diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 968489c..4d96c34 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -42,7 +42,31 @@ class LightningClient extends EventEmitter {
 		this.reconnectTimeout = null;
 		this.reqcount = 0;
 
-		this.client = net.createConnection(rpcPath);
+		this._setup();
+	}
+
+	_setup() {
+		// Build a FRESH socket + readline for every (re)connection. The original
+		// code reused this.client and only called this.client.connect() on
+		// reconnect — but a socket that has already emitted 'error'/'close' is
+		// destroyed, so reconnecting it is a no-op/throw. That left the client
+		// wedged looping `connect ENOENT …/lightning-rpc` forever after a cl
+		// restart (spamming logs, leaking a socket+timer, never recovering).
+		// Renewing clientConnectionPromise here also makes call() block until the
+		// (re)connection is live instead of writing into a dead socket.
+		if (this.client) {
+			try {
+				this.client.removeAllListeners();
+				this.client.destroy();
+			} catch (e) {}
+		}
+		if (this.rl) {
+			try {
+				this.rl.close();
+			} catch (e) {}
+		}
+
+		this.client = net.createConnection(this.rpcPath);
 		this.rl = readline.createInterface({ input: this.client });
 
 		this.clientConnectionPromise = new Promise((resolve) => {
@@ -87,8 +111,15 @@ class LightningClient extends EventEmitter {
 		}
 
 		this.reconnectTimeout = setTimeout(() => {
-			this.client.connect(this.rpcPath);
+			// Clear the guard BEFORE (re)connecting so a throw can't leave it set
+			// and permanently block every future reconnect() (the original bug).
 			this.reconnectTimeout = null;
+			try {
+				this._setup();
+			} catch (e) {
+				this.increaseWaitTime();
+				this.reconnect();
+			}
 		}, this.reconnectWait * 1000);
 	}