diff --git a/utils/pub/command_lish.dart b/utils/pub/command_lish.dart
index e57402ccad9..544fb9451fe 100644
--- a/utils/pub/command_lish.dart
+++ b/utils/pub/command_lish.dart
@@ -72,16 +72,15 @@ class LishCommand extends PubCommand {
       }).then((location) => client.get(location))
         .then(handleJsonSuccess);
     }).catchError((asyncError) {
-      var e = getRealError(asyncError);
-      if (e is! PubHttpException) throw asyncError;
-      var url = e.response.request.url;
+      if (asyncError.error is! PubHttpException) throw asyncError;
+      var url = asyncError.error.response.request.url;
       if (url.toString() == cloudStorageUrl.toString()) {
         // TODO(nweiz): the response may have XML-formatted information about
         // the error. Try to parse that out once we have an easily-accessible
         // XML parser.
         throw 'Failed to upload the package.';
       } else if (url.origin == server.origin) {
-        handleJsonError(e.response);
+        handleJsonError(asyncError.error.response);
       }
     });
   }
diff --git a/utils/pub/command_uploader.dart b/utils/pub/command_uploader.dart
index ef37210b975..eb3cd4ac0f0 100644
--- a/utils/pub/command_uploader.dart
+++ b/utils/pub/command_uploader.dart
@@ -77,9 +77,8 @@ class UploaderCommand extends PubCommand {
         }
       });
     }).then(handleJsonSuccess).catchError((asyncError) {
-      var e = getRealError(asyncError);
-      if (e is! PubHttpException) throw asyncError;
-      handleJsonError(e.response);
+      if (asyncError.error is! PubHttpException) throw asyncError;
+      handleJsonError(asyncError.error.response);
     });
   }
 }
diff --git a/utils/pub/hosted_source.dart b/utils/pub/hosted_source.dart
index 28bb1611d67..3ae7c5581f8 100644
--- a/utils/pub/hosted_source.dart
+++ b/utils/pub/hosted_source.dart
@@ -120,19 +120,18 @@ class HostedSource extends Source {
   /// this tries to translate into a more user friendly error message. Always
   /// throws an error, either the original one or a better one.
   void _throwFriendlyError(AsyncError asyncError, package, url) {
-    var ex = getRealError(asyncError);
-
-    if (ex is PubHttpException && ex.response.statusCode == 404) {
+    if (asyncError.error is PubHttpException &&
+        asyncError.error.response.statusCode == 404) {
       throw 'Could not find package "$package" at $url.';
     }
 
-    if (ex is TimeoutException) {
+    if (asyncError.error is TimeoutException) {
       throw 'Timed out trying to find package "$package" at $url.';
     }
 
-    if (ex is io.SocketIOException) {
+    if (asyncError.error is io.SocketIOException) {
       throw 'Got socket error trying to find package "$package" at $url.\n'
-          '${ex.osError}';
+          '${asyncError.error.osError}';
     }
 
     // Otherwise re-throw the original exception.
diff --git a/utils/pub/http.dart b/utils/pub/http.dart
index d02c0ab38df..0a2bf2eeddc 100644
--- a/utils/pub/http.dart
+++ b/utils/pub/http.dart
@@ -58,13 +58,12 @@ class PubHttpClient extends http.BaseClient {
         throw new PubHttpException(response);
       });
     }).catchError((asyncError) {
-      var e = getRealError(asyncError);
-      if (e is SocketIOException &&
-          e.osError != null &&
-          (e.osError.errorCode == 8 ||
-           e.osError.errorCode == -2 ||
-           e.osError.errorCode == -5 ||
-           e.osError.errorCode == 11004)) {
+      if (asyncError.error is SocketIOException &&
+          asyncError.error.osError != null &&
+          (asyncError.error.osError.errorCode == 8 ||
+           asyncError.error.osError.errorCode == -2 ||
+           asyncError.error.osError.errorCode == -5 ||
+           asyncError.error.osError.errorCode == 11004)) {
         throw 'Could not resolve URL "${request.url.origin}".';
       }
       throw asyncError;
diff --git a/utils/pub/io.dart b/utils/pub/io.dart
index 2a4e89b1684..f70849f9a6d 100644
--- a/utils/pub/io.dart
+++ b/utils/pub/io.dart
@@ -189,10 +189,10 @@ Future<Directory> ensureDir(path) {
 
