diff --git a/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-auth-coordinator-recovery.test.ts b/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-auth-coordinator-recovery.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..21e7f9aad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-auth-coordinator-recovery.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,237 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { RelayAuthCoordinator, type RelayAuthContext } from './relay-auth-coordinator'
+import { RelayHttpError } from './relay-http-client'
+
+const context: RelayAuthContext = {
+  identity: { userId: 'user-1', profileId: 'profile-1', organizationId: 'org-1' },
+  accessToken: 'access-1',
+  relayEntitled: true
+}
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  vi.useRealTimers()
+})
+
+describe('RelayAuthCoordinator transient recovery', () => {
+  it('retries a transient assignment failure and activates without an external event', async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    const broker = { closeNow: vi.fn() }
+    const openBroker = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockRejectedValueOnce(new RelayHttpError('assignment', 500))
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce(broker)
+    const statuses: string[] = []
+    const coordinator = new RelayAuthCoordinator({
+      readContext: async () => context,
+      openBroker,
+      onStatus: (status) => statuses.push(status),
+      random: () => 0.5
+    })
+
+    coordinator.reconcile()
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(0)
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    expect(statuses.at(-1)).toBe('offline')
+
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(501)
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
+    expect(coordinator.getActiveBroker()).toBe(broker)
+    expect(statuses.at(-1)).toBe('registered')
+  })
+
+  it('retries when cloud-session refresh fails before identity can be read', async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    const broker = { closeNow: vi.fn() }
+    const readContext = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('temporary cloud session refresh failure'))
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce(context)
+    const openBroker = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(broker)
+    const coordinator = new RelayAuthCoordinator({
+      readContext,
+      openBroker,
+      onStatus: vi.fn(),
+      random: () => 0.5
+    })
+
+    coordinator.reconcile()
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(0)
+    expect(readContext).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    expect(openBroker).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(501)
+    expect(readContext).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    expect(coordinator.getActiveBroker()).toBe(broker)
+  })
+
+  it('backs a sustained outage off to the five-minute jitter cap', async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    const openBroker = vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error('temporary control open failure'))
+    const coordinator = new RelayAuthCoordinator({
+      readContext: async () => context,
+      openBroker,
+      onStatus: vi.fn(),
+      random: () => 0.5
+    })
+
+    coordinator.reconcile()
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(0)
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+
+    for (const delayMs of [500, 1_000, 2_000, 4_000, 8_000, 16_000, 32_000, 64_000, 128_000]) {
+      await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(delayMs)
+    }
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(10)
+
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(149_999)
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(10)
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(1)
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(11)
+
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(150_000)
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(12)
+  })
+
+  it('does not retry a permanent authorization response', async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    const openBroker = vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new RelayHttpError('token-exchange', 403))
+    const coordinator = new RelayAuthCoordinator({
+      readContext: async () => context,
+      openBroker,
+      onStatus: vi.fn(),
+      random: () => 0
+    })
+
+    coordinator.reconcile()
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(120_000)
+
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    expect(coordinator.getActiveBroker()).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('cancels a pending retry as soon as demand disappears', async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    let demanded = true
+    const openBroker = vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error('temporary control open failure'))
+    const coordinator = new RelayAuthCoordinator({
+      readContext: async () => context,
+      hasDemand: () => demanded,
+      openBroker,
+      onStatus: vi.fn(),
+      random: () => 0.75
+    })
+
+    coordinator.reconcile()
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(0)
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+
+    demanded = false
+    coordinator.reconcile()
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(120_000)
+
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    expect(coordinator.getActiveBroker()).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('re-reads demand when the retry fires and stops without opening again', async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    let demanded = true
+    const statuses: string[] = []
+    const openBroker = vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error('temporary control open failure'))
+    const coordinator = new RelayAuthCoordinator({
+      readContext: async () => context,
+      hasDemand: () => demanded,
+      openBroker,
+      onStatus: (status) => statuses.push(status),
+      random: () => 0.5
+    })
+
+    coordinator.reconcile()
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(0)
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+
+    demanded = false
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(501)
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(120_000)
+
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    expect(statuses.at(-1)).toBe('standby')
+  })
+
+  it('re-reads entitlement when the retry fires and stops after removal', async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    let current = context
+    const openBroker = vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new RelayHttpError('assignment', 500))
+    const coordinator = new RelayAuthCoordinator({
+      readContext: async () => current,
+      openBroker,
+      onStatus: vi.fn(),
+      random: () => 0.5
+    })
+
+    coordinator.reconcile()
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(0)
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+
+    current = { ...context, relayEntitled: false }
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(501)
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(120_000)
+
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    expect(coordinator.getActiveBroker()).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('cancels a pending retry immediately when the coordinator is fenced', async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    const openBroker = vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error('temporary control open failure'))
+    const coordinator = new RelayAuthCoordinator({
+      readContext: async () => context,
+      openBroker,
+      onStatus: vi.fn(),
+      random: () => 0.5
+    })
+
+    coordinator.reconcile()
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(0)
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+
+    coordinator.fenceAndCloseNow()
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(120_000)
+
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+    expect(coordinator.getActiveBroker()).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('does not carry a pending retry across an identity switch', async () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    let current = context
+    const broker = { closeNow: vi.fn() }
+    const openBroker = vi
+      .fn()
+      .mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('temporary control open failure'))
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce(broker)
+    const coordinator = new RelayAuthCoordinator({
+      readContext: async () => current,
+      openBroker,
+      onStatus: vi.fn(),
+      random: () => 0.75
+    })
+
+    coordinator.reconcile()
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(0)
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledOnce()
+
+    current = {
+      ...context,
+      identity: { ...context.identity, profileId: 'profile-2' }
+    }
+    coordinator.reconcile()
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(0)
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
+    expect(coordinator.getActiveBroker()).toBe(broker)
+    await vi.advanceTimersByTimeAsync(120_000)
+
+    expect(openBroker).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-auth-coordinator.ts b/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-auth-coordinator.ts
index f197edcc2..7f97e33dc 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-auth-coordinator.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-auth-coordinator.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { RelayBrokerStatus } from './relay-session-broker'
+import { shouldRetryRelayConnectionError } from './relay-http-client'
 
