diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 5b0c690..1b1c07e 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -45,5 +45,8 @@ services:
     depends_on:
       - c2
     ports:
-      - "6080:6080"                     # noVNC: http://localhost:6080/vnc.html
+      # Ephemeral host port so replicas don't collide under --scale. Find a worker's
+      # noVNC with `docker compose port worker 6080` (or `docker ps`), then open
+      # http://localhost:<mapped>/vnc.html to watch / solve a challenge.
+      - "6080"
     restart: unless-stopped
diff --git a/worker/worker.py b/worker/worker.py
index 9fc0ab2..d6e6a5a 100644
--- a/worker/worker.py
+++ b/worker/worker.py
@@ -209,6 +209,11 @@ class LocalForwardingProxy:
     async def _relay(
         client_reader: asyncio.StreamReader, client_writer: asyncio.StreamWriter,
         up_reader: asyncio.StreamReader, up_writer: asyncio.StreamWriter) -> None:
+        # Pipe both directions, but tear the whole tunnel down as soon as EITHER side
+        # closes (mirrors the .NET WhenAny). Waiting for both — as a plain gather does —
+        # leaks a task holding two sockets on every half-closed connection, which piles
+        # up fast across a long multi-worker run. Closing both writers when the first
+        # pipe finishes unblocks the other's pending read so both tasks settle.
         async def pipe(reader: asyncio.StreamReader, writer: asyncio.StreamWriter) -> None:
             try:
                 while data := await reader.read(65536):
@@ -216,10 +221,18 @@ class LocalForwardingProxy:
                     await writer.drain()
             except Exception:
                 pass
-        await asyncio.gather(
-            pipe(client_reader, up_writer),
-            pipe(up_reader, client_writer),
-        )
+
+        a = asyncio.create_task(pipe(client_reader, up_writer))
+        b = asyncio.create_task(pipe(up_reader, client_writer))
+        try:
+            await asyncio.wait({a, b}, return_when=asyncio.FIRST_COMPLETED)
+        finally:
+            for w in (client_writer, up_writer):
+                try:
+                    w.close()
+                except Exception:
+                    pass
+            await asyncio.gather(a, b, return_exceptions=True)
 
 
 def looks_like_challenge(body: str) -> bool: