diff --git a/crates/hodeishield-api/tests/api.rs b/crates/hodeishield-api/tests/api.rs
index 5e5d391..4be6f57 100644
--- a/crates/hodeishield-api/tests/api.rs
+++ b/crates/hodeishield-api/tests/api.rs
@@ -585,17 +585,18 @@ fn a_503_with_retry_after_longer_than_max_wait_does_not_retry() {
 
 #[test]
 fn a_connection_error_is_retried() {
-    // Bind to port 0 to get an ephemeral port, then drop the listener to free it.
-    // The next connection attempt to that port will be refused.
+    // Keep the listener bound for the whole test so no other test can take the port. It never
+    // accepts, so every attempt connects (the kernel completes the handshake) and then gets no
+    // answer: a timeout, which is retried like a refused connection.
     let listener = std::net::TcpListener::bind(("127.0.0.1", 0)).expect("bind");
     let port = listener.local_addr().expect("addr").port();
-    drop(listener);
 
     let url = format!("http://127.0.0.1:{port}");
     let retry_count = std::sync::Arc::new(std::sync::atomic::AtomicUsize::new(0));
     let counted = std::sync::Arc::clone(&retry_count);
 
     let result = Client::builder(url.parse().expect("url"), SecretString::from("hsk_example"))
+        .timeout(Duration::from_millis(200))
         .transient_retries(2, Duration::from_millis(1))
         .retry_observer(move |_event| {
             counted.fetch_add(1, std::sync::atomic::Ordering::SeqCst);
@@ -608,6 +609,7 @@ fn a_connection_error_is_retried() {
     assert!(matches!(result.expect_err("error"), Error::Transport(_)));
     let retries = retry_count.load(std::sync::atomic::Ordering::SeqCst);
     assert_eq!(retries, 2, "should have retried exactly 2 times");
+    drop(listener);
 }
 
 #[test]