diff --git a/readme.hints.md b/readme.hints.md
index 4b80e31..e7deae1 100644
--- a/readme.hints.md
+++ b/readme.hints.md
@@ -582,4 +582,62 @@ onError: (error) => {
 - **Positive**: Prevents resource exhaustion from rapid reconnection attempts
 
 ### Migration Notes
-No configuration changes needed. The fix is automatic and backward compatible.
\ No newline at end of file
+No configuration changes needed. The fix is automatic and backward compatible.
+
+## Proxy Chain Connection Accumulation Fix (v19.5.14+)
+
+### Issue
+When chaining SmartProxies (Client → SmartProxy1 → SmartProxy2 → Backend), connections would accumulate and never be cleaned up. This was particularly severe when the backend was down or closing connections immediately.
+
+### Root Cause
+The half-open connection support was preventing proper cascade cleanup in proxy chains:
+1. Backend closes → SmartProxy2's server socket closes
+2. SmartProxy2 keeps client socket open (half-open support)
+3. SmartProxy1 never gets notified that downstream is closed
+4. Connections accumulate at each proxy in the chain
+
+The issue was in `createIndependentSocketHandlers()` which waited for BOTH sockets to close before cleanup.
+
+### Solution
+1. **Changed default behavior**: When one socket closes, both close immediately
+2. **Made half-open support opt-in**: Only enabled when explicitly requested
+3. **Centralized socket handling**: Created `setupBidirectionalForwarding()` for consistent behavior
+4. **Applied everywhere**: Updated HttpProxyBridge and route-connection-handler to use centralized handling
+
+### Changes Made
+```typescript
+// socket-utils.ts - Default behavior now closes both sockets
+export function createIndependentSocketHandlers(
+  clientSocket, serverSocket, onBothClosed,
+  options: { enableHalfOpen?: boolean } = {} // Half-open is opt-in
+) {
+  // When server closes, immediately close client (unless half-open enabled)
+  if (!clientClosed && !options.enableHalfOpen) {
+    clientSocket.destroy();
+  }
+}
+
+// New centralized function for consistent socket pairing
+export function setupBidirectionalForwarding(
+  clientSocket, serverSocket,
+  handlers: {
+    onClientData?: (chunk) => void;
+    onServerData?: (chunk) => void;
+    onCleanup: (reason) => void;
+    enableHalfOpen?: boolean; // Default: false
+  }
+)
+```
+
+### Test Coverage
+- `test/test.proxy-chain-simple.node.ts` - Verifies proxy chains don't accumulate connections
+- Tests confirm connections stay at 0 even with backend closing immediately
+- Works for any proxy chain configuration (not just localhost)
+
+### Performance Impact
+- **Positive**: No more connection accumulation in proxy chains
+- **Positive**: Immediate cleanup reduces memory usage
+- **Neutral**: Half-open connections still available when needed (opt-in)
+
+### Migration Notes
+No configuration changes needed. The fix applies to all proxy chains automatically.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/test.proxy-chain-simple.node.ts b/test/test.proxy-chain-simple.node.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..286b9c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test.proxy-chain-simple.node.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,195 @@
+import { tap, expect } from '@git.zone/tstest/tapbundle';
+import * as net from 'net';
+import * as plugins from '../ts/plugins.js';
+
+// Import SmartProxy and configurations
+import { SmartProxy } from '../ts/index.js';
+
+tap.test('simple proxy chain test - identify connection accumulation', async () => {
+  console.log('\n=== Simple Proxy Chain Test ===');
+  console.log('Setup: Client → SmartProxy1 (8590) → SmartProxy2 (8591) → Backend (down)');
+  
+  // Create backend server that accepts and immediately closes connections
+  const backend = net.createServer((socket) => {
+    console.log('Backend: Connection received, closing immediately');
+    socket.destroy();
+  });
+  
