diff --git a/lib/api.js b/lib/api.js
index 94cfd64a..bb911de4 100644
--- a/lib/api.js
+++ b/lib/api.js
@@ -194,13 +194,28 @@ var api = {
     reqOptions.qs = options.qs;
     reqOptions.headers = options.headers;
 
+    var requestFunction = function() {
+      return _request(reqOptions);
+    };
     if (options.auth === true) {
-      return api.addRequestHeaders(reqOptions).then(function(reqOptionsWithToken) {
-        return _request(reqOptionsWithToken);
-      });
+      requestFunction = function() {
+        return api.addRequestHeaders(reqOptions).then(function(reqOptionsWithToken) {
+          return _request(reqOptionsWithToken);
+        });
+      };
     }
 
-    return _request(reqOptions);
+    return requestFunction().catch(function(err) {
+      if (
+        options.retryCodes &&
+        _.includes(options.retryCodes, _.get(err, "context.response.statusCode"))
+      ) {
+        return new Promise(function(resolve) {
+          setTimeout(resolve, 1000);
+        }).then(requestFunction);
+      }
+      return Promise.reject(err);
+    });
   },
   getProject: function(projectId) {
     return api
diff --git a/lib/gcp/cloudfunctions.js b/lib/gcp/cloudfunctions.js
index 6df1a877..82f766c6 100644
--- a/lib/gcp/cloudfunctions.js
+++ b/lib/gcp/cloudfunctions.js
@@ -26,11 +26,13 @@ function _functionsOpLogReject(func, type, err) {
 function _generateUploadUrl(projectId, location) {
   var parent = "projects/" + projectId + "/locations/" + location;
   var endpoint = "/" + API_VERSION + "/" + parent + "/functions:generateUploadUrl";
+
   return api
     .request("POST", endpoint, {
       auth: true,
       json: false,
       origin: api.functionsOrigin,
+      retryCodes: [503],
     })
     .then(
       function(result) {
diff --git a/lib/gcp/runtimeconfig.js b/lib/gcp/runtimeconfig.js
index d2ec871d..87587046 100644
--- a/lib/gcp/runtimeconfig.js
+++ b/lib/gcp/runtimeconfig.js
@@ -8,127 +8,116 @@ var _ = require("lodash");
 
 var API_VERSION = "v1beta1";
 
-function _retryOnServerError(requestFunction) {
-  return requestFunction().catch(function(err) {
-    if (_.includes([500, 503], _.get(err, "context.response.statusCode"))) {
-      return new Promise(function(resolve) {
-        setTimeout(resolve, 1000);
-      }).then(requestFunction);
-    }
-    return Promise.reject(err);
-  });
-}
-
 function _listConfigs(projectId) {
-  return _retryOnServerError(function() {
-    return api.request("GET", utils.endpoint([API_VERSION, "projects", projectId, "configs"]), {
+  return api
+    .request("GET", utils.endpoint([API_VERSION, "projects", projectId, "configs"]), {
       auth: true,
       origin: api.runtimeconfigOrigin,
+      retryCodes: [500, 503],
+    })
+    .then(function(resp) {
+      return Promise.resolve(resp.body.configs);
     });
-  }).then(function(resp) {
-    return Promise.resolve(resp.body.configs);
-  });
 }
 
 function _createConfig(projectId, configId) {
   var path = _.join(["projects", projectId, "configs"], "/");
   var endpoint = utils.endpoint([API_VERSION, path]);
-  return _retryOnServerError(function() {
-    return api.request("POST", endpoint, {
+  return api
+    .request("POST", endpoint, {
       auth: true,
       origin: api.runtimeconfigOrigin,
       data: {
         name: path + "/" + configId,
       },
+      retryCodes: [500, 503],
+    })
+    .catch(function(err) {
+      if (_.get(err, "context.response.statusCode") === 409) {
+        // Config has already been created as part of a parallel operation during firebase functions:config:set
+        return Promise.resolve();
+      }
+      return Promise.reject(err);
     });
-  }).catch(function(err) {
-    if (_.get(err, "context.response.statusCode") === 409) {
-      // Config has already been created as part of a parallel operation during firebase functions:config:set
-      return Promise.resolve();
-    }
-    return Promise.reject(err);
-  });
 }
 
 function _deleteConfig(projectId, configId) {
-  return _retryOnServerError(function() {
-    return api.request(
-      "DELETE",
-      utils.endpoint([API_VERSION, "projects", projectId, "configs", configId]),
-      {
-        auth: true,
-        origin: api.runtimeconfigOrigin,
+  return api
+    .request("DELETE", utils.endpoint([API_VERSION, "projects", projectId, "configs", configId]), {
+      auth: true,
+      origin: api.runtimeconfigOrigin,
+      retryCodes: [500, 503],
+    })
+    .catch(function(err) {
+      if (_.get(err, "context.response.statusCode") === 404) {
+        logger.debug("Config already deleted.");
+        return Promise.resolve();
       }
-    );
-  }).catch(function(err) {
-    if (_.get(err, "context.response.statusCode") === 404) {
-      logger.debug("Config already deleted.");
-      return Promise.resolve();
-    }
-    return Promise.reject(err);
-  });
+      return Promise.reject(err);
+    });
 }
 
