diff --git a/packages/krpc-client/src/client.ts b/packages/krpc-client/src/client.ts
index 3a8525d..1d7f6fd 100644
--- a/packages/krpc-client/src/client.ts
+++ b/packages/krpc-client/src/client.ts
@@ -106,11 +106,19 @@ export class KRPCClient {
     });
     let resp: { status: number | string; message: string; clientIdentifier: Uint8Array };
     try {
+      const rpcRaw = await recvRawMessage(this.rpcSocket);
+      if (process.env.KRPC_DEBUG) {
+        // eslint-disable-next-line no-console
+        console.log(
+          '[krpc-client] rpc handshake raw response (' + rpcRaw.length + ' bytes):',
+          Buffer.from(rpcRaw).toString('hex'),
+        );
+      }
       resp = decodeMessage<{
         status: number | string;
         message: string;
         clientIdentifier: Uint8Array;
-      }>(KRPC.ConnectionResponse, await recvRawMessage(this.rpcSocket));
+      }>(KRPC.ConnectionResponse, rpcRaw);
     } catch (e) {
       throw new Error(`kRPC RPC handshake (response decode) failed: ${formatErr(e)}`);
     }
@@ -136,10 +144,26 @@ export class KRPCClient {
       type: 1, // STREAM
       clientIdentifier: this.clientIdentifier,
     });
-    const streamResp = decodeMessage<{ status: number | string; message: string }>(
-      KRPC.ConnectionResponse,
-      await recvRawMessage(this.streamSocket),
-    );
+    let streamResp: { status: number | string; message: string };
+    try {
+      const streamRaw = await recvRawMessage(this.streamSocket);
+      // Diagnostic: log the raw bytes for the stream handshake response
+      // so we can see what the kRPC server actually sent. Useful when
+      // debugging "Cannot read properties of null" type errors.
+      if (process.env.KRPC_DEBUG) {
+        // eslint-disable-next-line no-console
+        console.log(
+          '[krpc-client] stream handshake raw response (' + streamRaw.length + ' bytes):',
+          Buffer.from(streamRaw).toString('hex'),
+        );
+      }
+      streamResp = decodeMessage<{ status: number | string; message: string }>(
+        KRPC.ConnectionResponse,
+        streamRaw,
+      );
+    } catch (e) {
+      throw new Error(`kRPC Stream handshake (response decode) failed: ${formatErr(e)}`);
+    }
     if (streamResp.status !== 'OK' && streamResp.status !== 0) {
       throw new Error(`Stream handshake failed: ${streamResp.status} ${streamResp.message}`);
     }