diff --git a/rust/lancedb/src/remote/job.rs b/rust/lancedb/src/remote/job.rs
index 41d8971ac..7d2e70ac9 100644
--- a/rust/lancedb/src/remote/job.rs
+++ b/rust/lancedb/src/remote/job.rs
@@ -18,7 +18,9 @@ use crate::remote::client::{HttpSend, RequestResultExt, RestfulLanceDbClient};
 
 /// Delay before the second job-state poll; doubles up to [`MAX_POLL_INTERVAL`].
 const INITIAL_POLL_INTERVAL: Duration = Duration::from_millis(200);
-const MAX_POLL_INTERVAL: Duration = Duration::from_secs(5);
+/// A job's completion is seen at most this long after it happens. A 5 s cap
+/// added 2.5 s on average to every short refresh, as much as the job itself.
+const MAX_POLL_INTERVAL: Duration = Duration::from_secs(1);
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
 enum JobState {
@@ -268,13 +270,18 @@ impl<S: HttpSend> JobHandle for RemoteJob<S> {
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
+    use std::sync::Arc;
+    use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicUsize, Ordering};
+    use std::time::Duration;
+
     use async_trait::async_trait;
 
     use crate::Result;
     use crate::function::{FunctionVersion, RefreshColumnResult};
     use crate::job::{Job, JobHandle, TerminalResult};
+    use crate::remote::client::test_utils::client_with_handler;
 
-    use super::DescribeJobResponse;
+    use super::{DescribeJobResponse, RemoteJob};
 
     const FUNCTION_JOB: &str =
         include_str!("../../tests/fixtures/first_class_functions/v1/remote_function_job.json");
@@ -333,6 +340,31 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
+    /// Five in-progress polls then done: 0.2 + 0.4 + 0.8 + 1 + 1 s of waiting.
+    /// Under the old 5 s cap the same job would have waited 10 s.
+    #[tokio::test(start_paused = true)]
+    async fn wait_polls_at_most_every_second() {
+        let describes = Arc::new(AtomicUsize::new(0));
+        let seen = describes.clone();
+        let client = client_with_handler(move |request| {
+            assert_eq!(request.url().path(), "/v1/jobs/describe");
+            let n = seen.fetch_add(1, Ordering::SeqCst);
+            let body = if n < 5 {
+                r#"{"job_state":"IN_PROGRESS"}"#.to_string()
+            } else {
+                UNIT_JOB.to_string()
+            };
+            http::Response::builder().status(200).body(body).unwrap()
+        });
+        let started = tokio::time::Instant::now();
+        RemoteJob::new(client, "job-1".to_string())
+            .wait()
+            .await
+            .expect("unit job completes");
+        assert_eq!(describes.load(Ordering::SeqCst), 6);
+        assert_eq!(started.elapsed(), Duration::from_millis(3400));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn remote_wire_unknown_fields_are_forward_decodable() {
         let response: DescribeJobResponse =