diff --git a/packages/casting/src/main.js b/packages/casting/src/main.js
index 6b0eee6ec01..f8fa0cb2f37 100644
--- a/packages/casting/src/main.js
+++ b/packages/casting/src/main.js
@@ -11,3 +11,4 @@ export * from './follower-cosmjs.js';
 export * from './casting-spec.js';
 export * from './leader.js';
 export * from './iterable.js';
+export * from './makeHttpClient.js';
diff --git a/packages/casting/src/makeHttpClient.js b/packages/casting/src/makeHttpClient.js
index e6fe7c1ec7e..a8fbd77b38b 100644
--- a/packages/casting/src/makeHttpClient.js
+++ b/packages/casting/src/makeHttpClient.js
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ const filterBadStatus = res => {
  * @param {typeof window.fetch} fetch
  * @returns {import('@cosmjs/tendermint-rpc').RpcClient}
  */
-export const makeHttpClient = (url, fetch) => {
+export const makeTendermintRpcClient = (url, fetch) => {
   const headers = {}; // XXX needed?
 
   // based on cosmjs 0.30.1:
@@ -54,3 +54,6 @@ export const makeHttpClient = (url, fetch) => {
     },
   });
 };
+
+/** @deprecated use makeTendermintRpcClient */
+export const makeHttpClient = makeTendermintRpcClient;
diff --git a/packages/casting/test/interpose-net-access.test.js b/packages/casting/test/interpose-net-access.test.js
index f0a0110d32d..87913ff3461 100644
--- a/packages/casting/test/interpose-net-access.test.js
+++ b/packages/casting/test/interpose-net-access.test.js
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import {
   QueryChildrenResponse,
 } from '@agoric/cosmic-proto/vstorage/query.js';
 
-import { makeHttpClient } from '../src/makeHttpClient.js';
+import { makeTendermintRpcClient } from '../src/makeHttpClient.js';
 import { captureIO, replayIO, web1, web2 } from './net-access-fixture.js';
 
 /** @type {import('ava').TestFn<Awaited<ReturnType<typeof makeTestContext>>>} */
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ const scenario1 = {
 
 test('interpose net access', async t => {
   const fetchMock = replayIO(web1);
-  const rpcClient = makeHttpClient(scenario1.endpoint, fetchMock);
+  const rpcClient = makeTendermintRpcClient(scenario1.endpoint, fetchMock);
 
   t.log('raw JSON RPC');
   const res = await rpcClient.execute({
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ test(`vstorage query: Children (RECORDING: ${RECORDING})`, async t => {
   const { fetch: fetchMock, web } = io.recording
     ? captureIO(io.fetch)
     : { fetch: replayIO(web2), web: new Map() };
-  const rpcClient = makeHttpClient(scenario2.endpoint, fetchMock);
+  const rpcClient = makeTendermintRpcClient(scenario2.endpoint, fetchMock);
 
   const tmClient = await Tendermint34Client.create(rpcClient);
   const qClient = new QueryClient(tmClient);