diff --git a/databricks/sdk/__init__.py b/databricks/sdk/__init__.py
index 4c911e26f..9e3215152 100755
--- a/databricks/sdk/__init__.py
+++ b/databricks/sdk/__init__.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 import json
 import logging
+from functools import cached_property
 from typing import List, Optional
 
 import databricks.sdk.core as client
@@ -359,7 +360,6 @@ def __init__(
                 custom_headers=custom_headers,
             )
         self._config = config.copy()
-        self._dbutils = _make_dbutils(self._config)
         self._api_client = client.ApiClient(self._config)
         serving_endpoints = ServingEndpointsExt(self._api_client)
         self._access_control = pkg_iam.AccessControlAPI(self._api_client)
@@ -511,9 +511,12 @@ def config(self) -> client.Config:
     def api_client(self) -> client.ApiClient:
         return self._api_client
 
-    @property
+    @cached_property
     def dbutils(self) -> dbutils.RemoteDbUtils:
-        return self._dbutils
+        # Lazy so consumers that never touch ``dbutils`` (e.g. dbt-databricks) do not pay
+        # the cost of building it — and, on Spark Connect runtimes, do not hit the legacy
+        # ``SparkContext`` path that ``databricks.sdk.runtime`` materializes on import.
+        return _make_dbutils(self._config)
 
     @property
     def access_control(self) -> pkg_iam.AccessControlAPI:
diff --git a/tests/test_client.py b/tests/test_client.py
index 7eaf308f1..c616662b4 100644
--- a/tests/test_client.py
+++ b/tests/test_client.py
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+import functools
+import sys
+import types
 from unittest.mock import create_autospec
 
 import pytest
@@ -15,3 +18,65 @@ def test_autospec_fails_on_setting_unknown_property():
     w = create_autospec(WorkspaceClient, spec_set=True)
     with pytest.raises(AttributeError):
         w.bar = 1
+
+
+def test_dbutils_is_a_cached_property():
+    """``dbutils`` is a ``functools.cached_property`` so consumers that never read it
+    pay no build cost — and, on Spark Connect runtimes, never touch the legacy
+    ``SparkContext`` path that ``databricks.sdk.runtime`` materializes on import."""
+    descriptor = WorkspaceClient.__dict__["dbutils"]
+    assert isinstance(descriptor, functools.cached_property)
+
+
+def test_workspace_client_init_does_not_build_dbutils(config, mocker):
+    """Constructing a ``WorkspaceClient`` must not invoke ``_make_dbutils``."""
+    spy = mocker.patch("databricks.sdk._make_dbutils")
+
+    WorkspaceClient(config=config)
+
+    spy.assert_not_called()
+
+
+def test_dbutils_first_access_builds_exactly_once(config, mocker):
+    """First read of ``.dbutils`` calls ``_make_dbutils`` once; subsequent reads
+    return the cached value without re-invoking."""
+    sentinel = object()
+    spy = mocker.patch("databricks.sdk._make_dbutils", return_value=sentinel)
+    ws = WorkspaceClient(config=config)
+
+    first = ws.dbutils
+    assert spy.call_count == 1
+    assert first is sentinel
+
+    second = ws.dbutils
+    assert spy.call_count == 1  # still 1 — cached_property short-circuits via __dict__
+    assert second is sentinel
+
+
+def test_workspace_client_constructs_on_spark_connect_without_touching_runtime(monkeypatch, config):
+    """End-to-end Layer 2 win: with the lazy property, ``WorkspaceClient(config=...)``
+    on a Spark Connect cluster succeeds without ever importing
+    ``databricks.sdk.runtime`` — so the legacy ``SparkContext`` materialization that
+    raises ``CONTEXT_UNAVAILABLE_FOR_REMOTE_CLIENT`` is never even attempted.
+
+    Faked ``dbruntime`` raises on any namespace materialization; if anything during
+    construction triggered ``databricks.sdk.runtime``'s import, this test would crash.
+    """
+
+    class _Initializer:
+        @staticmethod
+        def getOrCreate():
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                "[CONTEXT_UNAVAILABLE_FOR_REMOTE_CLIENT] Calls to SparkContext are not "
+                "supported on a Spark Connect cluster."
+            )
+
+    fake = types.ModuleType("dbruntime")
+    fake.UserNamespaceInitializer = _Initializer
+    monkeypatch.setitem(sys.modules, "dbruntime", fake)
+    monkeypatch.delitem(sys.modules, "databricks.sdk.runtime", raising=False)
+
+    ws = WorkspaceClient(config=config)
+
+    assert ws is not None
+    assert "databricks.sdk.runtime" not in sys.modules