diff --git a/docs/3.http-handling.md b/docs/3.http-handling.md
index 71b033c..30e4e71 100644
--- a/docs/3.http-handling.md
+++ b/docs/3.http-handling.md
@@ -82,6 +82,9 @@ result.removeHeader("X-Rate-Limit");
 
 // Get all headers
 const headers = result.getHeaders();
+
+// Read headers without creating the mutable store
+const existingHeaders = result.peekHeaders();
 ```
 
 ### The `withHeaders` static method
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 6a61fab..f9d2283 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ export class HTTPResult {
   /**
    * Additional response headers
    */
-  private readonly headers: Record<string, string> = {};
+  private headers?: Record<string, string>;
 
   /**
    * Create a new HTTPResult from the given body or previous HTTPResult and the provided headers.
@@ -150,6 +150,13 @@ export class HTTPResult {
     return this.contentType;
   }
 
+  private getMutableHeaders(): Record<string, string> {
+    if (!this.headers) {
+      this.headers = {};
+    }
+    return this.headers;
+  }
+
   /**
    * Add an additional header to the response.
    *
@@ -157,7 +164,7 @@ export class HTTPResult {
    * @param value Header value
    */
   public addHeader(name: string, value: string) {
-    this.headers[name] = value;
+    this.getMutableHeaders()[name] = value;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -166,7 +173,9 @@ export class HTTPResult {
    * @param name Header name
    */
   public removeHeader(name: string) {
-    delete this.headers[name];
+    if (this.headers) {
+      delete this.headers[name];
+    }
   }
 
   /**
@@ -175,6 +184,15 @@ export class HTTPResult {
    * @returns Headers object
    */
   public getHeaders(): Record<string, string> {
+    return this.getMutableHeaders();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Read the headers without creating the headers key-value store.
+   *
+   * @returns Current headers, or undefined when no header has been added or retrieved
+   */
+  public peekHeaders(): Readonly<Record<string, string>> | undefined {
     return this.headers;
   }
 
diff --git a/src/tests/index.test.ts b/src/tests/index.test.ts
index 795e065..15a898b 100644
--- a/src/tests/index.test.ts
+++ b/src/tests/index.test.ts
@@ -1232,6 +1232,19 @@ interface StubServerResponse {
   end: () => void;
 }
 
+interface CapturedServerResponse {
+  req: StubRequest;
+  headers: Record<string, string>;
+  status?: number;
+  body?: string;
+  ended: boolean;
+  writeHead: (
+    status: number,
+    headers?: Record<string, string>,
+  ) => CapturedServerResponse;
+  end: (body?: string) => void;
+}
+
 function createResponseStub(): ServerResponse {
   const stub: StubServerResponse = {
     req: { method: "GET", url: "/boom" },
@@ -1241,6 +1254,95 @@ function createResponseStub(): ServerResponse {
   return stub as unknown as ServerResponse;
 }
 
+function createCapturedResponse(): CapturedServerResponse {
+  const response: CapturedServerResponse = {
+    req: { method: "GET", url: "/result" },
+    headers: {},
+    ended: false,
+    writeHead(status, headers) {
+      response.status = status;
+      for (const [name, value] of Object.entries(headers ?? {})) {
+        response.headers[name.toLowerCase()] = value;
+      }
+      return response;
+    },
+    end(body) {
+      response.body = body;
+      response.ended = true;
+    },
+  };
+  return response;
+}
+
+describe("HTTPResult response contract", () => {
+  it("Serializes object bodies immediately", () => {
+    const body = { message: "before" };
+    const result = new LocalHTTPResult(200, body);
+
+    body.message = "after";
+
+    assert.equal(result.getBody(), '{"message":"before"}');
+    assert.equal(result.getContentType(), "application/json");
+  });
+
+  it("Peeks at headers without creating the mutable store", () => {
+    const result = new LocalHTTPResult();
+
+    assert.equal(result.peekHeaders(), undefined);
+
+    result.addHeader("X-Added", "yes");
+    assert.equal(result.peekHeaders()?.["X-Added"], "yes");
+
+    const headers = result.getHeaders();
+    assert.strictEqual(result.peekHeaders(), headers);
+    headers["X-Mutable"] = "yes";
+    assert.equal(result.peekHeaders()?.["X-Mutable"], "yes");
+  });
+
+  it("Sends the current own headers, content type, status, and body", () => {
+    const result = new LocalHTTPResult(202, { ok: true });
+    const headers = result.getHeaders();
+    Object.setPrototypeOf(headers, { "X-Inherited": "excluded" });
+    headers["X-Current"] = "current";
+    result.addHeader("Content-Type", "text/html");
+    const response = createCapturedResponse();
+
+    result.sendResponse(response as unknown as ServerResponse);
+
+    assert.equal(response.status, 202);
+    assert.equal(response.body, '{"ok":true}');
+    assert.equal(response.headers["x-current"], "current");
+    assert.equal(response.headers["x-inherited"], undefined);
+    assert.equal(response.headers["content-type"], "application/json");
+  });
+
+  it("Sends HEAD without a body and closes an attached stream", () => {
+    const result = new LocalHTTPResult(204, { ignored: true });
+    const stream = result.getWriteStream("text/event-stream", 206);
+    const response = createCapturedResponse();
+
+    result.sendHeadResponse(response as unknown as ServerResponse);
+
+    assert.equal(response.status, 206);
+    assert.equal(response.body, undefined);
+    assert.equal(response.headers["content-type"], "text/event-stream");
+    assert.equal(response.ended, true);
+    assert.equal(stream.writableEnded, true);
+  });
+
+  it("Ends an aborted stream response without piping", () => {
+    const result = new LocalHTTPResult();
+    result.getWriteStream();
+    const response = createCapturedResponse();
+
+    result.sendResponse(response as unknown as ServerResponse, true);
+
+    assert.equal(response.status, 200);
+    assert.equal(response.body, "");
+    assert.equal(response.ended, true);
+  });
+});
+
 describe("HTTPResult error logging", () => {
   const logs: Log[] = [];
   const captureLog = (log: Log) => logs.push(log);