diff --git a/apps/android/app/src/test/java/ai/openclaw/app/GatewayBootstrapAuthTest.kt b/apps/android/app/src/test/java/ai/openclaw/app/GatewayBootstrapAuthTest.kt
index 606af835467..c0429ec1d44 100644
--- a/apps/android/app/src/test/java/ai/openclaw/app/GatewayBootstrapAuthTest.kt
+++ b/apps/android/app/src/test/java/ai/openclaw/app/GatewayBootstrapAuthTest.kt
@@ -612,19 +612,17 @@ class GatewayBootstrapAuthTest {
       ),
     )
     prefs.gatewayRegistry.setActive(savedEndpoint.stableId)
-    prefs.saveGatewayCredentials(savedEndpoint.stableId, token = "shared-token")
+    prefs.saveGatewayCredentials(savedEndpoint.stableId, token = "initial-token")
     val runtime = NodeRuntime(app, prefs)
 
-    runtime.connect(
-      GatewayEndpoint.manual(host = "127.0.0.1", port = 18789),
-      NodeRuntime.GatewayConnectAuth(token = "initial-token", bootstrapToken = null, password = null),
-    )
+    waitForDesiredConnection(runtime, "nodeSession")
+    prefs.saveGatewayCredentials(savedEndpoint.stableId, token = "shared-token")
     runtime.disconnect()
     assertNull(desiredConnection(runtime, "nodeSession"))
 
     runtime.refreshGatewayConnection()
 
-    val desired = desiredConnection(runtime, "nodeSession") ?: error("Expected desired node connection")
+    val desired = waitForDesiredConnection(runtime, "nodeSession")
     val endpoint = readField<GatewayEndpoint>(desired, "endpoint")
     assertEquals("127.0.0.1", endpoint.host)
     assertEquals(18789, endpoint.port)
@@ -1195,6 +1193,17 @@ class GatewayBootstrapAuthTest {
     return readField(session, "desired")
   }
 
+  private fun waitForDesiredConnection(
+    runtime: NodeRuntime,
+    sessionFieldName: String,
+  ): Any {
+    repeat(50) {
+      desiredConnection(runtime, sessionFieldName)?.let { return it }
+      Thread.sleep(10)
+    }
+    error("Expected desired connection for $sessionFieldName")
+  }
+
   private fun invokeMaybeStartOperatorSessionAfterNodeConnect(
     runtime: NodeRuntime,
     endpoint: GatewayEndpoint,