diff --git a/src/main/java/com/rabbitmq/stream/impl/StreamEnvironment.java b/src/main/java/com/rabbitmq/stream/impl/StreamEnvironment.java
index 1d0eb33696..d5f91124b8 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/rabbitmq/stream/impl/StreamEnvironment.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/rabbitmq/stream/impl/StreamEnvironment.java
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
 import java.util.function.BiFunction;
+import java.util.function.BooleanSupplier;
 import java.util.function.Consumer;
 import java.util.function.Function;
 import java.util.function.LongConsumer;
@@ -103,6 +104,7 @@ class StreamEnvironment implements Environment {
   private static final Logger LOGGER = LoggerFactory.getLogger(StreamEnvironment.class);
 
   private final EventLoopGroup eventLoopGroup;
+  private final boolean privateEventLoopGroup;
   private final ScheduledExecutorService scheduledExecutorService;
   private final ScheduledExecutorService locatorReconnectionScheduledExecutorService;
   private final boolean privateScheduleExecutorService;
@@ -272,17 +274,16 @@ class StreamEnvironment implements Environment {
 
       if (clientParametersPrototype.eventLoopGroup == null) {
         this.eventLoopGroup = Utils.eventLoopGroup();
+        this.privateEventLoopGroup = true;
         shutdownService.wrap(() -> closeEventLoopGroup(this.eventLoopGroup));
-        this.clientParametersPrototype =
-            clientParametersPrototype.duplicate().eventLoopGroup(this.eventLoopGroup);
       } else {
-        this.eventLoopGroup = null;
-        this.clientParametersPrototype =
-            clientParametersPrototype
-                .duplicate()
-                .eventLoopGroup(clientParametersPrototype.eventLoopGroup);
+        this.eventLoopGroup = clientParametersPrototype.eventLoopGroup;
+        this.privateEventLoopGroup = false;
       }
 
+      this.clientParametersPrototype =
+          clientParametersPrototype.duplicate().eventLoopGroup(this.eventLoopGroup);
+
       this.producersCoordinator =
           new ProducersCoordinator(
               this,
@@ -356,13 +357,19 @@ class StreamEnvironment implements Environment {
                           clientFactory,
                           this.locatorReconnectionScheduledExecutorService,
                           this.recoveryBackOffDelayPolicy,
-                          l.label());
+                          l.label(),
+                          this::shouldTryLocatorConnection);
                     }
                   });
             }
           };
       if (lazyInit) {
-        this.locatorInitializationSequence = locatorInitSequence;
+        this.locatorInitializationSequence =
+            () -> {
+              if (this.shouldTryLocatorConnection()) {
+                locatorInitSequence.run();
+              }
+            };
       } else {
         locatorInitSequence.run();
         locatorsInitialized.set(true);
@@ -408,7 +415,8 @@ private ShutdownListener shutdownListener(
                 clientFactory,
                 this.locatorReconnectionScheduledExecutorService,
                 delayPolicy,
-                label);
+                label,
+                this::shouldTryLocatorConnection);
           } else {
             LOGGER.debug("Locator connection '{}' closing normally", label);
           }
@@ -425,7 +433,8 @@ private static void scheduleLocatorConnection(
       Function<Client.ClientParameters, Client> clientFactory,
       ScheduledExecutorService scheduler,
       BackOffDelayPolicy delayPolicy,
-      String locatorLabel) {
+      String locatorLabel,
+      BooleanSupplier shouldRetry) {
     LOGGER.debug(
         "Scheduling locator '{}' connection with delay policy {}", locatorLabel, delayPolicy);
     try {
@@ -452,6 +461,7 @@ private static void scheduleLocatorConnection(
           .description("Locator '%s' connection", locatorLabel)
           .scheduler(scheduler)
           .delayPolicy(delayPolicy)
+          .retry(ignored -> shouldRetry.getAsBoolean())
           .build()
           .thenAccept(locator::client)
           .exceptionally(
@@ -777,14 +787,19 @@ public void close() {
       if (this.locatorReconnectionScheduledExecutorService != null) {
         this.locatorReconnectionScheduledExecutorService.shutdownNow();
       }
-      closeEventLoopGroup(this.eventLoopGroup);
+      if (this.privateEventLoopGroup) {
+        closeEventLoopGroup(this.eventLoopGroup);
+      }
     }
   }
 
