diff --git a/node-api/src/main/kotlin/net/corda/nodeapi/internal/protonwrapper/netty/AMQPChannelHandler.kt b/node-api/src/main/kotlin/net/corda/nodeapi/internal/protonwrapper/netty/AMQPChannelHandler.kt
index 1be1b652f3..e39e263df6 100644
--- a/node-api/src/main/kotlin/net/corda/nodeapi/internal/protonwrapper/netty/AMQPChannelHandler.kt
+++ b/node-api/src/main/kotlin/net/corda/nodeapi/internal/protonwrapper/netty/AMQPChannelHandler.kt
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import io.netty.channel.ChannelDuplexHandler
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelPromise
 import io.netty.channel.socket.SocketChannel
+import io.netty.handler.proxy.ProxyConnectException
 import io.netty.handler.proxy.ProxyConnectionEvent
 import io.netty.handler.ssl.SslHandler
 import io.netty.handler.ssl.SslHandshakeCompletionEvent
@@ -131,6 +132,10 @@ internal class AMQPChannelHandler(private val serverMode: Boolean,
         if (log.isTraceEnabled) {
             log.trace("Pipeline uncaught exception", cause)
         }
+        if (cause is ProxyConnectException) {
+            log.warn("Proxy connection failed ${cause.message}")
+            suppressClose = true // The pipeline gets marked as active on connection to the proxy rather than to the target, which causes excess close events
+        }
         ctx.close()
     }