diff --git a/cmd/restore.go b/cmd/restore.go
index e9af62d24..71fb5ec7d 100644
--- a/cmd/restore.go
+++ b/cmd/restore.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ The Restore command will take a backup archive and restore it to a new, clean cl
 	flags.StringVarP(&cmd.Path, "source", "s", "", "backup file; specify '-' to restore from stdin tar stream")
 	flags.StringVar(&cmd.Host, "host", "localhost:10101", "host:port of FeatureBase.")
 	flags.IntVar(&cmd.Concurrency, "concurrency", 1, "number of concurrent uploads")
+	flags.DurationVar(&cmd.RetryPeriod, "retry-period", cmd.RetryPeriod, "Length of time after HTTP request failure to continue retrying request.")
 	ctl.SetTLSConfig(
 		flags, "",
 		&cmd.TLS.CertificatePath,
diff --git a/ctl/restore.go b/ctl/restore.go
index 373581d5d..0804c3fa2 100644
--- a/ctl/restore.go
+++ b/ctl/restore.go
@@ -13,8 +13,12 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/hashicorp/go-retryablehttp"
 
 	pilosa "github.com/molecula/featurebase/v2"
+	fb_http "github.com/molecula/featurebase/v2/http"
 	"github.com/molecula/featurebase/v2/server"
 	"github.com/molecula/featurebase/v2/topology"
 	"golang.org/x/sync/errgroup"
@@ -29,6 +33,10 @@ type RestoreCommand struct {
 
 	// Filepath to the backup file.
 	Path string
+
+	// Amount of time after first failed request to continue retrying.
+	RetryPeriod time.Duration `json:"retry-period"`
+
 	// Reusable client.
 	client pilosa.InternalClient
 
@@ -62,7 +70,7 @@ func (cmd *RestoreCommand) Run(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
 		return fmt.Errorf("parsing tls config: %w", err)
 	}
 	// Create a client to the server.
-	client, err := commandClient(cmd)
+	client, err := commandClient(cmd, fb_http.WithClientRetryPeriod(cmd.RetryPeriod))
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("creating client: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -119,7 +127,8 @@ func (cmd *RestoreCommand) restoreSchema(ctx context.Context, primary *topology.
 	if len(existingSchema) == 0 {
 		cmd.Logger().Printf("Load Schema")
 		url := primary.URI.Path("/schema")
-		var client http.Client
+		client := retryablehttp.NewClient()
+		client.RetryWaitMax = cmd.RetryPeriod
 		_, err = client.Post(url, "application/json", f)
 	} else {
 		schema := &pilosa.Schema{}
@@ -174,7 +183,8 @@ func (cmd *RestoreCommand) restoreIDAlloc(ctx context.Context, primary *topology
 	logger.Printf("Load idalloc")
 	url := primary.URI.Path("/internal/idalloc/restore")
 
-	var client http.Client
+	client := retryablehttp.NewClient()
+	client.RetryWaitMax = cmd.RetryPeriod
 	_, err = client.Post(url, "application/octet-stream", f)
 	return err
 }
@@ -244,14 +254,15 @@ func (cmd *RestoreCommand) restoreShard(ctx context.Context, filename string) er
 		defer f.Close()
 
 		url := node.URI.Path(fmt.Sprintf("/internal/restore/%v/%v", indexName, shard))
-		req, err := http.NewRequest("POST", url, f)
+		req, err := retryablehttp.NewRequest("POST", url, f)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 		req = req.WithContext(ctx)
 		req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/octet-stream")
 
-		var client http.Client
+		client := retryablehttp.NewClient()
+		client.RetryWaitMax = cmd.RetryPeriod
 		resp, err := client.Do(req)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index b66980688..58b7e60c2 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/gopherjs/gopherjs v0.0.0-20200217142428-fce0ec30dd00 // indirect
 	github.com/gorilla/handlers v1.3.0
 	github.com/gorilla/mux v1.7.0
+	github.com/hashicorp/go-retryablehttp v0.7.0
 	github.com/improbable-eng/grpc-web v0.13.0
 	github.com/lib/pq v1.8.0
 	github.com/molecula/apophenia v0.0.0-20190827192002-68b7a14a478b
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 4224f965d..a60699bb5 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -186,10 +186,15 @@ github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway v1.9.5/go.mod h1:vNeuVxBJEsws4ogUvrchl83t
 github.com/hashicorp/consul/api v1.1.0/go.mod h1:VmuI/Lkw1nC05EYQWNKwWGbkg+FbDBtguAZLlVdkD9Q=
 github.com/hashicorp/consul/sdk v0.1.1/go.mod h1:VKf9jXwCTEY1QZP2MOLRhb5i/I/ssyNV1vwHyQBF0x8=
 github.com/hashicorp/errwrap v1.0.0/go.mod h1:YH+1FKiLXxHSkmPseP+kNlulaMuP3n2brvKWEqk/Jc4=
+github.com/hashicorp/go-cleanhttp v0.5.1 h1:dH3aiDG9Jvb5r5+bYHsikaOUIpcM0xvgMXVoDkXMzJM=
 github.com/hashicorp/go-cleanhttp v0.5.1/go.mod h1:JpRdi6/HCYpAwUzNwuwqhbovhLtngrth3wmdIIUrZ80=
+github.com/hashicorp/go-hclog v0.9.2 h1:CG6TE5H9/JXsFWJCfoIVpKFIkFe6ysEuHirp4DxCsHI=
+github.com/hashicorp/go-hclog v0.9.2/go.mod h1:5CU+agLiy3J7N7QjHK5d05KxGsuXiQLrjA0H7acj2lQ=
 github.com/hashicorp/go-immutable-radix v1.0.0/go.mod h1:0y9vanUI8NX6FsYoO3zeMjhV/C5i9g4Q3DwcSNZ4P60=
 github.com/hashicorp/go-msgpack v0.5.3/go.mod h1:ahLV/dePpqEmjfWmKiqvPkv/twdG7iPBM1vqhUKIvfM=
 github.com/hashicorp/go-multierror v1.0.0/go.mod h1:dHtQlpGsu+cZNNAkkCN/P3hoUDHhCYQXV3UM06sGGrk=
+github.com/hashicorp/go-retryablehttp v0.7.0 h1:eu1EI/mbirUgP5C8hVsTNaGZreBDlYiwC1FZWkvQPQ4=
+github.com/hashicorp/go-retryablehttp v0.7.0/go.mod h1:vAew36LZh98gCBJNLH42IQ1ER/9wtLZZ8meHqQvEYWY=
 github.com/hashicorp/go-rootcerts v1.0.0/go.mod h1:K6zTfqpRlCUIjkwsN4Z+hiSfzSTQa6eBIzfwKfwNnHU=
 github.com/hashicorp/go-sockaddr v1.0.0/go.mod h1:7Xibr9yA9JjQq1JpNB2Vw7kxv8xerXegt+ozgdvDeDU=
 github.com/hashicorp/go-syslog v1.0.0/go.mod h1:qPfqrKkXGihmCqbJM2mZgkZGvKG1dFdvsLplgctolz4=