diff --git a/docs/flows.md b/docs/flows.md
index e81f4693e..ac6469389 100644
--- a/docs/flows.md
+++ b/docs/flows.md
@@ -785,6 +785,8 @@ A flow for an Epp "hello".
 
 ### Errors
 
+*   2001
+    *   Generic XML syntax error that can be thrown by any flow.
 
 ## HostCheckFlow
 
diff --git a/java/google/registry/flows/session/HelloFlow.java b/java/google/registry/flows/session/HelloFlow.java
index 14b024d37..876fd626c 100644
--- a/java/google/registry/flows/session/HelloFlow.java
+++ b/java/google/registry/flows/session/HelloFlow.java
@@ -22,7 +22,11 @@ import google.registry.model.eppoutput.Greeting;
 import google.registry.util.Clock;
 import javax.inject.Inject;
 
-/** A flow for an Epp "hello". */
+/**
+ * A flow for an Epp "hello".
+ *
+ * @error {@link google.registry.flows.FlowUtils.GenericXmlSyntaxErrorException}
+ */
 public class HelloFlow implements Flow {
 
   @Inject ExtensionManager extensionManager;
@@ -32,7 +36,7 @@ public class HelloFlow implements Flow {
 
   @Override
   public Greeting run() throws EppException {
-    extensionManager.validate();  // There are no legal extensions for this flow.
+    extensionManager.validate(); // There are no legal extensions for this flow.
     return Greeting.create(clock.nowUtc(), greetingServerId);
   }
 }
diff --git a/javatests/google/registry/flows/FlowTestCase.java b/javatests/google/registry/flows/FlowTestCase.java
index b8f3cc625..e396afe8b 100644
--- a/javatests/google/registry/flows/FlowTestCase.java
+++ b/javatests/google/registry/flows/FlowTestCase.java
@@ -226,13 +226,6 @@ public abstract class FlowTestCase<F extends Flow> extends ShardableTestCase {
     assertPollMessagesHelper(getPollMessages(clientId), expected);
   }
 
-  public void assertPollMessages(
-      String clientId,
-      DateTime now,
-      PollMessage... expected) {
-    assertPollMessagesHelper(getPollMessages(clientId, now), expected);
-  }
-
   public void assertPollMessages(PollMessage... expected) {
     assertPollMessagesHelper(getPollMessages(), expected);
   }
@@ -326,10 +319,6 @@ public abstract class FlowTestCase<F extends Flow> extends ShardableTestCase {
 
   private TmchCaMode tmchCaMode = TmchCaMode.PILOT;
 
-  protected void useTmchProdCert() {
-    tmchCaMode = TmchCaMode.PRODUCTION;
-  }
-
   public EppOutput dryRunFlowAssertResponse(String xml, String... ignoredPaths) throws Exception {
     List<Object> beforeEntities = ofy().load().list();
     EppOutput output =
diff --git a/javatests/google/registry/flows/session/HelloFlowTest.java b/javatests/google/registry/flows/session/HelloFlowTest.java
index cde115e82..50b6c05f4 100644
--- a/javatests/google/registry/flows/session/HelloFlowTest.java
+++ b/javatests/google/registry/flows/session/HelloFlowTest.java
@@ -14,10 +14,14 @@
 
 package google.registry.flows.session;
 
+import static google.registry.testing.EppExceptionSubject.assertAboutEppExceptions;
+import static google.registry.testing.JUnitBackports.assertThrows;
 import static org.joda.time.format.ISODateTimeFormat.dateTimeNoMillis;
 
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
+import google.registry.flows.EppException;
 import google.registry.flows.FlowTestCase;
+import google.registry.flows.FlowUtils.GenericXmlSyntaxErrorException;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
 /** Unit tests for {@link HelloFlow}. */
@@ -31,4 +35,13 @@ public class HelloFlowTest extends FlowTestCase<HelloFlow> {
         loadFile(
             "greeting.xml", ImmutableMap.of("DATE", clock.nowUtc().toString(dateTimeNoMillis()))));
   }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testGenericSyntaxException() {
+    // This is a generic syntax test--we don't have a generic flow test case so this simple
+    // test class will do. Note: the logic this tests is common to all flows.
+    setEppInput("generic_syntax_exception.xml");
+    EppException thrown = assertThrows(GenericXmlSyntaxErrorException.class, this::runFlow);
+    assertAboutEppExceptions().that(thrown).marshalsToXml();
+  }
 }
diff --git a/javatests/google/registry/flows/session/testdata/generic_syntax_exception.xml b/javatests/google/registry/flows/session/testdata/generic_syntax_exception.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..36674df6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/javatests/google/registry/flows/session/testdata/generic_syntax_exception.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+<epp xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:epp-1.0">
+  <command>
+    this is some bad XML
+  </command>
+</epp>