diff --git a/CHANGELOG-developer.next.asciidoc b/CHANGELOG-developer.next.asciidoc
index c3414579d70b..7fefb8d14c29 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG-developer.next.asciidoc
+++ b/CHANGELOG-developer.next.asciidoc
@@ -176,6 +176,7 @@ The list below covers the major changes between 7.0.0-rc2 and main only.
 - Make Filebeat HTTPJSON input process responses sequentially. {pull}36493[36493]
 - Add initial infrastructure for a caching enrichment processor. {pull}36619[36619]
 - Add file-backed cache for cache enrichment processor. {pull}36686[36686] {pull}36696[36696]
+- Elide retryable HTTP client construction in Filebeat HTTPJSON and CEL inputs if not needed. {pull}36916[36916]
 
 ==== Deprecated
 
diff --git a/x-pack/filebeat/input/cel/input.go b/x-pack/filebeat/input/cel/input.go
index 499ae97f7fac..03d716e0c6c8 100644
--- a/x-pack/filebeat/input/cel/input.go
+++ b/x-pack/filebeat/input/cel/input.go
@@ -721,25 +721,27 @@ func newClient(ctx context.Context, cfg config, log *logp.Logger) (*http.Client,
 
 	c.CheckRedirect = checkRedirect(cfg.Resource, log)
 
-	client := &retryablehttp.Client{
-		HTTPClient:   c,
-		Logger:       newRetryLog(log),
-		RetryWaitMin: cfg.Resource.Retry.getWaitMin(),
-		RetryWaitMax: cfg.Resource.Retry.getWaitMax(),
-		RetryMax:     cfg.Resource.Retry.getMaxAttempts(),
-		CheckRetry:   retryablehttp.DefaultRetryPolicy,
-		Backoff:      retryablehttp.DefaultBackoff,
+	if cfg.Resource.Retry.getMaxAttempts() > 1 {
+		c = (&retryablehttp.Client{
+			HTTPClient:   c,
+			Logger:       newRetryLog(log),
+			RetryWaitMin: cfg.Resource.Retry.getWaitMin(),
+			RetryWaitMax: cfg.Resource.Retry.getWaitMax(),
+			RetryMax:     cfg.Resource.Retry.getMaxAttempts(),
+			CheckRetry:   retryablehttp.DefaultRetryPolicy,
+			Backoff:      retryablehttp.DefaultBackoff,
+		}).StandardClient()
 	}
 
 	if cfg.Auth.OAuth2.isEnabled() {
-		authClient, err := cfg.Auth.OAuth2.client(ctx, client.StandardClient())
+		authClient, err := cfg.Auth.OAuth2.client(ctx, c)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 		return authClient, nil
 	}
 
-	return client.StandardClient(), nil
+	return c, nil
 }
 
 func wantClient(cfg config) bool {
diff --git a/x-pack/filebeat/input/httpjson/input.go b/x-pack/filebeat/input/httpjson/input.go
index 592f9bce86d2..928c056d2d39 100644
--- a/x-pack/filebeat/input/httpjson/input.go
+++ b/x-pack/filebeat/input/httpjson/input.go
@@ -192,37 +192,38 @@ func sanitizeFileName(name string) string {
 }
 
 func newHTTPClient(ctx context.Context, config config, log *logp.Logger, reg *monitoring.Registry) (*httpClient, error) {
-	// Make retryable HTTP client
-	netHTTPClient, err := newNetHTTPClient(ctx, config.Request, log, reg)
+	client, err := newNetHTTPClient(ctx, config.Request, log, reg)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	client := &retryablehttp.Client{
-		HTTPClient:   netHTTPClient,
-		Logger:       newRetryLogger(log),
-		RetryWaitMin: config.Request.Retry.getWaitMin(),
-		RetryWaitMax: config.Request.Retry.getWaitMax(),
-		RetryMax:     config.Request.Retry.getMaxAttempts(),
-		CheckRetry:   retryablehttp.DefaultRetryPolicy,
-		Backoff:      retryablehttp.DefaultBackoff,
+	if config.Request.Retry.getMaxAttempts() > 1 {
+		// Make retryable HTTP client if needed.
+		client = (&retryablehttp.Client{
+			HTTPClient:   client,
+			Logger:       newRetryLogger(log),
+			RetryWaitMin: config.Request.Retry.getWaitMin(),
+			RetryWaitMax: config.Request.Retry.getWaitMax(),
+			RetryMax:     config.Request.Retry.getMaxAttempts(),
+			CheckRetry:   retryablehttp.DefaultRetryPolicy,
+			Backoff:      retryablehttp.DefaultBackoff,
+		}).StandardClient()
 	}
 
