diff --git a/cloud_pipelines_backend/launchers/kubernetes_launchers.py b/cloud_pipelines_backend/launchers/kubernetes_launchers.py
index 25db318..9f6a664 100644
--- a/cloud_pipelines_backend/launchers/kubernetes_launchers.py
+++ b/cloud_pipelines_backend/launchers/kubernetes_launchers.py
@@ -9,8 +9,9 @@
 import os
 import pathlib
 import threading
+import time
 import typing
-from typing import Any, Optional
+from typing import Any, Final, Optional
 
 import kubernetes.client.exceptions
 from kubernetes import client as k8s_client_lib
@@ -796,6 +797,43 @@ class KubernetesWithGcsFuseContainerLauncher(GoogleKubernetesEngineLauncher):
     pass
 
 
+# A failed log read means the node is gone, so retrying only blocks the caller.
+_LOG_READ_MAX_RETRIES: Final[int] = 1
+_LOG_READ_WAIT_SECONDS: Final[float] = 1.0
+_LOG_READ_MAX_TOTAL_SECONDS: Final[float | None] = 10.0
+
+
+def _read_log_within_budget(
+    read_log: typing.Callable[[], _T],
+    *,
+    max_retries: int = _LOG_READ_MAX_RETRIES,
+    wait_seconds: float = _LOG_READ_WAIT_SECONDS,
+    max_total_seconds: float | None = _LOG_READ_MAX_TOTAL_SECONDS,
+) -> _T:
+    """Calls `read_log`, retrying within a budget. Raises if the budget runs out.
+
+    A retry never starts once the deadline has passed. The final attempt can
+    still overrun it by one request timeout, which `request_timeout` bounds.
+    """
+    start_seconds = time.monotonic()
+    for attempt in range(max_retries - 1):
+        try:
+            return read_log()
+        except Exception:
+            _logger.exception(
+                f"Exception reading a container log on attempt {attempt + 1} of "
+                f"{max_retries}. Retrying."
+            )
+            if (
+                max_total_seconds is not None
+                and time.monotonic() - start_seconds + wait_seconds > max_total_seconds
+            ):
+                raise
+            time.sleep(wait_seconds)
+    # The last attempt is not retried, so its exception is the caller's.
+    return read_log()
+
+
 class LaunchedKubernetesContainer(interfaces.LaunchedContainer):
     def __init__(
         self,
@@ -1009,8 +1047,14 @@ def get_log(self) -> str:
             response.release_conn()
 
     def upload_log(self):
+        try:
+            log = _read_log_within_budget(self.get_log)
+        except Exception:
+            # Not raising: the caller retries `upload_log`, so raising costs it
+            # this budget five times over. Writing nothing keeps an earlier log.
+            _logger.exception(f"Giving up on the log of Pod {self._pod_name}.")
+            return
         launcher = self._get_launcher()
-        log = self.get_log()
         uri_writer = launcher._storage_provider.make_uri(self._log_uri).get_writer()
         uri_writer.upload_from_text(log)
 
@@ -1858,7 +1902,12 @@ def get_log(self) -> str:
         return merged_log
 
     def upload_log(self):
-        all_logs = self._get_all_logs()
+        try:
+            all_logs = _read_log_within_budget(self._get_all_logs)
+        except Exception:
+            # See the note on `LaunchedKubernetesContainer.upload_log`.
+            _logger.exception(f"Giving up on the logs of Job {self._job_name}.")
+            return
         merged_log = self._merge_logs(all_logs)
 
