diff --git a/docs/README.md b/docs/README.md
index ce4038e74a..ac7f58030b 100644
--- a/docs/README.md
+++ b/docs/README.md
@@ -42,9 +42,11 @@ cd docs/
 make html
 ```
 
-and then opening `file:///path/to/zulip/docs/_build/html/index.html` in
-your browser (you can also use e.g. `firefox
-docs/_build/html/index.html` from the root of your Zulip checkout).
+and then opening `http://127.0.0.1:9991/docs/index.html` in your
+browser.  The raw files are available at
+`file:///path/to/zulip/docs/_build/html/index.html` in your browser
+(so you can also use e.g. `firefox docs/_build/html/index.html` from
+the root of your Zulip checkout).
 
 If you are adding a new page to the table of contents, you will want
 to modify `docs/index.rst` and run `make clean` before `make html`, so
diff --git a/docs/testing-with-django.md b/docs/testing-with-django.md
index af3201d3da..08322b9a24 100644
--- a/docs/testing-with-django.md
+++ b/docs/testing-with-django.md
@@ -240,9 +240,13 @@ typically simulate their behavior using mocks.
 
 - **Coverage** We have 100% line coverage on several of our backend
 modules.  You can use the `--coverage` option to generate coverage
-reports, and new code should have 100% coverage, which generally requires
-testing not only the "happy path" but also error handling code and
-edge cases.  Note that `test-backend --coverage` will assert that
+reports, and new code should have 100% coverage, which generally
+requires testing not only the "happy path" but also error handling
+code and edge cases.  It will generate a nice HTML report that you can
+view right from your browser (the tool prints the URL where the report
+is exposed in your development environment).
+
+Note that `test-backend --coverage` will assert that
 various specific files in the project have 100% test coverage and
 throw an error if their coverage has fallen.  One of our project goals
 is to expand that checking to ever-larger parts of the codebase.
diff --git a/tools/test-backend b/tools/test-backend
index 9a588cfe1d..bc5fc3914f 100755
--- a/tools/test-backend
+++ b/tools/test-backend
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
             print("Printing coverage data")
             cov.report(show_missing=False)
         cov.html_report(directory='var/coverage')
-        print("HTML report saved to var/coverage")
+        print("HTML report saved; visit at http://127.0.0.1:9991/coverage/index.html")
     if full_suite and not failures and options.coverage:
         # Assert that various files have full coverage
         for path in enforce_fully_covered:
diff --git a/zerver/lib/test_helpers.py b/zerver/lib/test_helpers.py
index be8ffee789..d8f7ffb0fb 100644
--- a/zerver/lib/test_helpers.py
+++ b/zerver/lib/test_helpers.py
@@ -386,10 +386,15 @@ def write_instrumentation_reports(full_suite):
         assert len(pattern_cnt) > 100
         untested_patterns = set([p for p in pattern_cnt if pattern_cnt[p] == 0])
 
-        # We exempt some patterns that are called via Tornado.
         exempt_patterns = set([
+            # We exempt some patterns that are called via Tornado.
             'api/v1/events',
             'api/v1/register',
+            # We also exempt some development environment debugging
+            # static content URLs, since the content they point to may
+            # or may not exist.
+            'coverage/(?P<path>.*)',
+            'docs/(?P<path>.*)',
         ])
 
         untested_patterns -= exempt_patterns
diff --git a/zproject/dev_urls.py b/zproject/dev_urls.py
index f14b6d259d..3454111aed 100644
--- a/zproject/dev_urls.py
+++ b/zproject/dev_urls.py
@@ -11,10 +11,18 @@ use_prod_static = getattr(settings, 'PIPELINE_ENABLED', False)
 static_root = os.path.join(settings.DEPLOY_ROOT, 'prod-static/serve' if use_prod_static else 'static')
 
 urls = [
+    url(r'^coverage/(?P<path>.*)$',
+        serve, {'document_root':
+                os.path.join(settings.DEPLOY_ROOT, 'var/coverage'),
+                'show_indexes': True}),
+    url(r'^docs/(?P<path>.*)$',
+        serve, {'document_root':
+                os.path.join(settings.DEPLOY_ROOT, 'docs/_build/html')}),
     url(r'^static/(?P<path>.*)$', serve, {'document_root': static_root}),
     url(r'^devlogin/$', zerver.views.auth.login_page,
         {'template_name': 'zerver/dev_login.html'}, name='zerver.views.auth.login_page'),
 ]
+
 i18n_urls = [
     url(r'^confirmation_key/$', zerver.views.registration.confirmation_key),
 ]