diff --git a/test/unit/reliability_runner_test.dart b/test/unit/reliability_runner_test.dart
new file mode 100644
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/reliability_runner_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,348 @@
+import 'dart:async';
+import 'package:fake_async/fake_async.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
+import 'package:sharedinbox/core/models/account.dart';
+import 'package:sharedinbox/core/models/email.dart';
+import 'package:sharedinbox/core/models/mailbox.dart';
+import 'package:sharedinbox/core/repositories/account_repository.dart';
+import 'package:sharedinbox/core/repositories/email_repository.dart';
+import 'package:sharedinbox/core/repositories/mailbox_repository.dart';
+import 'package:sharedinbox/core/repositories/sync_log_repository.dart';
+import 'package:sharedinbox/core/sync/account_sync_manager.dart';
+
+// ── helpers ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+Account _account({String id = 'a1'}) => Account(
+      id: id,
+      displayName: 'Test',
+      email: 'test@example.com',
+      imapHost: 'localhost',
+    );
+
+class _FakeAccounts implements AccountRepository {
+  final List<Account> accounts;
+  _FakeAccounts([Account? account]) : accounts = [account ?? _account()];
+
+  @override
+  Stream<List<Account>> observeAccounts() => Stream.value(accounts);
+  @override
+  Future<Account?> getAccount(String id) async =>
+      accounts.cast<Account?>().firstWhere(
+            (a) => a?.id == id,
+            orElse: () => null,
+          );
+  @override
+  Future<void> addAccount(Account account, String password) async {}
+  @override
+  Future<void> updateAccount(Account account, {String? password}) async {}
+  @override
+  Future<void> removeAccount(String id) async {}
+  @override
+  Future<String> getPassword(String id) async => 'secret';
+}
+
+class _FakeMailboxes implements MailboxRepository {
+  final List<Mailbox> mailboxes;
+  _FakeMailboxes([this.mailboxes = const []]);
+  @override
+  Stream<List<Mailbox>> observeMailboxes(String? accountId) =>
+      Stream.value(mailboxes);
+  @override
+  Future<int> syncMailboxes(String accountId) async => 0;
+  @override
+  Future<Mailbox?> findMailboxByRole(String accountId, String role) async =>
+      null;
+  @override
+  Future<void> clearForResync(String accountId) async {}
+}
+
+class _CountingEmails implements EmailRepository {
+  int syncCount = 0;
+  int wakeUpCount = 0;
+  final Exception? syncError;
+
+  _CountingEmails({this.syncError});
+
+  @override
+  Future<SyncEmailsResult> syncEmails(String accountId, String mailbox) async {
+    syncCount++;
+    if (syncError != null) throw syncError!;
+    return SyncEmailsResult.zero;
+  }
+
+  @override
+  Future<int> wakeUpEmails(String accountId) async {
+    wakeUpCount++;
+    return 0;
+  }
+
+  @override
+  Future<int> flushPendingChanges(String accountId, String password) async => 0;
+  @override
+  Stream<List<Email>> observeEmails(String a, String m) => Stream.value([]);
+  @override
+  Stream<List<EmailThread>> observeThreads(String a, String m) =>
+      Stream.value([]);
+  @override
+  Stream<List<Email>> observeEmailsInThread(String a, String m, String t) =>
+      Stream.value([]);
+  @override
+  Future<Email?> getEmail(String id) async => null;
+  @override
+  Future<EmailBody> getEmailBody(String id) async =>
+      const EmailBody(emailId: '', attachments: []);
+  @override
+  Future<void> setFlag(String id, {bool? seen, bool? flagged}) async {}
+  @override
+  Future<void> moveEmail(String id, String dest) async {}
+  @override
+  Future<String?> deleteEmail(String id) async => null;
+  @override
+  Future<void> sendEmail(String accountId, EmailDraft draft) async {}
+  @override
+  Future<String> downloadAttachment(String id, EmailAttachment att) async => '';
+  @override
+  Future<List<Email>> searchEmails(String a, String m, String q) async => [];
+  @override
+  Future<List<Email>> searchEmailsGlobal(String? a, String q) async => [];
+  @override
+  Future<List<Email>> getEmailsByAddress(String? a, String addr) async => [];
+  @override
+  Stream<List<FailedMutation>> observeFailedMutations(String a) =>
+      Stream.value([]);
+  @override
+  Future<void> discardMutation(int id) async {}
+  @override
+  Future<void> retryMutation(int id) async {}
+  @override
+  Future<bool> cancelPendingChange(String id, String type) async => false;
+  @override
+  Future<void> snoozeEmail(String id, DateTime until) async {}
+  @override
+  Future<void> restoreEmails(List<Email> emails) async {}
+  @override
+  Stream<String> get onChangesQueued => const Stream.empty();
+  @override
+  Stream<void> watchJmapPush(String accountId, String password) =>
+      const Stream.empty();
+  @override
+  Future<ReliabilityResult> verifySyncReliability(
+    String accountId,
+    String mailboxPath,
+  ) async =>
+      ReliabilityResult.healthy;
+  @override
+  Future<void> clearForResync(String accountId) async {}
+}
+
+class _FakeSyncLog implements SyncLogRepository {
+  final logs = <bool>[];
+  @override
+  Future<void> log({
+    required String accountId,
+    required bool success,
+    String? errorMessage,
+    required String protocol,
+    required int emailsFetched,
+    required int emailsSkipped,
+    required int mailboxesSynced,
+    required int pendingFlushed,
+    required int bytesTransferred,
+    required DateTime startedAt,
+    required DateTime finishedAt,
+    List<MailboxSyncStats> mailboxStats = const [],
+    String? protocolLog,
+  }) async {
+    logs.add(success);
+  }
+
+  @override
+  Stream<List<SyncLogEntry>> observeSyncLogs(String accountId) =>
+      Stream.value([]);
+
+  @override
+  Stream<String?> observeLastError(String accountId) => Stream.value(null);
+}
+
+// ── tests ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+void main() {
+  group('AccountSyncManager backoff', () {
+    test('backoff is capped at 900 s after repeated failures', () {
+      fakeAsync((async) {
+        final emails = _CountingEmails(
+          syncError: Exception('connection refused'),
+        );
+        final syncLog = _FakeSyncLog();
+        final manager = AccountSyncManager(
+          _FakeAccounts(),
+          _FakeMailboxes([
+            const Mailbox(
+              id: 'INBOX',
+              accountId: 'a1',
+              path: 'INBOX',
+              name: 'Inbox',
+              unreadCount: 0,
+              totalCount: 0,
+            ),
+          ]),
+          emails,
+          syncLog: syncLog,
+          imapConnect: (_, __, ___) async =>
+              throw Exception('connection refused'),
+        );
+
+        manager.start();
+
+        // Advance 3 hours — long enough to observe many retries.
