diff --git a/virtcontainers/api.go b/virtcontainers/api.go
index abaebb50e..8c75b095d 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/api.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/api.go
@@ -35,7 +35,12 @@ func SetLogger(logger logrus.FieldLogger) {
 // CreateSandbox is the virtcontainers sandbox creation entry point.
 // CreateSandbox creates a sandbox and its containers. It does not start them.
 func CreateSandbox(sandboxConfig SandboxConfig, factory Factory) (VCSandbox, error) {
-	return createSandboxFromConfig(sandboxConfig, factory)
+	s, err := createSandboxFromConfig(sandboxConfig, factory)
+	if err == nil {
+		s.Release()
+	}
+
+	return s, err
 }
 
 func createSandboxFromConfig(sandboxConfig SandboxConfig, factory Factory) (*Sandbox, error) {
@@ -86,6 +91,7 @@ func DeleteSandbox(sandboxID string) (VCSandbox, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	// Delete it.
 	if err := s.Delete(); err != nil {
@@ -97,7 +103,8 @@ func DeleteSandbox(sandboxID string) (VCSandbox, error) {
 
 // FetchSandbox is the virtcontainers sandbox fetching entry point.
 // FetchSandbox will find out and connect to an existing sandbox and
-// return the sandbox structure.
+// return the sandbox structure. The caller is responsible of calling
+// VCSandbox.Release() after done with it.
 func FetchSandbox(sandboxID string) (VCSandbox, error) {
 	if sandboxID == "" {
 		return nil, errNeedSandboxID
@@ -110,21 +117,22 @@ func FetchSandbox(sandboxID string) (VCSandbox, error) {
 	defer unlockSandbox(lockFile)
 
 	// Fetch the sandbox from storage and create it.
-	sandbox, err := fetchSandbox(sandboxID)
+	s, err := fetchSandbox(sandboxID)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	// If the proxy is KataBuiltInProxyType type, it needs to restart the proxy to watch the
 	// guest console if it hadn't been watched.
-	if isProxyBuiltIn(sandbox.config.ProxyType) {
-		err = sandbox.startProxy()
+	if isProxyBuiltIn(s.config.ProxyType) {
+		err = s.startProxy()
 		if err != nil {
+			s.Release()
 			return nil, err
 		}
 	}
 
-	return sandbox, nil
+	return s, nil
 }
 
 // StartSandbox is the virtcontainers sandbox starting entry point.
@@ -147,6 +155,7 @@ func StartSandbox(sandboxID string) (VCSandbox, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	return startSandbox(s)
 }
@@ -184,6 +193,7 @@ func StopSandbox(sandboxID string) (VCSandbox, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	// Stop it.
 	err = s.stop()
@@ -211,6 +221,7 @@ func RunSandbox(sandboxConfig SandboxConfig, factory Factory) (VCSandbox, error)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	lockFile, err := rwLockSandbox(s.id)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -269,6 +280,7 @@ func StatusSandbox(sandboxID string) (SandboxStatus, error) {
 		unlockSandbox(lockFile)
 		return SandboxStatus{}, err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	// We need to potentially wait for a separate container.stop() routine
 	// that needs to be terminated before we return from this function.
@@ -320,6 +332,7 @@ func CreateContainer(sandboxID string, containerConfig ContainerConfig) (VCSandb
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, nil, err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	c, err := s.CreateContainer(containerConfig)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -351,6 +364,7 @@ func DeleteContainer(sandboxID, containerID string) (VCContainer, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	return s.DeleteContainer(containerID)
 }
@@ -376,6 +390,7 @@ func StartContainer(sandboxID, containerID string) (VCContainer, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	c, err := s.StartContainer(containerID)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -406,6 +421,7 @@ func StopContainer(sandboxID, containerID string) (VCContainer, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	// Fetch the container.
 	c, err := s.findContainer(containerID)
@@ -443,6 +459,7 @@ func EnterContainer(sandboxID, containerID string, cmd Cmd) (VCSandbox, VCContai
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, nil, nil, err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	c, process, err := s.EnterContainer(containerID, cmd)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -473,6 +490,7 @@ func StatusContainer(sandboxID, containerID string) (ContainerStatus, error) {
 		unlockSandbox(lockFile)
 		return ContainerStatus{}, err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	// We need to potentially wait for a separate container.stop() routine
 	// that needs to be terminated before we return from this function.
@@ -559,6 +577,7 @@ func KillContainer(sandboxID, containerID string, signal syscall.Signal, all boo
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	// Fetch the container.
 	c, err := s.findContainer(containerID)
@@ -608,6 +627,7 @@ func ProcessListContainer(sandboxID, containerID string, options ProcessListOpti
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	// Fetch the container.
 	c, err := s.findContainer(containerID)
@@ -639,6 +659,7 @@ func UpdateContainer(sandboxID, containerID string, resources specs.LinuxResourc
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	return s.UpdateContainer(containerID, resources)
 }
@@ -664,6 +685,7 @@ func StatsContainer(sandboxID, containerID string) (ContainerStats, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return ContainerStats{}, err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	return s.StatsContainer(containerID)
 }
@@ -687,6 +709,7 @@ func togglePauseContainer(sandboxID, containerID string, pause bool) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	// Fetch the container.
 	c, err := s.findContainer(containerID)
diff --git a/virtcontainers/api_test.go b/virtcontainers/api_test.go
index c7a5ebe8d..40c1a9237 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/api_test.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/api_test.go
@@ -1811,6 +1811,7 @@ func TestStatusContainerStateReady(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
+	defer p2.Release()
 
