diff --git a/Documentation/op-guide/runtime-configuration.md b/Documentation/op-guide/runtime-configuration.md
index 675945810..a5f27aa05 100644
--- a/Documentation/op-guide/runtime-configuration.md
+++ b/Documentation/op-guide/runtime-configuration.md
@@ -132,8 +132,6 @@ and to reduce cluster downtime when the new member is added, it is recommended t
 as a learner until it catches up. This can be described as a three step process:
 
  * Add the new member as learner via [gRPC members API][member-api-grpc] or the `etcdctl member add --learner` command.
- Note that v2 [HTTP member API][member-api] does not support this feature. (If user wants to use HTTP,
- etcd provides a JSON [gRPC gateway][grpc-gateway], which serves a RESTful proxy that translates HTTP/JSON requests into gRPC messages.)
 
  * Start the new member with the new cluster configuration, including a list of the updated members (existing members + the new member).
  This step is exactly the same as before.
@@ -244,5 +242,4 @@ It is enabled by default.
 [member migration]: ../v2/admin_guide.md#member-migration
 [remove member]: #remove-a-member
 [runtime-reconf]: runtime-reconf-design.md
-[grpc-gateway]: https://github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway
 [error cases when promoting a member]: #error-cases-when-promoting-a-learner-member
diff --git a/etcdserver/server.go b/etcdserver/server.go
index 0139f5908..115ef8a90 100644
--- a/etcdserver/server.go
+++ b/etcdserver/server.go
@@ -1635,6 +1635,9 @@ func (s *EtcdServer) RemoveMember(ctx context.Context, id uint64) ([]*membership
 
 // PromoteMember promotes a learner node to a voting node.
 func (s *EtcdServer) PromoteMember(ctx context.Context, id uint64) ([]*membership.Member, error) {
+	// only raft leader has information on whether the to-be-promoted learner node is ready. If promoteMember call
+	// fails with ErrNotLeader, forward the request to leader node via HTTP. If promoteMember call fails with error
+	// other than ErrNotLeader, return the error.
 	resp, err := s.promoteMember(ctx, id)
 	if err != ErrNotLeader {
 		return resp, err
@@ -1666,6 +1669,12 @@ func (s *EtcdServer) PromoteMember(ctx context.Context, id uint64) ([]*membershi
 	return nil, ErrCanceled
 }
 
+// promoteMember checks whether the to-be-promoted learner node is ready before sending the promote
+// request to raft.
+// The function returns ErrNotLeader if the local node is not raft leader (therefore does not have
+// enough information to determine if the learner node is ready), returns ErrLearnerNotReady if the
+// local node is leader (therefore has enough information) but decided the learner node is not ready
+// to be promoted.
 func (s *EtcdServer) promoteMember(ctx context.Context, id uint64) ([]*membership.Member, error) {
 	if err := s.checkMembershipOperationPermission(ctx); err != nil {
 		return nil, err