diff --git a/packages/data-service/src/connect-mongo-client.spec.ts b/packages/data-service/src/connect-mongo-client.spec.ts
index 9a4ba568356..e725553ea6a 100644
--- a/packages/data-service/src/connect-mongo-client.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/data-service/src/connect-mongo-client.spec.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import assert from 'assert';
 import asyncHooks from 'async_hooks';
 import { expect } from 'chai';
-import type { MongoClientOptions, CommandStartedEvent } from 'mongodb';
+import type { MongoClientOptions } from 'mongodb';
 
 import {
   connectMongoClientDataService as connectMongoClient,
@@ -170,42 +170,6 @@ describe('connectMongoClient', function () {
       ]);
     });
 
-    it('should at least try to run a ping command to verify connectivity', async function () {
-      try {
-        await connectMongoClient({
-          connectionOptions: {
-            connectionString: 'mongodb://localhost:1/?loadBalanced=true',
-          },
-          setupListeners,
-        });
-        expect.fail('missed exception');
-      } catch (err: any) {
-        expect(err.name).to.equal('MongoNetworkError');
-      }
-    });
-
-    it('should not run the ping command with the specified ReadPreference', async function () {
-      const connectionString = clusterConnectionStringURL.clone();
-      connectionString
-        .typedSearchParams<MongoClientOptions>()
-        .set('readPreference', 'secondaryPreferred');
-      const commands: CommandStartedEvent[] = [];
-      const [metadataClient, crudClient, , state] = await connectMongoClient({
-        connectionOptions: {
-          connectionString: connectionString.toString(),
-        },
-        setupListeners: (client) =>
-          client.on('commandStarted', (ev) => commands.push(ev)),
-      });
-      expect(commands).to.have.lengthOf(1);
-      expect(commands[0].commandName).to.equal('ping');
-      expect(commands[0].command.$readPreference).to.equal(undefined);
-
-      for (const closeLater of [metadataClient, crudClient, state]) {
-        toBeClosed.add(closeLater);
-      }
-    });
-
     describe('ssh tunnel failures', function () {
       // Use async_hooks to track the state of the internal network server used
       // for SSH tunneling
diff --git a/packages/data-service/src/connect-mongo-client.ts b/packages/data-service/src/connect-mongo-client.ts
index 3b1097eca76..20b684e0836 100644
--- a/packages/data-service/src/connect-mongo-client.ts
+++ b/packages/data-service/src/connect-mongo-client.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ import _ from 'lodash';
 import { redactConnectionOptions, redactConnectionString } from './redact';
 import type { ConnectionOptions } from './connection-options';
 import { getTunnelOptions, waitForTunnelError } from './ssh-tunnel-helpers';
-import { runCommand } from './run-command';
 import type { UnboundDataServiceImplLogger } from './logger';
 import { debug as _debug } from './logger';
 
@@ -252,7 +251,7 @@ export async function connectMongoClientDataService({
       connectLogger,
       CompassMongoClient
     );
-    await runCommand(client.db('admin'), { ping: 1 });
+
     return {
       client: Object.assign(client, {
         async [createClonedClient]() {