diff --git a/bitchat/Noise/NoiseSessionManager.swift b/bitchat/Noise/NoiseSessionManager.swift
index e8609aed..6e2b3c23 100644
--- a/bitchat/Noise/NoiseSessionManager.swift
+++ b/bitchat/Noise/NoiseSessionManager.swift
@@ -1028,6 +1028,27 @@ final class NoiseSessionManager {
             .cancel()
     }
 
+    #if DEBUG
+    /// Fires a pending suppressed-initiation recovery immediately instead of
+    /// waiting out the completion-grace timer, so tests can inject a grace
+    /// period too large to lose against a starved runner and still exercise
+    /// the recovery path deterministically.
+    func _test_fireSuppressedInitiationRecovery(for peerID: PeerID) {
+        managerQueue.sync(flags: .barrier) {
+            guard let pending = suppressedInitiationRecoveryTimeouts
+                .removeValue(forKey: peerID) else {
+                return
+            }
+            pending.cancel()
+            guard let current = sessions[peerID],
+                  current.isEstablished() else {
+                return
+            }
+            requestHandshakeRecovery(for: peerID)
+        }
+    }
+    #endif
+
     private func requestHandshakeRecovery(
         for peerID: PeerID,
         after delay: TimeInterval = 0
diff --git a/bitchat/Services/NoiseEncryptionService.swift b/bitchat/Services/NoiseEncryptionService.swift
index 1bf2b574..5ee7608d 100644
--- a/bitchat/Services/NoiseEncryptionService.swift
+++ b/bitchat/Services/NoiseEncryptionService.swift
@@ -1089,6 +1089,10 @@ final class NoiseEncryptionService {
     func _test_initiateAutomaticRekey(for peerID: PeerID) throws {
         try initiateAutomaticRekey(for: peerID)
     }
+
+    func _test_fireSuppressedInitiationRecovery(for peerID: PeerID) {
+        sessionManager._test_fireSuppressedInitiationRecovery(for: peerID)
+    }
     #endif
     
     deinit {
diff --git a/bitchatTests/Services/NoiseEncryptionServiceTests.swift b/bitchatTests/Services/NoiseEncryptionServiceTests.swift
index a2031983..c0cd293f 100644
--- a/bitchatTests/Services/NoiseEncryptionServiceTests.swift
+++ b/bitchatTests/Services/NoiseEncryptionServiceTests.swift
@@ -962,15 +962,20 @@ struct NoiseEncryptionServiceTests {
 
     @Test("Immediate legacy restart during completion grace converges once")
     func immediateLegacyRestartDuringCompletionGrace() async throws {
+        // The grace period must still be open when the restart initiation
+        // arrives below. A small value races the wall clock on a starved
+        // runner, so inject one no test run can outlive; the recovery half
+        // is then fired explicitly instead of waiting out the timer.
+        let unlosableGracePeriod: TimeInterval = 600
         let firstKeychain = MockKeychain()
         let secondKeychain = MockKeychain()
         let first = NoiseEncryptionService(
             keychain: firstKeychain,
-            recentInitiatorCompletionGracePeriod: 0.03
+            recentInitiatorCompletionGracePeriod: unlosableGracePeriod
         )
         let second = NoiseEncryptionService(
             keychain: secondKeychain,
-            recentInitiatorCompletionGracePeriod: 0.03
+            recentInitiatorCompletionGracePeriod: unlosableGracePeriod
         )
         let firstPeerID = PeerID(publicKey: first.getStaticPublicKeyData())
         let secondPeerID = PeerID(publicKey: second.getStaticPublicKeyData())
@@ -1035,6 +1040,7 @@ struct NoiseEncryptionServiceTests {
         )
         #expect(lower.hasEstablishedSession(with: higherPeerID))
 
+        lower._test_fireSuppressedInitiationRecovery(for: higherPeerID)
         let requested = await TestHelpers.waitUntil(
             { recovery.messages.count == 1 },
             timeout: TestConstants.longTimeout