 	limiter := newRateLimiterFromConfig(config.Request.RateLimit, log)
 
 	if config.Auth.OAuth2.isEnabled() {
-		authClient, err := config.Auth.OAuth2.client(ctx, client.StandardClient())
+		authClient, err := config.Auth.OAuth2.client(ctx, client)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 		return &httpClient{client: authClient, limiter: limiter}, nil
 	}
 
-	return &httpClient{client: client.StandardClient(), limiter: limiter}, nil
+	return &httpClient{client: client, limiter: limiter}, nil
 }
 
 func newNetHTTPClient(ctx context.Context, cfg *requestConfig, log *logp.Logger, reg *monitoring.Registry) (*http.Client, error) {
-	// Make retryable HTTP client
 	netHTTPClient, err := cfg.Transport.Client(clientOptions(cfg.URL.URL, cfg.KeepAlive.settings())...)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -255,8 +256,7 @@ func newNetHTTPClient(ctx context.Context, cfg *requestConfig, log *logp.Logger,
 }
 
 func newChainHTTPClient(ctx context.Context, authCfg *authConfig, requestCfg *requestConfig, log *logp.Logger, reg *monitoring.Registry, p ...*Policy) (*httpClient, error) {
-	// Make retryable HTTP client
-	netHTTPClient, err := newNetHTTPClient(ctx, requestCfg, log, reg)
+	client, err := newNetHTTPClient(ctx, requestCfg, log, reg)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -268,27 +268,30 @@ func newChainHTTPClient(ctx context.Context, authCfg *authConfig, requestCfg *re
 		retryPolicyFunc = retryablehttp.DefaultRetryPolicy
 	}
 
-	client := &retryablehttp.Client{
-		HTTPClient:   netHTTPClient,
-		Logger:       newRetryLogger(log),
-		RetryWaitMin: requestCfg.Retry.getWaitMin(),
-		RetryWaitMax: requestCfg.Retry.getWaitMax(),
-		RetryMax:     requestCfg.Retry.getMaxAttempts(),
-		CheckRetry:   retryPolicyFunc,
-		Backoff:      retryablehttp.DefaultBackoff,
+	if requestCfg.Retry.getMaxAttempts() > 1 {
+		// Make retryable HTTP client if needed.
+		client = (&retryablehttp.Client{
+			HTTPClient:   client,
+			Logger:       newRetryLogger(log),
+			RetryWaitMin: requestCfg.Retry.getWaitMin(),
+			RetryWaitMax: requestCfg.Retry.getWaitMax(),
+			RetryMax:     requestCfg.Retry.getMaxAttempts(),
+			CheckRetry:   retryPolicyFunc,
+			Backoff:      retryablehttp.DefaultBackoff,
+		}).StandardClient()
 	}
 
 	limiter := newRateLimiterFromConfig(requestCfg.RateLimit, log)
 
 	if authCfg != nil && authCfg.OAuth2.isEnabled() {
-		authClient, err := authCfg.OAuth2.client(ctx, client.StandardClient())
+		authClient, err := authCfg.OAuth2.client(ctx, client)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 		return &httpClient{client: authClient, limiter: limiter}, nil
 	}
 
-	return &httpClient{client: client.StandardClient(), limiter: limiter}, nil
+	return &httpClient{client: client, limiter: limiter}, nil
 }
 
 // clientOption returns constructed client configuration options, including