diff --git a/sql/connect/client/jvm/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/application/ConnectRepl.scala b/sql/connect/client/jvm/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/application/ConnectRepl.scala
index ca82381eec9e3..9d4475c8f042f 100644
--- a/sql/connect/client/jvm/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/application/ConnectRepl.scala
+++ b/sql/connect/client/jvm/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/application/ConnectRepl.scala
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import ammonite.compiler.iface.CodeWrapper
 import ammonite.interp.{Interpreter, Watchable}
 import ammonite.main.Defaults
 import ammonite.repl.Repl
+import ammonite.runtime.Storage
 import ammonite.util.{Bind, Imports, Name, PredefInfo, Ref, Res, Util}
 import ammonite.util.Util.newLine
 
@@ -100,11 +101,43 @@ Spark session available as 'spark'.
         |
         |spark.registerClassFinder(new AmmoniteClassFinder(repl.sess))
         |""".stripMargin
+    val main = newAmmoniteMain(
+      welcomeBannerText = splash.format(spark_version, spark.version),
+      predefCode = predefCode,
+      inputStream = inputStream,
+      outputStream = outputStream,
+      errorStream = errorStream)
+
+    if (semaphore.nonEmpty) {
+      // Used for testing.
+      main.run(sparkBind, new Bind[Semaphore]("semaphore", semaphore.get))
+    } else {
+      main.run(sparkBind)
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Construct the [[ammonite.Main]] used by the Spark Connect REPL.
+   *
+   * The default [[ammonite.runtime.Storage.Folder]] backend persists Ammonite's compile cache
+   * under `~/.ammonite`. When the Connect REPL is started a second time from the same working
+   * directory, the cached `CodePredef` class is reloaded but its reference to the per-session
+   * `ArgsPredef` helper is stale, which causes a `NullPointerException` during predef
+   * initialization (SPARK-56448). Using [[ammonite.runtime.Storage.InMemory]] keeps the compile
+   * cache scoped to a single REPL session and avoids the stale-cache failure on restart.
+   */
+  private[application] def newAmmoniteMain(
+      welcomeBannerText: String,
+      predefCode: String,
+      inputStream: InputStream,
+      outputStream: OutputStream,
+      errorStream: OutputStream): ammonite.Main = {
     // Please note that we make ammonite generate classes instead of objects.
     // Classes tend to have superior serialization behavior when using UDFs.
-    val main = new ammonite.Main(
-      welcomeBanner = Option(splash.format(spark_version, spark.version)),
+    new ammonite.Main(
+      welcomeBanner = Option(welcomeBannerText),
       predefCode = predefCode,
+      storageBackend = new Storage.InMemory(),
       replCodeWrapper = ExtendedCodeClassWrapper,
       scriptCodeWrapper = ExtendedCodeClassWrapper,
       inputStream = inputStream,
@@ -160,13 +193,6 @@ Spark session available as 'spark'.
         }
       }
     }
-
-    if (semaphore.nonEmpty) {
-      // Used for testing.
-      main.run(sparkBind, new Bind[Semaphore]("semaphore", semaphore.get))
-    } else {
-      main.run(sparkBind)
-    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/sql/connect/client/jvm/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/application/ConnectReplSuite.scala b/sql/connect/client/jvm/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/application/ConnectReplSuite.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..907a53e4a7379
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sql/connect/client/jvm/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/application/ConnectReplSuite.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+ * contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+ * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+ * the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.apache.spark.sql.application
+
+import java.io.{ByteArrayInputStream, ByteArrayOutputStream}
+
+import ammonite.util.Bind
+
+import org.apache.spark.sql.connect.test.ConnectFunSuite
+
+class ConnectReplSuite extends ConnectFunSuite {
+
+  test("SPARK-56448: restarting the Connect REPL does not throw NPE") {
+    // Reproduces the scenario from SPARK-56448: prior to the fix, starting the Connect
+    // REPL a second time from the same working directory caused Ammonite to reload a
+    // cached `CodePredef` whose reference to the per-session `ArgsPredef` helper was
+    // stale, producing a `NullPointerException` during predef initialization. The fix
+    // wires `Storage.InMemory` in `ConnectRepl.newAmmoniteMain` so nothing is persisted
+    // across sessions. This test exercises `newAmmoniteMain` twice with the same predef
+    // and bind setup and asserts that neither start throws.
+    def startRepl(): Unit = {
+      val in = new ByteArrayInputStream(Array.emptyByteArray)
+      val out = new ByteArrayOutputStream()
+      val err = new ByteArrayOutputStream()
+      val main = ConnectRepl.newAmmoniteMain(
+        welcomeBannerText = "",
+        predefCode = "val x = 1",
+        inputStream = in,
+        outputStream = out,
+        errorStream = err)
+      // A `Bind` is required to exercise the `ArgsPredef` → `CodePredef` wiring that is
+      // the root of the NPE in the unfixed code path.
+      main.run(new Bind("testVal", "hello"))
+    }
+
+    // First start: compiles the predefs.
+    startRepl()
+
+    // Second start: without the fix this threw `NullPointerException` during predef
+    // initialization. With the fix it completes normally.
+    startRepl()
+  }
+}