+  await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+    backend.listen(9998, () => {
+      console.log('✓ Backend server started on port 9998 (closes connections immediately)');
+      resolve();
+    });
+  });
+  
+  // Create SmartProxy2 (downstream)
+  const proxy2 = new SmartProxy({
+    ports: [8591],
+    enableDetailedLogging: true,
+    socketTimeout: 5000,
+    routes: [{
+      name: 'to-backend',
+      match: { ports: 8591 },
+      action: {
+        type: 'forward',
+        target: {
+          host: 'localhost',
+          port: 9998  // Backend that closes immediately
+        }
+      }
+    }]
+  });
+  
+  // Create SmartProxy1 (upstream)
+  const proxy1 = new SmartProxy({
+    ports: [8590],
+    enableDetailedLogging: true,
+    socketTimeout: 5000,
+    routes: [{
+      name: 'to-proxy2',
+      match: { ports: 8590 },
+      action: {
+        type: 'forward',
+        target: {
+          host: 'localhost',
+          port: 8591  // Forward to proxy2
+        }
+      }
+    }]
+  });
+  
+  await proxy2.start();
+  console.log('✓ SmartProxy2 started on port 8591');
+  
+  await proxy1.start();
+  console.log('✓ SmartProxy1 started on port 8590');
+  
+  // Helper to get connection counts
+  const getConnectionCounts = () => {
+    const conn1 = (proxy1 as any).connectionManager;
+    const conn2 = (proxy2 as any).connectionManager;
+    return {
+      proxy1: conn1 ? conn1.getConnectionCount() : 0,
+      proxy2: conn2 ? conn2.getConnectionCount() : 0
+    };
+  };
+  
+  console.log('\n--- Making 5 sequential connections ---');
+  
+  for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
+    console.log(`\n=== Connection ${i + 1} ===`);
+    
+    const counts = getConnectionCounts();
+    console.log(`Before: Proxy1=${counts.proxy1}, Proxy2=${counts.proxy2}`);
+    
+    await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+      const client = new net.Socket();
+      let dataReceived = false;
+      
+      client.on('data', (data) => {
+        console.log(`Client received data: ${data.toString()}`);
+        dataReceived = true;
+      });
+      
+      client.on('error', (err) => {
+        console.log(`Client error: ${err.code}`);
+        resolve();
+      });
+      
+      client.on('close', () => {
+        console.log(`Client closed (data received: ${dataReceived})`);
+        resolve();
+      });
+      
+      client.connect(8590, 'localhost', () => {
+        console.log('Client connected to Proxy1');
+        // Send HTTP request
+        client.write('GET / HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: test.com\r\n\r\n');
+      });
+      
+      // Timeout
+      setTimeout(() => {
+        if (!client.destroyed) {
+          console.log('Client timeout, destroying');
+          client.destroy();
+        }
+        resolve();
+      }, 2000);
+    });
+    
+    // Wait a bit and check counts
+    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 500));
+    
+    const afterCounts = getConnectionCounts();
+    console.log(`After: Proxy1=${afterCounts.proxy1}, Proxy2=${afterCounts.proxy2}`);
+    
+    if (afterCounts.proxy1 > 0 || afterCounts.proxy2 > 0) {
+      console.log('⚠️  WARNING: Connections not cleaned up!');
+    }
+  }
+  
+  console.log('\n--- Test with backend completely down ---');
+  
+  // Stop backend
+  backend.close();
+  await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 100));
+  console.log('✓ Backend stopped');
+  
+  // Make more connections with backend down
+  for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
+    console.log(`\n=== Connection ${i + 6} (backend down) ===`);
+    
+    const counts = getConnectionCounts();
+    console.log(`Before: Proxy1=${counts.proxy1}, Proxy2=${counts.proxy2}`);
+    
+    await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+      const client = new net.Socket();
+      
+      client.on('error', () => {
+        resolve();
+      });
+      
+      client.on('close', () => {
