diff --git a/scripts/qa-map-source-tray.mjs b/scripts/qa-map-source-tray.mjs
index 0071475a3..9826b952e 100644
--- a/scripts/qa-map-source-tray.mjs
+++ b/scripts/qa-map-source-tray.mjs
@@ -190,9 +190,32 @@ try {
     JSON.stringify(esriTileFailureFallback),
   );
 
+  // The tray's state changes are timer-driven: opening schedules the focus
+  // hand-off to a Map Source tile 240ms later (scheduleMapSourceFocus in
+  // ui.js). A fixed sleep races that timer rather than observing it settle —
+  // 300ms left only 60ms of margin, which is what made these checks flake on
+  // a clean checkout (#54). Wait on controller truth instead, the way the
+  // Bing-switch check further down already does.
+  // The wait only settles state; the check() below it is still the assertion,
+  // so a swallowed timeout surfaces as that check failing with real values
+  // rather than as an opaque puppeteer error.
+  const waitTray = (wantExpanded, wantFocus) => page.waitForFunction(
+    (expanded, focus) => {
+      const toggle = document.getElementById('control-panel-toggle');
+      if (toggle?.getAttribute('aria-expanded') !== expanded) return false;
+      if (!focus) return true;
+      const active = document.activeElement;
+      return focus === 'toggle'
+        ? active?.id === 'control-panel-toggle'
+        : active?.dataset?.stackId === focus;
+    },
+    { timeout: 2000 },
+    wantExpanded, wantFocus,
+  ).catch(() => {});
+
   await page.focus('#control-panel-toggle');
   await page.keyboard.press('Enter');
-  await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 300));
+  await waitTray('true', 'photoreal');
   const keyboardOpen = await page.evaluate(() => ({
     expanded: document.getElementById('control-panel-toggle').getAttribute('aria-expanded'),
     activeStack: document.activeElement?.dataset?.stackId || null,
@@ -204,7 +227,7 @@ try {
   );
 
   await page.keyboard.press('Escape');
-  await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 40));
+  await waitTray('false', 'toggle');
   const keyboardClose = await page.evaluate(() => ({
     expanded: document.getElementById('control-panel-toggle').getAttribute('aria-expanded'),
     activeId: document.activeElement?.id || null,
@@ -216,7 +239,7 @@ try {
   );
 
   await page.keyboard.press('Space');
-  await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 300));
+  await waitTray('true', 'photoreal');
   const spaceOpen = await page.evaluate(() => ({
     expanded: document.getElementById('control-panel-toggle').getAttribute('aria-expanded'),
     activeStack: document.activeElement?.dataset?.stackId || null,
@@ -231,9 +254,11 @@ try {
   await page.keyboard.down('Enter');
   await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 320));
   await page.keyboard.up('Enter');
+  await waitTray('true', 'photoreal'); // let the hold's scheduled focus hand-off land
   await page.keyboard.press('Escape');
+  await waitTray('false', 'toggle');
   await page.keyboard.press('Enter');
-  await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 300));
+  await waitTray('true', 'photoreal');
   const longHoldRecovery = await page.evaluate(() => ({
     expanded: document.getElementById('control-panel-toggle').getAttribute('aria-expanded'),
     activeStack: document.activeElement?.dataset?.stackId || null,
diff --git a/src/ui.js b/src/ui.js
index 668e752d4..ab9d7bd4c 100644
--- a/src/ui.js
+++ b/src/ui.js
@@ -4195,16 +4195,34 @@ export class StyleManager {
     });
 
     const focusMapSource = () => {
-      if (panelId !== 'control-panel') return;
-      panelEl.querySelector('.map-stack-chip.active, .map-stack-chip')?.focus?.({ preventScroll: true });
+      if (panelId !== 'control-panel') return false;
+      const chip = panelEl.querySelector('.map-stack-chip.active, .map-stack-chip');
+      if (!chip?.focus) return false;
+      chip.focus({ preventScroll: true });
+      // .focus() on a still-hidden element is a SILENT no-op, so the caller
+      // has to check whether focus actually landed rather than assume it did.
+      return document.activeElement === chip;
     };
 
+    // The tray opens behind a 180ms `visibility` transition (.dock-popover-content
+    // in style.css), and a chip inside it cannot take focus until that lands.
+    // A single fixed delay therefore races the transition: when the machine is
+    // slow enough that the fade has not finished by the time the timer fires,
+    // focus() silently does nothing and the keyboard user is stranded on the
+    // disclosure with an open tray they cannot reach (#54). Retry on a short
+    // cadence until focus actually lands, bounded so a permanently hidden tray
+    // cannot spin.
     const scheduleMapSourceFocus = () => {
       clearTimeout(disclosureFocusTimer);
-      disclosureFocusTimer = window.setTimeout(() => {
+      let attempts = 0;
+      const attemptFocus = () => {
         disclosureFocusTimer = null;
-        if (!panelEl.classList.contains('collapsed')) focusMapSource();
-      }, 240);
+        if (panelEl.classList.contains('collapsed')) return;
+        if (focusMapSource()) return;
+        if (++attempts > 24) return; // ~720ms past the first try, then give up
+        disclosureFocusTimer = window.setTimeout(attemptFocus, 30);
+      };
+      disclosureFocusTimer = window.setTimeout(attemptFocus, 240);
     };
 
     const toggleDisclosure = ({ focusSource = false } = {}) => {