diff --git a/lib/api/api-pipeline.js b/lib/api/api-pipeline.js
index e64b3294965..322334e7848 100644
--- a/lib/api/api-pipeline.js
+++ b/lib/api/api-pipeline.js
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ class PipelineHandler extends AsyncResource {
   }
 
   onConnect (abort, context) {
-    const { ret, res } = this
+    const { res } = this
 
     if (this.reason) {
       abort(this.reason)
@@ -153,7 +153,6 @@ class PipelineHandler extends AsyncResource {
     }
 
     assert(!res, 'pipeline cannot be retried')
-    assert(!ret.destroyed)
 
     this.abort = abort
     this.context = context
diff --git a/lib/handler/decorator-handler.js b/lib/handler/decorator-handler.js
index 26f220c64cd..9d2c4d0a34d 100644
--- a/lib/handler/decorator-handler.js
+++ b/lib/handler/decorator-handler.js
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
 'use strict'
 
+const assert = require('node:assert')
+const noop = () => {}
+
 module.exports = class DecoratorHandler {
   #handler
+  #onConnectCalled = false
+  #onCompleteCalled = false
+  #onErrorCalled = false
 
   constructor (handler) {
     if (typeof handler !== 'object' || handler === null) {
@@ -11,34 +17,60 @@ module.exports = class DecoratorHandler {
   }
 
   onConnect (...args) {
+    this.#onConnectCalled = true
     return this.#handler.onConnect?.(...args)
   }
 
   onError (...args) {
+    if (!this.#onConnectCalled) {
+      this.#onConnectCalled = true
+      this.#handler.onConnect?.(noop)
+    }
+
+    this.#onErrorCalled = true
     return this.#handler.onError?.(...args)
   }
 
   onUpgrade (...args) {
+    assert(!this.#onCompleteCalled)
+    assert(!this.#onErrorCalled)
+
     return this.#handler.onUpgrade?.(...args)
   }
 
   onResponseStarted (...args) {
+    assert(!this.#onCompleteCalled)
+    assert(!this.#onErrorCalled)
+
     return this.#handler.onResponseStarted?.(...args)
   }
 
   onHeaders (...args) {
+    assert(!this.#onCompleteCalled)
+    assert(!this.#onErrorCalled)
+
     return this.#handler.onHeaders?.(...args)
   }
 
   onData (...args) {
+    assert(!this.#onCompleteCalled)
+    assert(!this.#onErrorCalled)
+
     return this.#handler.onData?.(...args)
   }
 
   onComplete (...args) {
+    assert(!this.#onCompleteCalled)
+    assert(!this.#onErrorCalled)
+
+    this.#onCompleteCalled = true
     return this.#handler.onComplete?.(...args)
   }
 
   onBodySent (...args) {
+    assert(!this.#onCompleteCalled)
+    assert(!this.#onErrorCalled)
+
     return this.#handler.onBodySent?.(...args)
   }
 }