diff --git a/docs/api/Client.md b/docs/api/Client.md
index 2b5f9e526bb..1aca7d09d31 100644
--- a/docs/api/Client.md
+++ b/docs/api/Client.md
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ Furthermore, the following options can be passed:
 * **maxCachedSessions** `number | null` (optional) - Default: `100` - Maximum number of TLS cached sessions. Use 0 to disable TLS session caching. Default: 100.
 * **timeout** `number | null` (optional) -  Default `10e3`
 * **servername** `string | null` (optional)
+* **keepAlive** `boolean | null` (optional) - Default: `true` - TCP keep-alive enabled
+* **keepAliveInitialDelay** `number | null` (optional) - Default: `60000` - TCP keep-alive interval for the socket in milliseconds
 
 ### Example - Basic Client instantiation
 
diff --git a/lib/core/connect.js b/lib/core/connect.js
index 89561f16fbe..f3b5cc33edd 100644
--- a/lib/core/connect.js
+++ b/lib/core/connect.js
@@ -120,6 +120,12 @@ function buildConnector ({ maxCachedSessions, socketPath, timeout, ...opts }) {
       })
     }
 
+    // Set TCP keep alive options on the socket here instead of in connect() for the case of assigning the socket
+    if (options.keepAlive == null || options.keepAlive) {
+      const keepAliveInitialDelay = options.keepAliveInitialDelay === undefined ? 60e3 : options.keepAliveInitialDelay
+      socket.setKeepAlive(true, keepAliveInitialDelay)
+    }
+
     const cancelTimeout = setupTimeout(() => onConnectTimeout(socket), timeout)
 
     socket