diff --git a/cmd/root.go b/cmd/root.go
index 3f71983c..b0c0f381 100644
--- a/cmd/root.go
+++ b/cmd/root.go
@@ -591,6 +591,12 @@ only. Uses the port specified by the http-port flag.`)
 	localFlags.BoolVar(&c.conf.RunConnectionTest, "run-connection-test", false, `Runs a connection test
 against all specified instances. If an instance is unreachable, the Proxy exits with a failure
 status code.`)
+	localFlags.BoolVar(&c.conf.LazyRefresh, "lazy-refresh", false,
+		`Configure a lazy refresh where connection info is retrieved only if
+the cached copy has expired. Use this setting in environments where the
+CPU may be throttled and a background refresh cannot run reliably
+(e.g., Cloud Run)`,
+	)
 
 	// Global and per instance flags
 	localFlags.StringVarP(&c.conf.Addr, "address", "a", "127.0.0.1",
diff --git a/cmd/root_test.go b/cmd/root_test.go
index 774bb0d0..202862c7 100644
--- a/cmd/root_test.go
+++ b/cmd/root_test.go
@@ -470,6 +470,14 @@ func TestNewCommandArguments(t *testing.T) {
 				Debug: true,
 			}),
 		},
+		{
+			desc: "using the lazy refresh flag",
+			args: []string{"--lazy-refresh",
+				"projects/proj/locations/region/clusters/clust/instances/inst"},
+			want: withDefaults(&proxy.Config{
+				LazyRefresh: true,
+			}),
+		},
 		{
 			desc: "using the admin port flag",
 			args: []string{"--admin-port", "7777",
diff --git a/internal/proxy/proxy.go b/internal/proxy/proxy.go
index 0f272a53..f3bffffd 100644
--- a/internal/proxy/proxy.go
+++ b/internal/proxy/proxy.go
@@ -90,6 +90,12 @@ type Config struct {
 	// PSC enables connections via the PSC endpoint for all instances.
 	PSC bool
 
+	// LazyRefresh configures the Go Connector to retrieve connection info
+	// lazily and as-needed. Otherwise, no background refresh cycle runs. This
+	// setting is useful in environments where the CPU may be throttled outside
+	// of a request context, e.g., Cloud Run.
+	LazyRefresh bool
+
 	// Token is the Bearer token used for authorization.
 	Token string
 
@@ -326,6 +332,10 @@ func (c *Config) DialerOptions(l alloydb.Logger) ([]alloydbconn.Option, error) {
 		opts = append(opts, alloydbconn.WithDebugLogger(l))
 	}
 
+	if c.LazyRefresh {
+		opts = append(opts, alloydbconn.WithLazyRefresh())
+	}
+
 	return opts, nil
 }