+        resolve();
+      });
+      
+      client.connect(8590, 'localhost', () => {
+        client.write('GET / HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: test.com\r\n\r\n');
+      });
+      
+      setTimeout(() => {
+        if (!client.destroyed) {
+          client.destroy();
+        }
+        resolve();
+      }, 1000);
+    });
+    
+    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 500));
+    
+    const afterCounts = getConnectionCounts();
+    console.log(`After: Proxy1=${afterCounts.proxy1}, Proxy2=${afterCounts.proxy2}`);
+  }
+  
+  // Final check
+  console.log('\n--- Final Check ---');
+  await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
+  
+  const finalCounts = getConnectionCounts();
+  console.log(`Final counts: Proxy1=${finalCounts.proxy1}, Proxy2=${finalCounts.proxy2}`);
+  
+  await proxy1.stop();
+  await proxy2.stop();
+  
+  // Verify
+  if (finalCounts.proxy1 > 0 || finalCounts.proxy2 > 0) {
+    console.log('\n❌ FAIL: Connections accumulated!');
+  } else {
+    console.log('\n✅ PASS: No connection accumulation');
+  }
+  
+  expect(finalCounts.proxy1).toEqual(0);
+  expect(finalCounts.proxy2).toEqual(0);
+});
+
+tap.start();
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/test.proxy-chaining-accumulation.node.ts b/test/test.proxy-chaining-accumulation.node.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e25f122
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test.proxy-chaining-accumulation.node.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,368 @@
+import { tap, expect } from '@git.zone/tstest/tapbundle';
+import * as net from 'net';
+import * as plugins from '../ts/plugins.js';
+
+// Import SmartProxy and configurations
+import { SmartProxy } from '../ts/index.js';
+
+tap.test('should handle proxy chaining without connection accumulation', async () => {
+  console.log('\n=== Testing Proxy Chaining Connection Accumulation ===');
+  console.log('Setup: Client → SmartProxy1 → SmartProxy2 → Backend (down)');
+  
+  // Create SmartProxy2 (downstream proxy)
+  const proxy2 = new SmartProxy({
+    ports: [8581],
+    enableDetailedLogging: false,
+    socketTimeout: 5000,
+    routes: [{
+      name: 'backend-route',
+      match: { ports: 8581 },
+      action: {
+        type: 'forward',
+        target: {
+          host: 'localhost',
+          port: 9999  // Non-existent backend
+        }
+      }
+    }]
+  });
+  
+  // Create SmartProxy1 (upstream proxy)
+  const proxy1 = new SmartProxy({
+    ports: [8580],
+    enableDetailedLogging: false,
+    socketTimeout: 5000,
+    routes: [{
+      name: 'chain-route',
+      match: { ports: 8580 },
+      action: {
+        type: 'forward',
+        target: {
+          host: 'localhost',
+          port: 8581  // Forward to proxy2
+        }
+      }
+    }]
+  });
+  
+  // Start both proxies
+  await proxy2.start();
+  console.log('✓ SmartProxy2 started on port 8581');
+  
+  await proxy1.start();
+  console.log('✓ SmartProxy1 started on port 8580');
+  
+  // Helper to get connection counts
+  const getConnectionCounts = () => {
+    const conn1 = (proxy1 as any).connectionManager;
+    const conn2 = (proxy2 as any).connectionManager;
+    return {
+      proxy1: conn1 ? conn1.getConnectionCount() : 0,
+      proxy2: conn2 ? conn2.getConnectionCount() : 0
+    };
+  };
+  
+  const initialCounts = getConnectionCounts();
+  console.log(`\nInitial connection counts - Proxy1: ${initialCounts.proxy1}, Proxy2: ${initialCounts.proxy2}`);
+  
+  // Test 1: Single connection attempt
+  console.log('\n--- Test 1: Single connection through chain ---');
+  
+  await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+    const client = new net.Socket();
+    
+    client.on('error', (err) => {
+      console.log(`Client received error: ${err.code}`);
+      resolve();
+    });
+    
+    client.on('close', () => {
+      console.log('Client connection closed');
+      resolve();
