diff --git a/x-pack/filebeat/input/cel/config.go b/x-pack/filebeat/input/cel/config.go
index 7469120f8f2..992f97e4362 100644
--- a/x-pack/filebeat/input/cel/config.go
+++ b/x-pack/filebeat/input/cel/config.go
@@ -81,15 +81,11 @@ func (c config) Validate() error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to check regular expressions: %w", err)
 	}
 	// TODO: Consider just building the program here to avoid this wasted work.
-	var client *http.Client
-	if wantClient(c) {
-		client = &http.Client{}
-	}
 	var patterns map[string]*regexp.Regexp
 	if len(c.Regexps) != 0 {
 		patterns = map[string]*regexp.Regexp{".": nil}
 	}
-	_, _, err = newProgram(context.Background(), c.Program, root, client, nil, nil, patterns, c.XSDs, logp.L().Named("input.cel"), nil)
+	_, _, err = newProgram(context.Background(), c.Program, root, &http.Client{}, nil, nil, patterns, c.XSDs, logp.L().Named("input.cel"), nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to check program: %w", err)
 	}
diff --git a/x-pack/filebeat/input/cel/input.go b/x-pack/filebeat/input/cel/input.go
index 2096383de39..466950836ee 100644
--- a/x-pack/filebeat/input/cel/input.go
+++ b/x-pack/filebeat/input/cel/input.go
@@ -727,9 +727,6 @@ func getLimit(which string, rateLimit map[string]interface{}, log *logp.Logger)
 const lumberjackTimestamp = "[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]-[0-9][0-9]-[0-9][0-9]T[0-9][0-9]-[0-9][0-9]-[0-9][0-9].[0-9][0-9][0-9]"
 
 func newClient(ctx context.Context, cfg config, log *logp.Logger, reg *monitoring.Registry) (*http.Client, *httplog.LoggingRoundTripper, error) {
-	if !wantClient(cfg) {
-		return nil, nil, nil
-	}
 	c, err := cfg.Resource.Transport.Client(clientOptions(cfg.Resource.URL.URL, cfg.Resource.KeepAlive.settings())...)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, nil, err
@@ -1012,14 +1009,12 @@ func newProgram(ctx context.Context, src, root string, client *http.Client, limi
 		lib.Debug(debug(log, trace)),
 		lib.File(mimetypes),
 		lib.MIME(mimetypes),
+		lib.HTTPWithContext(ctx, client, limiter, auth),
 		lib.Limit(limitPolicies),
 		lib.Globals(map[string]interface{}{
 			"useragent": userAgent,
 		}),
 	}
-	if client != nil {
-		opts = append(opts, lib.HTTPWithContext(ctx, client, limiter, auth))
-	}
 	if len(patterns) != 0 {
 		opts = append(opts, lib.Regexp(patterns))
 	}