diff --git a/Sources/Valkey/Connection/ValkeyChannelHandler+stateMachine.swift b/Sources/Valkey/Connection/ValkeyChannelHandler+stateMachine.swift
index 9860219e..652c3ba4 100644
--- a/Sources/Valkey/Connection/ValkeyChannelHandler+stateMachine.swift
+++ b/Sources/Valkey/Connection/ValkeyChannelHandler+stateMachine.swift
@@ -330,14 +330,13 @@ extension ValkeyChannelHandler {
         }
 
         @usableFromInline
-        enum GracefulShutdownAction {
-            case waitForPendingCommands(Context)
+        enum TriggerGracefulShutdownAction {
             case closeConnection(Context)
             case doNothing
         }
         /// Want to gracefully shutdown the handler
         @usableFromInline
-        mutating func gracefulShutdown() -> GracefulShutdownAction {
+        mutating func triggerGracefulShutdown() -> TriggerGracefulShutdownAction {
             switch consume self.state {
             case .initialized:
                 self = .closed(nil)
@@ -346,11 +345,11 @@ extension ValkeyChannelHandler {
                 var pendingCommands = state.pendingCommands
                 pendingCommands.prepend(state.pendingHelloCommand)
                 self = .closing(.init(context: state.context, pendingCommands: pendingCommands))
-                return .waitForPendingCommands(state.context)
+                return .doNothing
             case .active(let state):
                 if state.pendingCommands.count > 0 {
                     self = .closing(.init(context: state.context, pendingCommands: state.pendingCommands))
-                    return .waitForPendingCommands(state.context)
+                    return .doNothing
                 } else {
                     self = .closed(nil)
                     return .closeConnection(state.context)
diff --git a/Sources/Valkey/Connection/ValkeyChannelHandler.swift b/Sources/Valkey/Connection/ValkeyChannelHandler.swift
index 1e2448da..8cbe787e 100644
--- a/Sources/Valkey/Connection/ValkeyChannelHandler.swift
+++ b/Sources/Valkey/Connection/ValkeyChannelHandler.swift
@@ -517,6 +517,15 @@ final class ValkeyChannelHandler: ChannelInboundHandler {
             break
         }
     }
+
+    func triggerGracefulShutdown() {
+        switch self.stateMachine.triggerGracefulShutdown() {
+        case .closeConnection(let context):
+            context.close(mode: .all, promise: nil)
+        case .doNothing:
+            break
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 @available(valkeySwift 1.0, *)
diff --git a/Sources/Valkey/Connection/ValkeyConnection.swift b/Sources/Valkey/Connection/ValkeyConnection.swift
index d8b500e8..79b393cf 100644
--- a/Sources/Valkey/Connection/ValkeyConnection.swift
+++ b/Sources/Valkey/Connection/ValkeyConnection.swift
@@ -164,6 +164,14 @@ public final actor ValkeyConnection: ValkeyClientProtocol, Sendable {
         try await self.channelHandler.waitOnActive().get()
     }
 
+    /// Trigger graceful shutdown of connection
+    ///
+    /// The connection will wait until all pending commands have been processed before
+    /// closing the connection.
+    func triggerGracefulShutdown() {
+        self.channelHandler.triggerGracefulShutdown()
+    }
+
     /// Send RESP command to Valkey connection
     /// - Parameter command: ValkeyCommand structure
     /// - Returns: The command response as defined in the ValkeyCommand
diff --git a/Tests/ValkeyTests/ValkeyChannelHandlerStateMachineTests.swift b/Tests/ValkeyTests/ValkeyChannelHandlerStateMachineTests.swift
index 7aca82a8..26628259 100644
--- a/Tests/ValkeyTests/ValkeyChannelHandlerStateMachineTests.swift
+++ b/Tests/ValkeyTests/ValkeyChannelHandlerStateMachineTests.swift
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ struct ValkeyChannelHandlerStateMachineTests {
         var stateMachine = ValkeyChannelHandler.StateMachine<String>()
         stateMachine.setConnected(context: "testGracefulShutdown")
         stateMachine.receiveHelloResponse()
-        switch stateMachine.gracefulShutdown() {
+        switch stateMachine.triggerGracefulShutdown() {
         case .closeConnection(let context):
             #expect(context == "testGracefulShutdown")
         default:
@@ -168,10 +168,10 @@ struct ValkeyChannelHandlerStateMachineTests {
         case .throwError:
             Issue.record("Invalid sendCommand action")
         }
-        switch stateMachine.gracefulShutdown() {
-        case .waitForPendingCommands(let context):
-            #expect(context == "testGracefulShutdown")
-        default:
+        switch stateMachine.triggerGracefulShutdown() {
+        case .doNothing:
+            break
+        case .closeConnection:
             Issue.record("Invalid waitForPendingCommands action")
         }
         expect(
@@ -207,10 +207,10 @@ struct ValkeyChannelHandlerStateMachineTests {
         case .throwError:
             Issue.record("Invalid sendCommand action")
         }
-        switch stateMachine.gracefulShutdown() {
-        case .waitForPendingCommands(let context):
-            #expect(context == "testClosedClosingState")
-        default:
+        switch stateMachine.triggerGracefulShutdown() {
+        case .doNothing:
+            break
+        case .closeConnection:
             Issue.record("Invalid waitForPendingCommands action")
         }
         expect(
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@ struct ValkeyChannelHandlerStateMachineTests {
         case .throwError:
             Issue.record("Invalid sendCommand action")
         }
-        _ = stateMachine.gracefulShutdown()
+        _ = stateMachine.triggerGracefulShutdown()
         switch stateMachine.cancel(requestID: 23) {
         case .failPendingCommandsAndClose(let context, let cancel, let closeConnectionDueToCancel):
             #expect(context == "testCancelGracefulShutdown")
diff --git a/Tests/ValkeyTests/ValkeyConnectionTests.swift b/Tests/ValkeyTests/ValkeyConnectionTests.swift
index 939aa1a7..f4d964ff 100644
--- a/Tests/ValkeyTests/ValkeyConnectionTests.swift
+++ b/Tests/ValkeyTests/ValkeyConnectionTests.swift
@@ -491,6 +491,28 @@ struct ConnectionTests {
         try await channel.close()
     }
 
+    @Test
+    @available(valkeySwift 1.0, *)
+    func testTriggerGracefulShutdown() async throws {
+        let channel = NIOAsyncTestingChannel()
+        let logger = Logger(label: "test")
+        let connection = try await ValkeyConnection.setupChannelAndConnect(channel, configuration: .init(), logger: logger)
+        try await channel.processHello()
+
+        async let fooResult = connection.get("foo").map { String(buffer: $0) }
+
+        let outbound = try await channel.waitForOutboundWrite(as: ByteBuffer.self)
+        #expect(outbound == RESPToken(.command(["GET", "foo"])).base)
+
+        await connection.triggerGracefulShutdown()
+        #expect(channel.isActive)
+
+        try await channel.writeInbound(RESPToken(.bulkString("Bar")).base)
+        #expect(try await fooResult == "Bar")
+
+        try await channel.closeFuture.get()
+    }
+
     #if DistributedTracingSupport
     @Suite
     struct DistributedTracingTests {