diff --git a/service/src/main/java/org/whispersystems/textsecuregcm/websocket/WebSocketConnection.java b/service/src/main/java/org/whispersystems/textsecuregcm/websocket/WebSocketConnection.java
index a46bc5305..9b0b0b206 100644
--- a/service/src/main/java/org/whispersystems/textsecuregcm/websocket/WebSocketConnection.java
+++ b/service/src/main/java/org/whispersystems/textsecuregcm/websocket/WebSocketConnection.java
@@ -258,17 +258,22 @@ public class WebSocketConnection implements MessageAvailabilityListener, Displac
             processStoredMessages();
           }
         } else {
-          logger.debug("Failed to clear queue", cause);
+          if (client.isOpen()) {
+            logger.debug("Failed to clear queue", cause);
 
-          if (consecutiveRetries.incrementAndGet() > MAX_CONSECUTIVE_RETRIES) {
-            client.close(1011, "Failed to retrieve messages");
+            if (consecutiveRetries.incrementAndGet() > MAX_CONSECUTIVE_RETRIES) {
+              client.close(1011, "Failed to retrieve messages");
+            } else {
+              final List<Tag> tags = List.of(UserAgentTagUtil.getPlatformTag(client.getUserAgent()));
+
+              Metrics.counter(QUEUE_DRAIN_RETRY_COUNTER_NAME, tags).increment();
+
+              final long delay = RETRY_DELAY_MILLIS + random.nextInt(RETRY_DELAY_JITTER_MILLIS);
+              retryFuture
+                  .set(retrySchedulingExecutor.schedule(this::processStoredMessages, delay, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS));
+            }
           } else {
-            final List<Tag> tags = List.of(UserAgentTagUtil.getPlatformTag(client.getUserAgent()));
-
-            Metrics.counter(QUEUE_DRAIN_RETRY_COUNTER_NAME, tags).increment();
-
-            final long delay = RETRY_DELAY_MILLIS + random.nextInt(RETRY_DELAY_JITTER_MILLIS);
-            retryFuture.set(retrySchedulingExecutor.schedule(this::processStoredMessages, delay, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS));
+            logger.debug("Client disconnected before queue cleared");
           }
         }
       });
diff --git a/service/src/test/java/org/whispersystems/textsecuregcm/websocket/WebSocketConnectionTest.java b/service/src/test/java/org/whispersystems/textsecuregcm/websocket/WebSocketConnectionTest.java
index 5d0b76a02..b3294937a 100644
--- a/service/src/test/java/org/whispersystems/textsecuregcm/websocket/WebSocketConnectionTest.java
+++ b/service/src/test/java/org/whispersystems/textsecuregcm/websocket/WebSocketConnectionTest.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import static org.mockito.Mockito.anyInt;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.anyLong;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.anyString;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.never;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.times;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
@@ -843,6 +844,7 @@ public class WebSocketConnectionTest {
         });
 
     final WebSocketClient client = mock(WebSocketClient.class);
+    when(client.isOpen()).thenReturn(true);
 
     WebSocketConnection connection = new WebSocketConnection(receiptSender, storedMessages, auth, device, client,
         retrySchedulingExecutor);
@@ -853,6 +855,33 @@ public class WebSocketConnectionTest {
     verify(client).close(eq(1011), anyString());
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void testRetrieveMessageExceptionClientDisconnected() {
+    MessagesManager storedMessages = mock(MessagesManager.class);
+
+    UUID accountUuid = UUID.randomUUID();
+
+    when(device.getId()).thenReturn(2L);
+
+    when(account.getNumber()).thenReturn("+14152222222");
+    when(account.getUuid()).thenReturn(accountUuid);
+
+    String userAgent = "Signal-Android/4.68.3";
+
+    when(storedMessages.getMessagesForDevice(account.getUuid(), device.getId(), userAgent, false))
+        .thenThrow(new RedisException("OH NO"));
+
+    final WebSocketClient client = mock(WebSocketClient.class);
+    when(client.isOpen()).thenReturn(false);
+
+    WebSocketConnection connection = new WebSocketConnection(receiptSender, storedMessages, auth, device, client,
+        retrySchedulingExecutor);
+    connection.start();
+
+    verify(retrySchedulingExecutor, never()).schedule(any(Runnable.class), anyLong(), any());
+    verify(client, never()).close(anyInt(), anyString());
+  }
+
   private OutgoingMessageEntity createMessage(long id, boolean cached, String sender, UUID senderUuid, long timestamp, boolean receipt, String content) {
     return new OutgoingMessageEntity(id, cached, UUID.randomUUID(), receipt ? Envelope.Type.SERVER_DELIVERY_RECEIPT_VALUE : Envelope.Type.CIPHERTEXT_VALUE,
                                      null, timestamp, sender, senderUuid, 1, content.getBytes(), null, 0);
diff --git a/websocket-resources/src/main/java/org/whispersystems/websocket/WebSocketClient.java b/websocket-resources/src/main/java/org/whispersystems/websocket/WebSocketClient.java
index 43e50ab7f..2d8384789 100644
--- a/websocket-resources/src/main/java/org/whispersystems/websocket/WebSocketClient.java
+++ b/websocket-resources/src/main/java/org/whispersystems/websocket/WebSocketClient.java
@@ -84,6 +84,10 @@ public class WebSocketClient {
     return this.created;
   }
 
+  public boolean isOpen() {
+    return session.isOpen();
+  }
+
   public void close(int code, String message) {
     session.close(code, message);
   }