+        // With max backoff 900 s, we expect at least floor(3*3600/900) = 12
+        // attempts, and at most 3*3600/5 = 2160 (if backoff never grew).
+        async.elapse(const Duration(hours: 3));
+
+        final failCount = syncLog.logs.where((ok) => !ok).length;
+        expect(
+          failCount,
+          greaterThan(10),
+          reason: 'should have retried many times within 3 h',
+        );
+        expect(
+          failCount,
+          lessThan(2200),
+          reason: 'backoff must have kicked in — not every 5 s for 3 h',
+        );
+
+        manager.dispose();
+        async.elapse(const Duration(seconds: 1));
+      });
+    });
+
+    test('backoff resets to 5 s after a successful sync', () {
+      fakeAsync((async) {
+        int callCount = 0;
+        final syncLog = _FakeSyncLog();
+
+        var failsLeft = 5;
+        final customEmails = _OverrideEmails(
+          onSync: (_) async {
+            callCount++;
+            if (failsLeft > 0) {
+              failsLeft--;
+              throw Exception('transient error');
+            }
+            return SyncEmailsResult.zero;
+          },
+        );
+
+        final manager = AccountSyncManager(
+          _FakeAccounts(),
+          _FakeMailboxes([
+            const Mailbox(
+              id: 'INBOX',
+              accountId: 'a1',
+              path: 'INBOX',
+              name: 'Inbox',
+              unreadCount: 0,
+              totalCount: 0,
+            ),
+          ]),
+          customEmails,
+          syncLog: syncLog,
+          imapConnect: (_, __, ___) async =>
+              throw Exception('skip idle — force immediate loop'),
+        );
+
+        manager.start();
+
+        // Allow errors + backoff to build up, then a success, then more loops.
+        async.elapse(const Duration(seconds: 3600));
+
+        // After success, backoff should reset; failures before success should
+        // be exactly 5, and subsequent loops should fire frequently.
+        final successCount = syncLog.logs.where((ok) => ok).length;
+        expect(
+          successCount,
+          greaterThan(0),
+          reason: 'should have at least one success',
+        );
+        expect(
+          callCount,
+          greaterThan(5),
+          reason: 'should retry after failures and continue after success',
+        );
+
+        manager.dispose();
+        async.elapse(const Duration(seconds: 1));
+      });
+    });
+
+    test('concurrent sync errors from multiple accounts stay bounded', () {
+      fakeAsync((async) {
+        final accounts = _FakeAccounts()
+          ..accounts.add(_account(id: 'a2'))
+          ..accounts.add(_account(id: 'a3'));
+        final syncLog = _FakeSyncLog();
+        final manager = AccountSyncManager(
+          accounts,
+          _FakeMailboxes([
+            const Mailbox(
+              id: 'INBOX',
+              accountId: 'a1',
+              path: 'INBOX',
+              name: 'Inbox',
+              unreadCount: 0,
+              totalCount: 0,
+            ),
+            const Mailbox(
+              id: 'INBOX',
+              accountId: 'a2',
+              path: 'INBOX',
+              name: 'Inbox',
+              unreadCount: 0,
+              totalCount: 0,
+            ),
+            const Mailbox(
+              id: 'INBOX',
+              accountId: 'a3',
+              path: 'INBOX',
+              name: 'Inbox',
+              unreadCount: 0,
+              totalCount: 0,
+            ),
+          ]),
+          _CountingEmails(syncError: Exception('network error')),
+          syncLog: syncLog,
+          imapConnect: (_, __, ___) async =>
+              throw Exception('connection refused'),
+        );
+
+        manager.start();
+        async.elapse(const Duration(hours: 2));
+
+        // All 3 accounts retry, each bounded by the 900 s cap.
+        final failCount = syncLog.logs.where((ok) => !ok).length;
+        expect(failCount, greaterThan(5));
+        expect(
+          failCount,
+          lessThan(5000),
+          reason: 'backoff must be in effect across all accounts',
+        );
+
+        manager.dispose();
+        async.elapse(const Duration(seconds: 1));
+      });
+    });
+  });
+}
+
+// ── _OverrideEmails ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+class _OverrideEmails extends _CountingEmails {
+  _OverrideEmails({required Future<SyncEmailsResult> Function(String) onSync})
+      : _onSync = onSync;
+
+  final Future<SyncEmailsResult> Function(String) _onSync;
+
+  @override
+  Future<SyncEmailsResult> syncEmails(String accountId, String mailbox) =>
+      _onSync(mailbox);
+}