+    });
+    
+    client.connect(8580, 'localhost', () => {
+      console.log('Client connected to Proxy1');
+      // Send data to trigger routing
+      client.write('GET / HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: test.com\r\n\r\n');
+    });
+    
+    // Timeout
+    setTimeout(() => {
+      if (!client.destroyed) {
+        client.destroy();
+      }
+      resolve();
+    }, 1000);
+  });
+  
+  // Check connections after single attempt
+  await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 500));
+  let counts = getConnectionCounts();
+  console.log(`After single connection - Proxy1: ${counts.proxy1}, Proxy2: ${counts.proxy2}`);
+  
+  // Test 2: Multiple simultaneous connections
+  console.log('\n--- Test 2: Multiple simultaneous connections ---');
+  
+  const promises = [];
+  for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
+    promises.push(new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+      const client = new net.Socket();
+      
+      client.on('error', () => {
+        resolve();
+      });
+      
+      client.on('close', () => {
+        resolve();
+      });
+      
+      client.connect(8580, 'localhost', () => {
+        // Send data
+        client.write(`GET /test${i} HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: test.com\r\n\r\n`);
+      });
+      
+      // Timeout
+      setTimeout(() => {
+        if (!client.destroyed) {
+          client.destroy();
+        }
+        resolve();
+      }, 500);
+    }));
+  }
+  
+  await Promise.all(promises);
+  console.log('✓ All simultaneous connections completed');
+  
+  // Check connections
+  counts = getConnectionCounts();
+  console.log(`After simultaneous connections - Proxy1: ${counts.proxy1}, Proxy2: ${counts.proxy2}`);
+  
+  // Test 3: Rapid serial connections (simulating retries)
+  console.log('\n--- Test 3: Rapid serial connections (retries) ---');
+  
+  for (let i = 0; i < 20; i++) {
+    await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+      const client = new net.Socket();
+      
+      client.on('error', () => {
+        resolve();
+      });
+      
+      client.on('close', () => {
+        resolve();
+      });
+      
+      client.connect(8580, 'localhost', () => {
+        client.write('GET / HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: test.com\r\n\r\n');
+        // Quick disconnect to simulate retry behavior
+        setTimeout(() => client.destroy(), 50);
+      });
+      
+      // Timeout
+      setTimeout(() => {
+        if (!client.destroyed) {
+          client.destroy();
+        }
+        resolve();
+      }, 200);
+    });
+    
+    if ((i + 1) % 5 === 0) {
+      counts = getConnectionCounts();
+      console.log(`After ${i + 1} retries - Proxy1: ${counts.proxy1}, Proxy2: ${counts.proxy2}`);
+    }
+    
+    // Small delay between retries
+    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 50));
+  }
+  
+  // Test 4: Long-lived connection attempt
+  console.log('\n--- Test 4: Long-lived connection attempt ---');
+  
+  await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+    const client = new net.Socket();
+    
+    client.on('error', () => {
+      resolve();
+    });
+    
+    client.on('close', () => {
+      console.log('Long-lived client closed');
+      resolve();
+    });
+    
+    client.connect(8580, 'localhost', () => {
+      console.log('Long-lived client connected');
+      // Send data periodically
+      const interval = setInterval(() => {
+        if (!client.destroyed && client.writable) {
+          client.write('PING\r\n');
+        } else {
+          clearInterval(interval);
+        }
+      }, 100);
+      
+      // Close after 2 seconds
+      setTimeout(() => {
+        clearInterval(interval);
+        client.destroy();
+      }, 2000);
+    });
+    
+    // Timeout
+    setTimeout(() => {
+      if (!client.destroyed) {
+        client.destroy();
+      }