+  private boolean shouldTryLocatorConnection() {
+    return !this.closed.get() && !this.eventLoopGroup.isShuttingDown();
+  }
+
   private static void closeEventLoopGroup(EventLoopGroup eventLoopGroup) {
     try {
-      if (eventLoopGroup != null
-          && (!eventLoopGroup.isShuttingDown() || !eventLoopGroup.isShutdown())) {
+      if (!eventLoopGroup.isShuttingDown()) {
         LOGGER.debug("Closing Netty event loop group");
         eventLoopGroup.shutdownGracefully(1, 10, SECONDS).get(10, SECONDS);
       }
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/rabbitmq/stream/impl/DedupIdempotencyTest.java b/src/test/java/com/rabbitmq/stream/impl/DedupIdempotencyTest.java
index 9e3982eb43..9d628b6f4a 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/rabbitmq/stream/impl/DedupIdempotencyTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/rabbitmq/stream/impl/DedupIdempotencyTest.java
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 import java.util.function.Supplier;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 import java.util.stream.IntStream;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 
@@ -57,7 +58,12 @@ public class DedupIdempotencyTest {
   void init() {
     EnvironmentBuilder environmentBuilder =
         Environment.builder().netty().eventLoopGroup(eventLoopGroup).environmentBuilder();
-    environment = environmentBuilder.build();
+    this.environment = environmentBuilder.build();
+  }
+
+  @AfterEach
+  void tearDown() {
+    this.environment.close();
   }
 
   @Test
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/rabbitmq/stream/impl/SacSuperStreamConsumerTest.java b/src/test/java/com/rabbitmq/stream/impl/SacSuperStreamConsumerTest.java
index 60e1ffaf2e..c35567a1a6 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/rabbitmq/stream/impl/SacSuperStreamConsumerTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/rabbitmq/stream/impl/SacSuperStreamConsumerTest.java
@@ -53,10 +53,8 @@
 import org.junit.jupiter.params.ParameterizedTest;
 import org.junit.jupiter.params.provider.MethodSource;
 
-@ExtendWith({
-  TestUtils.StreamTestInfrastructureExtension.class,
-  BrokerVersionAtLeast311Condition.class
-})
+@ExtendWith({BrokerVersionAtLeast311Condition.class})
+@StreamTestInfrastructure
 @SingleActiveConsumer
 public class SacSuperStreamConsumerTest {
   EventLoopGroup eventLoopGroup;
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/rabbitmq/stream/impl/StreamProducerUnitTest.java b/src/test/java/com/rabbitmq/stream/impl/StreamProducerUnitTest.java
index 61a5b73540..407f3c6948 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/rabbitmq/stream/impl/StreamProducerUnitTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/rabbitmq/stream/impl/StreamProducerUnitTest.java
@@ -39,11 +39,14 @@
 import com.rabbitmq.stream.impl.Client.OutboundEntityWriteCallback;
 import io.netty.buffer.ByteBuf;
 import io.netty.buffer.ByteBufAllocator;
+import io.netty.buffer.UnpooledByteBufAllocator;
 import io.netty.channel.Channel;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelFuture;
 import java.time.Duration;
+import java.util.Queue;
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentLinkedQueue;
 import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch;
 import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
 import java.util.concurrent.ScheduledExecutorService;
@@ -70,7 +73,7 @@ public class StreamProducerUnitTest {
   @Mock Channel channel;
   @Mock ChannelFuture channelFuture;
 
-  Set<ByteBuf> buffers = ConcurrentHashMap.newKeySet();
+  Queue<ByteBuf> buffers = new ConcurrentLinkedQueue<>();
 
   ScheduledExecutorService executorService;
   Clock clock = new Clock();
@@ -82,15 +85,16 @@ public class StreamProducerUnitTest {
   void init() {
     mocks = MockitoAnnotations.openMocks(this);
     executorService = Executors.newScheduledThreadPool(2);
-    when(channel.alloc()).thenReturn(Utils.byteBufAllocator());
+    ByteBufAllocator allocator = new UnpooledByteBufAllocator(false);
+    when(channel.alloc()).thenReturn(allocator);
     when(channel.writeAndFlush(Mockito.any())).thenReturn(channelFuture);
     when(client.allocateNoCheck(any(ByteBufAllocator.class), anyInt()))
         .thenAnswer(
             (Answer<ByteBuf>)
                 invocation -> {
-                  ByteBufAllocator allocator = invocation.getArgument(0);
+                  ByteBufAllocator alloc = invocation.getArgument(0);
                   int capacity = invocation.getArgument(1);
-                  ByteBuf buffer = allocator.buffer(capacity);
+                  ByteBuf buffer = alloc.buffer(capacity);
                   buffers.add(buffer);
                   return buffer;
                 });