diff --git a/internal/apiclient/httpclient.go b/internal/apiclient/httpclient.go
index 97d6b68c..bdc40f54 100644
--- a/internal/apiclient/httpclient.go
+++ b/internal/apiclient/httpclient.go
@@ -463,7 +463,13 @@ func handleResponse(resp *http.Response) (respBody []byte, err error) {
 		return nil, err
 	} else if resp.StatusCode > 399 {
 		clilog.Debug.Printf("status code %d, error in response: %s\n", resp.StatusCode, string(respBody))
-		clilog.HttpError.Println(string(respBody))
+		// Honor the same print toggle the success path uses (PrettyPrint). Callers that
+		// temporarily disable response printing to probe an entity's existence (e.g.
+		// upsert's pre-check GET) expect the probe's error response to stay silent too;
+		// otherwise an expected 404 leaks to stderr even though the overall command succeeds.
+		if GetCmdPrintHttpResponseSetting() && ClientPrintHttpResponse.Get() {
+			clilog.HttpError.Println(string(respBody))
+		}
 		return nil, errors.New(getErrorMessage(resp.StatusCode))
 	}
 	clilog.Debug.Println("Response: ", string(respBody))
diff --git a/internal/apiclient/httpclient_test.go b/internal/apiclient/httpclient_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f648a7c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/apiclient/httpclient_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+// Copyright 2020 Google LLC
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package apiclient
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"internal/clilog"
+	"io"
+	"log"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// newErrorResponse builds a minimal *http.Response carrying an error status
+// code, mirroring what Apigee returns for e.g. a "not found" probe.
+func newErrorResponse(statusCode int) *http.Response {
+	return &http.Response{
+		StatusCode: statusCode,
+		Body:       io.NopCloser(strings.NewReader(`{"error":{"code":404,"message":"not found"}}`)),
+		Header:     http.Header{},
+	}
+}
+
+// TestHandleResponseSuppressesErrorWhenPrintDisabled reproduces
+// https://github.com/apigee/apigeecli/issues/203: callers (like the
+// products upsert pre-check GET) disable ClientPrintHttpResponse while
+// probing whether an entity exists. The expected 404 from that probe must
+// stay silent, the same way a successful probe response would.
+func TestHandleResponseSuppressesErrorWhenPrintDisabled(t *testing.T) {
+	clilog.Debug = log.New(io.Discard, "", 0)
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	clilog.HttpError = log.New(&buf, "", 0)
+
+	ClientPrintHttpResponse.Set(false)
+	defer ClientPrintHttpResponse.Set(true)
+
+	_, err := handleResponse(newErrorResponse(404))
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected an error for a 404 response")
+	}
+	if buf.Len() != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected no error output to be printed while ClientPrintHttpResponse is disabled, got: %q", buf.String())
+	}
+}
+
+// TestHandleResponsePrintsErrorWhenPrintEnabled ensures genuine errors are
+// still surfaced when the print toggle is left at its default (enabled).
+func TestHandleResponsePrintsErrorWhenPrintEnabled(t *testing.T) {
+	clilog.Debug = log.New(io.Discard, "", 0)
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	clilog.HttpError = log.New(&buf, "", 0)
+
+	ClientPrintHttpResponse.Set(true)
+
+	_, err := handleResponse(newErrorResponse(404))
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected an error for a 404 response")
+	}
+	if buf.Len() == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("expected the error response to be printed when ClientPrintHttpResponse is enabled")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestUpsertExistenceProbeStaysSilent exercises the real upsert pre-check
+// flow end-to-end over HTTP: a GET against a product that doesn't exist
+// (404), followed by the actual create POST (201). It mirrors exactly what
+// products.upsert() does, including the ClientPrintHttpResponse toggling,
+// to confirm the probe's expected 404 never reaches output while the
+// subsequent create response still does.
+func TestUpsertExistenceProbeStaysSilent(t *testing.T) {
+	NewApigeeClient(ApigeeClientOptions{PrintOutput: true})
+	SetApigeeToken("fake-test-token") // bypass the real auth flow
+
+	mux := http.NewServeMux()
+	mux.HandleFunc("/apiproducts/TestImport", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		if r.Method != http.MethodGet {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected method %s on existence-check URL", r.Method)
+		}
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusNotFound)
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"error":{"code":404,"message":"ApiProduct with name TestImport does not exist"}}`))
+	})
+	mux.HandleFunc("/apiproducts", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		if r.Method != http.MethodPost {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected method %s on create URL", r.Method)
+		}
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusCreated)
+		_, _ = w.Write([]byte(`{"name":"TestImport"}`))
+	})
+	server := httptest.NewServer(mux)
+	defer server.Close()
+
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	clilog.HttpError = log.New(&buf, "", 0)
+	clilog.HttpResponse = log.New(&buf, "", 0)
+	clilog.Debug = log.New(io.Discard, "", 0)
+
+	// --- mirrors products.upsert() for Action == UPSERT ---
+	ClientPrintHttpResponse.Set(false)
+	_, err := HttpClient(server.URL + "/apiproducts/TestImport") // existence-check GET -> 404
+	productMissing := err != nil
+	ClientPrintHttpResponse.Set(GetCmdPrintHttpResponseSetting())
+
+	if !productMissing {
+		t.Fatal("expected the probe to report the product missing (err != nil)")
+	}
+	if buf.Len() != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("probe's 404 leaked to output even though ClientPrintHttpResponse was disabled: %q", buf.String())
+	}
+
+	respBody, err := HttpClient(server.URL+"/apiproducts", `{"name":"TestImport"}`) // real create POST -> 201
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error creating product: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(respBody) == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("expected a response body from the create call")
+	}
+	if buf.Len() == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("expected the successful create response to be printed once the print toggle is restored")
+	}
+}