 	expectedStatus := ContainerStatus{
 		ID: contID,
@@ -1884,6 +1885,7 @@ func TestStatusContainerStateRunning(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
+	defer p2.Release()
 
 	expectedStatus := ContainerStatus{
 		ID: contID,
diff --git a/virtcontainers/hypervisor.go b/virtcontainers/hypervisor.go
index 81b27c509..1e8a04e12 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/hypervisor.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/hypervisor.go
@@ -547,5 +547,6 @@ type hypervisor interface {
 	hotplugAddDevice(devInfo interface{}, devType deviceType) (interface{}, error)
 	hotplugRemoveDevice(devInfo interface{}, devType deviceType) (interface{}, error)
 	getSandboxConsole(sandboxID string) (string, error)
+	disconnect()
 	capabilities() capabilities
 }
diff --git a/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor.go b/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor.go
index 38f9a44d7..85e599ebc 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor.go
@@ -73,3 +73,6 @@ func (m *mockHypervisor) hotplugRemoveDevice(devInfo interface{}, devType device
 func (m *mockHypervisor) getSandboxConsole(sandboxID string) (string, error) {
 	return "", nil
 }
+
+func (m *mockHypervisor) disconnect() {
+}
diff --git a/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor_test.go b/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor_test.go
index 194939dc7..ccde7c2ab 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor_test.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/mock_hypervisor_test.go
@@ -104,3 +104,9 @@ func TestMockHypervisorSaveSandbox(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestMockHypervisorDisconnect(t *testing.T) {
+	var m *mockHypervisor
+
+	m.disconnect()
+}
diff --git a/virtcontainers/qemu.go b/virtcontainers/qemu.go
index 1664da5f1..1d84fa88d 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/qemu.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/qemu.go
@@ -560,7 +560,6 @@ func (q *qemu) stopSandbox() error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	defer q.qmpShutdown()
 
 	err = q.qmpMonitorCh.qmp.ExecuteQuit(q.qmpMonitorCh.ctx)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -581,7 +580,6 @@ func (q *qemu) togglePauseSandbox(pause bool) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	defer q.qmpShutdown()
 
 	if pause {
 		err = q.qmpMonitorCh.qmp.ExecuteStop(q.qmpMonitorCh.ctx)
@@ -663,7 +661,6 @@ func (q *qemu) hotplugBlockDevice(drive *deviceDrivers.Drive, op operation) erro
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	defer q.qmpShutdown()
 
 	devID := "virtio-" + drive.ID
 
@@ -725,7 +722,6 @@ func (q *qemu) hotplugVFIODevice(device deviceDrivers.VFIODevice, op operation)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	defer q.qmpShutdown()
 
 	devID := "vfio-" + device.DeviceInfo.ID
 
@@ -800,7 +796,6 @@ func (q *qemu) hotplugCPUs(vcpus uint32, op operation) (uint32, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return 0, err
 	}
-	defer q.qmpShutdown()
 
 	if op == addDevice {
 		return q.hotplugAddCPUs(vcpus)
@@ -928,7 +923,6 @@ func (q *qemu) hotplugAddMemory(memDev *memoryDevice) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	defer q.qmpShutdown()
 
 	err = q.qmpMonitorCh.qmp.ExecHotplugMemory(q.qmpMonitorCh.ctx, "memory-backend-ram", "mem"+strconv.Itoa(memDev.slot), "", memDev.sizeMB)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -989,7 +983,6 @@ func (q *qemu) saveSandbox() error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	defer q.qmpShutdown()
 
 	// BootToBeTemplate sets the VM to be a template that other VMs can clone from. We would want to
 	// bypass shared memory when saving the VM to a local file through migration exec.
@@ -1015,6 +1008,10 @@ func (q *qemu) saveSandbox() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (q *qemu) disconnect() {
+	q.qmpShutdown()
+}
+
 // genericAppendBridges appends to devices the given bridges
 func genericAppendBridges(devices []govmmQemu.Device, bridges []Bridge, machineType string) []govmmQemu.Device {
 	bus := defaultPCBridgeBus
diff --git a/virtcontainers/sandbox.go b/virtcontainers/sandbox.go
index 316dbd72c..b175f2ef2 100644
--- a/virtcontainers/sandbox.go
+++ b/virtcontainers/sandbox.go
@@ -541,10 +541,12 @@ func (s *Sandbox) GetContainer(containerID string) VCContainer {
 
 // Release closes the agent connection and removes sandbox from internal list.
 func (s *Sandbox) Release() error {
+	s.Logger().Info("release sandbox")
 	globalSandboxList.removeSandbox(s.id)
 	if s.monitor != nil {
 		s.monitor.stop()
 	}
+	s.hypervisor.disconnect()
 	return s.agent.disconnect()
 }
 
@@ -808,6 +810,7 @@ func (s *Sandbox) storeSandbox() error {
 
 // fetchSandbox fetches a sandbox config from a sandbox ID and returns a sandbox.
 func fetchSandbox(sandboxID string) (sandbox *Sandbox, err error) {
+	virtLog.WithField("sandbox-id", sandboxID).Info("fetch sandbox")
 	if sandboxID == "" {
 		return nil, errNeedSandboxID
 	}
@@ -1388,6 +1391,7 @@ func togglePauseSandbox(sandboxID string, pause bool) (*Sandbox, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	defer s.Release()
 
 	if pause {
 		err = s.Pause()