 function _listVariables(configPath) {
-  return _retryOnServerError(function() {
-    return api.request("GET", utils.endpoint([API_VERSION, configPath, "variables"]), {
+  return api
+    .request("GET", utils.endpoint([API_VERSION, configPath, "variables"]), {
       auth: true,
       origin: api.runtimeconfigOrigin,
+      retryCodes: [500, 503],
+    })
+    .then(function(resp) {
+      return Promise.resolve(resp.body.variables);
     });
-  }).then(function(resp) {
-    return Promise.resolve(resp.body.variables);
-  });
 }
 
 function _getVariable(varPath) {
-  return _retryOnServerError(function() {
-    return api.request("GET", utils.endpoint([API_VERSION, varPath]), {
+  return api
+    .request("GET", utils.endpoint([API_VERSION, varPath]), {
       auth: true,
       origin: api.runtimeconfigOrigin,
+      retryCodes: [500, 503],
+    })
+    .then(function(resp) {
+      return Promise.resolve(resp.body);
     });
-  }).then(function(resp) {
-    return Promise.resolve(resp.body);
-  });
 }
 
 function _createVariable(projectId, configId, varId, value) {
   var path = _.join(["projects", projectId, "configs", configId, "variables"], "/");
   var endpoint = utils.endpoint([API_VERSION, path]);
-  return _retryOnServerError(function() {
-    return api.request("POST", endpoint, {
+  return api
+    .request("POST", endpoint, {
       auth: true,
       origin: api.runtimeconfigOrigin,
       data: {
         name: path + "/" + varId,
         text: value,
       },
+      retryCodes: [500, 503],
+    })
+    .catch(function(err) {
+      if (_.get(err, "context.response.statusCode") === 404) {
+        // parent config doesn't exist yet
+        return _createConfig(projectId, configId).then(function() {
+          return _createVariable(projectId, configId, varId, value);
+        });
+      }
+      return Promise.reject(err);
     });
-  }).catch(function(err) {
-    if (_.get(err, "context.response.statusCode") === 404) {
-      // parent config doesn't exist yet
-      return _createConfig(projectId, configId).then(function() {
-        return _createVariable(projectId, configId, varId, value);
-      });
-    }
-    return Promise.reject(err);
-  });
 }
 
 function _updateVariable(projectId, configId, varId, value) {
   var path = _.join(["projects", projectId, "configs", configId, "variables", varId], "/");
   var endpoint = utils.endpoint([API_VERSION, path]);
-  return _retryOnServerError(function() {
-    return api.request("PUT", endpoint, {
-      auth: true,
-      origin: api.runtimeconfigOrigin,
-      data: {
-        name: path,
-        text: value,
-      },
-    });
+  return api.request("PUT", endpoint, {
+    auth: true,
+    origin: api.runtimeconfigOrigin,
+    data: {
+      name: path,
+      text: value,
+    },
+    retryCodes: [500, 503],
   });
 }
-
 function _setVariable(projectId, configId, varId, value) {
   var path = _.join(["projects", projectId, "configs", configId, "variables", varId], "/");
   return _getVariable(path)
@@ -147,18 +136,19 @@ function _deleteVariable(projectId, configId, varId) {
   var endpoint =
     utils.endpoint([API_VERSION, "projects", projectId, "configs", configId, "variables", varId]) +
     "?recursive=true";
-  return _retryOnServerError(function() {
-    return api.request("DELETE", endpoint, {
+  return api
+    .request("DELETE", endpoint, {
       auth: true,
       origin: api.runtimeconfigOrigin,
+      retryCodes: [500, 503],
+    })
+    .catch(function(err) {
+      if (_.get(err, "context.response.statusCode") === 404) {
+        logger.debug("Variable already deleted.");
+        return Promise.resolve();
+      }
+      return Promise.reject(err);
     });
-  }).catch(function(err) {
-    if (_.get(err, "context.response.statusCode") === 404) {
-      logger.debug("Variable already deleted.");
-      return Promise.resolve();
-    }
-    return Promise.reject(err);
-  });
 }
 
 module.exports = {
diff --git a/scripts/test-functions-config.js b/scripts/test-functions-config.js
index 232ad5c1..dec198c4 100644
--- a/scripts/test-functions-config.js
+++ b/scripts/test-functions-config.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 var chalk = require("chalk");
 var exec = require("child_process").exec;
+var execSync = require("child_process").execSync;
 var expect = require("chai").expect;
 var fs = require("fs-extra");
 var tmp = require("tmp");
@@ -21,6 +22,7 @@ var preTest = function() {
   fs.copySync(projectDir, tmpDir);
   api.setRefreshToken(configstore.get("tokens").refresh_token);
   api.setScopes(scopes.CLOUD_PLATFORM);
+  execSync(localFirebase + " functions:config:unset foo", { cwd: tmpDir });
   console.log("Done pretest prep.");
 };