diff --git a/src/main/agent-awake-blocker-swap-retry.test.ts b/src/main/agent-awake-blocker-swap-retry.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..cbdb64f5401
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/agent-awake-blocker-swap-retry.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import {
+  AgentAwakeBlockerSwapRetry,
+  AGENT_AWAKE_BLOCKER_SWAP_RETRY_MS
+} from './agent-awake-blocker-swap-retry'
+
+describe('AgentAwakeBlockerSwapRetry', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => vi.useFakeTimers())
+  afterEach(() => vi.useRealTimers())
+
+  it('makes at most one retry for the same blocker target', () => {
+    let retry: AgentAwakeBlockerSwapRetry
+    const callback = vi.fn(() => retry.schedule('prevent-app-suspension'))
+    retry = new AgentAwakeBlockerSwapRetry(callback)
+
+    retry.schedule('prevent-app-suspension')
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(AGENT_AWAKE_BLOCKER_SWAP_RETRY_MS * 10)
+
+    expect(callback).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+  })
+
+  it('cancels a pending retry when cleared', () => {
+    const callback = vi.fn()
+    const retry = new AgentAwakeBlockerSwapRetry(callback)
+
+    retry.schedule('prevent-app-suspension')
+    retry.clear()
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(AGENT_AWAKE_BLOCKER_SWAP_RETRY_MS)
+
+    expect(callback).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/main/agent-awake-blocker-swap-retry.ts b/src/main/agent-awake-blocker-swap-retry.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..19e62304107
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/agent-awake-blocker-swap-retry.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+export const AGENT_AWAKE_BLOCKER_SWAP_RETRY_MS = 1_000
+
+type AgentAwakeBlockerType = 'prevent-app-suspension' | 'prevent-display-sleep'
+
+export class AgentAwakeBlockerSwapRetry {
+  private target: AgentAwakeBlockerType | null = null
+  private timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null
+
+  constructor(private readonly retry: () => void) {}
+
+  schedule(target: AgentAwakeBlockerType): void {
+    if (this.target === target) {
+      return
+    }
+    this.clear()
+    this.target = target
+    // Why: one prompt retry recovers a transient Electron stop failure without
+    // turning a quiet-agent power transition into a polling loop.
+    this.timer = setTimeout(() => {
+      this.timer = null
+      this.retry()
+    }, AGENT_AWAKE_BLOCKER_SWAP_RETRY_MS)
+    if (typeof this.timer.unref === 'function') {
+      this.timer.unref()
+    }
+  }
+
+  clear(): void {
+    if (this.timer) {
+      clearTimeout(this.timer)
+      this.timer = null
+    }
+    this.target = null
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/main/agent-awake-service.test.ts b/src/main/agent-awake-service.test.ts
index 00e84509431..827bfbcc90b 100644
--- a/src/main/agent-awake-service.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/agent-awake-service.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { AGENT_AWAKE_BLOCKER_SWAP_RETRY_MS } from './agent-awake-blocker-swap-retry'
 import {
   AgentAwakeService,
   AGENT_AWAKE_DISPLAY_KEEP_AFTER_MS,
@@ -164,9 +165,10 @@ describe('AgentAwakeService', () => {
     macosAssertion.stop.mockClear()
     linuxAssertion.stop.mockClear()
 
-    // Cross the display-keep boundary with no newer status.
-    now = 1_000 + AGENT_AWAKE_DISPLAY_KEEP_AFTER_MS + 1
-    vi.advanceTimersByTime(AGENT_AWAKE_DISPLAY_KEEP_AFTER_MS + 1)
+    // Hit the exact boundary: it must be expired here or the scheduler will
+    // move directly to the 2h system expiry and leave the display blocker on.
+    now = 1_000 + AGENT_AWAKE_DISPLAY_KEEP_AFTER_MS
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(AGENT_AWAKE_DISPLAY_KEEP_AFTER_MS)
 
     // The display assertion is swapped for a system-only one; the platform
     // (system) assertions are never stopped, so the agent keeps running.
@@ -193,7 +195,7 @@ describe('AgentAwakeService', () => {
     service.dispose()
   })
 
-  it('does not stack a second blocker if a display->system swap cannot stop the old one', () => {
+  it('retries a transient display->system swap failure without stacking blockers', () => {
     vi.useFakeTimers()
     let now = 1_000
     const blocker = createBlocker()
@@ -205,19 +207,43 @@ describe('AgentAwakeService', () => {
 
     // The swap tries to stop id 1 first, but stop fails and Electron still
     // reports it started — the old assertion must NOT be leaked under a new one.
-    blocker.stop.mockImplementation(() => {
+    blocker.stop.mockImplementationOnce(() => {
       throw new Error('stop failed')
     })
-    blocker.isStarted.mockReturnValue(true)
     blocker.start.mockClear()
 
