diff --git a/app/api/channel.py b/app/api/channel.py
index 269e0ce..4c45276 100644
--- a/app/api/channel.py
+++ b/app/api/channel.py
@@ -66,6 +66,12 @@ class BaseChannelNotifier:
                 )
             )
 
+    async def aclose(self) -> None:
+        """Release the Redis connection held by this notifier."""
+        if self.redis is not None:
+            await self.redis.aclose()
+            self.redis = None
+
 
 class BaseChannelListener:
     def __init__(self, channel: str, redis_url=None):
@@ -125,7 +131,6 @@ class BaseChannelListener:
                 except AttributeError as e:
                     logger.error(f"AttributeError while handling channel message: {e}")
                 except Exception as e:
-                    print(type(e))
                     logger.error(
                         f"Error handling channel message: {e}. Error type: {type(e)}"
                     )
@@ -134,7 +139,10 @@ class BaseChannelListener:
         except Exception as e:
             logger.error(f"Error listening to channel: {e}")
         finally:
-            await pubsub.unsubscribe()
+            # release the pubsub connection and the listener's Redis client;
+            # aclose() unsubscribes and returns the connection to the pool
+            await pubsub.aclose()
+            await self.aclose()
             logger.info(f"Stopped listening on channel: {self.channel}")
 
         return Ok(None)
@@ -146,6 +154,12 @@ class BaseChannelListener:
 
         return Ok(None)
 
+    async def aclose(self) -> None:
+        """Release the Redis connection held by this listener."""
+        if self.redis is not None:
+            await self.redis.aclose()
+            self.redis = None
+
     async def handle_event(self, event):
         """Process incoming events - to be implemented by subclasses"""
         logger.debug(f"Received event: {event}")
diff --git a/app/apps/cache.py b/app/apps/cache.py
index 6781de8..7ae4f68 100644
--- a/app/apps/cache.py
+++ b/app/apps/cache.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ This module contains the caching implementation for app status data.
 It provides functions to retrieve, store, and monitor app status data in Redis.
 """
 
+import asyncio
 from typing import Optional
 
 from loguru import logger
@@ -197,10 +198,20 @@ async def watch_app_status_changes():
     try:
         while True:
             listener = AppStatusUpdateListener()
-            await listener.connect()
-            # This will loop forever
+            match await listener.connect():
+                case Err(report):
+                    logger.error(
+                        f"App status listener failed to connect: {report.format()}"
+                    )
+                    await listener.aclose()
+                    # back off before retrying so a Redis outage doesn't
+                    # spin this loop
+                    await asyncio.sleep(5)
+                    continue
+            # This will loop forever (listen() closes its own resources)
             await listener.listen()
             logger.error("Recreating app status channel listener, as it stopped!")
+            await asyncio.sleep(1)
 
     except Exception as e:
         return Err(Report(f"App status channel listener error: {e}", error=e))
diff --git a/app/apps/tasks_impl/app_manage.py b/app/apps/tasks_impl/app_manage.py
index d27134d..d77d513 100644
--- a/app/apps/tasks_impl/app_manage.py
+++ b/app/apps/tasks_impl/app_manage.py
@@ -219,8 +219,9 @@ async def app_manage_task_impl(
 
             await _send_finish_message(id, mode, notifier)
 
+        await notifier.aclose()
         if redis_client:
-            await redis_client.close()
+            await redis_client.aclose()
 
 
 async def _send_finish_message(
diff --git a/app/apps/tasks_impl/app_status_update.py b/app/apps/tasks_impl/app_status_update.py
index 1d03cd9..1fe5bb2 100644
--- a/app/apps/tasks_impl/app_status_update.py
+++ b/app/apps/tasks_impl/app_status_update.py
@@ -222,8 +222,9 @@ async def update_app_state_task_impl(
         case Err(message):
             _log_notify_listeners_error(message)
 
+    await channel_notifier.aclose()
     if redis_client:
-        await redis_client.close()
+        await redis_client.aclose()
 
 
 def _log_notify_listeners_error(message: Report):
diff --git a/tests/test_app_manage_lock.py b/tests/test_app_manage_lock.py
index f1e5bad..409632f 100644
--- a/tests/test_app_manage_lock.py
+++ b/tests/test_app_manage_lock.py
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@ async def test_lock_already_held_does_not_release_or_finish(monkeypatch):
             sent.append(contents)
             return Ok(None)
 
+        async def aclose(self):
+            pass
+
     async def fake_acquire(key, lock_ttl, redis):
         return Ok(False)  # lock already held by the running install
 
@@ -74,6 +77,9 @@ async def test_acquired_lock_is_released_and_finished(monkeypatch):
             sent.append(contents)
             return Ok(None)
 
+        async def aclose(self):
+            pass
+
     async def fake_acquire(key, lock_ttl, redis):
         return Ok(True)  # lock acquired by this task
 
diff --git a/tests/test_channel_cleanup.py b/tests/test_channel_cleanup.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b1ea9f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_channel_cleanup.py
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+"""
+Regression test: the channel listener must release its Redis resources.
+
+listen() only called pubsub.unsubscribe() in its finally block; it never
+closed the pubsub connection or the listener's own Redis client, leaking one
+connection per install/uninstall and per app-status listener recreation.
+"""
+
+from app.api.channel import BaseChannelListener
+
+
+class _FakePubSub:
+    def __init__(self, on_poll):
+        self._on_poll = on_poll
+        self.aclosed = False
+
+    async def subscribe(self, channel):
+        pass
+
+    async def get_message(self, **kwargs):
+        self._on_poll()
+        return None
+
+    async def unsubscribe(self):
+        pass
+
+    async def aclose(self):
+        self.aclosed = True
+
+
+class _FakeRedis:
+    def __init__(self, pubsub):
+        self._pubsub = pubsub
+        self.aclosed = False
+
+    def pubsub(self):
+        return self._pubsub
+
+    async def aclose(self):
+        self.aclosed = True
+
+
+async def test_listen_closes_pubsub_and_redis():
+    listener = BaseChannelListener("test-channel")
+
+    # stop the listen loop after the first poll
+    pubsub = _FakePubSub(on_poll=lambda: setattr(listener, "running", False))
+    redis = _FakeRedis(pubsub)
+    listener.redis = redis
+
+    await listener.listen()
+
+    assert pubsub.aclosed is True, "pubsub connection must be closed"
+    assert redis.aclosed is True, "listener's redis client must be closed"