diff --git a/handwritten/firestore/dev/src/index.ts b/handwritten/firestore/dev/src/index.ts
index 5218efaf939..75e06bec3ec 100644
--- a/handwritten/firestore/dev/src/index.ts
+++ b/handwritten/firestore/dev/src/index.ts
@@ -1891,73 +1891,78 @@ export class Firestore implements firestore.Firestore {
     return this._retry(methodName, requestTag, () => {
       const result = new Deferred<Duplex>();
 
-      void this._clientPool.run(requestTag, bidrectional, async gapicClient => {
-        logger(
-          'Firestore.requestStream',
-          requestTag,
-          'Sending request: %j',
-          request,
-        );
-
-        this._traceUtil
-          .currentSpan()
-          .addEvent(`Firestore.${methodName}: Start`);
-
-        try {
-          const stream = bidirectional
-            ? gapicClient[methodName](callOptions)
-            : gapicClient[methodName](request, callOptions);
-          const logStream = new Transform({
-            objectMode: true,
-            transform: (chunk, encoding, callback) => {
-              logger(
-                'Firestore.requestStream',
-                requestTag,
-                'Received response: %j',
-                chunk,
-              );
-              numResponses++;
-              if (numResponses === 1) {
-                this._traceUtil
-                  .currentSpan()
-                  .addEvent(`Firestore.${methodName}: First response received`);
-              } else if (numResponses % NUM_RESPONSES_PER_TRACE_EVENT === 0) {
-                this._traceUtil
-                  .currentSpan()
-                  .addEvent(
-                    `Firestore.${methodName}: Received ${numResponses} responses`,
-                  );
-              }
-              callback();
-            },
-          });
-          stream.pipe(logStream);
-
-          const lifetime = new Deferred<void>();
-          const resultStream = await this._initializeStream(
-            stream,
-            lifetime,
+      void this._clientPool.run(
+        requestTag,
+        bidrectional,
+        async gapicClient => {
+          logger(
+            'Firestore.requestStream',
             requestTag,
-            bidirectional ? request : undefined,
+            'Sending request: %j',
+            request,
           );
-          resultStream.on('end', () => {
-            stream.end();
-            this._traceUtil
-              .currentSpan()
-              .addEvent(`Firestore.${methodName}: Completed`, {
-                [ATTRIBUTE_KEY_NUM_RESPONSES]: numResponses,
-              });
-          });
-          result.resolve(resultStream);
-
-          // While we return the stream to the callee early, we don't want to
-          // release the GAPIC client until the callee has finished processing the
-          // stream.
-          return lifetime.promise;
-        } catch (e) {
-          result.reject(e);
-        }
-      });
+
+          this._traceUtil
+            .currentSpan()
+            .addEvent(`Firestore.${methodName}: Start`);
+
+          try {
+            const stream = bidirectional
+              ? gapicClient[methodName](callOptions)
+              : gapicClient[methodName](request, callOptions);
+            const logStream = new Transform({
+              objectMode: true,
+              transform: (chunk, encoding, callback) => {
+                logger(
+                  'Firestore.requestStream',
+                  requestTag,
+                  'Received response: %j',
+                  chunk,
+                );
+                numResponses++;
+                if (numResponses === 1) {
+                  this._traceUtil.currentSpan().addEvent(
+                    `Firestore.${methodName}: First response received`,
+                  );
+                } else if (numResponses % NUM_RESPONSES_PER_TRACE_EVENT === 0) {
+                  this._traceUtil
+                    .currentSpan()
+                    .addEvent(
+                      `Firestore.${methodName}: Received ${numResponses} responses`,
+                    );
+                }
+                callback();
+              },
+            });
+            stream.pipe(logStream);
+
+            const lifetime = new Deferred<void>();
+            const resultStream = await this._initializeStream(
+              stream,
+              lifetime,
+              requestTag,
+              bidirectional ? request : undefined,
+            );
+            resultStream.on('end', () => {
+              stream.end();
+              this._traceUtil
+                .currentSpan()
+                .addEvent(`Firestore.${methodName}: Completed`, {
+                  [ATTRIBUTE_KEY_NUM_RESPONSES]: numResponses,
+                });
+            });
+            result.resolve(resultStream);
+
+            // While we return the stream to the callee early, we don't want to
+            // release the GAPIC client until the callee has finished processing the
+            // stream.
+            return lifetime.promise;
+          } catch (e) {
+            result.reject(e);
+          }
+        },
+        /* preferIdleClients= */ true,
+      );
 
       return result.promise;
     });
diff --git a/handwritten/firestore/dev/src/pool.ts b/handwritten/firestore/dev/src/pool.ts
index 5bb4550171b..9369b4d75cd 100644
--- a/handwritten/firestore/dev/src/pool.ts
+++ b/handwritten/firestore/dev/src/pool.ts
@@ -114,7 +114,11 @@ export class ClientPool<T extends object> {
    * @private
    * @internal
    */
-  private acquire(requestTag: string, requiresGrpc: boolean): T {
+  private acquire(
+    requestTag: string,
+    requiresGrpc: boolean,
+    preferIdleClients = false,
+  ): T {
     let selectedClient: T | null = null;
     let selectedClientRequestCount = -1;
 