+      resolve();
+    }, 3000);
+  });
+  
+  // Final check
+  await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
+  
+  const finalCounts = getConnectionCounts();
+  console.log(`\nFinal connection counts - Proxy1: ${finalCounts.proxy1}, Proxy2: ${finalCounts.proxy2}`);
+  
+  // Monitor for a bit to see if connections are cleaned up
+  console.log('\nMonitoring connection cleanup...');
+  for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
+    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 500));
+    counts = getConnectionCounts();
+    console.log(`After ${(i + 1) * 0.5}s - Proxy1: ${counts.proxy1}, Proxy2: ${counts.proxy2}`);
+  }
+  
+  // Stop proxies
+  await proxy1.stop();
+  console.log('\n✓ SmartProxy1 stopped');
+  
+  await proxy2.stop();
+  console.log('✓ SmartProxy2 stopped');
+  
+  // Analysis
+  console.log('\n=== Analysis ===');
+  if (finalCounts.proxy1 > 0 || finalCounts.proxy2 > 0) {
+    console.log('❌ FAIL: Connections accumulated!');
+    console.log(`Proxy1 leaked ${finalCounts.proxy1} connections`);
+    console.log(`Proxy2 leaked ${finalCounts.proxy2} connections`);
+  } else {
+    console.log('✅ PASS: No connection accumulation detected');
+  }
+  
+  // Verify
+  expect(finalCounts.proxy1).toEqual(0);
+  expect(finalCounts.proxy2).toEqual(0);
+});
+
+tap.test('should handle proxy chain with HTTP traffic', async () => {
+  console.log('\n=== Testing Proxy Chain with HTTP Traffic ===');
+  
+  // Create SmartProxy2 with HTTP handling
+  const proxy2 = new SmartProxy({
+    ports: [8583],
+    useHttpProxy: [8583],  // Enable HTTP proxy handling
+    httpProxyPort: 8584,
+    enableDetailedLogging: false,
+    routes: [{
+      name: 'http-backend',
+      match: { ports: 8583 },
+      action: {
+        type: 'forward',
+        target: {
+          host: 'localhost',
+          port: 9999  // Non-existent backend
+        }
+      }
+    }]
+  });
+  
+  // Create SmartProxy1 with HTTP handling
+  const proxy1 = new SmartProxy({
+    ports: [8582],
+    useHttpProxy: [8582],  // Enable HTTP proxy handling
+    httpProxyPort: 8585,
+    enableDetailedLogging: false,
+    routes: [{
+      name: 'http-chain',
+      match: { ports: 8582 },
+      action: {
+        type: 'forward',
+        target: {
+          host: 'localhost',
+          port: 8583  // Forward to proxy2
+        }
+      }
+    }]
+  });
+  
+  await proxy2.start();
+  console.log('✓ SmartProxy2 (HTTP) started on port 8583');
+  
+  await proxy1.start();
+  console.log('✓ SmartProxy1 (HTTP) started on port 8582');
+  
+  // Helper to get connection counts
+  const getConnectionCounts = () => {
+    const conn1 = (proxy1 as any).connectionManager;
+    const conn2 = (proxy2 as any).connectionManager;
+    return {
+      proxy1: conn1 ? conn1.getConnectionCount() : 0,
+      proxy2: conn2 ? conn2.getConnectionCount() : 0
+    };
+  };
+  
+  console.log('\nSending HTTP requests through chain...');
+  
+  // Make HTTP requests
+  for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
+    await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+      const client = new net.Socket();
+      let responseData = '';
+      
+      client.on('data', (data) => {
+        responseData += data.toString();
+        // Check if we got a complete HTTP response
+        if (responseData.includes('\r\n\r\n')) {
+          console.log(`Response ${i + 1}: ${responseData.split('\r\n')[0]}`);
+          client.destroy();
+        }
+      });
+      
+      client.on('error', () => {
+        resolve();
+      });
+      
+      client.on('close', () => {
+        resolve();
+      });
+      
+      client.connect(8582, 'localhost', () => {
+        client.write(`GET /test${i} HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: test.com\r\nConnection: close\r\n\r\n`);
+      });
+      
+      setTimeout(() => {
+        if (!client.destroyed) {
+          client.destroy();
+        }
+        resolve();
