diff --git a/logos_delivery/waku/rln/group_manager/on_chain/group_manager.nim b/logos_delivery/waku/rln/group_manager/on_chain/group_manager.nim
index 9b9f147e4..a746068f2 100644
--- a/logos_delivery/waku/rln/group_manager/on_chain/group_manager.nim
+++ b/logos_delivery/waku/rln/group_manager/on_chain/group_manager.nim
@@ -268,6 +268,10 @@ proc ensureFreshMerkleProofPath*(
   ## `invalidateMerkleProofCache`, so the next call here sees an empty cache
   ## and refetches from chain. Guards against a missing membership index
   ## because `fetchMerkleProofElements` unwraps it.
+  ## The in-flight refetch is awaited via `join` so that cancelling one
+  ## caller (e.g. a timed-out publish retry) never cancels the shared
+  ## refetch: concurrent callers coalesced onto it keep waiting, and the
+  ## refetch runs to completion so the cache is populated for the next call.
   if g.membershipIndex.isNone():
     return err("membership index is not set")
 
@@ -276,7 +280,7 @@ proc ensureFreshMerkleProofPath*(
 
   if not g.proofPathRefreshInFlightFut.isNil() and
       not g.proofPathRefreshInFlightFut.finished():
-    await g.proofPathRefreshInFlightFut
+    await g.proofPathRefreshInFlightFut.join()
     if g.merkleProofCache.len > 0:
       return ok()
     return err("merkle proof path refresh failed")
@@ -292,7 +296,7 @@ proc ensureFreshMerkleProofPath*(
     discard await g.updateMemberCount()
 
   g.proofPathRefreshInFlightFut = doRefresh()
-  await g.proofPathRefreshInFlightFut
+  await g.proofPathRefreshInFlightFut.join()
 
   if not fetchOk:
     return err("merkle proof path refresh failed")
diff --git a/tests/waku_rln_relay/test_rln_group_manager_onchain.nim b/tests/waku_rln_relay/test_rln_group_manager_onchain.nim
index b5a6684e2..c3e38262b 100644
--- a/tests/waku_rln_relay/test_rln_group_manager_onchain.nim
+++ b/tests/waku_rln_relay/test_rln_group_manager_onchain.nim
@@ -583,6 +583,41 @@ suite "Onchain group manager":
       manager.proofPathRefreshInFlightFut == inFlight
       manager.merkleProofCache.len > 0
 
+  test "ensureFreshMerkleProofPath: cancelling one caller does not cancel the shared refetch":
+    (waitFor manager.init()).isOkOr:
+      raiseAssert $error
+
+    let credentials = generateCredentials()
+    (waitFor manager.register(credentials, UserMessageLimit(20))).isOkOr:
+      assert false, "register failed: " & error
+
+    manager.merkleProofCache = @[]
+    manager.proofPathRefreshInFlightFut = nil
+
+    let f1 = manager.ensureFreshMerkleProofPath()
+    let inFlight = manager.proofPathRefreshInFlightFut
+    let f2 = manager.ensureFreshMerkleProofPath()
+
+    check:
+      inFlight != nil
+      not inFlight.finished()
+
+    # Cancel the initiating caller — models a publish retry whose refresh
+    # timeout fired while the refetch was still in flight.
+    waitFor f1.cancelAndWait()
+
+    check:
+      f1.cancelled()
+      # The shared refetch survives the caller's cancellation.
+      not inFlight.cancelled()
+
+    # The coalesced caller still completes and the cache gets populated.
+    let r2 = waitFor f2
+    check:
+      r2.isOk()
+      manager.merkleProofCache.len > 0
+      manager.proofPathRefreshInFlightFut == inFlight
+
   test "verifyProof: should verify valid proof":
     let credentials = generateCredentials()
     (waitFor manager.init()).isOkOr: