diff --git a/docs/libcurl/curl_easy_upkeep.md b/docs/libcurl/curl_easy_upkeep.md
index c2d798d2de..1b2fef01a5 100644
--- a/docs/libcurl/curl_easy_upkeep.md
+++ b/docs/libcurl/curl_easy_upkeep.md
@@ -39,6 +39,10 @@ This function must be explicitly called in order to perform the upkeep work.
 The connection upkeep interval is set with
 CURLOPT_UPKEEP_INTERVAL_MS(3).
 
+If you call this function on an easy handle that uses a shared connection cache
+then upkeep is performed on the connections in that cache, even if those
+connections were never used by the easy handle. (Added in 8.10.0)
+
 # %PROTOCOLS%
 
 # EXAMPLE
diff --git a/lib/easy.c b/lib/easy.c
index 296dae8c13..a0704b0ed3 100644
--- a/lib/easy.c
+++ b/lib/easy.c
@@ -1335,13 +1335,30 @@ static CURLcode upkeep(struct conncache *conn_cache, void *data)
  */
 CURLcode curl_easy_upkeep(struct Curl_easy *data)
 {
+  struct conncache *conn_cache;
+
   /* Verify that we got an easy handle we can work with. */
   if(!GOOD_EASY_HANDLE(data))
     return CURLE_BAD_FUNCTION_ARGUMENT;
 
-  if(data->multi_easy) {
+  if(Curl_is_in_callback(data))
+    return CURLE_RECURSIVE_API_CALL;
+
+  /* determine the connection cache that will next be used by the easy handle.
+     if the easy handle is currently in a multi then data->state.conn_cache
+     should point to the in-use cache. */
+  DEBUGASSERT(!data->multi || data->state.conn_cache);
+  conn_cache =
+    data->state.conn_cache ?
+      data->state.conn_cache :
+    (data->share && (data->share->specifier & (1<< CURL_LOCK_DATA_CONNECT))) ?
+      &data->share->conn_cache :
+    data->multi_easy ?
+      &data->multi_easy->conn_cache : NULL;
+
+  if(conn_cache) {
     /* Use the common function to keep connections alive. */
-    return upkeep(&data->multi_easy->conn_cache, data);
+    return upkeep(conn_cache, data);
   }
   else {
     /* No connections, so just return success */