diff --git a/bitchat/Services/BLE/BLELinkStateStore.swift b/bitchat/Services/BLE/BLELinkStateStore.swift
index 79440a64..c286ffcf 100644
--- a/bitchat/Services/BLE/BLELinkStateStore.swift
+++ b/bitchat/Services/BLE/BLELinkStateStore.swift
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ struct BLEPeripheralLinkState {
     var isConnecting: Bool
     var isConnected: Bool
     var lastConnectionAttempt: Date?
+    var attemptToken: UInt64 = 0
     /// When didConnect last fired for this link. Nil for links restored
     /// already-connected (their connect predates this process), which is
     /// exactly the signal redundant-link consolidation needs: a restored
@@ -17,6 +18,23 @@ struct BLEPeripheralLinkState {
     var assembler: NotificationStreamAssembler
 }
 
+struct BLEConnectTimeoutPolicy {
+    /// Pure decision: given a captured attempt token and current link state attributes,
+    /// returns true if the timeout closure should act on this peripheral attempt.
+    static func shouldExecuteConnectTimeout(
+        capturedAttemptToken: UInt64,
+        isConnecting: Bool,
+        isConnected: Bool,
+        currentAttemptToken: UInt64,
+        isPeripheralConnected: Bool
+    ) -> Bool {
+        guard isConnecting && !isConnected else { return false }
+        guard !isPeripheralConnected else { return false }
+        guard currentAttemptToken == capturedAttemptToken else { return false }
+        return true
+    }
+}
+
 struct BLEDirectLinkState: Equatable {
     let hasPeripheral: Bool
     let hasCentral: Bool
@@ -104,7 +122,10 @@ final class BLELinkStateStore {
         return state
     }
 
-    func beginConnecting(to peripheral: CBPeripheral, at date: Date) {
+    @discardableResult
+    func beginConnecting(to peripheral: CBPeripheral, at date: Date = Date()) -> UInt64 {
+        let peripheralID = peripheral.identifier.uuidString
+        let nextAttemptToken = (peripherals[peripheralID]?.attemptToken ?? 0) + 1
         setPeripheralState(
             BLEPeripheralLinkState(
                 peripheral: peripheral,
@@ -112,10 +133,12 @@ final class BLELinkStateStore {
                 isConnecting: true,
                 isConnected: false,
                 lastConnectionAttempt: date,
+                attemptToken: nextAttemptToken,
                 assembler: NotificationStreamAssembler()
             ),
-            for: peripheral.identifier.uuidString
+            for: peripheralID
         )
+        return nextAttemptToken
     }
 
     func markConnected(_ peripheral: CBPeripheral, at now: Date = Date()) {
diff --git a/bitchat/Services/BLE/BLERadioController.swift b/bitchat/Services/BLE/BLERadioController.swift
index cf9d6c2d..880622fe 100644
--- a/bitchat/Services/BLE/BLERadioController.swift
+++ b/bitchat/Services/BLE/BLERadioController.swift
@@ -231,7 +231,9 @@ final class BLERadioController {
         guard delegate?.radioIsPanicSuspended() == false else { return }
         let peripheral = candidate.peripheral
         let peripheralID = candidate.peripheralID
-        linkStateStore.beginConnecting(to: peripheral, at: Date())
+        // Captured monotonically increasing attempt token so the timeout closure
+        // below can tell this specific attempt apart from a later one.
+        let attemptToken = linkStateStore.beginConnecting(to: peripheral, at: Date())
         peripheral.delegate = peripheralDelegate
         let options: [String: Any] = [
             CBConnectPeripheralOptionNotifyOnConnectionKey: true,
@@ -243,12 +245,25 @@ final class BLERadioController {
         SecureLogger.debug("\(logPrefix): \(candidate.name) [RSSI:\(candidate.rssi)]", category: .session)
 
         queue.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + TransportConfig.bleConnectTimeoutSeconds) { [weak self] in
-            guard let self,
-                  let state = self.linkStateStore.state(forPeripheralID: peripheralID),
-                  state.isConnecting && !state.isConnected else { return }
+            guard let self else { return }
+            let state = self.linkStateStore.state(forPeripheralID: peripheralID)
 
-            guard peripheral.state != .connected else {
-                SecureLogger.debug("⏱️ Timeout fired but peripheral already connected: \(candidate.name)", category: .session)
+            // A disconnect + immediate reconnect between this attempt and now
+            // starts a new attempt with an incremented attemptToken. Without
+            // this check, this now-stale timeout would cancel that newer,
+            // still-live attempt out from under it and apply a
+            // connection-timeout penalty to a peer that never actually timed out.
+            guard let state,
+                  BLEConnectTimeoutPolicy.shouldExecuteConnectTimeout(
+                      capturedAttemptToken: attemptToken,
+                      isConnecting: state.isConnecting,
+                      isConnected: state.isConnected,
+                      currentAttemptToken: state.attemptToken,
+                      isPeripheralConnected: peripheral.state == .connected
+                  ) else {
+                if let state, state.attemptToken != attemptToken {
+                    SecureLogger.debug("⏱️ Timeout fired for a superseded connection attempt, ignoring: \(candidate.name)", category: .session)
+                }
                 return
             }
 
diff --git a/bitchatTests/Services/BLEConnectTimeoutPolicyTests.swift b/bitchatTests/Services/BLEConnectTimeoutPolicyTests.swift
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..50f0a8dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bitchatTests/Services/BLEConnectTimeoutPolicyTests.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+import Foundation
+import Testing
+@testable import bitchat
+
+struct BLEConnectTimeoutPolicyTests {
+    @Test
+    func supersededAttemptTokenIgnoresTimeout() {
+        let capturedToken: UInt64 = 1
+        let currentToken: UInt64 = 2
+
+        let result = BLEConnectTimeoutPolicy.shouldExecuteConnectTimeout(
+            capturedAttemptToken: capturedToken,
+            isConnecting: true,
+            isConnected: false,
+            currentAttemptToken: currentToken,
+            isPeripheralConnected: false
+        )
+
+        #expect(!result)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    func matchingAttemptTokenExecutesTimeout() {
+        let token: UInt64 = 5
+
+        let result = BLEConnectTimeoutPolicy.shouldExecuteConnectTimeout(
+            capturedAttemptToken: token,
+            isConnecting: true,
+            isConnected: false,
+            currentAttemptToken: token,
+            isPeripheralConnected: false
+        )
+
+        #expect(result)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    func connectedStateIgnoresTimeout() {
+        let token: UInt64 = 5
+
+        let result = BLEConnectTimeoutPolicy.shouldExecuteConnectTimeout(
+            capturedAttemptToken: token,
+            isConnecting: false,
+            isConnected: true,
+            currentAttemptToken: token,
+            isPeripheralConnected: true
+        )
+
+        #expect(!result)
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    func peripheralConnectedStateIgnoresTimeout() {
+        let token: UInt64 = 5
+
+        let result = BLEConnectTimeoutPolicy.shouldExecuteConnectTimeout(
+            capturedAttemptToken: token,
+            isConnecting: true,
+            isConnected: false,
+            currentAttemptToken: token,
+            isPeripheralConnected: true
+        )
+
+        #expect(!result)
+    }
+}