diff --git a/brownie/data/default-config.yaml b/brownie/data/default-config.yaml
index a0c5ad16f..4389f5c54 100644
--- a/brownie/data/default-config.yaml
+++ b/brownie/data/default-config.yaml
@@ -71,3 +71,4 @@ hypothesis:
 autofetch_sources: false
 dependencies: null
 dev_deployment_artifacts: false
+eager_caching: true
diff --git a/brownie/network/middlewares/caching.py b/brownie/network/middlewares/caching.py
index c6cb19945..469904fa4 100644
--- a/brownie/network/middlewares/caching.py
+++ b/brownie/network/middlewares/caching.py
@@ -117,6 +117,9 @@ def start_block_filter_loop(self):
 
     @classmethod
     def get_layer(cls, w3: Web3, network_type: str) -> Optional[int]:
+        if CONFIG.settings['eager_caching'] is False:
+            # do not cache when user doesn't want it
+            return None
         if network_type != "live":
             # do not cache on development chains
             return None
diff --git a/docs/config.rst b/docs/config.rst
index 946461ccd..70127df5a 100644
--- a/docs/config.rst
+++ b/docs/config.rst
@@ -390,3 +390,10 @@ Other Settings
     .. code-block:: yaml
 
         dotenv: .env
+
+.. py:attribute:: eager_caching
+    If set to ``false``, brownie will not start the background caching thread and will only call the RPC on an as-needed basis.
+
+    This is useful for always-on services or while using pay-as-you-go private RPCs
+
+    default value: ``true``