diff --git a/src/aleph/vm/guest_api/__main__.py b/src/aleph/vm/guest_api/__main__.py
index 8000d52b..e5b89ebe 100644
--- a/src/aleph/vm/guest_api/__main__.py
+++ b/src/aleph/vm/guest_api/__main__.py
@@ -24,8 +24,15 @@
 
 async def get_redis(address: str = REDIS_ADDRESS) -> aioredis.Redis:
     global _redis
-    if _redis is None:
+    # Ensure the redis connection is still up before returning it
+    if _redis:
+        try:
+            await _redis.ping()
+        except aioredis.ConnectionClosedError:
+            _redis = None
+    if not _redis:
         _redis = await aioredis.create_redis(address=address)
+
     return _redis