diff --git a/src/rpc/rpc_client.cpp b/src/rpc/rpc_client.cpp
index 0a2e7b1..18f2fdf 100644
--- a/src/rpc/rpc_client.cpp
+++ b/src/rpc/rpc_client.cpp
@@ -189,9 +189,14 @@ bool RPCClient::connect(const std::string& host, const std::string& port,
     const long connectTimeout = Connection::isLocalHost(host) ? 2L : 10L;
     curl_easy_setopt(impl_->curl, CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT, connectTimeout);
 
-    // Test connection with getinfo
+    // Test connection with getinfo. Use a SHORT timeout for the probe on localhost: a healthy
+    // local daemon answers in milliseconds and a warming one returns -28 just as fast, so a long
+    // hang means a wedged/loading occupant — no point blocking the full 30s before we retry and
+    // update the UI. (call(timeoutSec) restores the persistent 30s afterwards, so normal RPC calls
+    // that legitimately take longer are unaffected.) Remote/TLS daemons keep the full budget.
+    const long probeTimeout = Connection::isLocalHost(host) ? 8L : 30L;
     try {
-        json result = call("getinfo");
+        json result = call("getinfo", json::array(), probeTimeout);
         if (result.contains("version")) {
             connected_ = true;
             warming_up_ = false;