diff --git a/packages/insomnia/src/main/network/curl.ts b/packages/insomnia/src/main/network/curl.ts
index 53d9737d1..81efc8e3d 100644
--- a/packages/insomnia/src/main/network/curl.ts
+++ b/packages/insomnia/src/main/network/curl.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import { urlMatchesCertHost } from '../../network/url-matches-cert-host';
 import { invariant } from '../../utils/invariant';
 import { setDefaultProtocol } from '../../utils/url/protocol';
 import { createConfiguredCurlInstance } from './libcurl-promise';
+import { parseHeaderStrings } from './parse-header-strings';
 
 export interface CurlConnection extends Curl {
   _id: string;
@@ -138,7 +139,6 @@ const openCurlConnection = async (
     const clientCertificates = await models.clientCertificate.findByParentId(options.workspaceId);
     const filteredClientCertificates = clientCertificates.filter(c => !c.disabled && urlMatchesCertHost(setDefaultProtocol(c.host, 'https:'), options.url));
     const { curl, debugTimeline } = createConfiguredCurlInstance({
-      // TODO: get cookies here
       req: { ...request, cookieJar: options.cookieJar, cookies: [] },
       finalUrl: options.url,
       settings,
@@ -146,33 +146,12 @@ const openCurlConnection = async (
       certificates: filteredClientCertificates,
     });
     debugTimeline.forEach(entry => timelineFileStreams.get(options.requestId)?.write(JSON.stringify(entry) + '\n'));
-    curl.enable(CurlFeature.StreamResponse);
-    curl.setOpt(Curl.option.DEBUGFUNCTION, (infoType, buffer) => {
-      const isSSLData = infoType === CurlInfoDebug.SslDataIn || infoType === CurlInfoDebug.SslDataOut;
-      const isEmpty = buffer.length === 0;
-      // Don't show cookie setting because this will display every domain in the jar
-      const isAddCookie = infoType === CurlInfoDebug.Text && buffer.toString('utf8').indexOf('Added cookie') === 0;
-      if (isSSLData || isEmpty || isAddCookie) {
-        return 0;
-      }
-
-      // NOTE: resolves "Text" from CurlInfoDebug[CurlInfoDebug.Text]
-      const name = CurlInfoDebug[infoType] as keyof typeof CurlInfoDebug;
-      let timelineMessage;
-      const isRequestData = infoType === CurlInfoDebug.DataOut;
-      if (isRequestData) {
-        // Ignore large post data messages
-        const isLessThan10KB = buffer.length / 1024 < (settings.maxTimelineDataSizeKB || 1);
-        timelineMessage = isLessThan10KB ? buffer.toString('utf8') : `(${describeByteSize(buffer.length)} hidden)`;
-      }
-      const isResponseData = infoType === CurlInfoDebug.DataIn;
-      if (!isResponseData) {
-        const value = timelineMessage || buffer.toString('utf8');
-        timelineFileStreams.get(options.requestId)?.write(JSON.stringify({ name, value, timestamp: Date.now() }) + '\n');
-      }
-      return 0;
-    });
-    curl.on('error', async (error, errorCode) => {
+    CurlConnections.set(options.requestId, curl);
+    CurlConnections.get(options.requestId)?.enable(CurlFeature.StreamResponse);
+    // TODO: add authHeader and request body?
+    const headerStrings = parseHeaderStrings({ req: request, finalUrl: options.url });
+    CurlConnections.get(options.requestId)?.setOpt(Curl.option.HTTPHEADER, headerStrings);
+    CurlConnections.get(options.requestId)?.on('error', async (error, errorCode) => {
       const errorEvent: CurlErrorEvent = {
         _id: uuidV4(),
         requestId: options.requestId,
@@ -193,7 +172,35 @@ const openCurlConnection = async (
       }
     });
 
