diff --git a/java/google/registry/proxy/handler/RelayHandler.java b/java/google/registry/proxy/handler/RelayHandler.java
index dc4e7862c..8dab948a7 100644
--- a/java/google/registry/proxy/handler/RelayHandler.java
+++ b/java/google/registry/proxy/handler/RelayHandler.java
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ import io.netty.handler.codec.http.FullHttpRequest;
 import io.netty.handler.codec.http.FullHttpResponse;
 import io.netty.util.Attribute;
 import io.netty.util.AttributeKey;
+import io.netty.util.ReferenceCountUtil;
+import io.netty.util.ReferenceCounted;
 import java.util.Deque;
 import java.util.Queue;
 import javax.inject.Inject;
@@ -84,6 +86,15 @@ public class RelayHandler<I> extends SimpleChannelInboundHandler<I> {
 
   public static void writeToRelayChannel(
       Channel channel, Channel relayChannel, Object msg, boolean retry) {
+    // If the message is reference counted, its internal buffer that holds the data will be freed by
+    // Netty when the reference count reduce to zero. When this message is written to the relay
+    // channel, regardless of whether it is successful or not, its reference count will be reduced
+    // to zero and its buffer will be freed. After the buffer is freed, the message cannot be used
+    // anymore, even if in Java's eye the object still exist, its content is gone. We increment a
+    // count here so that the message can be retried, in case the relay is not successful.
+    if (msg instanceof ReferenceCounted) {
+      ((ReferenceCounted) msg).retain();
+    }
     ChannelFuture unusedFuture =
         relayChannel
             .writeAndFlush(msg)
@@ -106,23 +117,28 @@ public class RelayHandler<I> extends SimpleChannelInboundHandler<I> {
                     // as long as the frontend channel is open. Otherwise, we are relaying from the
                     // backend to the frontend, and this relay failure cannot be recovered from: we
                     // should just kill the relay (frontend) channel, which in turn will kill the
-                    // backend channel. It is fine to just save the message object itself, not a
-                    // clone of it, because if the relay is not successful, its content is not read,
-                    // therefore its buffer is not cleared.
+                    // backend channel.
                     Queue<Object> relayBuffer = channel.attr(RELAY_BUFFER_KEY).get();
                     if (relayBuffer != null) {
                       channel.attr(RELAY_BUFFER_KEY).get().add(msg);
                     }
                     ChannelFuture unusedFuture2 = relayChannel.close();
-                  } else if (retry) {
-                    // TODO (jianglai): do not log the message once retry behavior is confirmed.
-                    logger.atInfo().log(
-                        "Relay retry succeeded: %s --> %s\nINBOUND: %s\nOUTBOUND: %s\nsMESSAGE: %s",
-                        channel.attr(PROTOCOL_KEY).get().name(),
-                        relayChannel.attr(PROTOCOL_KEY).get().name(),
-                        channel,
-                        relayChannel,
-                        msg);
+                  } else {
+                    if (retry) {
+                      // TODO (jianglai): do not log the message once retry behavior is confirmed.
+                      logger.atInfo().log(
+                          "Relay retry succeeded: %s --> %s\nINBOUND: %s\nOUTBOUND: %s\n"
+                              + "MESSAGE: %s",
+                          channel.attr(PROTOCOL_KEY).get().name(),
+                          relayChannel.attr(PROTOCOL_KEY).get().name(),
+                          channel,
+                          relayChannel,
+                          msg);
+                    }
+                    // If the write is successful, we know that no retry is needed. This function
+                    // will decrement the reference count if the message is reference counted,
+                    // allowing Netty to free the message's buffer.
+                    ReferenceCountUtil.release(msg);
                   }
                 });
   }