diff --git a/src/lib/fleet-overview.ts b/src/lib/fleet-overview.ts
index 826202d..825e2f9 100644
--- a/src/lib/fleet-overview.ts
+++ b/src/lib/fleet-overview.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { parseServerName, zombieMapBySlug } from './map-aliases.js';
+import { freshStatusTimestamp } from './server-freshness.js';
 import type { ZombieGame } from './map-aliases.js';
 import type { RoundTelemetry } from './telemetry.js';
 import type { Health, RosterPlayer } from './ui/stores/servers.js';
@@ -40,8 +41,7 @@ export type FleetFilter = 'all' | 'occupied' | 'empty' | 'attention' | 'testing'
 export type FleetSort = 'name' | 'players' | 'round' | 'duration';
 
 export function freshServer(server: FleetServer, now: number): boolean {
-    const age = now - Date.parse(server.last_seen_at ?? '');
-    return server.health === 'online' && age >= 0 && age <= 30_000;
+    return server.health === 'online' && !server.last_error && freshStatusTimestamp(server.last_seen_at, now);
 }
 
 export function fleetIdentity(server: FleetServer) {
diff --git a/src/lib/server-freshness.ts b/src/lib/server-freshness.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ec01e72
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/server-freshness.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+// Allow a polling cycle plus time for queued RCON requests and delivery.
+export const STATUS_REFRESH_MS = 30_000;
+export const ONLINE_MAX_MS = STATUS_REFRESH_MS + 15_000;
+// The UI clock ticks once per second and can trail a newly arrived report.
+const CLOCK_TOLERANCE_MS = 1_000;
+
+export function freshStatusTimestamp(timestamp: string | null, now: number): boolean {
+    const age = now - Date.parse(timestamp ?? '');
+    return age >= -CLOCK_TOLERANCE_MS && age <= ONLINE_MAX_MS;
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/server/fleet/health.ts b/src/lib/server/fleet/health.ts
index 96726bf..9936822 100644
--- a/src/lib/server/fleet/health.ts
+++ b/src/lib/server/fleet/health.ts
@@ -1,24 +1,24 @@
+import { freshStatusTimestamp } from '../../server-freshness.js';
 export type Health = 'online' | 'stale' | 'offline' | 'starting';
 
-const ONLINE_MAX_MS = 30_000;
 const STALE_MAX_MS = 120_000;
 
 /**
  * Classify server health from its last successful RCON timestamp.
- * `offline` if we've never seen it, or if RCON just failed, or if the last
- * successful reply is >120s old. `stale` if the last reply is 30-120s old
- * (RCON glitchy). `online` if fresh.
+ * `offline` if we've never seen it or the last successful reply is >120s old.
+ * `stale` on an RCON failure or if the last reply is 45-120s old.
+ * `online` if fresh, including the allowance for polling and delivery.
  */
 export function classifyHealth(lastSeenAt: string | null, lastError: string | null, containerState?: string | null): Health {
     if (containerState === 'starting' || containerState === 'restarting') return 'starting';
     if (containerState && containerState !== 'running') return 'offline';
     if (!lastSeenAt) return 'offline';
     const age = Date.now() - new Date(lastSeenAt).getTime();
-    if (!Number.isFinite(age) || age < 0) return 'offline';
-    if (age <= ONLINE_MAX_MS) {
+    if (freshStatusTimestamp(lastSeenAt, Date.now())) {
         // Even with a fresh last_seen, a very recent error demotes to stale
         return lastError ? 'stale' : 'online';
     }
+    if (!Number.isFinite(age) || age < 0) return 'offline';
     if (age <= STALE_MAX_MS) return 'stale';
     return 'offline';
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/server/pipeline/worker.ts b/src/lib/server/pipeline/worker.ts
index 3938619..689be49 100644
--- a/src/lib/server/pipeline/worker.ts
+++ b/src/lib/server/pipeline/worker.ts
@@ -9,10 +9,10 @@ import { listServers, setServerField } from '../fleet/servers.js';
 import { komodoInspectHealthy } from '../integrations/komodo.js';
 import { restartSettling } from './restart-rollout.js';
 import { classifyHealth } from '../fleet/health.js';
+import { STATUS_REFRESH_MS } from '../../server-freshness.js';
 import { scanMatchState } from '../fleet/match-log.js';
 
