diff --git a/packages/client/src/effect/service.ts b/packages/client/src/effect/service.ts
index d0514e3b75a..db2d15e46e6 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/effect/service.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/effect/service.ts
@@ -131,7 +131,9 @@ export const ensure = Effect.fn("service.ensure")(function* (options: EnsureOpti
   }).pipe(
     Effect.repeat({
       until: Option.isSome,
-      schedule: Schedule.max([Schedule.spaced(timing.pollInterval), Schedule.recurs(timing.attempts)]),
+      // Probes run sequentially, so a slow probe stretches each iteration; bound the loop by wall clock
+      // like the Promise variant rather than by attempt count.
+      schedule: Schedule.spaced(timing.pollInterval).pipe(Schedule.upTo({ duration: timing.promiseTimeout })),
     }),
     Effect.ensuring(Effect.sync(() => contenders.forEach((contender) => contender.release()))),
   )
diff --git a/packages/client/src/service-timing.ts b/packages/client/src/service-timing.ts
index 31a50c6b5d1..03db9f6cb2c 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/service-timing.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/service-timing.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 export type EnsureTiming = {
   readonly pollInterval: number
-  readonly attempts: number
   readonly requestTimeout: number
   readonly spawnDelay: number
   readonly maxSpawnDelay: number
@@ -11,9 +10,11 @@ export type EnsureTiming = {
 
 const timings = new WeakMap<object, EnsureTiming>()
 
+// A freshly spawned service registers in ~250 ms, so the poll cadence is a large share of the
+// time a client waits for it. Probes are sequential, so the wait between them only matters while
+// the connection is refused; both variants give up after promiseTimeout of wall-clock time.
 export const defaultEnsureTiming: EnsureTiming = {
-  pollInterval: 100,
-  attempts: 1_200,
+  pollInterval: 25,
   requestTimeout: 2_000,
   spawnDelay: 5_000,
   maxSpawnDelay: 30_000,
diff --git a/packages/client/test/fixture/service-timing.ts b/packages/client/test/fixture/service-timing.ts
index f4db65ae1f5..8c9ff85e15a 100644
--- a/packages/client/test/fixture/service-timing.ts
+++ b/packages/client/test/fixture/service-timing.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ import { withEnsureTiming } from "../../src/service-timing"
 
 const timing = {
   pollInterval: 20,
-  attempts: 120,
   requestTimeout: 100,
   spawnDelay: 200,
   maxSpawnDelay: 1_200,