diff --git a/rpc/client/http/client.go b/rpc/client/http/client.go
index c0c8d00ed..f57162670 100644
--- a/rpc/client/http/client.go
+++ b/rpc/client/http/client.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/tendermint/go-rpc/client"
+	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/client"
 	ctypes "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/core/types"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/types"
 )
@@ -37,6 +38,10 @@ func New(remote, wsEndpoint string) *Client {
 	}
 }
 
+func (c *Client) _assertIsClient() client.Client {
+	return c
+}
+
 func (c *Client) Status() (*ctypes.ResultStatus, error) {
 	tmResult := new(ctypes.TMResult)
 	_, err := c.rpc.Call("status", []interface{}{}, tmResult)
@@ -66,24 +71,29 @@ func (c *Client) ABCIQuery(path string, data []byte, prove bool) (*ctypes.Result
 }
 
 func (c *Client) BroadcastTxCommit(tx types.Tx) (*ctypes.ResultBroadcastTxCommit, error) {
-	return c.broadcastTX("broadcast_tx_commit", tx)
+	tmResult := new(ctypes.TMResult)
+	_, err := c.rpc.Call("broadcast_tx_commit", []interface{}{tx}, tmResult)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "broadcast_tx_commit")
+	}
+	return (*tmResult).(*ctypes.ResultBroadcastTxCommit), nil
 }
 
-func (c *Client) BroadcastTxAsync(tx types.Tx) (*ctypes.ResultBroadcastTxCommit, error) {
+func (c *Client) BroadcastTxAsync(tx types.Tx) (*ctypes.ResultBroadcastTx, error) {
 	return c.broadcastTX("broadcast_tx_async", tx)
 }
 
-func (c *Client) BroadcastTxSync(tx types.Tx) (*ctypes.ResultBroadcastTxCommit, error) {
+func (c *Client) BroadcastTxSync(tx types.Tx) (*ctypes.ResultBroadcastTx, error) {
 	return c.broadcastTX("broadcast_tx_sync", tx)
 }
 
-func (c *Client) broadcastTX(route string, tx types.Tx) (*ctypes.ResultBroadcastTxCommit, error) {
+func (c *Client) broadcastTX(route string, tx types.Tx) (*ctypes.ResultBroadcastTx, error) {
 	tmResult := new(ctypes.TMResult)
 	_, err := c.rpc.Call(route, []interface{}{tx}, tmResult)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, route)
 	}
-	return (*tmResult).(*ctypes.ResultBroadcastTxCommit), nil
+	return (*tmResult).(*ctypes.ResultBroadcastTx), nil
 }
 
 func (c *Client) NetInfo() (*ctypes.ResultNetInfo, error) {
diff --git a/rpc/client/interface.go b/rpc/client/interface.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..33f5dace5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rpc/client/interface.go
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/*
+package client provides a general purpose interface for connecting
+to a tendermint node, as well as higher-level functionality.
+
+The main implementation for production code is http, which connects
+via http to the jsonrpc interface of the tendermint node.
+
+For connecting to a node running in the same process (eg. when
+compiling the abci app in the same process), you can use the local
+implementation.
+
+For mocking out server responses during testing to see behavior for
+arbitrary return values, use the mock package.
+
+In addition to the Client interface, which should be used externally
+for maximum flexibility and testability, this package also provides
+a wrapper that accepts any Client implementation and adds some
+higher-level functionality.
+*/
+package client
+
+import (
+	ctypes "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/core/types"
+	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/types"
+)
+
+type Client interface {
+	// general chain info
+	Status() (*ctypes.ResultStatus, error)
+	NetInfo() (*ctypes.ResultNetInfo, error)
+	Genesis() (*ctypes.ResultGenesis, error)
+
+	// reading from abci app
+	ABCIInfo() (*ctypes.ResultABCIInfo, error)
+	ABCIQuery(path string, data []byte, prove bool) (*ctypes.ResultABCIQuery, error)
+
+	// writing to abci app
+	BroadcastTxCommit(tx types.Tx) (*ctypes.ResultBroadcastTxCommit, error)
+	BroadcastTxAsync(tx types.Tx) (*ctypes.ResultBroadcastTx, error)
+	BroadcastTxSync(tx types.Tx) (*ctypes.ResultBroadcastTx, error)
+
+	// validating block info
+	BlockchainInfo(minHeight, maxHeight int) (*ctypes.ResultBlockchainInfo, error)
+	Block(height int) (*ctypes.ResultBlock, error)
+	Commit(height int) (*ctypes.ResultCommit, error)
+	Validators() (*ctypes.ResultValidators, error)
+
+	// TODO: add some sort of generic subscription mechanism...
+
+	// remove this???
+	// DialSeeds(seeds []string) (*ctypes.ResultDialSeeds, error)
+}
diff --git a/rpc/client/local/client.go b/rpc/client/local/client.go
index 3817e2df1..f050b6b18 100644
--- a/rpc/client/local/client.go
+++ b/rpc/client/local/client.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ package localclient
 
 import (
 	nm "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/node"
+	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/client"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/core"
 	ctypes "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/core/types"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/types"
@@ -38,6 +39,10 @@ func New(node *nm.Node) Client {
 	}
 }
 
+func (c Client) _assertIsClient() client.Client {
+	return c
+}
+
 func (c Client) Status() (*ctypes.ResultStatus, error) {
 	return core.Status()
 }