diff --git a/src/core.ts b/src/core.ts
index 10b9d3f..b6b5959 100644
--- a/src/core.ts
+++ b/src/core.ts
@@ -490,6 +490,7 @@ export abstract class APIClient {
     if (!response.ok) {
       if (retriesRemaining && this.shouldRetry(response)) {
         const retryMessage = `retrying, ${retriesRemaining} attempts remaining`;
+        await cancelResponseBody(response.body);
         debug(`response (error; ${retryMessage})`, response.status, url, responseHeaders);
         return this.retryRequest(options, retriesRemaining, responseHeaders);
       }
@@ -1019,6 +1020,21 @@ const isAbsoluteURL = (url: string): boolean => {
 
 export const sleep = (ms: number) => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
 
+/** Release a response body that will not be consumed before retrying. */
+const cancelResponseBody = async (body: any): Promise<void> => {
+  if (body === null || typeof body !== 'object') return;
+
+  if (body[Symbol.asyncIterator]) {
+    await body[Symbol.asyncIterator]().return?.();
+    return;
+  }
+
+  const reader = body.getReader();
+  const cancelPromise = reader.cancel();
+  reader.releaseLock();
+  await cancelPromise;
+};
+
 const validatePositiveInteger = (name: string, n: unknown): number => {
   if (typeof n !== 'number' || !Number.isInteger(n)) {
     throw new BrowserbaseError(`${name} must be an integer`);
diff --git a/tests/index.test.ts b/tests/index.test.ts
index 7639b23..14a1d8d 100644
--- a/tests/index.test.ts
+++ b/tests/index.test.ts
@@ -265,6 +265,56 @@ describe('request building', () => {
 });
 
 describe('retries', () => {
+  test('cancels a web response body before retrying', async () => {
+    let count = 0;
+    const cancel = jest.fn();
+    const testFetch = async (): Promise<Response> => {
+      if (count++ === 0) {
+        const body = new ReadableStream({ cancel });
+        return new globalThis.Response(body, { status: 500 }) as unknown as Response;
+      }
+      return new Response(JSON.stringify({ a: 1 }), { headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' } });
+    };
+    const client = new Browserbase({ apiKey: 'My API Key', fetch: testFetch, maxRetries: 1 });
+
+    await expect(client.get('/foo')).resolves.toEqual({ a: 1 });
+
+    expect(cancel).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
+  test('releases a node-style async iterable body before retrying', async () => {
+    let count = 0;
+    const returnBody = jest.fn();
+    const retryResponse = {
+      body: { [Symbol.asyncIterator]: () => ({ return: returnBody }) },
+      headers: new Response().headers,
+      ok: false,
+      status: 500,
+      url: 'https://example.com/retry',
+    } as unknown as Response;
+    const testFetch = async (): Promise<Response> => {
+      if (count++ === 0) return retryResponse;
+      return new Response(JSON.stringify({ a: 1 }), { headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' } });
+    };
+    const client = new Browserbase({ apiKey: 'My API Key', fetch: testFetch, maxRetries: 1 });
+
+    await expect(client.get('/foo')).resolves.toEqual({ a: 1 });
+
+    expect(returnBody).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
+  test('retries responses without bodies', async () => {
+    let count = 0;
+    const testFetch = async (): Promise<Response> => {
+      if (count++ === 0) return new Response(undefined, { status: 500 });
+      return new Response(JSON.stringify({ a: 1 }), { headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' } });
+    };
+    const client = new Browserbase({ apiKey: 'My API Key', fetch: testFetch, maxRetries: 1 });
+
+    await expect(client.get('/foo')).resolves.toEqual({ a: 1 });
+    expect(count).toBe(2);
+  });
+
   test('retry on timeout', async () => {
     let count = 0;
     const testFetch = async (url: RequestInfo, { signal }: RequestInit = {}): Promise<Response> => {