diff --git a/e2e_test.go b/e2e_test.go
index 8a948e6..9f705cc 100644
--- a/e2e_test.go
+++ b/e2e_test.go
@@ -505,3 +505,360 @@ func TestServerGracefulShutdown(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error("expected server port to be closed after shutdown")
 	}
 }
+
+// ---------- HTTP Response Quality Tests ----------
+
+func TestHTTPResponseHasProperHeaders(t *testing.T) {
+	apiKey := "test-key-headers"
+
+	// Start Target HTTP Server
+	targetAddr, stopTarget := startHTTPTarget(t)
+	defer stopTarget()
+
+	// Start Conduit Server
+	serverAddr, stopServer := startConduitServer(t, apiKey)
+	defer stopServer()
+
+	// Connect Tunnel
+	stopTunnel := connectTunnel(t, serverAddr, fmt.Sprintf("http://%s", targetAddr), "hdr-test", apiKey)
+	defer stopTunnel()
+
+	// Send Request Through Tunnel
+	resp := sendHTTPViaTunnel(t, serverAddr, "hdr-test", "GET", "/", "")
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+
+	// Verify Proper HTTP Semantics
+	if resp.Proto != "HTTP/1.1" {
+		t.Errorf("expected HTTP/1.1, got %s", resp.Proto)
+	}
+	if resp.Header.Get("X-Test-Header") != "present" {
+		t.Errorf("expected X-Test-Header: present, got %q", resp.Header.Get("X-Test-Header"))
+	}
+	if resp.ContentLength <= 0 && resp.TransferEncoding == nil {
+		t.Errorf("expected Content-Length or Transfer-Encoding, got neither")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHTTPControlEndpointResponseQuality(t *testing.T) {
+	apiKey := "test-key-ctrl-quality"
+
+	// Start Conduit Server
+	serverAddr, stopServer := startConduitServer(t, apiKey)
+	defer stopServer()
+
+	// 404 on Unknown Tunnel — Verify stdlib response format
+	resp := sendHTTPViaTunnel(t, serverAddr, "nope", "GET", "/", "")
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusNotFound {
+		t.Errorf("expected 404, got %d", resp.StatusCode)
+	}
+
+	// Content-Type Should Be Set by http.Error
+	ct := resp.Header.Get("Content-Type")
+	if !strings.Contains(ct, "text/plain") {
+		t.Errorf("expected text/plain Content-Type, got %q", ct)
+	}
+
+	// Content-Length Should Be Present
+	if resp.ContentLength <= 0 {
+		t.Errorf("expected positive Content-Length, got %d", resp.ContentLength)
+	}
+
+	// Info Endpoint — JSON response quality
+	url := fmt.Sprintf("http://%s/_conduit/info?apiKey=%s", serverAddr, apiKey)
+	req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", url, nil)
+	req.Host = serverAddr
+
+	resp2, err := (&http.Client{Timeout: 5 * time.Second}).Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("info request failed: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer resp2.Body.Close()
+
+	if resp2.Header.Get("Content-Type") != "application/json" {
+		t.Errorf("expected application/json, got %q", resp2.Header.Get("Content-Type"))
+	}
+}
+
+// ---------- Large Body Tests ----------
+
+func TestHTTPLargeResponseBody(t *testing.T) {
+	apiKey := "test-key-large-resp"
+
+	// Start Target That Returns a Large Body
+	largeBody := strings.Repeat("A", 1024*1024) // 1 MB
+	port := getFreePort(t)
+	addr := fmt.Sprintf("127.0.0.1:%d", port)
+	mux := http.NewServeMux()
+	mux.HandleFunc("/large", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+		w.Write([]byte(largeBody))
+	})
+	srv := &http.Server{Addr: addr, Handler: mux}
+	go srv.ListenAndServe()
+	defer srv.Close()
+	waitForPort(t, addr, 3*time.Second)
+
+	// Start Conduit Server
+	serverAddr, stopServer := startConduitServer(t, apiKey)
+	defer stopServer()
+
+	// Connect Tunnel
+	stopTunnel := connectTunnel(t, serverAddr, fmt.Sprintf("http://%s", addr), "large-resp", apiKey)
+	defer stopTunnel()
+
+	// Request Large Response
+	resp := sendHTTPViaTunnel(t, serverAddr, "large-resp", "GET", "/large", "")
+	body := readBody(t, resp)
+
+	if len(body) != len(largeBody) {
+		t.Errorf("expected %d bytes, got %d", len(largeBody), len(body))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHTTPLargeRequestBody(t *testing.T) {
+	apiKey := "test-key-large-req"
+
+	// Start Target That Echoes Body Size
+	port := getFreePort(t)
+	addr := fmt.Sprintf("127.0.0.1:%d", port)
+	mux := http.NewServeMux()
+	mux.HandleFunc("/upload", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		data, _ := io.ReadAll(r.Body)
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "size:%d", len(data))
+	})
+	srv := &http.Server{Addr: addr, Handler: mux}
+	go srv.ListenAndServe()
+	defer srv.Close()
+	waitForPort(t, addr, 3*time.Second)
+
