diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 32384042a..e019f3983 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@
   "devDependencies": {
     "aegir": "^36.0.1",
     "delay": "^5.0.0",
-    "go-ipfs": "0.10.0",
+    "go-ipfs": "0.11.0",
     "ipfsd-ctl": "^10.0.4",
     "it-all": "^1.0.4",
     "it-first": "^1.0.4",
diff --git a/src/files/rm.js b/src/files/rm.js
index 8f4ec4581..03aa688a2 100644
--- a/src/files/rm.js
+++ b/src/files/rm.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { configure } from '../lib/configure.js'
 import { toUrlSearchParams } from '../lib/to-url-search-params.js'
+import HTTP from 'ipfs-utils/src/http.js'
 
 /**
  * @typedef {import('../types').HTTPClientExtraOptions} HTTPClientExtraOptions
@@ -20,7 +21,15 @@ export const createRm = configure(api => {
       headers: options.headers
     })
 
-    await res.text()
+    const body = await res.text()
+    // we don't expect text body to be ever present
+    // (if so, it means an error such as https://github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/issues/8606)
+    if (body !== '') {
+      /** @type {Error} */
+      const error = new HTTP.HTTPError(res)
+      error.message = body
+      throw error
+    }
   }
   return rm
 })
diff --git a/src/lib/http-rpc-wire-format.js b/src/lib/http-rpc-wire-format.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6e28747d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/http-rpc-wire-format.js
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+import { fromString as uint8ArrayFromString } from 'uint8arrays/from-string'
+import { toString as uint8ArrayToString } from 'uint8arrays/to-string'
+import { base64url } from 'multiformats/bases/base64'
+
+/* HTTP RPC:
+ * - wraps binary data in multibase. base64url is used to avoid issues
+ *   when a binary data is passed as search param in URL.
+ *   Historical context: https://github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/issues/7939
+ *   Multibase wrapping introduced in: https://github.com/ipfs/go-ipfs/pull/8183
+ */
+
+/**
+ * @param {Array<string>} strings
+ * @returns {Array<string>} strings
+ */
+const rpcArrayToTextArray = strings => {
+  if (Array.isArray(strings)) {
+    return strings.map(rpcToText)
+  }
+  return strings
+}
+
+/**
+ * @param {string} mb
+ * @returns {string}
+ */
+const rpcToText = mb => uint8ArrayToString(rpcToBytes(mb))
+
+/**
+ * @param {string} mb
+ * @returns {Uint8Array}
+ */
+const rpcToBytes = mb => base64url.decode(mb)
+
+/**
+ * @param {string} text
+ * @returns {string}
+ */
+const textToUrlSafeRpc = text => base64url.encode(uint8ArrayFromString(text))
+
+export { rpcArrayToTextArray, rpcToText, rpcToBytes, textToUrlSafeRpc }
diff --git a/src/pubsub/ls.js b/src/pubsub/ls.js
index 920e986c6..94fb4227a 100644
--- a/src/pubsub/ls.js
+++ b/src/pubsub/ls.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { configure } from '../lib/configure.js'
 import { toUrlSearchParams } from '../lib/to-url-search-params.js'
+import { rpcArrayToTextArray } from '../lib/http-rpc-wire-format.js'
 
 /**
  * @typedef {import('../types').HTTPClientExtraOptions} HTTPClientExtraOptions
@@ -17,7 +18,7 @@ export const createLs = configure(api => {
       headers: options.headers
     })).json()
 
-    return Strings || []
+    return rpcArrayToTextArray(Strings) || []
   }
   return ls
 })
diff --git a/src/pubsub/peers.js b/src/pubsub/peers.js
index 33a0009f5..a7cfff6c0 100644
--- a/src/pubsub/peers.js
+++ b/src/pubsub/peers.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { configure } from '../lib/configure.js'
 import { toUrlSearchParams } from '../lib/to-url-search-params.js'
+import { textToUrlSafeRpc } from '../lib/http-rpc-wire-format.js'
 
 /**
  * @typedef {import('../types').HTTPClientExtraOptions} HTTPClientExtraOptions
@@ -14,7 +15,7 @@ export const createPeers = configure(api => {
     const res = await api.post('pubsub/peers', {
       signal: options.signal,
       searchParams: toUrlSearchParams({
-        arg: topic,
+        arg: textToUrlSafeRpc(topic),
         ...options
       }),
       headers: options.headers
diff --git a/src/pubsub/publish.js b/src/pubsub/publish.js
index 5c51dca64..b393e4889 100644
--- a/src/pubsub/publish.js
+++ b/src/pubsub/publish.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { configure } from '../lib/configure.js'
 import { toUrlSearchParams } from '../lib/to-url-search-params.js'
 import { multipartRequest } from 'ipfs-core-utils/multipart-request'
 import { abortSignal } from '../lib/abort-signal.js'
+import { textToUrlSafeRpc } from '../lib/http-rpc-wire-format.js'
 import { AbortController } from 'native-abort-controller'
 
 /**
@@ -15,7 +16,7 @@ export const createPublish = configure(api => {
    */
   async function publish (topic, data, options = {}) {
     const searchParams = toUrlSearchParams({
-      arg: topic,
+      arg: textToUrlSafeRpc(topic),
       ...options
     })
 
diff --git a/src/pubsub/subscribe.js b/src/pubsub/subscribe.js
index 7ae5b97a9..468206ead 100644
--- a/src/pubsub/subscribe.js
+++ b/src/pubsub/subscribe.js
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
-import { fromString as uint8ArrayFromString } from 'uint8arrays/from-string'
-import { toString as uint8ArrayToString } from 'uint8arrays/to-string'
 import debug from 'debug'
 import { configure } from '../lib/configure.js'
 import { toUrlSearchParams } from '../lib/to-url-search-params.js'
+import { textToUrlSafeRpc, rpcArrayToTextArray, rpcToBytes } from '../lib/http-rpc-wire-format.js'
 const log = debug('ipfs-http-client:pubsub:subscribe')
 
 /**
@@ -43,7 +42,7 @@ export const createSubscribe = (options, subsTracker) => {
       api.post('pubsub/sub', {
         signal: options.signal,
         searchParams: toUrlSearchParams({
-          arg: topic,
+          arg: textToUrlSafeRpc(topic),
           ...options
         }),
         headers: options.headers
@@ -95,10 +94,10 @@ async function readMessages (response, { onMessage, onEnd, onError }) {
         }
 
         onMessage({
-          from: uint8ArrayToString(uint8ArrayFromString(msg.from, 'base64pad'), 'base58btc'),
-          data: uint8ArrayFromString(msg.data, 'base64pad'),
-          seqno: uint8ArrayFromString(msg.seqno, 'base64pad'),
-          topicIDs: msg.topicIDs
+          from: msg.from,
+          data: rpcToBytes(msg.data),
+          seqno: rpcToBytes(msg.seqno),
+          topicIDs: rpcArrayToTextArray(msg.topicIDs)
         })
       } catch (/** @type {any} */ err) {
         err.message = `Failed to parse pubsub message: ${err.message}`
diff --git a/test/utils/factory.js b/test/utils/factory.js
index 012137867..401b791e1 100644
--- a/test/utils/factory.js
+++ b/test/utils/factory.js
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ const commonOptions = {
 
 const commonOverrides = {
   go: {
-    ipfsBin: isNode ? path() : undefined
+    ipfsBin: isNode ? (process.env.IPFS_GO_EXEC || path()) : undefined
   }
 }