diff --git a/tests/StackExchange.Redis.Tests/ClusterCommandsRefusedUnitTests.cs b/tests/StackExchange.Redis.Tests/ClusterCommandsRefusedUnitTests.cs
index 1932824dc..303714560 100644
--- a/tests/StackExchange.Redis.Tests/ClusterCommandsRefusedUnitTests.cs
+++ b/tests/StackExchange.Redis.Tests/ClusterCommandsRefusedUnitTests.cs
@@ -65,20 +65,29 @@ public async Task AllClusterCommandsRefusedIsQuiet()
         config.LoggerFactory = logger;
         await using var conn = await ConnectionMultiplexer.ConnectAsync(config);
 
-        log.WriteLine(logger.All);
-        Assert.Empty(logger.Matching("Encountered error while updating cluster config"));
-        Assert.NotEmpty(logger.Matching("CLUSTER NODES was refused"));
+        try
+        {
+            Assert.Empty(logger.Matching("Encountered error while updating cluster config"));
+            Assert.NotEmpty(logger.Matching("CLUSTER NODES was refused"));
 
-        await conn.GetDatabase().PingAsync();
+            await conn.GetDatabase().PingAsync();
 
-        // ...and a later explicit reconfigure stays quiet too
-        Assert.True(await conn.ReconfigureAsync("test"));
-        Assert.Empty(logger.Matching("Encountered error while updating cluster config"));
+            // ...and a later explicit reconfigure stays quiet too; the connect's own follow-on reconfigures
+            // (connection restored, autoconfigure changes) may still be in flight, and ReconfigureAsync declines
+            // while one is, so insist on a pass that actually ran
+            await Poll.ReconfigureAsync(conn, "test");
+            Assert.Empty(logger.Matching("Encountered error while updating cluster config"));
 
-        // with no slot map there is nothing to route by, so we must not *route* as a cluster - in particular,
-        // cross-slot commands go to the proxy rather than being refused client-side (#3284)
-        Assert.NotEmpty(logger.Matching("no slot map is available; routing as standalone"));
-        Assert.Equal(ServerType.Standalone, conn.ServerSelectionStrategy.ServerType);
-        await conn.GetDatabase().StringGetAsync(["a", "b"]);
+            // with no slot map there is nothing to route by, so we must not *route* as a cluster - in particular,
+            // cross-slot commands go to the proxy rather than being refused client-side (#3284)
+            Assert.NotEmpty(logger.Matching("no slot map is available; routing as standalone"));
+            Assert.Equal(ServerType.Standalone, conn.ServerSelectionStrategy.ServerType);
+            await conn.GetDatabase().StringGetAsync(["a", "b"]);
+        }
+        finally
+        {
+            // after the assertions, so a failure shows what the multiplexer actually logged
+            log.WriteLine(logger.All);
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/tests/StackExchange.Redis.Tests/HelloClusterModeUnitTests.cs b/tests/StackExchange.Redis.Tests/HelloClusterModeUnitTests.cs
index c5b827969..50336b9ab 100644
--- a/tests/StackExchange.Redis.Tests/HelloClusterModeUnitTests.cs
+++ b/tests/StackExchange.Redis.Tests/HelloClusterModeUnitTests.cs
@@ -63,12 +63,7 @@ public async Task CrossSlotSurvivesSubscriptionReconnect(RedisProtocol protocol)
 
         // the restored connection triggers a fire-and-forget reconfigure (and so can a server-type change);
         // ReconfigureAsync declines while one is in flight, so insist on one that actually ran
-        var deadline = DateTime.UtcNow.AddSeconds(10);
-        while (!await conn.ReconfigureAsync("after subscription reconnect"))
-        {
-            if (DateTime.UtcNow > deadline) throw new TimeoutException("Timed out waiting for a reconfigure to run");
-            await Task.Delay(50);
-        }
+        await Poll.ReconfigureAsync(conn, "after subscription reconnect");
 
         try
         {
diff --git a/tests/StackExchange.Redis.Tests/Helpers/Poll.cs b/tests/StackExchange.Redis.Tests/Helpers/Poll.cs
index a5a0dc4ff..dd55d1d08 100644
--- a/tests/StackExchange.Redis.Tests/Helpers/Poll.cs
+++ b/tests/StackExchange.Redis.Tests/Helpers/Poll.cs
@@ -37,4 +37,24 @@ public static async Task<bool> UntilAsync(Func<bool> predicate, int timeoutMilli
 
         return false;
     }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Runs a reconfigure that is guaranteed to have actually executed, rather than been declined.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <remarks>
+    /// A freshly connected multiplexer fires its own fire-and-forget reconfigures (connection-restored for each
+    /// physical connection, autoconfigure field changes), and <see cref="ConnectionMultiplexer.ReconfigureAsync(string)"/>
+    /// returns <c>false</c> while one is in flight. A test that asserts on that return value races those, and
+    /// loses on a slow runner; this keeps asking until a pass runs under the caller's cause.
+    /// </remarks>
+    public static async Task ReconfigureAsync(ConnectionMultiplexer conn, string cause, int timeoutMilliseconds = 10000, int pollMilliseconds = 50)
+    {
+        var cancellationToken = TestContext.Current.CancellationToken;
+        for (int i = 0; i <= timeoutMilliseconds / pollMilliseconds; i++)
+        {
+            if (await conn.ReconfigureAsync(cause).ConfigureAwait(false)) return;
+            await Task.Delay(pollMilliseconds, cancellationToken).ConfigureAwait(false);
+        }
+        throw new TimeoutException("Timed out waiting for a reconfigure to run: " + cause);
+    }
 }