+	// Start Conduit Server
+	serverAddr, stopServer := startConduitServer(t, apiKey)
+	defer stopServer()
+
+	// Connect Tunnel
+	stopTunnel := connectTunnel(t, serverAddr, fmt.Sprintf("http://%s", addr), "large-req", apiKey)
+	defer stopTunnel()
+
+	// Send Large Request Body (512 KB)
+	largePayload := strings.Repeat("B", 512*1024)
+	resp := sendHTTPViaTunnel(t, serverAddr, "large-req", "POST", "/upload", largePayload)
+	body := readBody(t, resp)
+
+	expected := fmt.Sprintf("size:%d", len(largePayload))
+	if body != expected {
+		t.Errorf("expected %q, got %q", expected, body)
+	}
+}
+
+// ---------- TCP Tunnel Tests ----------
+
+func TestTCPTunnelEcho(t *testing.T) {
+	apiKey := "test-key-tcp"
+
+	// Start TCP Echo Server
+	tcpAddr, stopTCP := startTCPEchoTarget(t)
+	defer stopTCP()
+
+	// Start Conduit Server
+	serverAddr, stopServer := startConduitServer(t, apiKey)
+	defer stopServer()
+
+	// Connect TCP Tunnel (bare host:port — the realistic way users would specify it)
+	stopTunnel := connectTunnel(t, serverAddr, tcpAddr, "tcp-test", apiKey)
+	defer stopTunnel()
+
+	// Send Raw HTTP Request Through Tunnel to TCP Echo
+	conn, err := net.DialTimeout("tcp", serverAddr, 5*time.Second)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to connect: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer conn.Close()
+
+	// Write a Raw HTTP Request (the TCP echo will bounce it back)
+	reqLine := fmt.Sprintf("GET / HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: tcp-test.%s\r\n\r\n", serverAddr)
+	_, err = conn.Write([]byte(reqLine))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to write: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Read Echoed Data
+	conn.SetReadDeadline(time.Now().Add(5 * time.Second))
+	buf := make([]byte, 4096)
+	n, err := conn.Read(buf)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to read echo: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	response := string(buf[:n])
+	if !strings.Contains(response, "GET / HTTP/1.1") {
+		t.Errorf("expected echoed request, got: %q", response)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestTCPTunnelLargePayload(t *testing.T) {
+	apiKey := "test-key-tcp-large"
+
+	// Start TCP Echo Server
+	tcpAddr, stopTCP := startTCPEchoTarget(t)
+	defer stopTCP()
+
+	// Start Conduit Server
+	serverAddr, stopServer := startConduitServer(t, apiKey)
+	defer stopServer()
+
+	// Connect TCP Tunnel (bare host:port)
+	stopTunnel := connectTunnel(t, serverAddr, tcpAddr, "tcp-large", apiKey)
+	defer stopTunnel()
+
+	// Connect and Send Large Payload
+	conn, err := net.DialTimeout("tcp", serverAddr, 5*time.Second)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to connect: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer conn.Close()
+
+	// Route via Host Header Then Send 64 KB Payload
+	header := fmt.Sprintf("POST /data HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: tcp-large.%s\r\nContent-Length: 65536\r\n\r\n", serverAddr)
+	payload := header + strings.Repeat("X", 64*1024)
+
+	_, err = conn.Write([]byte(payload))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to write: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Read All Echoed Data
+	conn.SetReadDeadline(time.Now().Add(5 * time.Second))
+	var received []byte
+	buf := make([]byte, 8192)
+	for len(received) < len(payload) {
+		n, err := conn.Read(buf)
+		if err != nil {
+			break
+		}
+		received = append(received, buf[:n]...)
+	}
+
+	if len(received) != len(payload) {
+		t.Errorf("expected %d bytes echoed, got %d", len(payload), len(received))
+	}
+}
+
+// ---------- Concurrency Tests ----------
+
+func TestConcurrentHTTPRequests(t *testing.T) {
+	apiKey := "test-key-concurrent"
+
+	// Start Target HTTP Server
+	targetAddr, stopTarget := startHTTPTarget(t)
+	defer stopTarget()
+
+	// Start Conduit Server
+	serverAddr, stopServer := startConduitServer(t, apiKey)
+	defer stopServer()
+
+	// Connect Tunnel
+	stopTunnel := connectTunnel(t, serverAddr, fmt.Sprintf("http://%s", targetAddr), "conc-test", apiKey)
+	defer stopTunnel()
+
+	// Fire 20 Concurrent Requests
+	const numRequests = 20
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	errors := make(chan string, numRequests)
+
+	for i := range numRequests {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func(idx int) {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			path := fmt.Sprintf("/item/%d", idx)