 const TICK_MS = 15_000;
-const STATUS_REFRESH_MS = 30_000;
 // Cap concurrent UDP RCON calls so a 15-server fleet doesn't blast the
 // host all at once.
 const STATUS_CONCURRENCY = 4;
diff --git a/tests/unit/fleet-overview.test.ts b/tests/unit/fleet-overview.test.ts
index 21b8a66..20f3485 100644
--- a/tests/unit/fleet-overview.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/fleet-overview.test.ts
@@ -30,14 +30,14 @@ describe('Fleet discovery and match freshness', () => {
         expect(fleetIdentity({ ...server, game_mode: 'mp' }).launch).toBeNull();
     });
     it('does not classify stale, missing, or starting occupancy as an empty lobby', () => {
-        for (const change of [{ last_seen_at: iso(-31_000) }, { last_players: null }, { health: 'starting' as const }, { health: 'offline' as const }]) {
+        for (const change of [{ last_seen_at: iso(-46_000) }, { last_players: null }, { health: 'starting' as const }, { health: 'offline' as const }]) {
             expect(matchesFleet({ ...server, last_players: 0, ...change }, '', 'empty', '', [], [], now)).toBe(false);
         }
         expect(matchesFleet({ ...server, last_players: 0 }, '', 'empty', '', [], [], now)).toBe(true);
         expect(matchesFleet(server, '', 'occupied', 't5', [], [], now)).toBe(false);
     });
     it('includes stale health and failed operations in attention without flagging normal startup', () => {
-        expect(matchesFleet({ ...server, last_seen_at: iso(-31_000) }, '', 'attention', '', [], [], now)).toBe(true);
+        expect(matchesFleet({ ...server, last_seen_at: iso(-46_000) }, '', 'attention', '', [], [], now)).toBe(true);
         expect(matchesFleet(server, '', 'attention', '', [], [{ ...operation, state: 'attention' }], now)).toBe(true);
         expect(matchesFleet({ ...server, health: 'starting' }, '', 'attention', '', [], [], now)).toBe(false);
     });
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ describe('one-shot lobby watches', () => {
         expect(watchSatisfied(watch, { ...server, last_players: 0 }, [], now)).toBe(true);
         expect(watchSatisfied(watch, undefined, [], now)).toBe(false);
         expect(watchSatisfied(watch, { ...server, last_players: null }, [], now)).toBe(false);
-        expect(watchSatisfied(watch, { ...server, last_players: 0, last_seen_at: iso(-31_000) }, [], now)).toBe(false);
+        expect(watchSatisfied(watch, { ...server, last_players: 0, last_seen_at: iso(-46_000) }, [], now)).toBe(false);
     });
     it('only completes the watched operation on explicit success', () => {
         const watch = { id: 'op', server: server.name, kind: 'operation' as const, operationKey: operation.key, href: '/' };
diff --git a/tests/unit/server-freshness.test.ts b/tests/unit/server-freshness.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..185b992
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/server-freshness.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+import { afterEach, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { freshStatusTimestamp, STATUS_REFRESH_MS } from '../../src/lib/server-freshness.js';
+import { classifyHealth } from '../../src/lib/server/fleet/health.js';
+import { freshServer, type FleetServer } from '../../src/lib/fleet-overview.js';
+
+afterEach(() => vi.useRealTimers());
+
+it('keeps healthy reports online across polling and delivery delays, then expires them', () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    const reportAt = Date.parse('2026-09-18T12:00:00Z');
+    const timestamp = new Date(reportAt).toISOString();
+    for (const elapsed of [-999, 0, STATUS_REFRESH_MS, STATUS_REFRESH_MS + 4000, 45_000, 45_001]) {
+        const now = reportAt + elapsed;
+        vi.setSystemTime(now);
+        const expected = elapsed <= 45_000;
+        const health = classifyHealth(timestamp, null, 'running');
+        expect(health).toBe(expected ? 'online' : 'stale');
+        expect(freshServer({ health, last_seen_at: timestamp, last_error: null } as FleetServer, now)).toBe(expected);
+    }
+    vi.setSystemTime(reportAt + 120_001);
+    expect(classifyHealth(timestamp, null, 'running')).toBe('offline');
+});
+
+it('does not hide failures or accept missing, invalid, or far-future timestamps', () => {
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    const now = Date.parse('2026-09-18T12:00:00Z');
+    vi.setSystemTime(now);
+    const timestamp = new Date(now).toISOString();
+    expect(classifyHealth(timestamp, 'timeout', 'running')).toBe('stale');
+    expect(classifyHealth(timestamp, null, 'stopped')).toBe('offline');
+    expect(classifyHealth(timestamp, null, 'restarting')).toBe('starting');
+    expect(freshServer({ health: 'online', last_seen_at: timestamp, last_error: 'timeout' } as FleetServer, now)).toBe(false);
+    for (const invalid of [null, 'invalid', new Date(now + 1001).toISOString()]) {
+        expect(freshStatusTimestamp(invalid, now)).toBe(false);
+        expect(classifyHealth(invalid, null, 'running')).toBe('offline');
+    }
+});