diff --git a/pkg/kine/drivers/sqlite/sqlite.go b/pkg/kine/drivers/sqlite/sqlite.go
index 367b6855..af1ce450 100644
--- a/pkg/kine/drivers/sqlite/sqlite.go
+++ b/pkg/kine/drivers/sqlite/sqlite.go
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ func NewVariant(ctx context.Context, driverName, dataSourceName string, connecti
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
+			defer conn.Close()
 			return setup(ctx, conn)
 		}()
 		if err == nil {