diff --git a/lib/go/thrift/header_transport.go b/lib/go/thrift/header_transport.go
index f1dc99c..f5736df 100644
--- a/lib/go/thrift/header_transport.go
+++ b/lib/go/thrift/header_transport.go
@@ -264,6 +264,7 @@
 	writeTransforms []THeaderTransformID
 
 	clientType clientType
+	protocolID THeaderProtocolID
 	cfg        *TConfiguration
 
 	// buffer is used in the following scenarios to avoid repetitive
@@ -303,6 +304,7 @@
 		transport:    trans,
 		reader:       bufio.NewReader(trans),
 		writeHeaders: make(THeaderMap),
+		protocolID:   conf.GetTHeaderProtocolID(),
 		cfg:          conf,
 	}
 }
@@ -443,16 +445,7 @@
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	idPtr, err := THeaderProtocolIDPtr(THeaderProtocolID(protoID))
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	if t.cfg == nil {
-		t.cfg = &TConfiguration{
-			noPropagation: true,
-		}
-	}
-	t.cfg.THeaderProtocolID = idPtr
+	t.protocolID = THeaderProtocolID(protoID)
 
 	var transformCount int32
 	transformCount, err = hp.readVarint32()
@@ -597,7 +590,7 @@
 		headers := NewTMemoryBuffer()
 		hp := NewTCompactProtocol(headers)
 		hp.SetTConfiguration(t.cfg)
-		if _, err := hp.writeVarint32(int32(t.cfg.GetTHeaderProtocolID())); err != nil {
+		if _, err := hp.writeVarint32(int32(t.protocolID)); err != nil {
 			return NewTTransportExceptionFromError(err)
 		}
 		if _, err := hp.writeVarint32(int32(len(t.writeTransforms))); err != nil {
@@ -742,7 +735,7 @@
 func (t *THeaderTransport) Protocol() THeaderProtocolID {
 	switch t.clientType {
 	default:
-		return t.cfg.GetTHeaderProtocolID()
+		return t.protocolID
 	case clientFramedBinary, clientUnframedBinary:
 		return THeaderProtocolBinary
 	case clientFramedCompact, clientUnframedCompact:
diff --git a/lib/go/thrift/header_transport_test.go b/lib/go/thrift/header_transport_test.go
index 41efb18..65e69ee 100644
--- a/lib/go/thrift/header_transport_test.go
+++ b/lib/go/thrift/header_transport_test.go
@@ -281,3 +281,27 @@
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestSetTHeaderTransportProtocolID(t *testing.T) {
+	const expected = THeaderProtocolCompact
+	factory := NewTHeaderTransportFactoryConf(nil, &TConfiguration{
+		THeaderProtocolID: THeaderProtocolIDPtrMust(expected),
+	})
+	buf := NewTMemoryBuffer()
+	trans, err := factory.GetTransport(buf)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Failed to get transport from factory: %v", err)
+	}
+	ht, ok := trans.(*THeaderTransport)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatalf("Transport is not *THeaderTransport: %#v", trans)
+	}
+	if actual := ht.Protocol(); actual != expected {
+		t.Errorf("Expected protocol id %v, got %v", expected, actual)
+	}
+
+	ht.SetTConfiguration(&TConfiguration{})
+	if actual := ht.Protocol(); actual != expected {
+		t.Errorf("Expected protocol id %v, got %v", expected, actual)
+	}
+}