diff --git a/virtcontainers/agent.go b/virtcontainers/agent.go
index c273c46db3..0409c2cbe4 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/agent.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/agent.go
@@ -133,6 +133,9 @@ type agent interface {
 	// supported by the agent.
 	capabilities() capabilities
 
+	// disconnect will disconnect the connection to the agent
+	disconnect() error
+
 	// createSandbox will tell the agent to perform necessary setup for a Sandbox.
 	createSandbox(sandbox *Sandbox) error
 
diff --git a/virtcontainers/api_test.go b/virtcontainers/api_test.go
index df76d4c2e8..962de6f5d0 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/api_test.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/api_test.go
@@ -2273,3 +2273,16 @@ func TestFetchNonExistingSandbox(t *testing.T) {
 	_, err := FetchSandbox("some-non-existing-sandbox-name")
 	assert.NotNil(t, err, "fetch non-existing sandbox should fail")
 }
+
+func TestReleaseSandbox(t *testing.T) {
+	cleanUp()
+
+	config := newTestSandboxConfigNoop()
+
+	s, err := CreateSandbox(config)
+	if s == nil || err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	err = s.Release()
+	assert.Nil(t, err, "sandbox release failed: %v", err)
+}
diff --git a/virtcontainers/hyperstart_agent.go b/virtcontainers/hyperstart_agent.go
index 53481d0b9d..eabb103a9d 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/hyperstart_agent.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/hyperstart_agent.go
@@ -715,13 +715,13 @@ func (h *hyper) connect() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (h *hyper) disconnect() {
-	if h.client == nil {
-		return
+func (h *hyper) disconnect() error {
+	if h.client != nil {
+		h.client.Close()
+		h.client = nil
 	}
 
-	h.client.Close()
-	h.client = nil
+	return nil
 }
 
 func (h *hyper) register() error {
diff --git a/virtcontainers/interfaces.go b/virtcontainers/interfaces.go
index 3c4dd618b9..024f1fe287 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/interfaces.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/interfaces.go
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ type VCSandbox interface {
 	GetContainer(containerID string) VCContainer
 	ID() string
 	SetAnnotations(annotations map[string]string) error
+
+	Release() error
 }
 
 // VCContainer is the Container interface
diff --git a/virtcontainers/kata_agent.go b/virtcontainers/kata_agent.go
index e896f80edd..f2a482b1f5 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/kata_agent.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/kata_agent.go
@@ -21,8 +21,10 @@ import (
 	vcAnnotations "github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers/pkg/annotations"
 	ns "github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers/pkg/nsenter"
 	"github.com/kata-containers/runtime/virtcontainers/pkg/uuid"
+
 	"github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec/specs-go"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+	golangGrpc "google.golang.org/grpc"
 )
 
 var (
@@ -47,7 +49,8 @@ var (
 // KataAgentConfig is a structure storing information needed
 // to reach the Kata Containers agent.
 type KataAgentConfig struct {
-	GRPCSocket string
+	GRPCSocket   string
+	LongLiveConn bool
 }
 
 type kataVSOCK struct {
@@ -62,16 +65,17 @@ func (s *kataVSOCK) String() string {
 // KataAgentState is the structure describing the data stored from this
 // agent implementation.
 type KataAgentState struct {
-	ProxyPid     int
-	ProxyBuiltIn bool
-	URL          string
+	ProxyPid int
+	URL      string
 }
 
 type kataAgent struct {
-	shim   shim
-	proxy  proxy
-	client *kataclient.AgentClient
-	state  KataAgentState
+	shim         shim
+	proxy        proxy
+	client       *kataclient.AgentClient
+	state        KataAgentState
+	keepConn     bool
+	proxyBuiltIn bool
 
 	vmSocket interface{}
 }
@@ -128,6 +132,7 @@ func (k *kataAgent) init(sandbox *Sandbox, config interface{}) (err error) {
 		if err := k.generateVMSocket(*sandbox, c); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
+		k.keepConn = c.LongLiveConn
 	default:
 		return fmt.Errorf("Invalid config type")
 	}
@@ -142,6 +147,8 @@ func (k *kataAgent) init(sandbox *Sandbox, config interface{}) (err error) {
 		return err
 	}
 
+	k.proxyBuiltIn = isProxyBuiltIn(sandbox.config.ProxyType)
+
 	// Fetch agent runtime info.
 	if err := sandbox.storage.fetchAgentState(sandbox.id, &k.state); err != nil {
 		k.Logger().Debug("Could not retrieve anything from storage")
@@ -418,7 +425,6 @@ func (k *kataAgent) startSandbox(sandbox Sandbox) error {
 
 	// Fill agent state with proxy information, and store them.
 	k.state.ProxyPid = pid
-	k.state.ProxyBuiltIn = isProxyBuiltIn(sandbox.config.ProxyType)
 	k.state.URL = uri
 	if err := sandbox.storage.storeAgentState(sandbox.id, k.state); err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -905,7 +911,7 @@ func (k *kataAgent) connect() error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	client, err := kataclient.NewAgentClient(k.state.URL, k.state.ProxyBuiltIn)
+	client, err := kataclient.NewAgentClient(k.state.URL, k.proxyBuiltIn)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -920,10 +926,9 @@ func (k *kataAgent) disconnect() error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	if err := k.client.Close(); err != nil {
+	if err := k.client.Close(); err != nil && err != golangGrpc.ErrClientConnClosing {
 		return err
 	}
-
 	k.client = nil
 
 	return nil
@@ -933,7 +938,9 @@ func (k *kataAgent) sendReq(request interface{}) (interface{}, error) {
 	if err := k.connect(); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	defer k.disconnect()
+	if !k.keepConn {
+		defer k.disconnect()
+	}
 
 	switch req := request.(type) {
 	case *grpc.ExecProcessRequest:
diff --git a/virtcontainers/noop_agent.go b/virtcontainers/noop_agent.go
index eff024cc89..fa6a07779c 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/noop_agent.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/noop_agent.go
@@ -29,6 +29,11 @@ func (n *noopAgent) capabilities() capabilities {
 	return capabilities{}
 }
 
+// disconnect is the Noop agent connection closer. It does nothing.
+func (n *noopAgent) disconnect() error {
+	return nil
+}
+
 // exec is the Noop agent command execution implementation. It does nothing.
 func (n *noopAgent) exec(sandbox *Sandbox, c Container, cmd Cmd) (*Process, error) {
 	return nil, nil
diff --git a/virtcontainers/pkg/vcmock/sandbox.go b/virtcontainers/pkg/vcmock/sandbox.go
index 873b66a5e4..4d951edfcd 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/pkg/vcmock/sandbox.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/pkg/vcmock/sandbox.go
@@ -49,3 +49,8 @@ func (p *Sandbox) GetContainer(containerID string) vc.VCContainer {
 	}
 	return &Container{}
 }
+
+// Release implements the VCSandbox function of the same name.
+func (p *Sandbox) Release() error {
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/virtcontainers/sandbox.go b/virtcontainers/sandbox.go
index 4195db6741..3228e52e23 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/sandbox.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/sandbox.go
@@ -529,6 +529,12 @@ func (s *Sandbox) GetContainer(containerID string) VCContainer {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// Release closes the agent connection and removes sandbox from internal list.
+func (s *Sandbox) Release() error {
+	globalSandboxList.removeSandbox(s.id)
+	return s.agent.disconnect()
+}
+
 func createAssets(sandboxConfig *SandboxConfig) error {
 	kernel, err := newAsset(sandboxConfig, kernelAsset)
 	if err != nil {