 export type RelayAuthIdentity = {
   userId: string
@@ -26,6 +27,7 @@ type RelayAuthCoordinatorOptions = {
   }) => Promise<CoordinatedRelayBroker>
   onStatus: (status: RelayBrokerStatus) => void
   lingerMs?: number
+  random?: () => number
 }
 
 type BrokerOwnership = {
@@ -39,12 +41,17 @@ function identityKey(identity: RelayAuthIdentity): string {
 }
 
 export class RelayAuthCoordinator {
+  // Why: recover brief failures quickly without turning a sustained outage into auth/director load.
+  private static readonly RETRY_BASE_MS = 1_000
+  private static readonly RETRY_MAX_MS = 5 * 60_000
   private readonly options: RelayAuthCoordinatorOptions
   private authEpoch = 0
   private ownership: BrokerOwnership | null = null
   private readonly pendingOwnerships = new Set<BrokerOwnership>()
   private latestReconcile: Promise<void> = Promise.resolve()
   private lingerTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null
+  private retryTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null
+  private retryAttempt = 0
   private stopped = false
 
   constructor(options: RelayAuthCoordinatorOptions) {
@@ -52,12 +59,20 @@ export class RelayAuthCoordinator {
   }
 
   reconcile(): void {
+    this.beginReconcile(true)
+  }
+
+  private beginReconcile(resetRetry: boolean, expectedIdentityKey?: string): void {
     if (this.stopped) {
       return
     }
+    this.cancelRetry()
+    if (resetRetry) {
+      this.retryAttempt = 0
+    }
     const epoch = ++this.authEpoch
     this.invalidatePendingOwnerships()
-    const reconcile = this.reconcileEpoch(epoch)
+    const reconcile = this.reconcileEpoch(epoch, expectedIdentityKey)
     this.latestReconcile = reconcile
     void reconcile
   }
@@ -65,6 +80,8 @@ export class RelayAuthCoordinator {
   fenceAndCloseNow(): void {
     ++this.authEpoch
     this.cancelLinger()
+    this.cancelRetry()
+    this.retryAttempt = 0
     this.invalidatePendingOwnerships()
     this.invalidateOwnership()
     this.options.onStatus('offline')
@@ -94,7 +111,8 @@ export class RelayAuthCoordinator {
     this.fenceAndCloseNow()
   }
 