-    curl.on('stream', async (stream: Readable, _code: number, [headersWithStatus]: HeaderInfo[]) => {
+    CurlConnections.get(options.requestId)?.setOpt(Curl.option.DEBUGFUNCTION, (infoType, buffer) => {
+      const isSSLData = infoType === CurlInfoDebug.SslDataIn || infoType === CurlInfoDebug.SslDataOut;
+      const isEmpty = buffer.length === 0;
+      // Don't show cookie setting because this will display every domain in the jar
+      const isAddCookie = infoType === CurlInfoDebug.Text && buffer.toString('utf8').indexOf('Added cookie') === 0;
+      if (isSSLData || isEmpty || isAddCookie) {
+        return 0;
+      }
+
+      // NOTE: resolves "Text" from CurlInfoDebug[CurlInfoDebug.Text]
+      let name = CurlInfoDebug[infoType] as keyof typeof CurlInfoDebug;
+      let timelineMessage;
+      const isRequestData = infoType === CurlInfoDebug.DataOut;
+      if (isRequestData) {
+        // Ignore large post data messages
+        const isLessThan10KB = buffer.length / 1024 < (settings.maxTimelineDataSizeKB || 1);
+        timelineMessage = isLessThan10KB ? buffer.toString('utf8') : `(${describeByteSize(buffer.length)} hidden)`;
+      }
+      const isResponseData = infoType === CurlInfoDebug.DataIn;
+      if (isResponseData) {
+        timelineMessage = `Received ${describeByteSize(buffer.length)} chunk`;
+        name = 'Text';
+      }
+      const value = timelineMessage || buffer.toString('utf8');
+      timelineFileStreams.get(options.requestId)?.write(JSON.stringify({ name, value, timestamp: Date.now() }) + '\n');
+      return 0;
+    });
+
+    CurlConnections.get(options.requestId)?.on('stream', async (stream: Readable, _code: number, [headersWithStatus]: HeaderInfo[]) => {
       event.sender.send(readyStateChannel, true);
       const { timeline, responseHeaders, statusCode, statusMessage, httpVersion } = parseHeadersAndBuildTimeline(options.url, headersWithStatus);
 
@@ -233,10 +240,7 @@ const openCurlConnection = async (
       }
       timeline.map(t => timelineFileStreams.get(options.requestId)?.write(JSON.stringify(t) + '\n'));
 
-      // we are going to write the response stream to this file
-      const writableStream = eventLogFileStreams.get(request._id);
-      // two ways to go here
-      invariant(writableStream, 'writableStream should be defined');
+      invariant(eventLogFileStreams.get(request._id), 'writableStream should be defined');
       for await (const chunk of stream) {
         const messageEvent: CurlMessageEvent = {
           _id: uuidV4(),
@@ -254,7 +258,6 @@ const openCurlConnection = async (
       event.sender.send(readyStateChannel, false);
     });
     curl.perform();
-    CurlConnections.set(options.requestId, curl);
   } catch (e) {
     console.error('unhandled error:', e);
 
diff --git a/packages/insomnia/src/main/network/libcurl-promise.ts b/packages/insomnia/src/main/network/libcurl-promise.ts
index 6f16a8fc0..424d45211 100644
--- a/packages/insomnia/src/main/network/libcurl-promise.ts
+++ b/packages/insomnia/src/main/network/libcurl-promise.ts
@@ -122,8 +122,8 @@ export const curlRequest = (options: CurlRequestOptions) => new Promise<CurlRequ
       curl.setOpt(Curl.option.CUSTOMREQUEST, method);
     }
 
-    const requestBody = parseRequestBody({ body, method });
     const requestBodyPath = await parseRequestBodyPath(body);
+    const requestBody = parseRequestBody({ body, method });
     const isMultipart = body.mimeType === CONTENT_TYPE_FORM_DATA && requestBodyPath;
     let requestFileDescriptor: number | undefined;
     const { authentication } = req;
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ export const curlRequest = (options: CurlRequestOptions) => new Promise<CurlRequ
       responseBodyWriteStream.write(buffer);
       return buffer.length;
     });
-    // set up response logger
+
     curl.setOpt(Curl.option.DEBUGFUNCTION, (infoType, buffer) => {
       const isSSLData = infoType === CurlInfoDebug.SslDataIn || infoType === CurlInfoDebug.SslDataOut;
       const isEmpty = buffer.length === 0;
@@ -193,7 +193,6 @@ export const curlRequest = (options: CurlRequestOptions) => new Promise<CurlRequ
       debugTimeline.push({ name, value, timestamp: Date.now() });
       return 0;
     });
-
     // returns "rawHeaders" string in a buffer, rather than HeaderInfo[] type which is an object with deduped keys
     // this provides support for multiple set-cookies and duplicated headers
     curl.enable(CurlFeature.Raw);
@@ -389,6 +388,7 @@ export const createConfiguredCurlInstance = ({
   if (authentication.type === AUTH_NETRC) {
     curl.setOpt(Curl.option.NETRC, CurlNetrc.Required);
   }
+
   return { curl, debugTimeline };
 };