diff --git a/tests/node/test_wakunode_legacy_lightpush.nim b/tests/node/test_wakunode_legacy_lightpush.nim
index ec61c2cdf..4dfe21e9c 100644
--- a/tests/node/test_wakunode_legacy_lightpush.nim
+++ b/tests/node/test_wakunode_legacy_lightpush.nim
@@ -118,7 +118,10 @@ suite "RLN Proofs as a Lightpush Service":
     manager = waitFor setupOnchainGroupManager(deployContracts = false)
 
     # mount rln-relay
-    let wakuRlnConfig = getWakuRlnConfig(manager = manager, index = MembershipIndex(1))
+    # match prod epoch window to reduce test flake
+    let wakuRlnConfig = getWakuRlnConfig(
+      manager = manager, index = MembershipIndex(1), epochSizeSec = 600
+    )
 
     await allFutures(server.start(), client.start())
     await server.start()
diff --git a/tests/node/test_wakunode_lightpush.nim b/tests/node/test_wakunode_lightpush.nim
index be36b8d98..df6c7f8e0 100644
--- a/tests/node/test_wakunode_lightpush.nim
+++ b/tests/node/test_wakunode_lightpush.nim
@@ -116,7 +116,10 @@ suite "RLN Proofs as a Lightpush Service":
     manager = waitFor setupOnchainGroupManager(deployContracts = false)
 
     # mount rln-relay
-    let wakuRlnConfig = getWakuRlnConfig(manager = manager, index = MembershipIndex(1))
+    # match prod epoch window to reduce test flake
+    let wakuRlnConfig = getWakuRlnConfig(
+      manager = manager, index = MembershipIndex(1), epochSizeSec = 600
+    )
 
     await allFutures(server.start(), client.start())
     await server.start()
diff --git a/tests/waku_relay/test_protocol.nim b/tests/waku_relay/test_protocol.nim
index 16a1767b6..a2042627e 100644
--- a/tests/waku_relay/test_protocol.nim
+++ b/tests/waku_relay/test_protocol.nim
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {.used.}
 
 import
-  std/[options, strformat],
+  std/[options, strformat, sets, tables],
   testutils/unittests,
   chronos,
   libp2p/protocols/pubsub/[pubsub, gossipsub],
@@ -21,6 +21,23 @@ import
   ./utils,
   ../resources/payloads
 
+proc hasMeshPeer(relay: WakuRelay, topic: PubsubTopic, peer: PeerId): bool =
+  for p in relay.mesh.getOrDefault(topic):
+    if p.peerId == peer:
+      return true
+  false
+
+proc waitForMeshPeer(
+    relay: WakuRelay, topic: PubsubTopic, peer: PeerId, timeout = 10.seconds
+): Future[bool] {.async.} =
+  ## Wait until `relay`'s gossipsub mesh for `topic` has GRAFTed `peer`.
+  let deadline = Moment.now() + timeout
+  while Moment.now() < deadline:
+    if relay.hasMeshPeer(topic, peer):
+      return true
+    await sleepAsync(50.milliseconds)
+  false
+
 suite "Waku Relay":
   var messageSeq {.threadvar.}: seq[(PubsubTopic, WakuMessage)]
   var handlerFuture {.threadvar.}: Future[(PubsubTopic, WakuMessage)]
@@ -677,6 +694,11 @@ suite "Waku Relay":
         anotherPeerManager.switch.isConnected(otherPeerId)
         otherPeerManager.switch.isConnected(anotherPeerId)
 
+      # Wait for the mesh to re-form before publishing (else it races the 1s FUTURE_TIMEOUT).
+      check:
+        await otherNode.waitForMeshPeer(pubsubTopicC, anotherPeerId)
+        await anotherNode.waitForMeshPeer(pubsubTopicC, otherPeerId)
+
       # When publishing a message in anotherNode for each of the pubsub topics
       handlerFuture = newPushHandlerFuture()
       handlerFuture2 = newPushHandlerFuture()