diff --git a/src/Simplex/Chat/Library/Subscriber.hs b/src/Simplex/Chat/Library/Subscriber.hs
index 5d491b6bc2..0d17e23d46 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Chat/Library/Subscriber.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Chat/Library/Subscriber.hs
@@ -3026,6 +3026,7 @@ processAgentMessageConn vr user@User {userId} corrId agentConnId agentMessage =
     xGrpDel :: GroupInfo -> GroupMember -> RcvMessage -> UTCTime -> CM ()
     xGrpDel gInfo@GroupInfo {membership} m@GroupMember {memberRole} msg@RcvMessage {msgSigned} brokerTs = do
       when (memberRole /= GROwner) $ throwChatError $ CEGroupUserRole gInfo GROwner
+      deleteGroupLinkIfExists user gInfo
       withStore' $ \db -> updateGroupMemberStatus db userId membership GSMemGroupDeleted
       -- TODO [relays] possible improvement is to immediately delete rcv queues if isUserGrpFwdRelay
       unless (isUserGrpFwdRelay gInfo) $ deleteGroupConnections user gInfo False
@@ -3304,14 +3305,14 @@ processAgentMessageConn vr user@User {userId} corrId agentConnId agentMessage =
           _ -> pure Nothing
 
 deleteGroupConnections :: User -> GroupInfo -> Bool -> CM ()
-deleteGroupConnections user gInfo waitDelivery = do
+deleteGroupConnections user gInfo@GroupInfo {membership} waitDelivery = do
   vr <- chatVersionRange
   -- member records are not deleted to keep history
   members <- getMembers vr
   deleteMembersConnections' user members waitDelivery
   where
     getMembers vr
-      | useRelays' gInfo = withStore' $ \db -> getGroupRelayMembers db vr user gInfo
+      | useRelays' gInfo, not (isRelay membership) = withStore' $ \db -> getGroupRelayMembers db vr user gInfo
       | otherwise = withStore' $ \db -> getGroupMembers db vr user gInfo
 
 startDeliveryTaskWorkers :: CM ()
diff --git a/tests/ChatTests/Groups.hs b/tests/ChatTests/Groups.hs
index f1a9e1f374..b760cb2efc 100644
--- a/tests/ChatTests/Groups.hs
+++ b/tests/ChatTests/Groups.hs
@@ -249,6 +249,8 @@ chatGroupTests = do
       describe "multiple relays" $ do
         it "2 relays: should deliver messages to members" testChannels2RelaysDeliver
         it "should share same incognito profile with all relays" testChannels2RelaysIncognito
+    describe "channel operations" $ do
+      it "should delete channel and clean up relay connections" testChannelDeleteGroup
     describe "channel message operations" $ do
       it "should update channel message" testChannelMessageUpdate
       it "should delete channel message" testChannelMessageDelete
@@ -8813,6 +8815,37 @@ testChannels2RelaysIncognito ps =
               [bob, cath] *<# ("#team " <> danIncognito <> "> hey")
               [alice, eve, frank] *<# ("#team " <> danIncognito <> "> hey [>>]")
 
+testChannelDeleteGroup :: HasCallStack => TestParams -> IO ()
+testChannelDeleteGroup ps =
+  withNewTestChat ps "alice" aliceProfile $ \alice -> do
+    withNewTestChatOpts ps relayTestOpts "bob" bobProfile $ \bob -> do
+      withNewTestChat ps "cath" cathProfile $ \cath -> do
+        (shortLink, fullLink) <- prepareChannel1Relay "team" alice bob
+        memberJoinChannel "team" [bob] shortLink fullLink cath
+
+        -- verify message delivery works
+        alice #> "#team hi"
+        bob <# "#team> hi"
+        cath <# "#team> hi [>>]"
+
+        -- owner deletes channel
+        alice ##> "/d #team"
+        concurrentlyN_
+          [ alice <## "#team: you deleted the group",
+            do
+              bob <## "#team: alice deleted the group"
+              bob <## "use /d #team to delete the local copy of the group",
+            do
+              cath <## "#team: alice deleted the group"
+              cath <## "use /d #team to delete the local copy of the group"
+          ]
+
+    -- restart relay, verify no extra subscriptions and no errors
+    withTestChatOpts ps relayTestOpts "bob" $ \bob -> do
+      bob <## "subscribed 1 connections on server localhost"
+      bob ##> "/groups"
+      bob <## "#team (group deleted, delete local copy: /d #team)"
+
 testChannelMessageUpdate :: HasCallStack => TestParams -> IO ()
 testChannelMessageUpdate ps =
   withNewTestChat ps "alice" aliceProfile $ \alice ->