+			resp := sendHTTPViaTunnel(t, serverAddr, "conc-test", "GET", path, "")
+			body := readBody(t, resp)
+
+			expected := fmt.Sprintf("echo: GET %s", path)
+			if !strings.Contains(body, expected) {
+				errors <- fmt.Sprintf("request %d: expected %q, got %q", idx, expected, body)
+			}
+			if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+				errors <- fmt.Sprintf("request %d: expected 200, got %d", idx, resp.StatusCode)
+			}
+		}(i)
+	}
+
+	wg.Wait()
+	close(errors)
+
+	for errMsg := range errors {
+		t.Error(errMsg)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestConcurrentMultiTunnelRequests(t *testing.T) {
+	apiKey := "test-key-conc-multi"
+
+	// Start Two Target Servers
+	target1Addr, stopTarget1 := startHTTPTarget(t)
+	defer stopTarget1()
+
+	port2 := getFreePort(t)
+	addr2 := fmt.Sprintf("127.0.0.1:%d", port2)
+	mux2 := http.NewServeMux()
+	mux2.HandleFunc("/", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+		fmt.Fprintf(w, "server-two: %s", r.URL.Path)
+	})
+	srv2 := &http.Server{Addr: addr2, Handler: mux2}
+	go srv2.ListenAndServe()
+	defer srv2.Close()
+	waitForPort(t, addr2, 3*time.Second)
+
+	// Start Conduit Server
+	serverAddr, stopServer := startConduitServer(t, apiKey)
+	defer stopServer()
+
+	// Connect Two Tunnels
+	stopTunnel1 := connectTunnel(t, serverAddr, fmt.Sprintf("http://%s", target1Addr), "cm-one", apiKey)
+	defer stopTunnel1()
+
+	stopTunnel2 := connectTunnel(t, serverAddr, fmt.Sprintf("http://%s", addr2), "cm-two", apiKey)
+	defer stopTunnel2()
+
+	// Fire Concurrent Requests to Both Tunnels
+	const perTunnel = 10
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	errors := make(chan string, perTunnel*2)
+
+	for i := range perTunnel {
+		wg.Add(2)
+
+		// Requests to Tunnel One
+		go func(idx int) {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			path := fmt.Sprintf("/a/%d", idx)
+			resp := sendHTTPViaTunnel(t, serverAddr, "cm-one", "GET", path, "")
+			body := readBody(t, resp)
+			if !strings.Contains(body, fmt.Sprintf("echo: GET %s", path)) {
+				errors <- fmt.Sprintf("tunnel-one req %d: got %q", idx, body)
+			}
+		}(i)
+
+		// Requests to Tunnel Two
+		go func(idx int) {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			path := fmt.Sprintf("/b/%d", idx)
+			resp := sendHTTPViaTunnel(t, serverAddr, "cm-two", "GET", path, "")
+			body := readBody(t, resp)
+			if !strings.Contains(body, fmt.Sprintf("server-two: %s", path)) {
+				errors <- fmt.Sprintf("tunnel-two req %d: got %q", idx, body)
+			}
+		}(i)
+	}
+
+	wg.Wait()
+	close(errors)
+
+	for errMsg := range errors {
+		t.Error(errMsg)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/server/raw_http_response_writer.go b/server/raw_http_response_writer.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 79babcc..0000000
--- a/server/raw_http_response_writer.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,48 +0,0 @@
-package server
-
-import (
-	"bufio"
-	"fmt"
-	"net"
-	"net/http"
-)
-
-var _ http.ResponseWriter = (*rawHTTPResponseWriter)(nil)
-
-type rawHTTPResponseWriter struct {
-	conn   net.Conn
-	header http.Header
-}
-
-func (f *rawHTTPResponseWriter) Header() http.Header {
-	if f.header == nil {
-		f.header = make(http.Header)
-	}
-	return f.header
-}
-
-func (f *rawHTTPResponseWriter) Write(data []byte) (int, error) {
-	return f.conn.Write(data)
-}
-
-func (f *rawHTTPResponseWriter) WriteHeader(statusCode int) {
-	// Write Status
-	status := fmt.Sprintf("HTTP/1.1 %d %s\r\n", statusCode, http.StatusText(statusCode))
-	_, _ = f.conn.Write([]byte(status))
-
-	// Write Headers
-	for key, values := range f.header {
-		for _, value := range values {
-			_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(f.conn, "%s: %s\r\n", key, value)
-		}
-	}
-
-	// End Headers
-	_, _ = f.conn.Write([]byte("\r\n"))
-}
-
-func (f *rawHTTPResponseWriter) Hijack() (net.Conn, *bufio.ReadWriter, error) {
-	// Return Raw Connection & ReadWriter
-	rw := bufio.NewReadWriter(bufio.NewReader(f.conn), bufio.NewWriter(f.conn))
-	return f.conn, rw, nil
-}
diff --git a/server/reconstructed_conn.go b/server/reconstructed_conn.go
index 5993c69..f537e47 100644
--- a/server/reconstructed_conn.go
+++ b/server/reconstructed_conn.go
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package server
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"io"
 	"net"
 )
@@ -14,17 +13,17 @@ type reconstructedConn struct {
 	reader io.Reader
 }
 