+      }, 1000);
+    });
+    
+    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 100));
+  }
+  
+  await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
+  
+  const finalCounts = getConnectionCounts();
+  console.log(`\nFinal HTTP proxy counts - Proxy1: ${finalCounts.proxy1}, Proxy2: ${finalCounts.proxy2}`);
+  
+  await proxy1.stop();
+  await proxy2.stop();
+  
+  expect(finalCounts.proxy1).toEqual(0);
+  expect(finalCounts.proxy2).toEqual(0);
+});
+
+tap.start();
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ts/core/utils/socket-utils.ts b/ts/core/utils/socket-utils.ts
index 8afae91..421d3c6 100644
--- a/ts/core/utils/socket-utils.ts
+++ b/ts/core/utils/socket-utils.ts
@@ -109,7 +109,8 @@ export function createSocketCleanupHandler(
 export function createIndependentSocketHandlers(
   clientSocket: plugins.net.Socket | plugins.tls.TLSSocket,
   serverSocket: plugins.net.Socket | plugins.tls.TLSSocket,
-  onBothClosed: (reason: string) => void
+  onBothClosed: (reason: string) => void,
+  options: { enableHalfOpen?: boolean } = {}
 ): { cleanupClient: (reason: string) => Promise<void>, cleanupServer: (reason: string) => Promise<void> } {
   let clientClosed = false;
   let serverClosed = false;
@@ -127,8 +128,13 @@ export function createIndependentSocketHandlers(
     clientClosed = true;
     clientReason = reason;
     
-    // Allow server to continue if still active
-    if (!serverClosed && serverSocket.writable) {
+    // Default behavior: close both sockets when one closes (required for proxy chains)
+    if (!serverClosed && !options.enableHalfOpen) {
+      serverSocket.destroy();
+    }
+    
+    // Half-open support (opt-in only)
+    if (!serverClosed && serverSocket.writable && options.enableHalfOpen) {
       // Half-close: stop reading from client, let server finish
       clientSocket.pause();
       clientSocket.unpipe(serverSocket);
@@ -145,8 +151,13 @@ export function createIndependentSocketHandlers(
     serverClosed = true;
     serverReason = reason;
     
-    // Allow client to continue if still active
-    if (!clientClosed && clientSocket.writable) {
+    // Default behavior: close both sockets when one closes (required for proxy chains)
+    if (!clientClosed && !options.enableHalfOpen) {
+      clientSocket.destroy();
+    }
+    
+    // Half-open support (opt-in only)
+    if (!clientClosed && clientSocket.writable && options.enableHalfOpen) {
       // Half-close: stop reading from server, let client finish
       serverSocket.pause();
       serverSocket.unpipe(clientSocket);
@@ -194,6 +205,79 @@ export function setupSocketHandlers(
   });
 }
 
+/**
+ * Setup bidirectional data forwarding between two sockets with proper cleanup
+ * @param clientSocket The client/incoming socket
+ * @param serverSocket The server/outgoing socket
+ * @param handlers Object containing optional handlers for data and cleanup
+ * @returns Cleanup functions for both sockets
+ */
+export function setupBidirectionalForwarding(
+  clientSocket: plugins.net.Socket | plugins.tls.TLSSocket,
+  serverSocket: plugins.net.Socket | plugins.tls.TLSSocket,
+  handlers: {
+    onClientData?: (chunk: Buffer) => void;
+    onServerData?: (chunk: Buffer) => void;
+    onCleanup: (reason: string) => void;
+    enableHalfOpen?: boolean;
+  }
+): { cleanupClient: (reason: string) => Promise<void>, cleanupServer: (reason: string) => Promise<void> } {
+  // Set up cleanup handlers
+  const { cleanupClient, cleanupServer } = createIndependentSocketHandlers(
+    clientSocket,
+    serverSocket,
+    handlers.onCleanup,
+    { enableHalfOpen: handlers.enableHalfOpen }
+  );
+  
+  // Set up error and close handlers
+  setupSocketHandlers(clientSocket, cleanupClient, undefined, 'client');
+  setupSocketHandlers(serverSocket, cleanupServer, undefined, 'server');
+  
+  // Set up data forwarding with backpressure handling
+  clientSocket.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+    if (handlers.onClientData) {
