
@@ -370,7 +370,9 @@ json_t *json_rpc_call(CURL *curl, const char *url,
 	if (curl_err != NULL)
 		*curl_err = rc;
 	if (rc) {
-		if (!(longpoll && rc == CURLE_OPERATION_TIMEDOUT))
+		curl_easy_getinfo(curl, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE, &http_rc);
+		if (!((flags & JSON_RPC_LONGPOLL) && rc == CURLE_OPERATION_TIMEDOUT) &&
+		    !((flags & JSON_RPC_QUIET_404) && http_rc == 404))
 			applog(LOG_ERR, "HTTP request failed: %s", curl_err_str);
 		goto err_out;
 	}
@@ -385,7 +387,7 @@ json_t *json_rpc_call(CURL *curl, const char *url,
 	}
 
 	/* If X-Long-Polling was found, activate long polling */
-	if (lp_scanning && hi.lp_path && !have_stratum) {
+	if (!have_longpoll && want_longpoll && hi.lp_path && !have_stratum) {
 		have_longpoll = true;
 		tq_push(thr_info[longpoll_thr_id].q, hi.lp_path);
 		hi.lp_path = NULL;