diff --git a/lib/std/Uri.zig b/lib/std/Uri.zig
index 1a2993f174..b27a3d7012 100644
--- a/lib/std/Uri.zig
+++ b/lib/std/Uri.zig
@@ -216,6 +216,7 @@ pub fn format(
 
     const needs_absolute = comptime std.mem.indexOf(u8, fmt, "+") != null;
     const needs_path = comptime std.mem.indexOf(u8, fmt, "/") != null or fmt.len == 0;
+    const raw_uri = comptime std.mem.indexOf(u8, fmt, "r") != null;
     const needs_fragment = comptime std.mem.indexOf(u8, fmt, "#") != null;
 
     if (needs_absolute) {
@@ -246,18 +247,30 @@ pub fn format(
         if (uri.path.len == 0) {
             try writer.writeAll("/");
         } else {
-            try Uri.writeEscapedPath(writer, uri.path);
+            if (raw_uri) {
+                try writer.writeAll(uri.path);
+            } else {
+                try Uri.writeEscapedPath(writer, uri.path);
+            }
         }
 
         if (uri.query) |q| {
             try writer.writeAll("?");
-            try Uri.writeEscapedQuery(writer, q);
+            if (raw_uri) {
+                try writer.writeAll(q);
+            } else {
+                try Uri.writeEscapedQuery(writer, q);
+            }
         }
 
         if (needs_fragment) {
             if (uri.fragment) |f| {
                 try writer.writeAll("#");
-                try Uri.writeEscapedQuery(writer, f);
+                if (raw_uri) {
+                    try writer.writeAll(f);
+                } else {
+                    try Uri.writeEscapedQuery(writer, f);
+                }
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/lib/std/http/Client.zig b/lib/std/http/Client.zig
index bfb96f2cfc..9e475df51b 100644
--- a/lib/std/http/Client.zig
+++ b/lib/std/http/Client.zig
@@ -538,8 +538,13 @@ pub const Request = struct {
 
     pub const StartError = Connection.WriteError || error{ InvalidContentLength, UnsupportedTransferEncoding };
 
+    pub const StartOptions = struct {
+        /// Specifies that the uri should be used as is
+        raw_uri: bool = false,
+    };
+
     /// Send the request to the server.
-    pub fn start(req: *Request) StartError!void {
+    pub fn start(req: *Request, options: StartOptions) StartError!void {
         if (!req.method.requestHasBody() and req.transfer_encoding != .none) return error.UnsupportedTransferEncoding;
 
         var buffered = std.io.bufferedWriter(req.connection.?.data.writer());
@@ -552,13 +557,22 @@ pub const Request = struct {
             try w.writeAll(req.uri.host.?);
             try w.writeByte(':');
             try w.print("{}", .{req.uri.port.?});
-        } else if (req.connection.?.data.proxied) {
-            // proxied connections require the full uri
-            try w.print("{+/}", .{req.uri});
         } else {
-            try w.print("{/}", .{req.uri});
+            if (req.connection.?.data.proxied) {
+                // proxied connections require the full uri
+                if (options.raw_uri) {
+                    try w.print("{+/r}", .{req.uri});
+                } else {
+                    try w.print("{+/}", .{req.uri});
+                }
+            } else {
+                if (options.raw_uri) {
+                    try w.print("{/r}", .{req.uri});
+                } else {
+                    try w.print("{/}", .{req.uri});
+                }
+            }
         }
-
         try w.writeByte(' ');
         try w.writeAll(@tagName(req.version));
         try w.writeAll("\r\n");
@@ -757,7 +771,7 @@ pub const Request = struct {
 
                 try req.redirect(resolved_url);
 
