diff --git a/reload_dshackle.sh b/reload_dshackle.sh
index e68df63c..3a83fb36 100755
--- a/reload_dshackle.sh
+++ b/reload_dshackle.sh
@@ -208,8 +208,19 @@ for CID in $(docker ps -q -f "name=dshackle"); do
     RC=1
     continue
   fi
-  sleep "$SETTLE"
-  LOGS=$(docker logs --since "$T0" "$CID" 2>&1)
+  # Poll for the handler's completion line instead of sleeping SETTLE: the reload itself
+  # takes ~10-30 ms, but the fixed 3 s sleep was the window in which a removed upstream
+  # was already gone while the gateway still held the old announcements (operator
+  # 2026-09-19). SETTLE is now the upper bound only.
+  DONE_MARK="Reloading config has been completed"
+  LOGS=""
+  for _ in $(seq 1 $(( SETTLE * 20 ))); do
+    LOGS=$(docker logs --since "$T0" "$CID" 2>&1)
+    if echo "$LOGS" | grep -qF "$DONE_MARK" || echo "$LOGS" | grep -qF "$FAIL_MARK" || echo "$LOGS" | grep -qF "$DROP_MARK"; then
+      break
+    fi
+    sleep 0.05
+  done
   REASON=""
   if echo "$LOGS" | grep -qF "$FAIL_MARK"; then
     REASON=$(echo "$LOGS" | grep -F "$FAIL_MARK" | head -1)