-  private async reconcileEpoch(epoch: number): Promise<void> {
+  private async reconcileEpoch(epoch: number, expectedIdentityKey?: string): Promise<void> {
+    let retryIdentityKey: string | undefined
     try {
       const context = await this.options.readContext()
       if (!this.isEpochCurrent(epoch)) {
@@ -102,12 +120,19 @@ export class RelayAuthCoordinator {
       }
       if (!context || !context.relayEntitled) {
         this.cancelLinger()
+        this.retryAttempt = 0
         this.invalidateOwnership()
         this.options.onStatus('offline')
         return
       }
       const nextIdentityKey = identityKey(context.identity)
+      if (expectedIdentityKey && nextIdentityKey !== expectedIdentityKey) {
+        this.retryAttempt = 0
+        this.options.onStatus('offline')
+        return
+      }
       if (!(this.options.hasDemand?.(context) ?? true)) {
+        this.retryAttempt = 0
         if (this.ownership?.valid && this.ownership.identityKey !== nextIdentityKey) {
           this.cancelLinger()
           this.invalidateOwnership()
@@ -119,9 +144,11 @@ export class RelayAuthCoordinator {
       }
       this.cancelLinger()
       if (this.ownership?.valid && this.ownership.identityKey === nextIdentityKey) {
+        this.retryAttempt = 0
         this.options.onStatus('registered')
         return
       }
+      retryIdentityKey = nextIdentityKey
       this.invalidateOwnership()
       this.options.onStatus('connecting')
       const ownership: BrokerOwnership = {
@@ -150,14 +177,42 @@ export class RelayAuthCoordinator {
         return
       }
       this.ownership = ownership
+      this.retryAttempt = 0
       this.options.onStatus('registered')
-    } catch {
+    } catch (error) {
       if (this.isEpochCurrent(epoch)) {
         this.options.onStatus('offline')
+        if (shouldRetryRelayConnectionError(error)) {
+          this.scheduleRetry(epoch, retryIdentityKey)
+        }
       }
     }
   }
 
+  private scheduleRetry(epoch: number, expectedIdentityKey?: string): void {
+    if (this.retryTimer || !this.isEpochCurrent(epoch)) {
+      return
+    }
+    const exponent = Math.min(
+      this.retryAttempt,
+      Math.ceil(Math.log2(RelayAuthCoordinator.RETRY_MAX_MS / RelayAuthCoordinator.RETRY_BASE_MS))
+    )
+    const capMs = Math.min(
+      RelayAuthCoordinator.RETRY_MAX_MS,
+      RelayAuthCoordinator.RETRY_BASE_MS * 2 ** exponent
+    )
+    this.retryAttempt++
+    const random = this.options.random ?? Math.random
+    const delayMs = Math.floor(random() * (capMs + 1))
+    this.retryTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+      this.retryTimer = null
+      if (this.isEpochCurrent(epoch)) {
+        // Retry still re-reads entitlement and demand; the timer grants no authority.
+        this.beginReconcile(false, expectedIdentityKey)
+      }
+    }, delayMs)
+  }
+
   private async refreshAccessToken(
     ownership: { valid: boolean },
     expectedIdentityKey: string
@@ -212,6 +267,13 @@ export class RelayAuthCoordinator {
     }
   }
 
+  private cancelRetry(): void {
+    if (this.retryTimer) {
+      clearTimeout(this.retryTimer)
+      this.retryTimer = null
+    }
+  }
+
   private invalidatePendingOwnerships(): void {
     for (const ownership of this.pendingOwnerships) {
       ownership.valid = false
diff --git a/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-http-client.ts b/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-http-client.ts
index 1906381ce..6862f26ce 100644
--- a/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-http-client.ts
+++ b/src/main/runtime/relay/relay-http-client.ts
@@ -38,6 +38,18 @@ export class RelayHttpError extends Error {
   }
 }
 
+export function shouldRetryRelayConnectionError(error: unknown): boolean {
+  if (!(error instanceof RelayHttpError)) {
+    return true
+  }
+  return (
+    error.statusCode >= 500 ||
+    error.statusCode === 408 ||
+    error.statusCode === 425 ||
+    error.statusCode === 429
+  )
+}
+
 export function deriveRelayHostId(publicKey: Uint8Array): string {
   return createHash('sha256').update(publicKey).digest('base64url').slice(0, 16)
 }