-    now = 1_000 + AGENT_AWAKE_DISPLAY_KEEP_AFTER_MS + 1
-    vi.advanceTimersByTime(AGENT_AWAKE_DISPLAY_KEEP_AFTER_MS + 1)
+    now = 1_000 + AGENT_AWAKE_DISPLAY_KEEP_AFTER_MS
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(AGENT_AWAKE_DISPLAY_KEEP_AFTER_MS)
 
     expect(blocker.start).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(AGENT_AWAKE_BLOCKER_SWAP_RETRY_MS)
+
+    expect(blocker.stop).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2)
+    expect(blocker.start).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(blocker.start).toHaveBeenCalledWith('prevent-app-suspension')
     service.dispose()
   })
 
+  it('clears a pending blocker-swap retry on dispose', () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers()
+    let now = 1_000
+    const blocker = createBlocker()
+    const service = createService(() => now, blocker)
+
+    service.setEnabled(true)
+    service.setStatuses([workingStatus({ receivedAt: 1_000 })])
+    blocker.stop.mockImplementationOnce(() => {
+      throw new Error('stop failed')
+    })
+    now = 1_000 + AGENT_AWAKE_DISPLAY_KEEP_AFTER_MS
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(AGENT_AWAKE_DISPLAY_KEEP_AFTER_MS)
+    service.dispose()
+    blocker.stop.mockClear()
+
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(AGENT_AWAKE_BLOCKER_SWAP_RETRY_MS)
+    expect(blocker.stop).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
   it.each(['win32', 'linux'] as const)(
     'never downgrades the display on %s (only macOS has a canonical system-sleep floor)',
     (platform) => {
diff --git a/src/main/agent-awake-service.ts b/src/main/agent-awake-service.ts
index 80aa60f5243..14aae5f0c88 100644
--- a/src/main/agent-awake-service.ts
+++ b/src/main/agent-awake-service.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { powerMonitor, powerSaveBlocker } from 'electron'
 import type { AgentStatusState } from '../shared/agent-status-types'
+import { AgentAwakeBlockerSwapRetry } from './agent-awake-blocker-swap-retry'
 import { LinuxLidSleepAssertion } from './linux-lid-sleep-assertion'
 import { MacosSystemSleepAssertion } from './macos-system-sleep-assertion'
 
@@ -65,6 +66,7 @@ export class AgentAwakeService {
   private statuses: AgentAwakeStatus[] = []
   private blockerId: number | null = null
   private blockerType: AgentAwakeBlockerType | null = null
+  private readonly blockerSwapRetry: AgentAwakeBlockerSwapRetry
   private staleTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null
   private readonly blocker: PowerSaveBlocker
   private readonly linuxAssertion: PlatformAwakeAssertion
@@ -79,6 +81,7 @@ export class AgentAwakeService {
     this.logger = options.logger ?? console
     this.now = options.now ?? Date.now
     this.platform = options.platform ?? process.platform
+    this.blockerSwapRetry = new AgentAwakeBlockerSwapRetry(() => this.refresh('blocker-swap-retry'))
     // Windows lid close is intentionally not modeled as an assertion here:
     // keeping it awake requires mutating the user's global power plan.
     this.linuxAssertion =
@@ -120,6 +123,7 @@ export class AgentAwakeService {
 
   dispose(): void {
     this.clearStaleTimer()
+    this.blockerSwapRetry.clear()
     this.unsubscribeResume?.()
     this.stopBlocker('dispose')
     this.macosAssertion.dispose()
@@ -152,6 +156,7 @@ export class AgentAwakeService {
       this.startMacosAssertion(reason)
       this.startLinuxAssertion(reason)
     } else {
+      this.blockerSwapRetry.clear()
       this.stopBlocker(reason, runningStatusCount)
       this.stopMacosAssertion(reason)
       this.stopLinuxAssertion(reason)
@@ -166,7 +171,7 @@ export class AgentAwakeService {
     return this.statuses.filter(
       (status) =>
         this.isWakeEligible(status, now) &&
-        now - status.receivedAt <= AGENT_AWAKE_DISPLAY_KEEP_AFTER_MS
+        now - status.receivedAt < AGENT_AWAKE_DISPLAY_KEEP_AFTER_MS
     ).length
   }
 
@@ -232,6 +237,7 @@ export class AgentAwakeService {
     // display<->system transition must swap the assertion.
     if (this.blockerId !== null && this.blockerType === desiredType) {
       if (this.reconcileBlocker('start-reconcile')) {
+        this.blockerSwapRetry.clear()
         return
       }
     }
@@ -242,7 +248,8 @@ export class AgentAwakeService {
       if (this.blockerId !== null) {
         // The old blocker could not be stopped (stop threw and Electron still
         // reports it started). Do NOT stack a second assertion — keep the
-        // current one and retry the swap on the next refresh.
+        // current one and make one prompt retry without creating a poll loop.
+        this.blockerSwapRetry.schedule(desiredType)
         return
       }
     }
@@ -250,7 +257,9 @@ export class AgentAwakeService {
       const id = this.blocker.start(desiredType)
       this.blockerId = id
       this.blockerType = desiredType
-      this.reconcileBlocker('post-start')
+      if (this.reconcileBlocker('post-start')) {
+        this.blockerSwapRetry.clear()
+      }
     } catch (err) {
       this.logger.warn('[agent-awake] failed to start blocker', {
         reason,