diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-container.yml b/.github/workflows/build-container.yml
index c2299ed1..6d472528 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-container.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-container.yml
@@ -293,21 +293,22 @@ jobs:
           make exec SVC=bdevperf OPTS=-T CMD="$rpc -v -s $BDEVPERF_SOCKET bdev_nvme_set_options -r -1"
           echo "ℹ️  bdevperf tcp connect ip: $NVMEOF_IP_ADDRESS port: $NVMEOF_IO_PORT nqn: $NQN"
           make exec SVC=bdevperf OPTS=-T CMD="$rpc -v -s $BDEVPERF_SOCKET bdev_nvme_attach_controller -b Nvme0 -t tcp -a $NVMEOF_IP_ADDRESS -s $NVMEOF_IO_PORT -f ipv4 -n $NQN -q ${NQN}host -l -1 -o 10"
-          echo "ℹ️  verify connection list"
-          conns=$(cephnvmf --output stdio --format json connection list --subsystem $NQN)
-          echo $conns | grep -q '"status": 0'
-          echo $conns | grep -q "\"nqn\": \"${NQN}host\""
-          echo $conns | grep -q "\"trsvcid\": ${NVMEOF_IO_PORT}"
-          echo $conns | grep -q "\"traddr\": \"${NVMEOF_IP_ADDRESS}\""
-          echo $conns | grep -q "\"adrfam\": \"ipv4\""
-          echo $conns | grep -q "\"trtype\": \"TCP\""
-          con_cnt=$(echo $conns | xargs -n 1 | grep traddr | wc -l)
-          if [ $con_cnt -ne 1 ]; then
-              echo "Number of connections ${con_cnt}, expected 1 list: ${conns}"
-              exit 1
-          fi
-          echo $conns | grep -q "\"qpairs_count\": 1"
-          echo $conns | grep -q "\"connected\": true"
+          #Disable connections list verification until we re-enable it in the code
+          #echo "ℹ️  verify connection list"
+          #conns=$(cephnvmf --output stdio --format json connection list --subsystem $NQN)
+          #echo $conns | grep -q '"status": 0'
+          #echo $conns | grep -q "\"nqn\": \"${NQN}host\""
+          #echo $conns | grep -q "\"trsvcid\": ${NVMEOF_IO_PORT}"
+          #echo $conns | grep -q "\"traddr\": \"${NVMEOF_IP_ADDRESS}\""
+          #echo $conns | grep -q "\"adrfam\": \"ipv4\""
+          #echo $conns | grep -q "\"trtype\": \"TCP\""
+          #con_cnt=$(echo $conns | xargs -n 1 | grep traddr | wc -l)
+          #if [ $con_cnt -ne 1 ]; then
+          #    echo "Number of connections ${con_cnt}, expected 1 list: ${conns}"
+          #    exit 1
+          #fi
+          #echo $conns | grep -q "\"qpairs_count\": 1"
+          #echo $conns | grep -q "\"connected\": true"
           echo "ℹ️  bdevperf perform_tests"
           eval $(make run SVC=bdevperf OPTS="--entrypoint=env" | grep BDEVPERF_TEST_DURATION | tr -d '\n\r' )
           timeout=$(expr $BDEVPERF_TEST_DURATION \* 2)
diff --git a/ceph-nvmeof.conf b/ceph-nvmeof.conf
index f94e91b9..50c01fec 100644
--- a/ceph-nvmeof.conf
+++ b/ceph-nvmeof.conf
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ enable_spdk_discovery_controller = False
 #allowed_consecutive_spdk_ping_failures = 1
 #spdk_ping_interval_in_seconds = 2.0
 #ping_spdk_under_lock = False
+#disable_list_connections = True
 
 [gateway-logs]
 log_level=debug
diff --git a/control/grpc.py b/control/grpc.py
index 78f500de..84c50b9e 100644
--- a/control/grpc.py
+++ b/control/grpc.py
@@ -134,6 +134,7 @@ def __init__(self, config: GatewayConfig, gateway_state: GatewayStateHandler, rp
         self.verify_nqns = self.config.getboolean_with_default("gateway", "verify_nqns", True)
         self.gateway_group = self.config.get_with_default("gateway", "group", "")
         self.gateway_pool =  self.config.get_with_default("ceph", "pool", "")
+        self.disable_list_connections = self.config.getboolean_with_default("gateway", "disable_list_connections", True)
         self.ana_map = defaultdict(dict)
         self.cluster_nonce = {}
         self.bdev_cluster = {}
@@ -1959,6 +1960,11 @@ def list_connections_safe(self, request, context):
         peer_msg = self.get_peer_message(context)
         log_level = logging.INFO if context else logging.DEBUG
         self.logger.log(log_level, f"Received request to list connections for {request.subsystem}, context: {context}{peer_msg}")
+        if self.disable_list_connections:
+            errmsg = f"List connections is disabled, returning an empty list"
+            self.logger.log(log_level, errmsg)
+            return pb2.connections_info(status = errno.EADDRNOTAVAIL, error_message = errmsg,
+                              subsystem_nqn=request.subsystem, connections=[])
         try:
             qpair_ret = rpc_nvmf.nvmf_subsystem_get_qpairs(self.spdk_rpc_client, nqn=request.subsystem)
             self.logger.debug(f"list_connections get_qpairs: {qpair_ret}")
@@ -2296,7 +2302,7 @@ def delete_listener_safe(self, request, context):
             self.logger.error(errmsg)
             return pb2.req_status(status=errno.EINVAL, error_message=errmsg)
 
-        if not request.force:
+        if not request.force and not self.disable_list_connections:
             list_conn_req = pb2.list_connections_req(subsystem=request.nqn)
             list_conn_ret = self.list_connections_safe(list_conn_req, context)
             if list_conn_ret.status != 0: