diff --git a/tools/oneclickapps/prepare_digital_ocean_one_click_app_release.py b/tools/oneclickapps/prepare_digital_ocean_one_click_app_release.py
index be5a48c830..c3ead4315e 100644
--- a/tools/oneclickapps/prepare_digital_ocean_one_click_app_release.py
+++ b/tools/oneclickapps/prepare_digital_ocean_one_click_app_release.py
@@ -10,7 +10,10 @@ from requests.adapters import HTTPAdapter
 from urllib3.util import Retry
 
 manager = digitalocean.Manager(token=os.environ["DIGITALOCEAN_API_KEY"])
-zulip_client = zulip.Client()
+# We just temporarily create the client now, to validate that we can
+# auth to the server; reusing it after the whole install fails because
+# the connection has been half-closed in a way that breaks it.
+zulip.Client()
 TEST_DROPLET_SUBDOMAIN = "do"
 
 
@@ -126,7 +129,7 @@ def send_message(content: str) -> None:
         "topic": "digitalocean installer",
         "content": content,
     }
-    zulip_client.send_message(request)
+    zulip.Client().send_message(request)
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":