-                try req.start();
+                try req.start(.{});
             } else {
                 req.response.skip = false;
                 if (!req.response.parser.done) {
@@ -1141,6 +1155,7 @@ pub const FetchOptions = struct {
     method: http.Method = .GET,
     headers: http.Headers = http.Headers{ .allocator = std.heap.page_allocator, .owned = false },
     payload: Payload = .none,
+    raw_uri: bool = false,
 };
 
 pub const FetchResult = struct {
@@ -1188,7 +1203,7 @@ pub fn fetch(client: *Client, allocator: Allocator, options: FetchOptions) !Fetc
             .none => {},
         }
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{ .raw_uri = options.raw_uri });
 
         switch (options.payload) {
             .string => |str| try req.writeAll(str),
diff --git a/src/Package.zig b/src/Package.zig
index 03c4c72ab0..d170baeae5 100644
--- a/src/Package.zig
+++ b/src/Package.zig
@@ -653,7 +653,7 @@ fn fetchAndUnpack(
         var req = try http_client.request(.GET, uri, h, .{});
         defer req.deinit();
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         try req.wait();
 
         if (req.response.status != .ok) {
diff --git a/test/standalone/http.zig b/test/standalone/http.zig
index f0dc0e6b2a..00fd4397b0 100644
--- a/test/standalone/http.zig
+++ b/test/standalone/http.zig
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
         var req = try client.request(.GET, uri, h, .{});
         defer req.deinit();
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         try req.wait();
 
         const body = try req.reader().readAllAlloc(calloc, 8192);
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
         var req = try client.request(.GET, uri, h, .{});
         defer req.deinit();
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         try req.wait();
 
         const body = try req.reader().readAllAlloc(calloc, 8192 * 1024);
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
         var req = try client.request(.HEAD, uri, h, .{});
         defer req.deinit();
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         try req.wait();
 
         const body = try req.reader().readAllAlloc(calloc, 8192);
@@ -315,7 +315,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
         var req = try client.request(.GET, uri, h, .{});
         defer req.deinit();
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         try req.wait();
 
         const body = try req.reader().readAllAlloc(calloc, 8192);
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
         var req = try client.request(.HEAD, uri, h, .{});
         defer req.deinit();
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         try req.wait();
 
         const body = try req.reader().readAllAlloc(calloc, 8192);
@@ -366,7 +366,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
         var req = try client.request(.GET, uri, h, .{});
         defer req.deinit();
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         try req.wait();
 
         const body = try req.reader().readAllAlloc(calloc, 8192);
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
 
         req.transfer_encoding = .{ .content_length = 14 };
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         try req.writeAll("Hello, ");
         try req.writeAll("World!\n");
         try req.finish();
@@ -425,7 +425,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
         var req = try client.request(.GET, uri, h, .{});
         defer req.deinit();
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         try req.wait();
 
         const body = try req.reader().readAllAlloc(calloc, 8192);
@@ -454,7 +454,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
 
         req.transfer_encoding = .chunked;
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         try req.writeAll("Hello, ");
         try req.writeAll("World!\n");
         try req.finish();
@@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
         var req = try client.request(.GET, uri, h, .{});
         defer req.deinit();
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         try req.wait();
 
         const body = try req.reader().readAllAlloc(calloc, 8192);
@@ -506,7 +506,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
         var req = try client.request(.GET, uri, h, .{});
         defer req.deinit();
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         try req.wait();
 
         const body = try req.reader().readAllAlloc(calloc, 8192);
@@ -530,7 +530,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
         var req = try client.request(.GET, uri, h, .{});
         defer req.deinit();
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         try req.wait();
 
         const body = try req.reader().readAllAlloc(calloc, 8192);
@@ -554,7 +554,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
         var req = try client.request(.GET, uri, h, .{});
         defer req.deinit();
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         req.wait() catch |err| switch (err) {
             error.TooManyHttpRedirects => {},
             else => return err,
@@ -576,7 +576,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
         var req = try client.request(.GET, uri, h, .{});
         defer req.deinit();
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         const result = req.wait();
 
         try testing.expectError(error.ConnectionRefused, result); // expects not segfault but the regular error
@@ -623,7 +623,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
 
         req.transfer_encoding = .chunked;
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         try req.wait();
         try testing.expectEqual(http.Status.@"continue", req.response.status);
 
@@ -657,7 +657,7 @@ pub fn main() !void {
 
         req.transfer_encoding = .chunked;
 
-        try req.start();
+        try req.start(.{});
         try req.wait();
         try testing.expectEqual(http.Status.expectation_failed, req.response.status);
     }