diff --git a/src/base-command.ts b/src/base-command.ts
index 27ac76a7..52bacace 100644
--- a/src/base-command.ts
+++ b/src/base-command.ts
@@ -338,6 +338,7 @@ export abstract class AblyBaseCommand extends InteractiveBaseCommand {
     flags: BaseFlags,
     options?: {
       skipAuthInfo?: boolean;
+      autoConnect?: boolean;
     },
   ): Promise<Ably.Realtime | null> {
     // Return cached client if it exists
@@ -348,6 +349,7 @@ export abstract class AblyBaseCommand extends InteractiveBaseCommand {
     const client = await this.createAblyClientInternal(flags, {
       type: "realtime",
       skipAuthInfo: options?.skipAuthInfo,
+      autoConnect: options?.autoConnect,
     });
 
     // Cache the client for reuse
@@ -367,6 +369,7 @@ export abstract class AblyBaseCommand extends InteractiveBaseCommand {
     options?: {
       type?: "rest" | "realtime";
       skipAuthInfo?: boolean;
+      autoConnect?: boolean;
     },
   ): Promise<Ably.Rest | Ably.Realtime | null> {
     const clientType = options?.type || "realtime";
@@ -438,7 +441,16 @@ export abstract class AblyBaseCommand extends InteractiveBaseCommand {
       }
 
       // Create Realtime client
-      const client = new Ably.Realtime(clientOptions);
+      const autoConnect = options?.autoConnect !== false;
+      const client = new Ably.Realtime({
+        ...clientOptions,
+        autoConnect,
+      });
+
+      // If autoConnect is disabled, return the client immediately without waiting for connection
+      if (!autoConnect) {
+        return client;
+      }
 
       // Wait for the connection to be established or fail
       return await new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
diff --git a/src/chat-base-command.ts b/src/chat-base-command.ts
index b422dd05..0fb13404 100644
--- a/src/chat-base-command.ts
+++ b/src/chat-base-command.ts
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ export abstract class ChatBaseCommand extends AblyBaseCommand {
    */
   protected async createChatClient(
     flags: BaseFlags,
+    options?: { restOnly?: boolean },
   ): Promise<ChatClient | null> {
     // We already have a client, return it
     if (this._chatClient) {
@@ -76,7 +77,11 @@ export abstract class ChatBaseCommand extends AblyBaseCommand {
     }
 
     // Create Ably Realtime client first
-    const realtimeClient = await this.createAblyRealtimeClient(flags);
+    // When restOnly is true, skip auto-connect to avoid opening a WebSocket
+    // for commands that only use REST API methods (send, delete, update, history, etc.)
+    const realtimeClient = await this.createAblyRealtimeClient(flags, {
+      autoConnect: options?.restOnly ? false : undefined,
+    });
 
     // Mark auth info as shown after creating the client
     // to prevent duplicate "Using..." output on subsequent calls
diff --git a/src/commands/rooms/messages/delete.ts b/src/commands/rooms/messages/delete.ts
index 9dda89ef..48c6636b 100644
--- a/src/commands/rooms/messages/delete.ts
+++ b/src/commands/rooms/messages/delete.ts
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ export default class MessagesDelete extends ChatBaseCommand {
     const { args, flags } = await this.parse(MessagesDelete);
 
     try {
-      const chatClient = await this.createChatClient(flags);
+      const chatClient = await this.createChatClient(flags, { restOnly: true });
 
       if (!chatClient) {
         return this.fail(
@@ -51,8 +51,6 @@ export default class MessagesDelete extends ChatBaseCommand {
         );
       }
 
-      this.setupConnectionStateLogging(chatClient.realtime, flags);
-
       const room = await chatClient.rooms.get(args.room);
 
       if (!this.shouldOutputJson(flags)) {
diff --git a/src/commands/rooms/messages/history.ts b/src/commands/rooms/messages/history.ts
index e6ad8d57..fc807856 100644
--- a/src/commands/rooms/messages/history.ts
+++ b/src/commands/rooms/messages/history.ts
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ export default class MessagesHistory extends ChatBaseCommand {
 
     try {
       // Create Chat client
-      const chatClient = await this.createChatClient(flags);
+      const chatClient = await this.createChatClient(flags, { restOnly: true });
 
       if (!chatClient) {
         return this.fail(
diff --git a/src/commands/rooms/messages/reactions/remove.ts b/src/commands/rooms/messages/reactions/remove.ts
index 8b119ad0..53a8eb70 100644
--- a/src/commands/rooms/messages/reactions/remove.ts
+++ b/src/commands/rooms/messages/reactions/remove.ts
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ export default class MessagesReactionsRemove extends ChatBaseCommand {
 
     try {
       // Create Chat client
-      const chatClient = await this.createChatClient(flags);
+      const chatClient = await this.createChatClient(flags, { restOnly: true });
 
       if (!chatClient) {
         return this.fail(
@@ -58,9 +58,6 @@ export default class MessagesReactionsRemove extends ChatBaseCommand {
         );
       }
 
-      // Set up connection state logging
-      this.setupConnectionStateLogging(chatClient.realtime, flags);
-
       // Get the room
       this.logCliEvent(
         flags,
@@ -71,19 +68,6 @@ export default class MessagesReactionsRemove extends ChatBaseCommand {
       const chatRoom = await chatClient.rooms.get(room);
       this.logCliEvent(flags, "room", "gotRoom", `Got room handle for ${room}`);
 
