diff --git a/lib/dispatcher/client.js b/lib/dispatcher/client.js
index 101acb60123..671ac199d46 100644
--- a/lib/dispatcher/client.js
+++ b/lib/dispatcher/client.js
@@ -449,65 +449,70 @@ function connect (client) {
     })
   }
 
-  client[kConnector]({
-    host,
-    hostname,
-    protocol,
-    port,
-    servername: client[kServerName],
-    localAddress: client[kLocalAddress]
-  }, (err, socket) => {
-    if (err) {
-      handleConnectError(client, err, { host, hostname, protocol, port })
-      client[kResume]()
-      return
-    }
+  try {
+    client[kConnector]({
+      host,
+      hostname,
+      protocol,
+      port,
+      servername: client[kServerName],
+      localAddress: client[kLocalAddress]
+    }, (err, socket) => {
+      if (err) {
+        handleConnectError(client, err, { host, hostname, protocol, port })
+        client[kResume]()
+        return
+      }
 
-    if (client.destroyed) {
-      util.destroy(socket.on('error', noop), new ClientDestroyedError())
-      client[kResume]()
-      return
-    }
+      if (client.destroyed) {
+        util.destroy(socket.on('error', noop), new ClientDestroyedError())
+        client[kResume]()
+        return
+      }
 
-    assert(socket)
+      assert(socket)
 
-    try {
-      client[kHTTPContext] = socket.alpnProtocol === 'h2'
-        ? connectH2(client, socket)
-        : connectH1(client, socket)
-    } catch (err) {
-      socket.destroy().on('error', noop)
-      handleConnectError(client, err, { host, hostname, protocol, port })
-      client[kResume]()
-      return
-    }
+      try {
+        client[kHTTPContext] = socket.alpnProtocol === 'h2'
+          ? connectH2(client, socket)
+          : connectH1(client, socket)
+      } catch (err) {
+        socket.destroy().on('error', noop)
+        handleConnectError(client, err, { host, hostname, protocol, port })
+        client[kResume]()
+        return
+      }
 
-    client[kConnecting] = false
-
-    socket[kCounter] = 0
-    socket[kMaxRequests] = client[kMaxRequests]
-    socket[kClient] = client
-    socket[kError] = null
-
-    if (channels.connected.hasSubscribers) {
-      channels.connected.publish({
-        connectParams: {
-          host,
-          hostname,
-          protocol,
-          port,
-          version: client[kHTTPContext]?.version,
-          servername: client[kServerName],
-          localAddress: client[kLocalAddress]
-        },
-        connector: client[kConnector],
-        socket
-      })
-    }
+      client[kConnecting] = false
+
+      socket[kCounter] = 0
+      socket[kMaxRequests] = client[kMaxRequests]
+      socket[kClient] = client
+      socket[kError] = null
+
+      if (channels.connected.hasSubscribers) {
+        channels.connected.publish({
+          connectParams: {
+            host,
+            hostname,
+            protocol,
+            port,
+            version: client[kHTTPContext]?.version,
+            servername: client[kServerName],
+            localAddress: client[kLocalAddress]
+          },
+          connector: client[kConnector],
+          socket
+        })
+      }
 
-    client.emit('connect', client[kUrl], [client])
+      client.emit('connect', client[kUrl], [client])
+      client[kResume]()
+    })
+  } catch (err) {
+    handleConnectError(client, err, { host, hostname, protocol, port })
     client[kResume]()
-  })
+  }
 }
 
 function handleConnectError (client, err, { host, hostname, protocol, port }) {
diff --git a/test/node-test/client-connector-throw.js b/test/node-test/client-connector-throw.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1556029f124
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/node-test/client-connector-throw.js
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+'use strict'
+
+const { test, after } = require('node:test')
+const { tspl } = require('@matteo.collina/tspl')
+const { Client } = require('../..')
+const { createServer } = require('node:http')
+
+const { closeServerAsPromise } = require('../utils/node-http')
+
+test('client does not hang when connector throws synchronously', async (t) => {
+  const p = tspl(t, { plan: 4 })
+
+  // We need a server just so the URL resolves, but we'll never actually
+  // connect because our custom connector throws before that.
+  const server = createServer({ joinDuplicateHeaders: true }, (req, res) => {
+    res.end()
+  })
+  after(closeServerAsPromise(server))
+
+  server.listen(0, () => {
+    const client = new Client(`http://localhost:${server.address().port}`, {
+      connect: () => {
+        throw new Error('connector boom')
+      }
+    })
+    after(() => client.destroy())
+
+    // First request should get the error from the throwing connector
+    client.request({ path: '/', method: 'GET' }, (err) => {
+      p.ok(err instanceof Error)
+      p.strictEqual(err.message, 'connector boom')
+
+      // Second request should also get an error and not hang
+      client.request({ path: '/', method: 'GET' }, (err) => {
+        p.ok(err instanceof Error)
+        p.strictEqual(err.message, 'connector boom')
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  await p.completed
+})
+
+test('client recovers after connector stops throwing', async (t) => {
+  const p = tspl(t, { plan: 4 })
+
+  const server = createServer({ joinDuplicateHeaders: true }, (req, res) => {
+    res.writeHead(200)
+    res.end('ok')
+  })
+  after(closeServerAsPromise(server))
+
+  server.listen(0, () => {
+    let shouldThrow = true
+    const client = new Client(`http://localhost:${server.address().port}`, {
+      connect: (opts, cb) => {
+        if (shouldThrow) {
+          throw new Error('connector boom')
+        }
+        // Fall back to default connector behavior via tls/net
+        const net = require('node:net')
+        const socket = net.connect(opts.port, opts.hostname)
+        socket.on('connect', () => cb(null, socket))
+        socket.on('error', (err) => cb(err, null))
+      }
+    })
+    after(() => client.destroy())
+
+    // First request fails because connector throws
+    client.request({ path: '/', method: 'GET' }, (err) => {
+      p.ok(err instanceof Error)
+      p.strictEqual(err.message, 'connector boom')
+
+      // Now stop throwing so the next request can succeed
+      shouldThrow = false
+
+      client.request({ path: '/', method: 'GET' }, (err, data) => {
+        p.ifError(err)
+        p.strictEqual(data.statusCode, 200)
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  await p.completed
+})