diff --git a/PrivaPub.Tests/Federation/JobHandlerTests.cs b/PrivaPub.Tests/Federation/JobHandlerTests.cs
index 40e248b..758846d 100644
--- a/PrivaPub.Tests/Federation/JobHandlerTests.cs
+++ b/PrivaPub.Tests/Federation/JobHandlerTests.cs
@@ -469,7 +469,7 @@ namespace PrivaPub.Tests.Federation
 			await DB.Default.DeleteAsync<RemoteInstance>(i => PeerHosts.Contains(i.Host));
 		}
 
-		async Task<JobOutcome> Attempt(LocalActor signer, string inbox)
+		async Task<JobOutcome> Attempt(LocalActor signer, string inbox, int attempts = 1)
 		{
 			var token = TestContext.Current.CancellationToken;
 			var id = $"{Harness.Base}/a/{Guid.NewGuid():N}";
@@ -479,7 +479,7 @@ namespace PrivaPub.Tests.Federation
 				["object"] = new JsonObject { ["type"] = "Note", ["content"] = "hi" }
 			}, token);
 			var job = await DB.Default.Find<Job>().Match(j => j.DedupeKey == $"{id}|{inbox}").ExecuteSingleAsync(token);
-			job.Attempts = 1;
+			job.Attempts = attempts;
 			var handler = new DeliveryJobHandler(_harness.Local, Peer.Http(), new HostCircuitBreaker(new MemoryCache(new MemoryCacheOptions())),
 				NullLogger<DeliveryJobHandler>.Instance);
 			return await handler.Handle(job, token);
@@ -533,5 +533,21 @@ namespace PrivaPub.Tests.Federation
 			Assert.Equal(JobResult.Retry, broken.Result);
 			Assert.StartsWith("500", broken.Error);
 		}
+
+		// Mastodon's 422 for two first contacts racing to create one account, and its 409 for a held lock, are retried a
+		// few times; the third refusal is final like any other
+		[Fact]
+		public async Task Conflicts_and_unprocessable_answers_are_retried_twice_then_dead()
+		{
+			var (_, alice) = await _harness.Persona("alice");
+			_harness.Peer.Answer("/racing/inbox", 422);
+			_harness.Peer.Answer("/locked/inbox", 409);
+
+			Assert.Equal(JobResult.Retry, (await Attempt(alice, _harness.Peer.A + "/racing/inbox")).Result);
+			Assert.Equal(JobResult.Retry, (await Attempt(alice, _harness.Peer.A + "/locked/inbox", attempts: 2)).Result);
+			var final = await Attempt(alice, _harness.Peer.A + "/racing/inbox", attempts: 3);
+			Assert.Equal(JobResult.Dead, final.Result);
+			Assert.StartsWith("422", final.Error);
+		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/PrivaPub/Federation/Outbox/DeliveryService.cs b/PrivaPub/Federation/Outbox/DeliveryService.cs
index 1e57f52..c29ebcc 100644
--- a/PrivaPub/Federation/Outbox/DeliveryService.cs
+++ b/PrivaPub/Federation/Outbox/DeliveryService.cs
@@ -216,6 +216,11 @@ namespace PrivaPub.Federation.Outbox
 						? JobOutcome.Defer(DateTime.UtcNow + Min(retryAfter.Value, TimeSpan.FromHours(6)), $"{status}")
 						: JobOutcome.Retry($"{status}");
 				}
+				// Mastodon answers 422 when two first contacts from one actor race to create its account (RecordInvalid on the
+				// unique uri) and 409 while another worker holds its lock: a Follow refused that way was lost for good, and the
+				// persona waited on "requested" forever (found by the town). Both get a few tries before they count as refusals.
+				if (status is 409 or 422 && job.Attempts < TransientRefusalAttempts)
+					return JobOutcome.Retry($"{status} {response.ReasonPhrase}");
 				if (status is >= 400 and < 500 && status != 408)
 				{
 					await _breaker.Succeeded(job.Host, token);
@@ -239,6 +244,8 @@ namespace PrivaPub.Federation.Outbox
 			}
 		}
 
+		const int TransientRefusalAttempts = 3;
+
 		static TimeSpan Min(TimeSpan a, TimeSpan b) => a < b ? a : b;
 	}
 }