diff --git a/internal/acoustid/client_test.go b/internal/acoustid/client_test.go
index 3226fcc4..437388ed 100644
--- a/internal/acoustid/client_test.go
+++ b/internal/acoustid/client_test.go
@@ -198,10 +198,14 @@ func TestLookup_KeepsToTheRateLimit(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
 	}
+	// The client spaces its sends by minInterval; the server sees arrivals,
+	// which transit can bunch by a few milliseconds (389ms under -race, CI run
+	// 9543). What AcoustID enforces is 3 a second at its end, so that is the
+	// bound: minInterval's headroom is what absorbs the bunching.
+	const serviceLimit = time.Second / 3
 	for i := 1; i < len(at); i++ {
-		// A little slack for the server's own clock reading.
-		if gap := at[i].Sub(at[i-1]); gap < minInterval-10*time.Millisecond {
-			t.Errorf("requests %d and %d were %s apart, want at least %s", i-1, i, gap, minInterval)
+		if gap := at[i].Sub(at[i-1]); gap < serviceLimit {
+			t.Errorf("requests %d and %d arrived %s apart, want at least %s", i-1, i, gap, serviceLimit)
 		}
 	}
 }