diff --git a/tests/test_mcp_oauth_refresh.py b/tests/test_mcp_oauth_refresh.py
index 7faa51a9..5774fce4 100644
--- a/tests/test_mcp_oauth_refresh.py
+++ b/tests/test_mcp_oauth_refresh.py
@@ -378,11 +378,12 @@ class TestRefreshFailureClassification:
         # The cooldown short-circuited the second attempt: exactly one AS POST.
         assert client.post.call_count == 1
 
-    def test_backoff_cleared_when_token_vanishes(self, storage: SQLiteBackend) -> None:
-        """A transient failure records per-(user,server) backoff; if the token is
-        then deleted cluster-wide (another node's permanent revoke), the next
-        lookup returns ``missing`` AND clears this node's now-stale backoff entry,
-        so the dict stays bounded to live pairs."""
+    def test_backoff_and_lock_cleared_when_token_vanishes(self, storage: SQLiteBackend) -> None:
+        """A transient failure retains BOTH sibling per-(user,server) entries — the
+        refresh lock (for serialization) and the backoff (for the cooldown). If
+        the token is then deleted cluster-wide (another node's permanent revoke),
+        the next lookup returns ``missing`` AND prunes both, so neither in-process
+        dict grows unboundedly on the missing path."""
         _seed_server(storage)
         client = MagicMock(spec=httpx.AsyncClient)
         client.get = AsyncMock(return_value=_mk_response(200, _good_as_metadata_doc()))
@@ -392,16 +393,19 @@ class TestRefreshFailureClassification:
         state = _make_app_state(storage, http_client=client)
         _seed_token(state, expires_in_seconds=-1000)
 
-        # First lookup: a transient 503 records a backoff entry.
+        # First lookup: a transient 503 records a backoff entry AND retains the
+        # refresh lock (the keep-path must not drop it — bug-1).
         assert self._lookup(state).kind == "refresh_failed_transient"
         assert ("user-1", "srv-oauth") in state.mcp_oauth_refresh_backoff
+        assert ("user-1", "srv-oauth") in state.mcp_oauth_refresh_locks
 
         # Another node revokes the token cluster-wide (shared Postgres store).
         state.mcp_token_store.delete_user_token("user-1", "srv-oauth")
 
-        # Next lookup sees the row gone -> missing -> the stale entry is cleared.
+        # Next lookup sees the row gone -> missing -> both stale entries cleared.
         assert self._lookup(state).kind == "missing"
         assert ("user-1", "srv-oauth") not in state.mcp_oauth_refresh_backoff
+        assert ("user-1", "srv-oauth") not in state.mcp_oauth_refresh_locks
 
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/turnstone/core/mcp_oauth.py b/turnstone/core/mcp_oauth.py
index 1ddcc7b9..cead45c9 100644
--- a/turnstone/core/mcp_oauth.py
+++ b/turnstone/core/mcp_oauth.py
@@ -1429,15 +1429,19 @@ def _token_result(
 def _no_token_result(
     app_state: Any, user_id: str, server_name: str, result: TokenLookupResult
 ) -> TokenLookupResult:
-    """Clear any transient-refresh backoff, then return a non-token *result*.
+    """Drop per-(user, server) refresh state, then return a non-token *result*.
 
     A ``missing`` / ``decrypt_failure`` outcome means the grant is no longer live
-    on this node (token deleted cluster-wide, key rotated), so the
-    per-(user, server) backoff is dropped to keep the dict bounded to live pairs
-    — the mirror of :func:`_token_result` (success) and
-    :func:`_revoke_after_refresh_failure` (revoke). Backoff then survives only
-    the two intentional keep-paths: the transient handler and the cooldown gate.
+    on this node (token deleted cluster-wide, key rotated), so BOTH sibling
+    per-(user, server) dicts are pruned — the refresh lock and the transient
+    backoff — keeping each bounded to live pairs (the mirror of
+    :func:`_token_result` on success and :func:`_revoke_after_refresh_failure`
+    on revoke). The transient keep-path deliberately retains the lock (so
+    concurrent same-key refreshes stay serialized) and the backoff (for the
+    cooldown), so without this prune a token that vanishes after a transient
+    failure would strand both entries.
     """
+    _drop_refresh_lock(app_state, user_id, server_name)
     _clear_refresh_backoff(app_state, user_id, server_name)
     return result
 
@@ -1615,7 +1619,6 @@ async def get_user_access_token_classified(
                 server_name=server_name,
                 exc_info=True,
             )
-            _drop_refresh_lock(app_state, user_id, server_name)
             return _no_token_result(
                 app_state,
                 user_id,