-      // Subscribe to room status changes
-      this.setupRoomStatusHandler(chatRoom, flags, { roomName: room });
-
-      // Attach to the room
-      this.logCliEvent(flags, "room", "attaching", `Attaching to room ${room}`);
-      await chatRoom.attach();
-      this.logCliEvent(
-        flags,
-        "room",
-        "attached",
-        `Successfully attached to room ${room}`,
-      );
-
       // Remove the reaction
       this.logCliEvent(
         flags,
diff --git a/src/commands/rooms/messages/reactions/send.ts b/src/commands/rooms/messages/reactions/send.ts
index 73cb05d1..962500b2 100644
--- a/src/commands/rooms/messages/reactions/send.ts
+++ b/src/commands/rooms/messages/reactions/send.ts
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ export default class MessagesReactionsSend extends ChatBaseCommand {
       }
 
       // Create Chat client
-      this.chatClient = await this.createChatClient(flags);
+      this.chatClient = await this.createChatClient(flags, { restOnly: true });
 
       if (!this.chatClient) {
         return this.fail(
@@ -79,9 +79,6 @@ export default class MessagesReactionsSend extends ChatBaseCommand {
         );
       }
 
-      // Set up connection state logging
-      this.setupConnectionStateLogging(this.chatClient.realtime, flags);
-
       // Get the room
       this.logCliEvent(
         flags,
@@ -92,19 +89,6 @@ export default class MessagesReactionsSend extends ChatBaseCommand {
       const chatRoom = await this.chatClient.rooms.get(room);
       this.logCliEvent(flags, "room", "gotRoom", `Got room handle for ${room}`);
 
-      // Subscribe to room status changes
-      this.setupRoomStatusHandler(chatRoom, flags, { roomName: room });
-
-      // Attach to the room
-      this.logCliEvent(flags, "room", "attaching", `Attaching to room ${room}`);
-      await chatRoom.attach();
-      this.logCliEvent(
-        flags,
-        "room",
-        "attached",
-        `Successfully attached to room ${room}`,
-      );
-
       // Prepare the reaction parameters
       const reactionParams: {
         name: string;
diff --git a/src/commands/rooms/messages/send.ts b/src/commands/rooms/messages/send.ts
index 829a3afc..7c4e63cb 100644
--- a/src/commands/rooms/messages/send.ts
+++ b/src/commands/rooms/messages/send.ts
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ export default class MessagesSend extends ChatBaseCommand {
 
     try {
       // Create Chat client
-      this.chatClient = await this.createChatClient(flags);
+      this.chatClient = await this.createChatClient(flags, { restOnly: true });
 
       if (!this.chatClient) {
         return this.fail(
@@ -108,9 +108,6 @@ export default class MessagesSend extends ChatBaseCommand {
         );
       }
 
-      // Set up connection state logging
-      this.setupConnectionStateLogging(this.chatClient.realtime, flags);
-
       // Parse metadata if provided
       let metadata: JsonObject | undefined;
       if (flags.metadata) {
diff --git a/src/commands/rooms/messages/update.ts b/src/commands/rooms/messages/update.ts
index b5882daf..dcd71e66 100644
--- a/src/commands/rooms/messages/update.ts
+++ b/src/commands/rooms/messages/update.ts
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ export default class MessagesUpdate extends ChatBaseCommand {
         );
       }
 
-      const chatClient = await this.createChatClient(flags);
+      const chatClient = await this.createChatClient(flags, { restOnly: true });
 
       if (!chatClient) {
         return this.fail(
@@ -130,8 +130,6 @@ export default class MessagesUpdate extends ChatBaseCommand {
         );
       }
 
-      this.setupConnectionStateLogging(chatClient.realtime, flags);
-
       const room = await chatClient.rooms.get(args.room);
 
       if (!this.shouldOutputJson(flags)) {
diff --git a/src/commands/rooms/occupancy/get.ts b/src/commands/rooms/occupancy/get.ts
index 3f39a8ec..31e9c28a 100644
--- a/src/commands/rooms/occupancy/get.ts
+++ b/src/commands/rooms/occupancy/get.ts
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ export default class RoomsOccupancyGet extends ChatBaseCommand {
 
     try {
       // Create Chat client
-      this.chatClient = await this.createChatClient(flags);
+      this.chatClient = await this.createChatClient(flags, { restOnly: true });
 
       if (!this.chatClient) {
         return this.fail(
diff --git a/src/commands/rooms/reactions/send.ts b/src/commands/rooms/reactions/send.ts
index 6878b756..e2910d7f 100644
--- a/src/commands/rooms/reactions/send.ts
+++ b/src/commands/rooms/reactions/send.ts
@@ -80,9 +80,6 @@ export default class RoomsReactionsSend extends ChatBaseCommand {
         );
       }
 
-      // Set up connection state logging
-      this.setupConnectionStateLogging(this.chatClient.realtime, flags);
-
       // Get the room
       this.logCliEvent(
         flags,
diff --git a/test/unit/commands/rooms/messages/reactions/remove.test.ts b/test/unit/commands/rooms/messages/reactions/remove.test.ts
index 0332eae0..92b41f5c 100644
--- a/test/unit/commands/rooms/messages/reactions/remove.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/commands/rooms/messages/reactions/remove.test.ts
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ describe("rooms:messages:reactions:remove command", () => {
         import.meta.url,
       );
 
-      expect(room.attach).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(room.attach).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
       expect(room.messages.reactions.delete).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
         "msg-serial-123",
         {
diff --git a/test/unit/commands/rooms/messages/reactions/send.test.ts b/test/unit/commands/rooms/messages/reactions/send.test.ts
index 06a09b52..767d776b 100644
--- a/test/unit/commands/rooms/messages/reactions/send.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/commands/rooms/messages/reactions/send.test.ts
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ describe("rooms:messages:reactions:send command", () => {
         import.meta.url,
       );
 
-      expect(room.attach).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(room.attach).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
       expect(room.messages.reactions.send).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
         "msg-serial-123",
         {