diff --git a/.changeset/fix-clickhouse-connect-timeout.md b/.changeset/fix-clickhouse-connect-timeout.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..41a80e36907
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fix-clickhouse-connect-timeout.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@effect/sql-clickhouse": patch
+---
+
+Close the ClickHouse client when the startup connection check times out.
diff --git a/packages/sql/clickhouse/src/ClickhouseClient.ts b/packages/sql/clickhouse/src/ClickhouseClient.ts
index 184881913d8..a11a851a77e 100644
--- a/packages/sql/clickhouse/src/ClickhouseClient.ts
+++ b/packages/sql/clickhouse/src/ClickhouseClient.ts
@@ -175,16 +175,16 @@ export const make = (
       ? Statement.defaultTransforms(options.transformResultNames).array
       : undefined
 
-    const client = Clickhouse.createClient(options)
+    const client = yield* Effect.acquireRelease(
+      Effect.sync(() => Clickhouse.createClient(options)),
+      (client) => Effect.promise(() => client.close())
+    )
 
-    yield* Effect.acquireRelease(
-      Effect.tryPromise({
-        try: () => client.exec({ query: "SELECT 1" }),
-        catch: (cause) =>
-          new SqlError({ reason: classifyError(cause, "ClickhouseClient: Failed to connect", "connect", "connection") })
-      }),
-      () => Effect.promise(() => client.close())
-    ).pipe(
+    yield* Effect.tryPromise({
+      try: () => client.exec({ query: "SELECT 1" }),
+      catch: (cause) =>
+        new SqlError({ reason: classifyError(cause, "ClickhouseClient: Failed to connect", "connect", "connection") })
+    }).pipe(
       Effect.timeoutOrElse({
         duration: Duration.seconds(5),
         orElse: () =>
diff --git a/packages/sql/clickhouse/test/Client.test.ts b/packages/sql/clickhouse/test/Client.test.ts
index 5cb6deea5a1..44c52bda55d 100644
--- a/packages/sql/clickhouse/test/Client.test.ts
+++ b/packages/sql/clickhouse/test/Client.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,22 @@
 import { ClickhouseClient } from "@effect/sql-clickhouse"
 import { assert, describe, it } from "@effect/vitest"
 import { Effect } from "effect"
+import { TestClock } from "effect/testing"
+import * as Reactivity from "effect/unstable/reactivity/Reactivity"
 import * as Statement from "effect/unstable/sql/Statement"
+import { vi } from "vitest"
+
+let closeCalls = 0
+
+vi.mock("@clickhouse/client", () => ({
+  createClient: () => ({
+    exec: () => new Promise(() => {}),
+    close: () => {
+      closeCalls++
+      return Promise.resolve()
+    }
+  })
+}))
 
 describe("ClickhouseClient", () => {
   it("preserves fractional JavaScript numbers in inferred parameters", () => {
@@ -10,4 +25,18 @@ describe("ClickhouseClient", () => {
 
     assert.strictEqual(query, "SELECT {p1: Float64}")
   })
+
+  it.effect("closes the client when the connection check times out", () =>
+    Effect.gen(function*() {
+      closeCalls = 0
+      const fiber = yield* Effect.forkDetach(
+        ClickhouseClient.make({ url: "http://localhost:8123" }).pipe(Effect.scoped)
+      )
+      yield* Effect.yieldNow
+      yield* TestClock.adjust("5 seconds")
+      const result = fiber.pollUnsafe()
+
+      assert.isDefined(result)
+      assert.strictEqual(closeCalls, 1)
+    }).pipe(Effect.provide(Reactivity.layer)))
 })