diff --git a/crates/tracedecay-sessions/src/runtime/git_correlation/backfill/bounded/blocking/tests.rs b/crates/tracedecay-sessions/src/runtime/git_correlation/backfill/bounded/blocking/tests.rs
index 1e0174b940..b7e276cac6 100644
--- a/crates/tracedecay-sessions/src/runtime/git_correlation/backfill/bounded/blocking/tests.rs
+++ b/crates/tracedecay-sessions/src/runtime/git_correlation/backfill/bounded/blocking/tests.rs
@@ -137,60 +137,44 @@ async fn detached_task_holds_capacity_until_its_closure_finishes() {
 #[tokio::test(flavor = "current_thread")]
 async fn deadline_detaches_without_leaking_the_permit() {
     let permits = Arc::new(Semaphore::new(1));
-    let (started_tx, started_rx) = oneshot::channel();
-    let (closure_running_tx, closure_running_rx) = oneshot::channel();
-    let (release_tx, release_rx) = mpsc::channel();
-    let run_permits = Arc::clone(&permits);
-    let run = tokio::spawn(async move {
-        let permit = run_permits
-            .acquire_owned()
-            .await
-            .map_err(|_| BoundedBackfillInterruption::SourceUnavailable)?;
-        let join = tokio::task::spawn_blocking(move || {
-            let _permit = permit;
-            started_tx.send(()).unwrap();
-            closure_running_tx.send(()).unwrap();
-            release_rx.recv().unwrap();
-            Ok::<_, BoundedBackfillInterruption>(())
-        });
-        tokio::pin!(join);
-        closure_running_rx.await.unwrap();
+    // The deadline is wall-clock, so a loaded host can expire it before the
+    // closure is spawned. That attempt must leak nothing; retry until the
+    // closure is running when the deadline detaches it.
+    loop {
+        let (started_tx, started_rx) = oneshot::channel();
+        let (release_tx, release_rx) = mpsc::channel();
         let deadline_control = control(
             ObservationCancellation::default(),
             Duration::from_millis(25),
         );
-        loop {
-            tokio::select! {
-                biased;
-                result = &mut join => {
-                    return result
-                        .map_err(|_| BoundedBackfillInterruption::SourceUnavailable)?
-                        .and_then(|value| {
-                            deadline_control.check()?;
-                            Ok(value)
-                        });
-                }
-                () = tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(10)) => {
-                    deadline_control.check()?;
-                }
-            }
-        }
-    });
-    started_rx.await.unwrap();
-    assert_eq!(
-        tokio::time::timeout(Duration::from_secs(1), run)
+        let run_permits = Arc::clone(&permits);
+        let run = tokio::spawn(async move {
+            run_with_semaphore(run_permits, &deadline_control, move || {
+                started_tx.send(()).unwrap();
+                release_rx.recv().unwrap();
+                Ok::<_, BoundedBackfillInterruption>(())
+            })
             .await
-            .unwrap()
-            .unwrap(),
-        Err(BoundedBackfillInterruption::CommandTimedOut)
-    );
-    assert_eq!(permits.available_permits(), 0);
+        });
+        let started = started_rx.await.is_ok();
+        assert_eq!(
+            run.await.unwrap(),
+            Err(BoundedBackfillInterruption::CommandTimedOut)
+        );
+        if !started {
+            assert_eq!(permits.available_permits(), 1);
+            continue;
+        }
+        assert_eq!(permits.available_permits(), 0);
 
-    release_tx.send(()).unwrap();
-    let permit = tokio::time::timeout(Duration::from_secs(1), Arc::clone(&permits).acquire_owned())
-        .await
-        .unwrap()
-        .unwrap();
-    drop(permit);
-    assert_eq!(permits.available_permits(), 1);
+        release_tx.send(()).unwrap();
+        let permit =
+            tokio::time::timeout(Duration::from_secs(5), Arc::clone(&permits).acquire_owned())
+                .await
+                .expect("the detached closure releases its permit")
+                .unwrap();
+        drop(permit);
+        assert_eq!(permits.available_permits(), 1);
+        return;
+    }
 }