diff --git a/packages/server/src/client/daemon-client-transport.test.ts b/packages/server/src/client/daemon-client-transport.test.ts
index c4298c8a6..3bb89903c 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/client/daemon-client-transport.test.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/client/daemon-client-transport.test.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { EventEmitter } from "node:events";
 import { describe, expect, test, vi } from "vitest";
 import {
   createEncryptedTransport,
@@ -114,6 +115,22 @@ describe("daemon-client transport helpers", () => {
     expect(ws.removeEventListener).toHaveBeenCalledWith("message", expect.any(Function));
   });
 
+  test("createWebSocketTransportFactory suppresses close-before-open ws errors", () => {
+    class MockNodeWebSocket extends EventEmitter {
+      readyState = 0;
+      send = vi.fn();
+      close = vi.fn((code?: number, reason?: string) => {
+        this.emit("error", new Error("WebSocket was closed before the connection was established"));
+        this.emit("close", { code, reason });
+      });
+    }
+
+    const ws = new MockNodeWebSocket();
+    const transport = createWebSocketTransportFactory(() => ws)({ url: "ws://example.test" });
+
+    expect(() => transport.close(1001, "Connection timed out")).not.toThrow();
+  });
+
   test("describeTransportClose prefers reason, then message, then code", () => {
     expect(describeTransportClose({ reason: "peer closed" })).toBe("peer closed");
     expect(describeTransportClose({ message: "closed" })).toBe("closed");
diff --git a/packages/server/src/client/daemon-client-websocket-transport.ts b/packages/server/src/client/daemon-client-websocket-transport.ts
index ea0f2bfff..fdf4a9a38 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/client/daemon-client-websocket-transport.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/client/daemon-client-websocket-transport.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,19 @@ export function createWebSocketTransportFactory(factory: WebSocketFactory): Daem
         }
         ws.send(data);
       },
-      close: (code?: number, reason?: string) => ws.close(code, reason),
+      close: (code?: number, reason?: string) => {
+        // Node's `ws` may emit an `error` when a connecting socket is closed before the
+        // handshake completes. Keep a temporary no-op handler attached so cleanup during
+        // connect timeouts does not crash the CLI with an unhandled error event.
+        const suppressEarlyCloseError = bindTemporaryEarlyCloseErrorHandler(ws);
+        try {
+          ws.close(code, reason);
+        } finally {
+          if (typeof ws.on !== "function" && typeof ws.addEventListener !== "function") {
+            suppressEarlyCloseError();
+          }
+        }
+      },
       onOpen: (handler) => bindWsHandler(ws, "open", handler),
       onClose: (handler) => bindWsHandler(ws, "close", handler),
       onError: (handler) => bindWsHandler(ws, "error", handler),
@@ -41,6 +53,52 @@ export function createWebSocketTransportFactory(factory: WebSocketFactory): Daem
   };
 }
 
+function bindTemporaryEarlyCloseErrorHandler(ws: WebSocketLike): () => void {
+  const noop = () => {};
+
+  if (typeof ws.addEventListener === "function") {
+    ws.addEventListener("error", noop);
+    const removeOnClose = bindWsHandler(ws, "close", () => {
+      removeOnClose();
+      if (typeof ws.removeEventListener === "function") {
+        ws.removeEventListener("error", noop);
+      }
+    });
+    return () => {
+      removeOnClose();
+      if (typeof ws.removeEventListener === "function") {
+        ws.removeEventListener("error", noop);
+      }
+    };
+  }
+
+  if (typeof ws.on === "function") {
+    ws.on("error", noop);
+    const removeOnClose = bindWsHandler(ws, "close", () => {
+      removeOnClose();
+      if (typeof ws.off === "function") {
+        ws.off("error", noop);
+        return;
+      }
+      if (typeof ws.removeListener === "function") {
+        ws.removeListener("error", noop);
+      }
+    });
+    return () => {
+      removeOnClose();
+      if (typeof ws.off === "function") {
+        ws.off("error", noop);
+        return;
+      }
+      if (typeof ws.removeListener === "function") {
+        ws.removeListener("error", noop);
+      }
+    };
+  }
+
+  return () => {};
+}
+
 export function bindWsHandler(
   ws: WebSocketLike,
   event: "open" | "close" | "error" | "message",