diff --git a/doc/configuration.txt b/doc/configuration.txt
index eafb8cfeb6..e9a7fcb9c2 100644
--- a/doc/configuration.txt
+++ b/doc/configuration.txt
@@ -757,7 +757,7 @@ timeout client              X          X         X         -
 timeout clitimeout          X          X         X         -  (deprecated)
 timeout connect             X          -         X         X
 timeout contimeout          X          -         X         X  (deprecated)
-timeout http-request        X          X         X         -
+timeout http-request        X          X         X         X
 timeout queue               X          -         X         X
 timeout server              X          -         X         X
 timeout srvtimeout          X          -         X         X  (deprecated)
@@ -4107,7 +4107,7 @@ timeout contimeout <timeout> (deprecated)
 timeout http-request <timeout>
   Set the maximum allowed time to wait for a complete HTTP request
   May be used in sections :   defaults | frontend | listen | backend
-                                 yes   |    yes   |   yes  |   no
+                                 yes   |    yes   |   yes  |   yes
   Arguments :
     <timeout> is the timeout value specified in milliseconds by default, but
               can be in any other unit if the number is suffixed by the unit,
@@ -4133,7 +4133,9 @@ timeout http-request <timeout>
   will prevent people from sending bare HTTP requests using telnet.
 
   If this parameter is not set, the client timeout still applies between each
-  chunk of the incoming request.
+  chunk of the incoming request. It should be set in the frontend to take
+  effect, unless the frontend is in TCP mode, in which case the HTTP backend's
+  timeout will be used.
 
   See also : "timeout client".
 
diff --git a/src/cfgparse.c b/src/cfgparse.c
index a7dbe02478..73446a4321 100644
--- a/src/cfgparse.c
+++ b/src/cfgparse.c
@@ -865,6 +865,7 @@ int cfg_parse_listen(const char *file, int linenum, char **args, int kwm)
 			curproxy->timeout.check = defproxy.timeout.check;
 			curproxy->timeout.queue = defproxy.timeout.queue;
 			curproxy->timeout.tarpit = defproxy.timeout.tarpit;
+			curproxy->timeout.httpreq = defproxy.timeout.httpreq;
 			curproxy->source_addr = defproxy.source_addr;
 		}
 
diff --git a/src/proto_http.c b/src/proto_http.c
index 229d71f48f..0711bdc834 100644
--- a/src/proto_http.c
+++ b/src/proto_http.c
@@ -1688,7 +1688,7 @@ int http_wait_for_request(struct session *s, struct buffer *req, int an_bit)
 
 		/* just set the request timeout once at the beginning of the request */
 		if (!tick_isset(req->analyse_exp))
-			req->analyse_exp = tick_add_ifset(now_ms, s->fe->timeout.httpreq);
+			req->analyse_exp = tick_add_ifset(now_ms, s->be->timeout.httpreq);
 
 		/* we're not ready yet */
 		return 0;
@@ -2535,7 +2535,7 @@ int http_process_request_body(struct session *s, struct buffer *req, int an_bit)
 		 */
 		buffer_write_dis(req);
 		if (!tick_isset(req->analyse_exp))
-			req->analyse_exp = tick_add_ifset(now_ms, s->fe->timeout.httpreq);
+			req->analyse_exp = tick_add_ifset(now_ms, s->be->timeout.httpreq);
 		return 0;
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/proxy.c b/src/proxy.c
index 7f11a19b35..f6c142f9b0 100644
--- a/src/proxy.c
+++ b/src/proxy.c
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ static int proxy_parse_timeout(char **args, int section, struct proxy *proxy,
 	} else if (!strcmp(args[0], "http-request")) {
 		tv = &proxy->timeout.httpreq;
 		td = &defpx->timeout.httpreq;
-		cap = PR_CAP_FE;
+		cap = PR_CAP_FE | PR_CAP_BE;
 	} else if (!strcmp(args[0], "server") || !strcmp(args[0], "srvtimeout")) {
 		name = "server";
 		tv = &proxy->timeout.server;