diff --git a/scripts/ci_drive_gate.py b/scripts/ci_drive_gate.py
index 9885b0f..f3ff37c 100644
--- a/scripts/ci_drive_gate.py
+++ b/scripts/ci_drive_gate.py
@@ -23,15 +23,20 @@ headless); it lives in the local proxy realness gate.
 NOT covered here on purpose:
   - Cross-origin iframe (issue #20): a same-origin srcdoc/data iframe is a weak
     proxy for it AND races Juggler's frame tracking (the frame re-navigates, its
-    id changes → "Frame was detached" ~1-in-8). The faithful #20 sentinel is
+    id changes → "Frame was detached"). The faithful #20 sentinel is
     `tests/test_cross_origin_iframe.py` (e2e, two localhost origins); wire that
     as its own gate job rather than a fragile in-gate check.
 
-Robustness (learned the hard way): the page is a SIMPLE
-`goto("data:text/html,...")` with NO subframe. `set_content` throws "The
-operation is insecure" on this build (its document.write is rejected), and a
-nested `data:`/srcdoc iframe races the evaluates → intermittent "execution
-context destroyed by navigation" / "Frame was detached".
+Robustness (learned the hard way):
+  - The DOM is built on `about:blank` via `innerHTML`, NOT a `data:` URL. An
+    unencoded `data:text/html,...` URL gets re-normalized (re-navigated to its
+    percent-encoded form) by Firefox; on the slower windows-latest runner that
+    async re-nav races the evaluates → "execution context destroyed by
+    navigation". `about:blank` is canonical and never re-navigates.
+  - `set_content` is NOT usable — its document.write is rejected on this build
+    ("operation is insecure").
+  - A transient "context destroyed / detached / target closed" still gets ONE
+    logged retry; a genuinely broken binary fails BOTH attempts → gate fails.
 
 Usage:  python ci_drive_gate.py /path/to/firefox[.exe | .app/Contents/MacOS/firefox]
 Exit 0 + "DRIVE GATE OK ..." on success; non-zero with a reason on failure.
@@ -42,10 +47,8 @@ import sys
 
 from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright
 
-# Simple, subframe-free data: URL — proven stable across runners.
-PAGE = (
-    "data:text/html,"
-    "<title>dt</title>"
+# DOM built on about:blank (no data: URL to re-normalize → no spurious nav).
+BODY = (
     "<h1 id=x>hello-drive</h1>"
     "<button id=b onclick=\"window.__clicked=1\">go</button>"
     "<input id=inp>"
@@ -60,39 +63,50 @@ CANVAS_DRAW = (
     "g.fillStyle='#f40';g.fillText('s',2,12);return c.toDataURL();}"
 )
 
+# Substrings of errors that are transient infra/timing, NOT a broken binary.
+_TRANSIENT = ("context was destroyed", "frame was detached", "target closed",
+              "because of a navigation")
 
-def main(exe: str) -> int:
+
+def _drive(exe: str) -> str:
+    """One full drive attempt. Returns the UA on success; raises on failure."""
     with sync_playwright() as p:
         browser = p.firefox.launch(executable_path=exe, headless=True)
-        page = browser.new_page()
-        page.goto(PAGE)  # default wait_until="load"; no subframe → settles cleanly
-        # Attach the mousemove counter explicitly (don't depend on inline-script timing).
-        page.evaluate("window.__moves = 0; window.addEventListener('mousemove', () => { window.__moves++; })")
+        try:
+            page = browser.new_page()
+            page.goto("about:blank")  # canonical, never re-navigates
+            # Build the DOM + attach the mousemove counter in one shot.
+            page.evaluate(
+                "(html) => { document.body.innerHTML = html;"
+                " window.__moves = 0;"
+                " window.addEventListener('mousemove', () => { window.__moves++; }); }",
+                BODY,
+            )
 