-// Read reads from the reconstructed reader (captured data + original conn).
+// Read reads from the reconstructed reader (prepended data + original conn).
 func (rc *reconstructedConn) Read(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
 	return rc.reader.Read(p)
 }
 
-// newReconstructedConn creates a reconstructed connection that replays captured data
-// before reading from the original connection.
-func newReconstructedConn(conn net.Conn, capturedData *bytes.Buffer) net.Conn {
-	allReader := io.MultiReader(capturedData, conn)
+// newReconstructedConn creates a reconstructed connection that replays the provided
+// readers in order before reading from the underlying connection.
+func newReconstructedConn(conn net.Conn, readers ...io.Reader) net.Conn {
+	allReaders := append(readers, conn)
 	return &reconstructedConn{
 		Conn:   conn,
-		reader: allReader,
+		reader: io.MultiReader(allReaders...),
 	}
 }
diff --git a/server/server.go b/server/server.go
index 38a057c..9be4608 100644
--- a/server/server.go
+++ b/server/server.go
@@ -1,14 +1,11 @@
 package server
 
 import (
-	"bufio"
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
-	"io"
-	"net"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/url"
 	"strings"
@@ -62,37 +59,104 @@ func NewServer(ctx context.Context, cfg *config.ServerConfig) (*Server, error) {
 }
 
 func (s *Server) Start() error {
-	// Raw TCP Listener - This is necessary so we can conditionally either relay
-	// the raw TCP connection, or handle conduit control server API requests.
-	listener, err := net.Listen("tcp", s.cfg.BindAddress)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
+	// HTTP Server - Uses stdlib http.Server for proper HTTP response handling
+	// including Content-Length, chunked encoding, and keep-alive semantics.
+	httpServer := &http.Server{
+		Addr:    s.cfg.BindAddress,
+		Handler: s,
 	}
-	defer listener.Close()
 
-	// Context Cancellation - Close the listener when the context is cancelled
-	// so that Accept() unblocks and the loop exits cleanly.
+	// Context Cancellation - Gracefully shut down when the context is cancelled.
 	go func() {
 		<-s.ctx.Done()
-		listener.Close()
+		log.Info("conduit server shutting down")
+		httpServer.Close()
 	}()
 