     return ensureDir(dirname(path)).then((_) {
       return createDir(path).catchError((asyncError) {
-        var error = getRealError(asyncError);
-        if (error is! DirectoryIOException) throw asyncError;
+        if (asyncError.error is! DirectoryIOException) throw asyncError;
         // Error 17 means the directory already exists (or 183 on Windows).
-        if (error.osError.errorCode == 17 || error.osError.errorCode == 183) {
+        if (asyncError.error.osError.errorCode == 17 ||
+            asyncError.error.osError.errorCode == 183) {
           log.fine("Got 'already exists' error when creating directory.");
           return _getDirectory(path);
         }
diff --git a/utils/pub/oauth2.dart b/utils/pub/oauth2.dart
index 44ac07f59de..24d798afd60 100644
--- a/utils/pub/oauth2.dart
+++ b/utils/pub/oauth2.dart
@@ -75,14 +75,15 @@ Future withClient(SystemCache cache, Future fn(Client client)) {
       return _saveCredentials(cache, client.credentials);
     });
   }).catchError((asyncError) {
-    var e = getRealError(asyncError);
-    if (e is ExpirationException) {
+    if (asyncError.error is ExpirationException) {
       log.error("Pub's authorization to upload packages has expired and "
           "can't be automatically refreshed.");
       return withClient(cache, fn);
-    } else if (e is AuthorizationException) {
+    } else if (asyncError.error is AuthorizationException) {
       var message = "OAuth2 authorization failed";
-      if (e.description != null) message = "$message (${e.description})";
+      if (asyncError.error.description != null) {
+        message = "$message (${asyncError.error.description})";
+      }
       log.error("$message.");
       return clearCredentials(cache).then((_) => withClient(cache, fn));
     } else {
diff --git a/utils/pub/pub.dart b/utils/pub/pub.dart
index 157b6805154..ae6c13a7df7 100644
--- a/utils/pub/pub.dart
+++ b/utils/pub/pub.dart
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ abstract class PubCommand {
     future
       .then((_) => cache_.deleteTempDir())
       .catchError((asyncError) {
-        var e = getRealError(asyncError);
+        var e = asyncError.error;
         if (e is PubspecNotFoundException && e.name == null) {
           e = 'Could not find a file named "pubspec.yaml" in the directory '
             '${path.current}.';
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ abstract class PubCommand {
             '${basename(path.current)}").';
         }
 
-        handleError(e, getRealStackTrace(asyncError));
+        handleError(e, asyncError.stackTrace);
       })
       // Explicitly exit on success to ensure that any dangling dart:io handles
       // don't cause the process to never terminate.
diff --git a/utils/pub/utils.dart b/utils/pub/utils.dart
index e605579417e..aac48fe0e30 100644
--- a/utils/pub/utils.dart
+++ b/utils/pub/utils.dart
@@ -177,27 +177,3 @@ void mapAddAll(Map destination, Map source) =>
 /// replacing `+` with ` `.
 String urlDecode(String encoded) =>
   decodeUriComponent(encoded.replaceAll("+", " "));
-
-// TODO(rnystrom): Remove this when #7781 is fixed.
-/// When an error is rethrown in an async callback, you can end up with nested
-/// AsyncErrors. This unwraps them to find the real originating error.
-getRealError(error) {
-  while (error is AsyncError) {
-    error = error.error;
-  }
-
-  return error;
-}
-
-// TODO(nweiz): Remove this when #7781 is fixed.
-/// When an error is rethrown in an async callback, you can end up with nested
-/// AsyncErrors. This unwraps them to find the real originating stack trace.
-getRealStackTrace(error) {
-  var trace = null;
-  while (error is AsyncError) {
-    trace = error.stackTrace;
-    error = error.error;
-  }
-
-  return trace;
-}
diff --git a/utils/tests/pub/curl_client_test.dart b/utils/tests/pub/curl_client_test.dart
index 2baa84dd6d5..eda16bf2062 100644
--- a/utils/tests/pub/curl_client_test.dart
+++ b/utils/tests/pub/curl_client_test.dart
@@ -168,12 +168,6 @@ class _Parse extends BaseMatcher {
   }
 }
 
-// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-// TODO(nweiz): All the code from here to the next "---..." line was also copied
-// from pkg/http/test/utils.dart. However, it was also modified to use
-// getRealError in order to work around issue 7781.
-
 // TODO(nweiz): remove this once it's built in to unittest
 /// A matcher for StateErrors.
 const isStateError = const _StateError();
@@ -184,7 +178,7 @@ const Matcher throwsStateError =
 
 class _StateError extends TypeMatcher {
   const _StateError() : super("StateError");
-  bool matches(item, MatchState matchState) => getRealError(item) is StateError;
+  bool matches(item, MatchState matchState) => item is StateError;
 }
 
 /// A matcher for HttpExceptions.
@@ -196,8 +190,7 @@ const Matcher throwsHttpException =
 
 class _HttpException extends TypeMatcher {
   const _HttpException() : super("HttpException");
-  bool matches(item, MatchState matchState) =>
-    getRealError(item) is HttpException;
+  bool matches(item, MatchState matchState) => item is HttpException;
 }
 
 /// A matcher for RedirectLimitExceededExceptions.
@@ -213,7 +206,7 @@ class _RedirectLimitExceededException extends TypeMatcher {
       super("RedirectLimitExceededException");
 
   bool matches(item, MatchState matchState) =>
-    getRealError(item) is RedirectLimitExceededException;
+    item is RedirectLimitExceededException;
 }
 
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------