diff --git a/src/queue/processors.ts b/src/queue/processors.ts
index 8db1c30782..22306fa55e 100644
--- a/src/queue/processors.ts
+++ b/src/queue/processors.ts
@@ -1468,7 +1468,7 @@ async function refreshOpenPullRequestsForScheduledSweep(
 // head SHA, which resets the count naturally (the target key is scoped to repo+PR+SHA).
 const REGATE_REPAIR_ATTEMPT_EVENT_TYPE = "agent.sweep.regate.repair_attempt";
 const REGATE_REPAIR_EXHAUSTED_EVENT_TYPE = "agent.sweep.regate.repair_exhausted";
-const REGATE_REPAIR_MAX_ATTEMPTS_PER_SHA = 2;
+const REGATE_REPAIR_MAX_ATTEMPTS_PER_SHA = 5;
 const REGATE_REPAIR_ATTEMPT_LOOKBACK_MS = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
 
 function regateRepairTargetKey(repoFullName: string, prNumber: number, headSha: string): string {
diff --git a/test/unit/queue.test.ts b/test/unit/queue.test.ts
index 8e895a2ad9..9ab01ebac8 100644
--- a/test/unit/queue.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/queue.test.ts
@@ -6861,12 +6861,13 @@ describe("queue processors", () => {
     await upsertRepositoryFromGitHub(env, { name: "agent-repo", full_name: "owner/agent-repo", private: false, owner: { login: "owner" } }, 9407);
     await upsertRepositorySettings(env, { repoFullName: "owner/agent-repo", autonomy: { merge: "auto" }, gateCheckMode: "enabled", checkRunMode: "off", commentMode: "off", publicSurface: "off" });
     // PR 1: missing its current Gate check for its current head -- would ordinarily be flagged outage-repair
-    // priority on every tick. Pre-seed 3 prior repair-attempt audit events for this EXACT head SHA to simulate a
-    // review that keeps failing (e.g. a timeout) and never publishes a completed gate check.
+    // priority on every tick. Pre-seed REGATE_REPAIR_MAX_ATTEMPTS_PER_SHA=5 (#3998) prior repair-attempt audit
+    // events for this EXACT head SHA to simulate a review that keeps failing (e.g. a timeout) and never
+    // publishes a completed gate check.
     await upsertPullRequestFromGitHub(env, "owner/agent-repo", { number: 1, title: "Stuck repair", state: "open", user: { login: "c" }, head: { sha: "stuck-sha" }, labels: [], body: "" });
     await repositoriesModule.markPullRequestSurfacePublished(env, "owner/agent-repo", 1, "stuck-sha");
     const targetKey = "owner/agent-repo#1#stuck-sha";
-    for (let i = 0; i < 3; i += 1) {
+    for (let i = 0; i < 5; i += 1) {
       await repositoriesModule.recordAuditEvent(env, {
         eventType: "agent.sweep.regate.repair_attempt",
         actor: "gittensory",
@@ -6894,12 +6895,12 @@ describe("queue processors", () => {
       const attempts = await env.DB.prepare("select count(*) as n from audit_events where event_type = ? and target_key = ?")
         .bind("agent.sweep.regate.repair_attempt", targetKey)
         .first<{ n: number }>();
-      expect(attempts?.n).toBe(3);
+      expect(attempts?.n).toBe(5);
       // Sentry-visible signal (via the structured-log forwarder) fires exactly once alongside the audit event.
       const exhaustedLogs = errors.mock.calls.filter(([line]) => typeof line === "string" && line.includes("regate_repair_exhausted"));
       expect(exhaustedLogs).toHaveLength(1);
       const logged = JSON.parse(exhaustedLogs[0]![0] as string) as Record<string, unknown>;
-      expect(logged).toMatchObject({ level: "error", event: "regate_repair_exhausted", repo: "owner/agent-repo", pullNumber: 1, headSha: "stuck-sha", attempts: 3 });
+      expect(logged).toMatchObject({ level: "error", event: "regate_repair_exhausted", repo: "owner/agent-repo", pullNumber: 1, headSha: "stuck-sha", attempts: 5 });
     } finally {
       errors.mockRestore();
     }
@@ -6920,14 +6921,18 @@ describe("queue processors", () => {
 
     const fanned = sent.filter((job): job is Extract<import("../../src/types").JobMessage, { type: "agent-regate-pr" }> => job.type === "agent-regate-pr");
     expect(fanned.map((job) => job.deliveryId)).toContain("regate-repair:owner/agent-repo#2");
+    // #orb-retry-storm (#3998): repair_attempt is now recorded at EXECUTION time (inside regatePullRequest,
+    // after rate-limit admission), not at dispatch time -- a deferred/dropped fan-out no longer counts against
+    // the cap. The sweep only dispatches the per-PR job above; it must actually run for the attempt to land.
+    await processJob(env, fanned.find((job) => job.deliveryId === "regate-repair:owner/agent-repo#2")!);
     const attemptsAfterFirst = await env.DB.prepare("select count(*) as n from audit_events where event_type = ? and target_key = ?")
       .bind("agent.sweep.regate.repair_attempt", targetKey)
       .first<{ n: number }>();
     expect(attemptsAfterFirst?.n).toBe(1);
 
-    // Manually push this SHA over the cap, then run the sweep twice more -- the exhausted event must be recorded
-    // only once even though the PR is (re-)evaluated on every tick.
-    for (let i = 0; i < 2; i += 1) {
+    // Manually push this SHA over the REGATE_REPAIR_MAX_ATTEMPTS_PER_SHA=5 cap (#3998), then run the sweep twice
+    // more -- the exhausted event must be recorded only once even though the PR is (re-)evaluated on every tick.
+    for (let i = 0; i < 4; i += 1) {
       await repositoriesModule.recordAuditEvent(env, {
         eventType: "agent.sweep.regate.repair_attempt",
         actor: "gittensory",