diff --git a/src/app.cpp b/src/app.cpp
index ed8a1be..8634eb0 100644
--- a/src/app.cpp
+++ b/src/app.cpp
@@ -633,8 +633,11 @@ void receive_binlog_events(
     storage.discard_incomplete_transaction_events();
   }
 
-  // TODO: here (upon timing out) we also need to flush internal buffers in
-  //       the storage
+  // connection termination is a good place to flush any remaining data
+  // in the event buffer - this can be considered the third kind of
+  // checkpointing (in addition to size-based and time-based ones)
+  storage.flush_event_buffer();
+
   logger.log(binsrv::log_severity::info,
              "timed out waiting for events and disconnected");
 }
diff --git a/src/binsrv/storage.cpp b/src/binsrv/storage.cpp
index f751acc..2bd0fa8 100644
--- a/src/binsrv/storage.cpp
+++ b/src/binsrv/storage.cpp
@@ -107,9 +107,7 @@ storage::storage(const storage_config &config,
 storage::~storage() {
   // bugprone-empty-catch should not be that strict in destructors
   try {
-    if (has_event_data_to_flush()) {
-      flush_event_buffer();
-    }
+    flush_event_buffer();
   } catch (...) { // NOLINT(bugprone-empty-catch)
   }
 }
@@ -255,7 +253,7 @@ void storage::write_event(util::const_byte_span event_data,
                                     checkpoint_interval_seconds_));
     }
     if (needs_flush) {
-      flush_event_buffer();
+      flush_event_buffer_internal();
 
       last_checkpoint_position_ = ready_to_flush_position;
       last_checkpoint_timestamp_ = now_ts;
@@ -264,9 +262,7 @@ void storage::write_event(util::const_byte_span event_data,
 }
 
 void storage::close_binlog() {
-  if (has_event_data_to_flush()) {
-    flush_event_buffer();
-  }
+  flush_event_buffer();
   event_buffer_.clear();
   event_buffer_.shrink_to_fit();
 
@@ -289,6 +285,12 @@ void storage::discard_incomplete_transaction_events() {
 }
 
 void storage::flush_event_buffer() {
+  if (has_event_data_to_flush()) {
+    flush_event_buffer_internal();
+  }
+}
+
+void storage::flush_event_buffer_internal() {
   assert(!event_buffer_.empty());
   assert(last_transaction_boundary_position_in_event_buffer_ <=
          std::size(event_buffer_));
diff --git a/src/binsrv/storage.hpp b/src/binsrv/storage.hpp
index 4ce277a..491ad50 100644
--- a/src/binsrv/storage.hpp
+++ b/src/binsrv/storage.hpp
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ class [[nodiscard]] storage {
   void close_binlog();
 
   void discard_incomplete_transaction_events();
+  void flush_event_buffer();
 
 private:
   basic_storage_backend_ptr backend_;
@@ -129,7 +130,7 @@ class [[nodiscard]] storage {
     return get_flushed_position() +
            last_transaction_boundary_position_in_event_buffer_;
   }
-  void flush_event_buffer();
+  void flush_event_buffer_internal();
 
   void load_binlog_index();
   void validate_binlog_index(