-	// Start Listening
+	// Start Server
 	log.Infof("conduit server listening on %s", s.cfg.BindAddress)
-	for {
-		conn, err := listener.Accept()
-		if err != nil {
-			// Expected Error on Shutdown
-			if s.ctx.Err() != nil {
-				log.Info("conduit server shutting down")
-				return nil
-			}
-			log.WithError(err).Error("error accepting connection")
-			continue
-		}
-
-		go s.handleRawConnection(conn)
+	if err := httpServer.ListenAndServe(); err != nil && err != http.ErrServerClosed {
+		return err
 	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (s *Server) ServeHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	// Get True Host
+	if xff := r.Header.Get("X-Forwarded-For"); xff != "" {
+		r.RemoteAddr = xff
+	}
+
+	// Validate Host
+	if !strings.Contains(r.Host, s.host) {
+		http.Error(w, fmt.Sprintf("unknown host: %s", r.Host), http.StatusBadRequest)
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Extract Subdomain
+	tunnelName := strings.TrimSuffix(strings.Replace(r.Host, s.host, "", 1), ".")
+	if strings.Count(tunnelName, ".") != 0 {
+		http.Error(w, fmt.Sprintf("cannot tunnel nested subdomains: %s", r.Host), http.StatusBadRequest)
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Handle Control Endpoints
+	if tunnelName == "" {
+		s.handleAsHTTP(w, r)
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Handle Tunnel Requests
+	s.handleTunnelRequest(w, r, tunnelName)
+}
+
+func (s *Server) handleTunnelRequest(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request, tunnelName string) {
+	// Get Tunnel
+	conduitTunnel, exists := s.tunnels.Get(tunnelName)
+	if !exists {
+		http.Error(w, fmt.Sprintf("unknown tunnel: %s", tunnelName), http.StatusNotFound)
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Hijack Connection - Take over the raw TCP connection from the HTTP server
+	// so we can forward the full request (including body) through the tunnel.
+	hj, ok := w.(http.Hijacker)
+	if !ok {
+		http.Error(w, "hijack not supported", http.StatusInternalServerError)
+		return
+	}
+	conn, bufrw, err := hj.Hijack()
+	if err != nil {
+		http.Error(w, fmt.Sprintf("hijack failed: %v", err), http.StatusInternalServerError)
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Re-Serialize Request Headers - The HTTP server already consumed the request
+	// from the connection. We re-serialize it so the tunnel client receives a
+	// complete HTTP request to forward to the local target.
+	var reqBuf bytes.Buffer
+	fmt.Fprintf(&reqBuf, "%s %s %s\r\n", r.Method, r.RequestURI, r.Proto)
+	fmt.Fprintf(&reqBuf, "Host: %s\r\n", r.Host)
+	_ = r.Header.Write(&reqBuf)
+	reqBuf.WriteString("\r\n")
+
+	// Reconstruct Connection - Combine re-serialized headers with any buffered
+	// body data (from the hijacked reader) and the raw connection.
+	reconstructedConn := newReconstructedConn(conn, &reqBuf, bufrw)
+
+	// Create Stream
+	streamID := fmt.Sprintf("stream_%d", time.Now().UnixNano())
+	tunnelStream := tunnel.NewStream(reconstructedConn, r.RemoteAddr, conduitTunnel.Source())
+
+	// Add Stream
+	if err := conduitTunnel.AddStream(tunnelStream, streamID); err != nil {
+		log.WithError(err).Error("failed to add stream")
+		conn.Close()
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Start Stream
+	conduitTunnel.StartStream(tunnelStream, streamID)
 }
 
 func (s *Server) getInfo(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
@@ -122,79 +186,6 @@ func (s *Server) getInfo(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
 	_, _ = w.Write(d)
 }
 
-func (s *Server) handleRawConnection(conn net.Conn) {
-	defer conn.Close()
-
-	// Capture Consumed Data - When determining where to route the request, we
-	// have to read the host headers. This requires reading from the buffer, so
-	// if we later decide to tunnel the TCP connection we need to reconstruct the
-	// data from the buffer.
-	var capturedData bytes.Buffer
-	teeReader := io.TeeReader(conn, &capturedData)
-	bufReader := bufio.NewReader(teeReader)
-
-	// Create HTTP Request & Writer
-	w := &rawHTTPResponseWriter{conn: conn}
-	r, err := http.ReadRequest(bufReader)
-	if err != nil {
-		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusBadRequest)
-		return
-	}
-	defer r.Body.Close()
-
-	// Validate Host
-	if !strings.Contains(r.Host, s.host) {
-		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusBadRequest)
-		_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(w, "unknown host: %s", r.Host)
-		return
-	}
-
-	// Extract Subdomain
-	tunnelName := strings.TrimSuffix(strings.Replace(r.Host, s.host, "", 1), ".")
-	if strings.Count(tunnelName, ".") != 0 {
-		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusBadRequest)
-		_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(w, "cannot tunnel nested subdomains: %s", r.Host)
-		return
-	}
-
-	// Get True Host
-	remoteHost := conn.RemoteAddr().String()
-	if xff := r.Header.Get("X-Forwarded-For"); xff != "" {
-		remoteHost = xff
-	}
-	r.RemoteAddr = remoteHost
-
-	// Handle Control Endpoints
-	if tunnelName == "" {
-		s.handleAsHTTP(w, r)
-		return
-	}
-
-	// Handle Tunnels
-	conduitTunnel, exists := s.tunnels.Get(tunnelName)
-	if !exists {
-		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusNotFound)
-		_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(w, "unknown tunnel: %s", tunnelName)
-		return
-	}
-
-	// Create Stream
-	reconstructedConn := newReconstructedConn(conn, &capturedData)
-	streamID := fmt.Sprintf("stream_%d", time.Now().UnixNano())
-	tunnelStream := tunnel.NewStream(reconstructedConn, r.RemoteAddr, conduitTunnel.Source())
-
-	// Add Stream
-	if err := conduitTunnel.AddStream(tunnelStream, streamID); err != nil {
-		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusInternalServerError)
-		_, _ = fmt.Fprintf(w, "failed to add stream: %v", err)
-		log.WithError(err).Error("failed to add stream")
-		return
-	}
-
-	// Start Stream
-	conduitTunnel.StartStream(tunnelStream, streamID)
-}
-
 func (s *Server) handleAsHTTP(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	// Authorize Control Endpoints
 	apiKey := r.URL.Query().Get("apiKey")
@@ -219,15 +210,13 @@ func (s *Server) createTunnel(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	// Get Tunnel Name
 	tunnelName := r.URL.Query().Get("tunnelName")
 	if tunnelName == "" {
-		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusBadRequest)
-		_, _ = w.Write([]byte("Missing tunnelName parameter"))
+		http.Error(w, "Missing tunnelName parameter", http.StatusBadRequest)
 		return
 	}
 
 	// Validate Unique
 	if _, exists := s.tunnels.Get(tunnelName); exists {
-		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusConflict)
-		_, _ = w.Write([]byte("Tunnel already registered"))
+		http.Error(w, "Tunnel already registered", http.StatusConflict)
 		return
 	}
 
diff --git a/tunnel/forwarder.go b/tunnel/forwarder.go
index a8e5f01..ce8bbf6 100644
--- a/tunnel/forwarder.go
+++ b/tunnel/forwarder.go
@@ -21,23 +21,15 @@ type Forwarder interface {
 }
 
 func NewForwarder(target string, tunnelStore store.TunnelStore) (Forwarder, error) {
-	// Get Target URL
+	// Only parse as URL for HTTP targets. Bare host:port (e.g., "127.0.0.1:5432")
+	// is not a valid URL and should be treated as a raw TCP target.
 	targetURL, err := url.Parse(target)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	// Get Connection Builder
-	var forwarder Forwarder
-	switch targetURL.Scheme {
-	case "http", "https":
-		forwarder, err = newHTTPForwarder(targetURL, tunnelStore)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+	if err == nil {
+		switch targetURL.Scheme {
+		case "http", "https":
+			return newHTTPForwarder(targetURL, tunnelStore)
 		}
-	default:
-		forwarder = newTCPForwarder(target, tunnelStore)
 	}
 
-	return forwarder, nil
+	return newTCPForwarder(target, tunnelStore), nil
 }