diff --git a/jstests/libs/override_methods/sharding_continuous_config_stepdown.js b/jstests/libs/override_methods/sharding_continuous_config_stepdown.js
index 638dc8b..7d3039e 100644
--- a/jstests/libs/override_methods/sharding_continuous_config_stepdown.js
+++ b/jstests/libs/override_methods/sharding_continuous_config_stepdown.js
@@ -251,6 +251,29 @@ tracking: {verbosity: 0} }";
 
         // Start the continuous config server stepdown thread
         this.configRS.startContinuousFailover();
+
+        // We override the functions on Mongo.prototype that send data over the wire to prevent a
+        // test from running a command directly against the config servers and causing a spurious
+        // network error if it coincided with a stepdown.
+        this.configRS.nodes.forEach(function overrideConnectionMethods(node) {
+            var methodsToOverride = [
+                "find",
+                "insert",
+                "remove",
+                "runCommand",
+                "runCommandWithMetadata",
+                "update",
+            ];
+
+            methodsToOverride.forEach(function overrideMethod(name) {
+                node[name] = function throwError() {
+                    throw new Error(
+                        "Cowardly refusing to talk directly to the config servers while running" +
+                        " with the sharding_continuous_config_stepdown.js override enabled since" +
+                        " it may lead to a spurious network error.");
+                };
+            });
+        });
     };
 
     Object.extend(ShardingTest, originalShardingTest);