+      handlers.onClientData(chunk);
+    }
+    
+    if (serverSocket.writable) {
+      const flushed = serverSocket.write(chunk);
+      
+      // Handle backpressure
+      if (!flushed) {
+        clientSocket.pause();
+        serverSocket.once('drain', () => {
+          if (!clientSocket.destroyed) {
+            clientSocket.resume();
+          }
+        });
+      }
+    }
+  });
+  
+  serverSocket.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
+    if (handlers.onServerData) {
+      handlers.onServerData(chunk);
+    }
+    
+    if (clientSocket.writable) {
+      const flushed = clientSocket.write(chunk);
+      
+      // Handle backpressure
+      if (!flushed) {
+        serverSocket.pause();
+        clientSocket.once('drain', () => {
+          if (!serverSocket.destroyed) {
+            serverSocket.resume();
+          }
+        });
+      }
+    }
+  });
+  
+  return { cleanupClient, cleanupServer };
+}
+
 /**
  * Pipe two sockets together with proper cleanup on either end
  * @param socket1 First socket
diff --git a/ts/proxies/smart-proxy/http-proxy-bridge.ts b/ts/proxies/smart-proxy/http-proxy-bridge.ts
index 4306bb7..2516b7d 100644
--- a/ts/proxies/smart-proxy/http-proxy-bridge.ts
+++ b/ts/proxies/smart-proxy/http-proxy-bridge.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import * as plugins from '../../plugins.js';
 import { HttpProxy } from '../http-proxy/index.js';
+import { setupBidirectionalForwarding } from '../../core/utils/socket-utils.js';
 import type { IConnectionRecord, ISmartProxyOptions } from './models/interfaces.js';
 import type { IRouteConfig } from './models/route-types.js';
 
@@ -123,36 +124,25 @@ export class HttpProxyBridge {
       proxySocket.write(initialChunk);
     }
     
-    // Pipe the sockets together
-    socket.pipe(proxySocket);
-    proxySocket.pipe(socket);
-    
-    // Handle cleanup
-    let cleanedUp = false;
-    const cleanup = (reason: string) => {
-      if (cleanedUp) return;
-      cleanedUp = true;
-      
-      // Remove all event listeners to prevent memory leaks
-      socket.removeAllListeners('end');
-      socket.removeAllListeners('error');
-      proxySocket.removeAllListeners('end');
-      proxySocket.removeAllListeners('error');
-      
-      socket.unpipe(proxySocket);
-      proxySocket.unpipe(socket);
-      
-      if (!proxySocket.destroyed) {
-        proxySocket.destroy();
-      }
-      
-      cleanupCallback(reason);
-    };
-    
-    socket.on('end', () => cleanup('socket_end'));
-    socket.on('error', () => cleanup('socket_error'));
-    proxySocket.on('end', () => cleanup('proxy_end'));
-    proxySocket.on('error', () => cleanup('proxy_error'));
+    // Use centralized bidirectional forwarding
+    setupBidirectionalForwarding(socket, proxySocket, {
+      onClientData: (chunk) => {
+        // Update stats if needed
+        if (record) {
+          record.bytesReceived += chunk.length;
+        }
+      },
+      onServerData: (chunk) => {
+        // Update stats if needed
+        if (record) {
+          record.bytesSent += chunk.length;
+        }
+      },
+      onCleanup: (reason) => {
+        cleanupCallback(reason);
+      },
+      enableHalfOpen: false // Close both when one closes (required for proxy chains)
+    });
   }
   
   /**
diff --git a/ts/proxies/smart-proxy/route-connection-handler.ts b/ts/proxies/smart-proxy/route-connection-handler.ts
index 63e427a..d0130ef 100644
--- a/ts/proxies/smart-proxy/route-connection-handler.ts
+++ b/ts/proxies/smart-proxy/route-connection-handler.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import { TlsManager } from './tls-manager.js';
 import { HttpProxyBridge } from './http-proxy-bridge.js';
 import { TimeoutManager } from './timeout-manager.js';
 import { RouteManager } from './route-manager.js';
-import { cleanupSocket, createIndependentSocketHandlers, setupSocketHandlers, createSocketWithErrorHandler } from '../../core/utils/socket-utils.js';
