diff --git a/smallrye-reactive-messaging-rabbitmq/src/main/java/io/smallrye/reactive/messaging/rabbitmq/internals/IncomingRabbitMQChannel.java b/smallrye-reactive-messaging-rabbitmq/src/main/java/io/smallrye/reactive/messaging/rabbitmq/internals/IncomingRabbitMQChannel.java
index cfd37b71a..bdbb8fe9c 100644
--- a/smallrye-reactive-messaging-rabbitmq/src/main/java/io/smallrye/reactive/messaging/rabbitmq/internals/IncomingRabbitMQChannel.java
+++ b/smallrye-reactive-messaging-rabbitmq/src/main/java/io/smallrye/reactive/messaging/rabbitmq/internals/IncomingRabbitMQChannel.java
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
 import io.opentelemetry.api.OpenTelemetry;
 import io.smallrye.mutiny.Multi;
 import io.smallrye.mutiny.Uni;
-import io.smallrye.mutiny.tuples.Tuple2;
 import io.smallrye.reactive.messaging.health.HealthReport;
 import io.smallrye.reactive.messaging.providers.helpers.CDIUtils;
 import io.smallrye.reactive.messaging.providers.helpers.VertxContext;
@@ -65,11 +64,34 @@ public IncomingRabbitMQChannel(RabbitMQConnector connector,
         final RabbitMQFailureHandler onNack = createFailureHandler(connector.failureHandlerFactories(), ic);
         final RabbitMQAckHandler onAck = createAckHandler(ic);
 
-        Multi<? extends Message<?>> multi = createConsumer(connector, ic)
-                .invoke(tuple -> client = tuple.getItem1().client())
-                // Translate all consumers into a merged stream of messages
+        ClientHolder holder = connector.getClientHolder(ic);
+        final RabbitMQClient rabbitClient = holder.client();
+        this.client = rabbitClient;
+
+        rabbitClient.getDelegate().addConnectionEstablishedCallback(promise -> {
+            Uni<Void> uni;
+            if (ic.getMaxOutstandingMessages().isPresent()) {
+                uni = rabbitClient.basicQos(ic.getMaxOutstandingMessages().get(), false);
+            } else {
+                uni = Uni.createFrom().nullItem();
+            }
+
+            Instance<Map<String, ?>> maps = connector.configMaps();
+            uni
+                    .call(() -> declareQueue(rabbitClient, ic, maps))
+                    .call(() -> RabbitMQClientHelper.configureDLQorDLX(rabbitClient, ic, maps))
+                    .subscribe().with(ignored -> promise.complete(), promise::fail);
+        });
+
+        // Eagerly trigger connection to declare infrastructure (exchange, queue, bindings)
+        holder.getOrEstablishConnection()
+                .subscribe().with(v -> {
+                }, log::unableToConnectToBroker);
+
+        Multi<? extends Message<?>> multi = holder.getOrEstablishConnection()
+                .flatMap(connection -> createConsumer(ic, connection))
                 .onItem().transformToMulti(
-                        tuple -> getStreamOfMessages(tuple.getItem2(), tuple.getItem1(), incomingContext, ic, onNack, onAck));
+                        consumer -> getStreamOfMessages(consumer, holder, incomingContext, ic, onNack, onAck));
 
         if (ic.getBroadcast()) {
             multi = multi.broadcast().toAllSubscribers();
@@ -113,31 +135,6 @@ public HealthReport.HealthReportBuilder isReady(HealthReport.HealthReportBuilder
         return computeHealthReport(builder);
     }
 
-    private Uni<Tuple2<ClientHolder, RabbitMQConsumer>> createConsumer(RabbitMQConnector connector,
-            RabbitMQConnectorIncomingConfiguration ic) {
-        ClientHolder holder = connector.getClientHolder(ic);
-        final RabbitMQClient client = holder.client();
-        client.getDelegate().addConnectionEstablishedCallback(promise -> {
-
-            Uni<Void> uni;
-            if (ic.getMaxOutstandingMessages().isPresent()) {
-                uni = client.basicQos(ic.getMaxOutstandingMessages().get(), false);
-            } else {
-                uni = Uni.createFrom().nullItem();
-            }
-
-            Instance<Map<String, ?>> maps = connector.configMaps();
-            // Ensure we create the queues (and exchanges) from which messages will be read
-            uni
-                    .call(() -> declareQueue(client, ic, maps))
-                    .call(() -> RabbitMQClientHelper.configureDLQorDLX(client, ic, maps))
-                    .subscribe().with(ignored -> promise.complete(), promise::fail);
-        });
-
-        return holder.getOrEstablishConnection()
-                .flatMap(connection -> createConsumer(ic, connection).map(consumer -> Tuple2.of(holder, consumer)));
-    }
-
     private RabbitMQFailureHandler createFailureHandler(Instance<RabbitMQFailureHandler.Factory> failureHandlerFactories,
             RabbitMQConnectorIncomingConfiguration config) {
         String strategy = config.getFailureStrategy();
diff --git a/smallrye-reactive-messaging-rabbitmq/src/test/java/io/smallrye/reactive/messaging/rabbitmq/RabbitMQTest.java b/smallrye-reactive-messaging-rabbitmq/src/test/java/io/smallrye/reactive/messaging/rabbitmq/RabbitMQTest.java
index 8f081d66a..c05f65304 100644
--- a/smallrye-reactive-messaging-rabbitmq/src/test/java/io/smallrye/reactive/messaging/rabbitmq/RabbitMQTest.java
+++ b/smallrye-reactive-messaging-rabbitmq/src/test/java/io/smallrye/reactive/messaging/rabbitmq/RabbitMQTest.java
@@ -199,6 +199,35 @@ void testIncomingDeclarations() throws Exception {
         assertThat(binding2.getString("routing_key")).isEqualTo("urgent");
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Verifies that incoming channel infrastructure (exchange, queue, bindings) is
+     * set up after container initialization via eager connection establishment.
+     */
+    @Test
+    void testIncomingChannelReadyAfterInitialization() throws Exception {
+        weld.addBeanClass(IncomingBean.class);
+
+        new MapBasedConfig()
+                .put("mp.messaging.incoming.data.exchange.name", exchangeName)
+                .put("mp.messaging.incoming.data.exchange.declare", true)
+                .put("mp.messaging.incoming.data.queue.name", queueName)
+                .put("mp.messaging.incoming.data.queue.declare", true)
+                .put("mp.messaging.incoming.data.connector", RabbitMQConnector.CONNECTOR_NAME)
+                .put("mp.messaging.incoming.data.host", host)
+                .put("mp.messaging.incoming.data.port", port)
+                .put("mp.messaging.incoming.data.tracing.enabled", false)
+                .put("rabbitmq-username", username)
+                .put("rabbitmq-password", password)
+                .put("rabbitmq-reconnect-attempts", 0)
+                .write();
+
+        container = weld.initialize();
+
+        await().until(() -> isRabbitMQConnectorAvailable(container));
+        assertThat(usage.getExchange(exchangeName)).isNotNull();
+        assertThat(usage.getQueue(queueName)).isNotNull();
+    }
+
     @Test
     void testSharedConnectionIncomingAndOutgoingStartup() {
         final String routingKey = "shared";