diff --git a/proto/api.go b/proto/api.go
index f252e83b8957..5f39ac187b2c 100644
--- a/proto/api.go
+++ b/proto/api.go
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ import (
 	"math/rand"
 	"strings"
 
-	"github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/util/retry"
 	gogoproto "github.com/gogo/protobuf/proto"
 )
 
@@ -403,36 +402,7 @@ func (rh *ResponseHeader) Verify(req Request) error {
 
 // GoError returns the non-nil error from the proto.Error union.
 func (rh *ResponseHeader) GoError() error {
-	if rh.Error == nil {
-		return nil
-	}
-	if rh.Error.Detail == nil {
-		return rh.Error
-	}
-	err := rh.Error.getDetail()
-	if err == nil {
-		// Unknown error detail; return the generic error.
-		return rh.Error
-	}
-	// Make sure that the flags in the generic portion of the error
-	// match the methods of the specific error type.
-	if rh.Error.Retryable {
-		if r, ok := err.(retry.Retryable); !ok || !r.CanRetry() {
-			panic(fmt.Sprintf("inconsistent error proto; expected %T to be retryable", err))
-		}
-	}
-	if r, ok := err.(TransactionRestartError); ok {
-		if r.CanRestartTransaction() != rh.Error.TransactionRestart {
-			panic(fmt.Sprintf("inconsistent error proto; expected %T to have restart mode %v",
-				err, rh.Error.TransactionRestart))
-		}
-	} else {
-		// Error type doesn't implement TransactionRestartError, so expect it to have the default.
-		if rh.Error.TransactionRestart != TransactionRestart_ABORT {
-			panic(fmt.Sprintf("inconsistent error proto; expected %T to have restart mode ABORT", err))
-		}
-	}
-	return err
+	return rh.Error.GoError()
 }
 
 // SetGoError converts the specified type into either one of the proto-
diff --git a/proto/errors.go b/proto/errors.go
index dd61cd19caf5..1591562f1b2f 100644
--- a/proto/errors.go
+++ b/proto/errors.go
@@ -59,6 +59,40 @@ func (e *Error) Error() string {
 	return e.Message
 }
 
+// GoError returns the non-nil error from the proto.Error union.
+func (e *Error) GoError() error {
+	if e == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	if e.Detail == nil {
+		return e
+	}
+	err := e.getDetail()
+	if err == nil {
+		// Unknown error detail; return the generic error.
+		return e
+	}
+	// Make sure that the flags in the generic portion of the error
+	// match the methods of the specific error type.
+	if e.Retryable {
+		if r, ok := err.(retry.Retryable); !ok || !r.CanRetry() {
+			panic(fmt.Sprintf("inconsistent error proto; expected %T to be retryable", err))
+		}
+	}
+	if r, ok := err.(TransactionRestartError); ok {
+		if r.CanRestartTransaction() != e.TransactionRestart {
+			panic(fmt.Sprintf("inconsistent error proto; expected %T to have restart mode %v",
+				err, e.TransactionRestart))
+		}
+	} else {
+		// Error type doesn't implement TransactionRestartError, so expect it to have the default.
+		if e.TransactionRestart != TransactionRestart_ABORT {
+			panic(fmt.Sprintf("inconsistent error proto; expected %T to have restart mode ABORT", err))
+		}
+	}
+	return err
+}
+
 // CanRetry implements the retry.Retryable interface.
 func (e *Error) CanRetry() bool {
 	return e.Retryable