-        ua = page.evaluate("navigator.userAgent")
-        webdriver = page.evaluate("navigator.webdriver")
-        text = page.evaluate("() => document.getElementById('x').textContent")
+            ua = page.evaluate("navigator.userAgent")
+            webdriver = page.evaluate("navigator.webdriver")
+            text = page.evaluate("() => document.getElementById('x').textContent")
 
-        # firefox-2 / issue-#9 catcher: real mouse + keyboard over juggler.
-        page.wait_for_selector("#b")
-        page.mouse.move(20, 20)
-        page.mouse.move(120, 90)          # exercises synthesizeMouseEvent path
-        page.click("#b")                  # mousedown/up/click → onclick fires
-        page.click("#inp")
-        page.keyboard.type("ok")
-        clicked = page.evaluate("window.__clicked")
-        moves = page.evaluate("window.__moves")
-        typed = page.evaluate("() => document.getElementById('inp').value")
+            # firefox-2 / issue-#9 catcher: real mouse + keyboard over juggler.
+            page.wait_for_selector("#b")
+            page.mouse.move(20, 20)
+            page.mouse.move(120, 90)          # exercises synthesizeMouseEvent path
+            page.click("#b")                  # mousedown/up/click → onclick fires
+            page.click("#inp")
+            page.keyboard.type("ok")
+            clicked = page.evaluate("window.__clicked")
+            moves = page.evaluate("window.__moves")
+            typed = page.evaluate("() => document.getElementById('inp').value")
 
-        # stealth-determinism catcher: identical draw → identical dataURL.
-        canvas_a = page.evaluate(CANVAS_DRAW)
-        canvas_b = page.evaluate(CANVAS_DRAW)
+            # stealth-determinism catcher: identical draw → identical dataURL.
+            canvas_a = page.evaluate(CANVAS_DRAW)
+            canvas_b = page.evaluate(CANVAS_DRAW)
 
-        # BotD navigator-surface tells (proxy-free subset).
-        langs = page.evaluate("navigator.languages.length")
-        plugins = page.evaluate("navigator.plugins instanceof PluginArray")
-
-        browser.close()
+            # BotD navigator-surface tells (proxy-free subset).
+            langs = page.evaluate("navigator.languages.length")
+            plugins = page.evaluate("navigator.plugins instanceof PluginArray")
+        finally:
+            browser.close()
 
     assert "Firefox" in ua, f"unexpected UA (binary not driving correctly): {ua!r}"
     assert text == "hello-drive", f"DOM/JS roundtrip failed: {text!r}"
@@ -103,12 +117,27 @@ def main(exe: str) -> int:
     assert canvas_a == canvas_b, "canvas non-deterministic across identical draws (stealth seed broken → bot tell)"
     assert langs and langs > 0, "navigator.languages empty (headless tell)"
     assert plugins, "navigator.plugins is not a PluginArray (headless tell)"
+    return ua
 
-    print(
-        f"DRIVE GATE OK | UA={ua} | webdriver={webdriver} | "
-        f"click+mousemove+keyboard+canvas-determinism+navsurface=ok"
-    )
-    return 0
+
+def main(exe: str) -> int:
+    last = None
+    for attempt in (1, 2):
+        try:
+            ua = _drive(exe)
+            if attempt > 1:
+                print(f"(note: drive succeeded on retry {attempt} after a transient error)")
+            print(f"DRIVE GATE OK | UA={ua} | click+mousemove+keyboard+canvas-determinism+navsurface=ok")
+            return 0
+        except Exception as e:  # noqa: BLE001 — gate: any failure must surface
+            last = e
+            msg = str(e).lower()
+            if attempt == 1 and any(t in msg for t in _TRANSIENT):
+                print(f"(transient error on attempt 1, retrying once): {e}", file=sys.stderr)
+                continue
+            break
+    print(f"DRIVE GATE FAILED: {last}", file=sys.stderr)
+    return 1
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":