@@ -125,15 +129,27 @@ export class ClientPool<T extends object> {
     requiresGrpc = requiresGrpc || this.grpcEnabled;
 
     for (const [client, metadata] of this.activeClients) {
+      if (
+        this.failedClients.has(client) ||
+        metadata.activeRequestCount >= this.concurrentOperationLimit ||
+        (!metadata.grpcEnabled && requiresGrpc)
+      ) {
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      if (preferIdleClients) {
+        if (metadata.activeRequestCount === 0) {
+          selectedClient = client;
+          selectedClientRequestCount = metadata.activeRequestCount;
+          break;
+        }
+        continue;
+      }
+
       // Use the "most-full" client that can still accommodate the request
       // in order to maximize the number of idle clients as operations start to
       // complete.
-      if (
-        !this.failedClients.has(client) &&
-        metadata.activeRequestCount > selectedClientRequestCount &&
-        metadata.activeRequestCount < this.concurrentOperationLimit &&
-        (metadata.grpcEnabled || !requiresGrpc)
-      ) {
+      if (metadata.activeRequestCount > selectedClientRequestCount) {
         selectedClient = client;
         selectedClientRequestCount = metadata.activeRequestCount;
       }
@@ -345,11 +361,12 @@ export class ClientPool<T extends object> {
     requestTag: string,
     requiresGrpc: boolean,
     op: (client: T) => Promise<V>,
+    preferIdleClients = false,
   ): Promise<V> {
     if (this.terminated) {
       return Promise.reject(new Error(CLIENT_TERMINATED_ERROR_MSG));
     }
-    const client = this.acquire(requestTag, requiresGrpc);
+    const client = this.acquire(requestTag, requiresGrpc, preferIdleClients);
 
     return op(client)
       .catch(async (err: GoogleError) => {
diff --git a/handwritten/firestore/dev/test/pool.ts b/handwritten/firestore/dev/test/pool.ts
index 3a7b188a560..7d58b79b83a 100644
--- a/handwritten/firestore/dev/test/pool.ts
+++ b/handwritten/firestore/dev/test/pool.ts
@@ -166,6 +166,66 @@ describe('Client pool', () => {
     expect(instanceCount).to.equal(1);
   });
 
+  it('re-uses idle instances when preferIdleClients is enabled', async () => {
+    let instanceCount = 0;
+    const clientPool = new ClientPool<{}>(10, 1, () => {
+      ++instanceCount;
+      return {};
+    });
+
+    const operationPromises = deferredPromises(2);
+
+    let completionPromise = clientPool.run(
+      REQUEST_TAG,
+      USE_REST,
+      () => operationPromises[0].promise,
+      /* preferIdleClients= */ true,
+    );
+    expect(clientPool.size).to.equal(1);
+    operationPromises[0].resolve();
+    await completionPromise;
+
+    completionPromise = clientPool.run(
+      REQUEST_TAG,
+      USE_REST,
+      () => operationPromises[1].promise,
+      /* preferIdleClients= */ true,
+    );
+    expect(clientPool.size).to.equal(1);
+    operationPromises[1].resolve();
+    await completionPromise;
+
+    expect(instanceCount).to.equal(1);
+  });
+
+  it('creates a new client when preferIdleClients is enabled and all clients are busy', () => {
+    const clientPool = new ClientPool<{}>(10, 1, () => {
+      return {};
+    });
+
+    const operationPromises = deferredPromises(2);
+
+    void clientPool.run(
+      REQUEST_TAG,
+      USE_REST,
+      () => operationPromises[0].promise,
+      /* preferIdleClients= */ true,
+    );
+    expect(clientPool.size).to.equal(1);
+
+    void clientPool.run(
+      REQUEST_TAG,
+      USE_REST,
+      () => operationPromises[1].promise,
+      /* preferIdleClients= */ true,
+    );
+
+    expect(clientPool.size).to.equal(2);
+
+    operationPromises[0].resolve();
+    operationPromises[1].resolve();
+  });
+
   it('does not re-use rest instance for grpc call', async () => {
     const clientPool = new ClientPool<{}>(10, 1, () => {
       return {};