diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/pollers/base.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/pollers/base.py
index 616a4dfd..43fbcdb6 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/pollers/base.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/pollers/base.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import asyncio
 import logging
+import random
 from datetime import UTC, datetime
 
 from haiku.rag.config import SourceConfig
@@ -15,6 +16,8 @@ from haiku.rag.telemetry import get_context, logfire
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
+_STAGGER_FRACTION = 0.25
+
 
 def _enqueue_extra() -> dict | None:
     """Per-job context the worker can't reconstruct from config alone.
@@ -84,6 +87,17 @@ class BasePoller:
             await asyncio.gather(self._task, return_exceptions=True)
             self._task = None
 
+    async def _stagger_start(self) -> bool:
+        """Sleep a random fraction of the interval so pollers sharing an
+        interval don't sweep in lockstep. Returns True if stop was
+        signalled during the wait."""
+        jitter = random.uniform(0, self.config.poll_interval_s * _STAGGER_FRACTION)
+        try:
+            await asyncio.wait_for(self._stop.wait(), timeout=jitter)
+            return True
+        except TimeoutError:
+            return False
+
     async def _sweep_once(self) -> bool:
         """One discover() sweep. Returns True on success, False if the
         breaker is open, the source has pending work already queued, or the
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/pollers/fs.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/pollers/fs.py
index 6bb714a2..9ed76b95 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/pollers/fs.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/pollers/fs.py
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import asyncio
 import logging
-import random
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 
@@ -65,19 +64,12 @@ class FSPoller(BasePoller):
         """Periodic full sweep. Catches files modified while the watcher
         wasn't running (gaps between starts, races, FS events the OS dropped).
         Sweep behaviour is unit-tested via `_sweep_once()` directly."""
-        # Stagger the first sleep so multiple FS pollers don't all sweep
-        # at exactly the same moment after startup.
-        interval = self.config.poll_interval_s
-        jitter = random.uniform(0, interval * 0.25)
-        try:
-            await asyncio.wait_for(self._stop.wait(), timeout=jitter)
+        if await self._stagger_start():
             return
-        except TimeoutError:
-            pass
         while not self._stop.is_set():
             try:
                 await asyncio.wait_for(
-                    self._stop.wait(), timeout=interval
+                    self._stop.wait(), timeout=self.config.poll_interval_s
                 )
                 return
             except TimeoutError:
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/pollers/periodic.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/pollers/periodic.py
index 712e2ce2..45ec5fa8 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/pollers/periodic.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/pollers/periodic.py
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 import asyncio
-import logging
-import random
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 
 from haiku.rag.ingester.pollers.base import BasePoller
@@ -8,8 +6,6 @@ from haiku.rag.ingester.pollers.base import BasePoller
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from haiku.rag.ingester.pollers.circuit_breaker import CircuitBreaker
 
-logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
-
 
 class PeriodicPoller(BasePoller):
     """Runs `source.discover()` on a fixed interval. Used for HTTP, S3, WebDAV
@@ -39,19 +35,12 @@ class PeriodicPoller(BasePoller):
         # immediately instead of waiting one full interval. The sweep
         # behaviour itself is exercised via `_sweep_once()` unit tests.
         await self._sweep_once()
-        # Stagger the first sleep so pollers that share the same interval
-        # don't all wake up and sweep at exactly the same moment.
-        interval = self.config.poll_interval_s
-        jitter = random.uniform(0, interval * 0.25)
-        try:
-            await asyncio.wait_for(self._stop.wait(), timeout=jitter)
+        if await self._stagger_start():
             return
-        except TimeoutError:
-            pass
         while not self._stop.is_set():
             try:
                 await asyncio.wait_for(
-                    self._stop.wait(), timeout=interval
+                    self._stop.wait(), timeout=self.config.poll_interval_s
                 )
                 return
             except TimeoutError:
diff --git a/tests/ingester/test_pollers.py b/tests/ingester/test_pollers.py
index 3aa4b2b9..addc39e2 100644
--- a/tests/ingester/test_pollers.py
+++ b/tests/ingester/test_pollers.py
@@ -114,6 +114,32 @@ def _periodic(source, config, jobs, sync, **kwargs):
     )
 
 
+# --- _stagger_start ---
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_stagger_start_sleeps_fraction_of_interval(jobs, sync, fs_config, monkeypatch):
+    """_stagger_start should sleep for a random fraction of poll_interval_s
+    and return False (not stopped)."""
+    monkeypatch.setattr("random.uniform", lambda a, b: b)  # max jitter
+    source = _StubSource("src", [])
+    poller = _periodic(source, fs_config, jobs, sync)
+    # poll_interval_s=0.05, so max jitter = 0.05 * 0.25 = 0.0125s
+    stopped = await poller._stagger_start()
+    assert stopped is False
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_stagger_start_returns_true_when_stopped(jobs, sync, fs_config, monkeypatch):
+    """If _stop is set before the jitter elapses, _stagger_start returns True."""
+    monkeypatch.setattr("random.uniform", lambda a, b: 10.0)  # long jitter
+    source = _StubSource("src", [])
+    poller = _periodic(source, fs_config, jobs, sync)
+    poller._stop.set()
+    stopped = await poller._stagger_start()
+    assert stopped is True
+
+
 # --- _sweep_once / event handling on the base class via PeriodicPoller ---