diff --git a/src/Common/HttpResponseMessageExtensions.cs b/src/Common/HttpResponseMessageExtensions.cs
index 6acc6f7a3..d155e845a 100644
--- a/src/Common/HttpResponseMessageExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/Common/HttpResponseMessageExtensions.cs
@@ -69,10 +69,52 @@ public static HttpRequestException CreateHttpRequestException(HttpResponseMessag
             ? $"Response status code does not indicate success: {statusCodeInt} ({response.ReasonPhrase})."
             : $"Response status code does not indicate success: {statusCodeInt} ({response.ReasonPhrase}). Response body: {responseBody}";
 
+        return HttpRequestExceptionExtensions.Create(message, innerException: null, response.StatusCode);
+    }
+}
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Helpers for preserving HTTP status codes on <see cref="HttpRequestException"/> across all target frameworks.
+/// </summary>
+internal static class HttpRequestExceptionExtensions
+{
+    internal const string StatusCodeDataKey = "ModelContextProtocol.HttpStatusCode";
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Creates an <see cref="HttpRequestException"/> and preserves its HTTP status code.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static HttpRequestException Create(string message, Exception? innerException, HttpStatusCode? statusCode)
+    {
 #if NET
-        return new HttpRequestException(message, inner: null, response.StatusCode);
+        var exception = new HttpRequestException(message, innerException, statusCode);
 #else
-        return new HttpRequestException(message);
+        var exception = new HttpRequestException(message, innerException);
 #endif
+
+        if (statusCode is not null)
+        {
+            exception.Data[StatusCodeDataKey] = statusCode.Value;
+        }
+
+        return exception;
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets the preserved HTTP status code from an <see cref="HttpRequestException"/>.
+    /// </summary>
+    public static HttpStatusCode? GetStatusCode(this HttpRequestException exception)
+    {
+#if NET
+        if (exception.StatusCode is { } statusCode)
+        {
+            return statusCode;
+        }
+#endif
+
+        return exception.Data[StatusCodeDataKey] switch
+        {
+            HttpStatusCode storedStatusCode => storedStatusCode,
+            _ => null,
+        };
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/ModelContextProtocol.Core/Client/AutoDetectingClientSessionTransport.cs b/src/ModelContextProtocol.Core/Client/AutoDetectingClientSessionTransport.cs
index b19e8a803..c9e821adf 100644
--- a/src/ModelContextProtocol.Core/Client/AutoDetectingClientSessionTransport.cs
+++ b/src/ModelContextProtocol.Core/Client/AutoDetectingClientSessionTransport.cs
@@ -146,14 +146,10 @@ private async Task InitializeSseTransportAsync(JsonRpcMessage message, HttpReque
             // keep HttpRequestException as the surfaced type so existing callers can still catch it and read StatusCode.
             await sseTransport.DisposeAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
             LogSseFallbackFailedAfterStreamableHttp(_name, sseError);
-#if NET
-            throw new HttpRequestException(streamableHttpError.Message, sseError, streamableHttpError.StatusCode);
-#else
-            // net472 has no HttpRequestException overload that carries a status code, so this target
-            // preserves the status text in the message but not a programmatic StatusCode. Preserving the
-            // status code is intentionally net5+ only rather than an oversight.
-            throw new HttpRequestException(streamableHttpError.Message, sseError);
-#endif
+            throw HttpRequestExceptionExtensions.Create(
+                streamableHttpError.Message,
+                sseError,
+                streamableHttpError.GetStatusCode());
         }
         catch
         {
diff --git a/tests/ModelContextProtocol.Tests/Transport/HttpClientTransportAutoDetectTests.cs b/tests/ModelContextProtocol.Tests/Transport/HttpClientTransportAutoDetectTests.cs
index e6386adc6..c94e4f800 100644
--- a/tests/ModelContextProtocol.Tests/Transport/HttpClientTransportAutoDetectTests.cs
+++ b/tests/ModelContextProtocol.Tests/Transport/HttpClientTransportAutoDetectTests.cs
@@ -101,6 +101,10 @@ public async Task AutoDetectMode_WhenBothTransportsFail_PreservesStreamableHttpE
         Assert.Contains("403", ex.Message);
         Assert.IsType<HttpRequestException>(ex.InnerException);
         Assert.Contains("405", ex.InnerException.Message);
+        Assert.Equal(HttpStatusCode.Forbidden, ex.Data["ModelContextProtocol.HttpStatusCode"]);
+#if NET
+        Assert.Equal(HttpStatusCode.Forbidden, ex.StatusCode);
+#endif
     }
 
     [Fact]
@@ -300,6 +304,7 @@ public async Task AutoDetectMode_SurfacesStreamableHttpError_WithSseAsInner_When
         var httpEx = Assert.IsType<HttpRequestException>(ex);
         Assert.Contains("415", httpEx.Message);
         Assert.Contains(streamableHttpBody, httpEx.Message);
+        Assert.Equal(HttpStatusCode.UnsupportedMediaType, httpEx.Data["ModelContextProtocol.HttpStatusCode"]);
 #if NET
         Assert.Equal(HttpStatusCode.UnsupportedMediaType, httpEx.StatusCode);
 #endif