diff --git a/java/google/registry/proxy/ProxyServer.java b/java/google/registry/proxy/ProxyServer.java
index 417255b77..47b5d99ab 100644
--- a/java/google/registry/proxy/ProxyServer.java
+++ b/java/google/registry/proxy/ProxyServer.java
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import io.netty.channel.EventLoopGroup;
 import io.netty.channel.nio.NioEventLoopGroup;
 import io.netty.channel.socket.nio.NioServerSocketChannel;
 import io.netty.channel.socket.nio.NioSocketChannel;
+import io.netty.util.ReferenceCountUtil;
 import io.netty.util.concurrent.Future;
 import io.netty.util.internal.logging.InternalLoggerFactory;
 import io.netty.util.internal.logging.JdkLoggerFactory;
@@ -137,6 +138,20 @@ public class ProxyServer implements Runnable {
                       if (outboundChannel != null) {
                         ChannelFuture unusedChannelFuture2 = outboundChannel.close();
                       }
+                      // If the frontend channel is closed and there are messages remaining in the
+                      // buffer, we should make sure that they are released (if the messages are
+                      // reference counted).
+                      inboundChannel
+                          .attr(RELAY_BUFFER_KEY)
+                          .get()
+                          .forEach(
+                              msg -> {
+                                // TODO (jianglai): do not log the message once retry behavior is
+                                // confirmed.
+                                logger.atWarning().log(
+                                    "Unfinished relay for connection %s: %s", inboundChannel, msg);
+                                ReferenceCountUtil.release(msg);
+                              });
                     });
       }
     }
diff --git a/java/google/registry/proxy/handler/BackendMetricsHandler.java b/java/google/registry/proxy/handler/BackendMetricsHandler.java
index 640118aad..cb65203df 100644
--- a/java/google/registry/proxy/handler/BackendMetricsHandler.java
+++ b/java/google/registry/proxy/handler/BackendMetricsHandler.java
@@ -78,12 +78,12 @@ public class BackendMetricsHandler extends ChannelDuplexHandler {
   }
 
   @Override
-  public void channelActive(ChannelHandlerContext ctx) throws Exception {
+  public void channelRegistered(ChannelHandlerContext ctx) throws Exception {
     // Backend channel is always established after a frontend channel is connected, so this
     relayedChannel = ctx.channel().attr(RELAY_CHANNEL_KEY).get();
     checkNotNull(relayedChannel, "No frontend channel found.");
     relayedProtocolName = relayedChannel.attr(PROTOCOL_KEY).get().name();
-    super.channelActive(ctx);
+    super.channelRegistered(ctx);
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/java/google/registry/proxy/handler/RelayHandler.java b/java/google/registry/proxy/handler/RelayHandler.java
index 8dab948a7..e71d954e8 100644
--- a/java/google/registry/proxy/handler/RelayHandler.java
+++ b/java/google/registry/proxy/handler/RelayHandler.java
@@ -121,6 +121,10 @@ public class RelayHandler<I> extends SimpleChannelInboundHandler<I> {
                     Queue<Object> relayBuffer = channel.attr(RELAY_BUFFER_KEY).get();
                     if (relayBuffer != null) {
                       channel.attr(RELAY_BUFFER_KEY).get().add(msg);
+                    } else {
+                      // We are not going to retry, decrement a counter to allow the message to be
+                      // freed by Netty, if the message is reference counted.
+                      ReferenceCountUtil.release(msg);
                     }
                     ChannelFuture unusedFuture2 = relayChannel.close();
                   } else {