+import { cleanupSocket, createIndependentSocketHandlers, setupSocketHandlers, createSocketWithErrorHandler, setupBidirectionalForwarding } from '../../core/utils/socket-utils.js';
 
 /**
  * Handles new connection processing and setup logic with support for route-based configuration
@@ -1137,65 +1137,27 @@ export class RouteConnectionHandler {
           record.pendingDataSize = 0;
         }
 
-        // Set up independent socket handlers for half-open connection support
-        const { cleanupClient, cleanupServer } = createIndependentSocketHandlers(
-          socket,
-          targetSocket,
-          (reason) => {
+        // Use centralized bidirectional forwarding setup
+        setupBidirectionalForwarding(socket, targetSocket, {
+          onClientData: (chunk) => {
+            record.bytesReceived += chunk.length;
+            this.timeoutManager.updateActivity(record);
+          },
+          onServerData: (chunk) => {
+            record.bytesSent += chunk.length;
+            this.timeoutManager.updateActivity(record);
+          },
+          onCleanup: (reason) => {
             this.connectionManager.cleanupConnection(record, reason);
-          }
-        );
-
-        // Setup socket handlers with custom timeout handling
-        setupSocketHandlers(socket, cleanupClient, (sock) => {
-          // Don't close on timeout for keep-alive connections
-          if (record.hasKeepAlive) {
-            sock.setTimeout(this.settings.socketTimeout || 3600000);
-          }
-        }, 'client');
-
-        setupSocketHandlers(targetSocket, cleanupServer, (sock) => {
-          // Don't close on timeout for keep-alive connections  
-          if (record.hasKeepAlive) {
-            sock.setTimeout(this.settings.socketTimeout || 3600000);
-          }
-        }, 'server');
-
-        // Forward data from client to target with backpressure handling
-        socket.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
-          record.bytesReceived += chunk.length;
-          this.timeoutManager.updateActivity(record);
-          
-          if (targetSocket.writable) {
-            const flushed = targetSocket.write(chunk);
-            
-            // Handle backpressure
-            if (!flushed) {
-              socket.pause();
-              targetSocket.once('drain', () => {
-                socket.resume();
-              });
-            }
-          }
-        });
-
-        // Forward data from target to client with backpressure handling
-        targetSocket.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
-          record.bytesSent += chunk.length;
-          this.timeoutManager.updateActivity(record);
-          
-          if (socket.writable) {
-            const flushed = socket.write(chunk);
-            
-            // Handle backpressure
-            if (!flushed) {
-              targetSocket.pause();
-              socket.once('drain', () => {
-                targetSocket.resume();
-              });
-            }
-          }
+          },
+          enableHalfOpen: false // Default: close both when one closes (required for proxy chains)
         });
+        
+        // Apply timeouts if keep-alive is enabled
+        if (record.hasKeepAlive) {
+          socket.setTimeout(this.settings.socketTimeout || 3600000);
+          targetSocket.setTimeout(this.settings.socketTimeout || 3600000);
+        }
 
         // Log successful connection
         logger.log('info', 
@@ -1354,11 +1316,5 @@ export class RouteConnectionHandler {
 
     // Apply socket timeouts
     this.timeoutManager.applySocketTimeouts(record);
-
-    // Track outgoing data for bytes counting (moved from the duplicate connect handler)
-    targetSocket.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => {
-      record.bytesSent += chunk.length;
-      this.timeoutManager.updateActivity(record);
-    });
   }
 }
\ No newline at end of file