diff --git a/go/mysql/client.go b/go/mysql/client.go
index 34dcacbc0f2..ee9ff368fda 100644
--- a/go/mysql/client.go
+++ b/go/mysql/client.go
@@ -373,6 +373,16 @@ func (c *Conn) parseInitialHandshakePacket(data []byte) (uint32, []byte, error)
 	if !ok {
 		return 0, nil, NewSQLError(CRVersionError, SSUnknownSQLState, "parseInitialHandshakePacket: packet has no protocol version")
 	}
+
+	// Server is allowed to immediately send ERR packet
+	if pver == ErrPacket {
+		errorCode, pos, _ := readUint16(data, pos)
+		// Normally there would be a 1-byte sql_state_marker field and a 5-byte
+		// sql_state field here, but docs say these will not be present in this case.
+		errorMsg, pos, _ := readEOFString(data, pos)
+		return 0, nil, NewSQLError(CRServerHandshakeErr, SSUnknownSQLState, "immediate error from server errorCode=%v errorMsg=%v", errorCode, errorMsg)
+	}
+
 	if pver != protocolVersion {
 		return 0, nil, NewSQLError(CRVersionError, SSUnknownSQLState, "bad protocol version: %v", pver)
 	}
diff --git a/go/mysql/encoding.go b/go/mysql/encoding.go
index 018da8a8f9b..7926c5bd498 100644
--- a/go/mysql/encoding.go
+++ b/go/mysql/encoding.go
@@ -80,6 +80,10 @@ func lenNullString(value string) int {
 	return len(value) + 1
 }
 
+func lenEOFString(value string) int {
+	return len(value)
+}
+
 func writeNullString(data []byte, pos int, value string) int {
 	pos += copy(data[pos:], value)
 	data[pos] = 0
@@ -180,6 +184,10 @@ func readNullString(data []byte, pos int) (string, int, bool) {
 	return string(data[pos : pos+end]), pos + end + 1, true
 }
 
+func readEOFString(data []byte, pos int) (string, int, bool) {
+	return string(data[pos:]), len(data) - pos, true
+}
+
 func readUint16(data []byte, pos int) (uint16, int, bool) {
 	if pos+1 >= len(data) {
 		return 0, 0, false
diff --git a/go/mysql/encoding_test.go b/go/mysql/encoding_test.go
index 7f56f583c86..8d1bb804936 100644
--- a/go/mysql/encoding_test.go
+++ b/go/mysql/encoding_test.go
@@ -190,21 +190,25 @@ func TestEncString(t *testing.T) {
 		value       string
 		lenEncoded  []byte
 		nullEncoded []byte
+		eofEncoded  []byte
 	}{
 		{
 			"",
 			[]byte{0x00},
 			[]byte{0x00},
+			[]byte{},
 		},
 		{
 			"a",
 			[]byte{0x01, 'a'},
 			[]byte{'a', 0x00},
+			[]byte{'a'},
 		},
 		{
 			"0123456789",
 			[]byte{0x0a, '0', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9'},
 			[]byte{'0', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9', 0x00},
+			[]byte{'0', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9'},
 		},
 	}
 	for _, test := range tests {
@@ -220,6 +224,11 @@ func TestEncString(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Errorf("lenNullString returned %v but expected %v for %v", got, len(test.nullEncoded), test.value)
 		}
 
+		// Check lenEOFString
+		if got := lenEOFString(test.value); got != len(test.eofEncoded) {
+			t.Errorf("lenNullString returned %v but expected %v for %v", got, len(test.eofEncoded), test.value)
+		}
+
 		// Check successful encoding.
 		data := make([]byte, len(test.lenEncoded))
 		pos := writeLenEncString(data, 0, test.value)
@@ -319,16 +328,21 @@ func TestEncString(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 
 		// EOF encoded tests.
-		// We use the nullEncoded value, removing the 0 at the end.
 
 		// Check successful encoding.
-		data = make([]byte, len(test.nullEncoded)-1)
+		data = make([]byte, len(test.eofEncoded))
 		pos = writeEOFString(data, 0, test.value)
-		if pos != len(test.nullEncoded)-1 {
-			t.Errorf("unexpected pos %v after writeEOFString(%v), expected %v", pos, test.value, len(test.nullEncoded)-1)
+		if pos != len(test.eofEncoded) {
+			t.Errorf("unexpected pos %v after writeEOFString(%v), expected %v", pos, test.value, len(test.eofEncoded))
 		}
-		if !bytes.Equal(data, test.nullEncoded[:len(test.nullEncoded)-1]) {
-			t.Errorf("unexpected nullEncoded value for %v, got %v expected %v", test.value, data, test.nullEncoded)
+		if !bytes.Equal(data, test.eofEncoded[:len(test.eofEncoded)]) {
+			t.Errorf("unexpected eofEncoded value for %v, got %v expected %v", test.value, data, test.eofEncoded)
+		}
+
+		// Check successful decoding.
+		got, pos, ok = readEOFString(test.eofEncoded, 0)
+		if !ok || got != test.value || pos != len(test.eofEncoded) {
+			t.Errorf("readEOFString returned %v/%v/%v but expected %v/%v/%v", got, pos, ok, test.value, len(test.eofEncoded), true)
 		}
 	}
 }