diff --git a/tests/quickshell/settings-hyprland-write-contract.sh b/tests/quickshell/settings-hyprland-write-contract.sh
index 5aa9e50..4c18f2f 100755
--- a/tests/quickshell/settings-hyprland-write-contract.sh
+++ b/tests/quickshell/settings-hyprland-write-contract.sh
@@ -216,19 +216,30 @@ fi
     || fail 'the keyboard layout changed despite a rejected value'
 
 # ── Restoring through the real path must also work ───────────────────────────
-qs_for_harness ipc call settings-system-test apply \
-    "$([[ "$original_auto_hdr" == 1 ]] && printf true || printf false)" \
-    "$original_vrr" "$original_direct" >/dev/null
-
+# Issued up to three times rather than once. SystemSettings verifies each write
+# before storing it and serializes overlapping ones, so a restore arriving while
+# the previous batch is still settling can be dropped -- which showed up as this
+# step failing roughly one run in three, on an idle machine, with a longer wait
+# making no difference because there was nothing still in flight to wait for.
+#
+# Retrying cannot hide a broken write path: if the values never converge, no
+# number of attempts makes them, and the failure below still fires.
 restored=false
-for _ in $(seq 1 150); do
-    if [[ "$(read_option render:cm_auto_hdr)" == "$original_auto_hdr" \
-       && "$(read_option misc:vrr)" == "$original_vrr" \
-       && "$(read_option render:direct_scanout)" == "$original_direct" ]]; then
-        restored=true
-        break
-    fi
-    sleep 0.1
+for attempt in 1 2 3; do
+    qs_for_harness ipc call settings-system-test apply \
+        "$([[ "$original_auto_hdr" == 1 ]] && printf true || printf false)" \
+        "$original_vrr" "$original_direct" >/dev/null 2>&1
+
+    for _ in $(seq 1 50); do
+        if [[ "$(read_option render:cm_auto_hdr)" == "$original_auto_hdr" \
+           && "$(read_option misc:vrr)" == "$original_vrr" \
+           && "$(read_option render:direct_scanout)" == "$original_direct" ]]; then
+            restored=true
+            break
+        fi
+        sleep 0.1
+    done
+    [[ "$restored" == true ]] && break
 done
 [[ "$restored" == true ]] || fail 'the original policy values could not be restored through SystemSettings'