         # Uploading the merged log
diff --git a/tests/test_kubernetes_log_upload_budget.py b/tests/test_kubernetes_log_upload_budget.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c4615bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_kubernetes_log_upload_budget.py
@@ -0,0 +1,273 @@
+"""Tests for the Kubernetes launchers' log-upload budget.
+
+The orchestrator calls ``upload_log`` inside its own retry, so these tests pin
+the two halves of the contract that keeps a dead node from holding its loop: the
+log *read* happens at most once, and giving up does not raise.
+"""
+
+from unittest import mock
+
+import kubernetes.client.exceptions
+import pytest
+
+from cloud_pipelines_backend import orchestrator_sql
+from cloud_pipelines_backend.launchers import kubernetes_launchers
+
+_LAUNCHED_CONTAINER_CLASSES = [
+    kubernetes_launchers.LaunchedKubernetesContainer,
+    kubernetes_launchers.LaunchedKubernetesJob,
+]
+_IDS = ["pod", "job"]
+
+
+class TestBudget:
+    """Both launchers call the helper with no arguments, so its defaults are the budget."""
+
+    def test_the_defaults_are_one_attempt_within_ten_seconds(self) -> None:
+        assert kubernetes_launchers._LOG_READ_MAX_RETRIES == 1
+        assert kubernetes_launchers._LOG_READ_WAIT_SECONDS == 1.0
+        assert kubernetes_launchers._LOG_READ_MAX_TOTAL_SECONDS == 10.0
+
+    def test_calling_with_no_arguments_uses_them(self) -> None:
+        read_log = mock.MagicMock(side_effect=RuntimeError("kubelet unreachable"))
+        with mock.patch("time.sleep") as sleep:
+            with pytest.raises(RuntimeError):
+                kubernetes_launchers._read_log_within_budget(read_log)
+        assert read_log.call_count == 1
+        assert sleep.call_count == 0
+
+
+class TestReadLogWithinBudget:
+    """The helper itself, independent of either launcher."""
+
+    def test_returns_the_log(self) -> None:
+        assert (
+            kubernetes_launchers._read_log_within_budget(
+                lambda: "the log",
+                max_retries=1,
+                wait_seconds=1.0,
+                max_total_seconds=10.0,
+            )
+            == "the log"
+        )
+
+    def test_a_single_attempt_does_not_sleep(self) -> None:
+        read_log = mock.MagicMock(side_effect=RuntimeError("kubelet unreachable"))
+        with mock.patch("time.sleep") as sleep:
+            with pytest.raises(RuntimeError):
+                kubernetes_launchers._read_log_within_budget(
+                    read_log, max_retries=1, wait_seconds=1.0, max_total_seconds=10.0
+                )
+        assert read_log.call_count == 1
+        assert sleep.call_count == 0
+
+    def test_retries_without_a_trailing_sleep(self) -> None:
+        """The sleep after the last failure only delays the caller."""
+        read_log = mock.MagicMock(side_effect=RuntimeError("kubelet unreachable"))
+        with mock.patch("time.sleep") as sleep:
+            with pytest.raises(RuntimeError):
+                kubernetes_launchers._read_log_within_budget(
+                    read_log, max_retries=3, wait_seconds=1.0, max_total_seconds=None
+                )
+        assert read_log.call_count == 3
+        assert sleep.call_count == 2
+
+    def test_the_deadline_stops_retrying_early(self) -> None:
+        read_log = mock.MagicMock(side_effect=RuntimeError("kubelet unreachable"))
+        # Each attempt costs 1s of wall time, on top of the 1s wait.
+        clock = iter([0.0, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0, 7.0, 9.0, 11.0])
+        with mock.patch("time.monotonic", lambda: next(clock)):
+            with mock.patch("time.sleep") as sleep:
+                with pytest.raises(RuntimeError):
+                    kubernetes_launchers._read_log_within_budget(
+                        read_log,
+                        max_retries=99,
+                        wait_seconds=1.0,
+                        max_total_seconds=3.0,
+                    )
+        assert read_log.call_count == 2
+        assert sleep.call_count == 1
+
+
+def _reader_of(container) -> mock.MagicMock:
+    """The one call that reaches the kubelet, for whichever class this is."""
+    if isinstance(container, kubernetes_launchers.LaunchedKubernetesContainer):
+        return container.get_log
+    return container._get_all_logs
+
+
+def _container_that_cannot_read_its_log(launched_container_class: type):
+    """A real launched container, uninitialised, whose log read always fails.
+
+    Built from the real class rather than a `spec` mock, so the budget read by
+    `upload_log` is the class's own and a renamed attribute fails here.
+    """
+    container = object.__new__(launched_container_class)
+    container._pod_name = "test-pod"
+    container._job_name = "test-job"
+    container._log_uri = "memory://log"
+    container._get_launcher = mock.MagicMock()
+    failure = RuntimeError("kubelet unreachable")
+    if launched_container_class is kubernetes_launchers.LaunchedKubernetesContainer:
+        container.get_log = mock.MagicMock(side_effect=failure)
+    else:
+        container._get_all_logs = mock.MagicMock(side_effect=failure)
+    return container
+
+
+class TestUploadLogGivesUp:
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
+        "launched_container_class", _LAUNCHED_CONTAINER_CLASSES, ids=_IDS
+    )
+    def test_a_lost_log_is_read_once_and_does_not_raise(
+        self, launched_container_class: type
+    ) -> None:
+        """Raising here would cost the caller its own five attempts."""
+        container = _container_that_cannot_read_its_log(launched_container_class)
+        with mock.patch("time.sleep") as sleep:
+            container.upload_log()
+        assert _reader_of(container).call_count == 1
+        assert sleep.call_count == 0
+
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
+        "launched_container_class", _LAUNCHED_CONTAINER_CLASSES, ids=_IDS
+    )
+    def test_nothing_is_written_when_the_log_is_lost(
+        self, launched_container_class: type
+    ) -> None:
+        """An empty upload would overwrite a log an earlier attempt stored."""
+        container = _container_that_cannot_read_its_log(launched_container_class)
+        with mock.patch("time.sleep"):
+            container.upload_log()
+        container._get_launcher.assert_not_called()
+
+
+class TestStorageWriteStillRaises:
+    """A failed write to storage is worth the caller's retries; a dead node is not."""
+
+    def test_pod_upload_propagates_a_storage_failure(self) -> None:
+        container = object.__new__(kubernetes_launchers.LaunchedKubernetesContainer)
+        container._pod_name = "test-pod"
+        container._log_uri = "memory://log"
+        container.get_log = mock.MagicMock(return_value="the log")
+        launcher = mock.MagicMock()
+        container._get_launcher = mock.MagicMock(return_value=launcher)
+        writer = (
+            launcher._storage_provider.make_uri.return_value.get_writer.return_value
+        )
+        writer.upload_from_text.side_effect = RuntimeError("storage unavailable")
+        with pytest.raises(RuntimeError, match="storage unavailable"):
+            container.upload_log()
+
+
+# The body a real unreachable kubelet returns, with the cluster's own identifiers
+# removed. Observed in production on the container-log endpoint.
+_KUBELET_UNREACHABLE_BODY = (
+    '{"kind":"Status","apiVersion":"v1","metadata":{},"status":"Failure","message":'
+    '"Get \\"https://<node-ip>:10250/containerLogs/<namespace>/<pod>/main'
+    '?timestamps=true\\": dial tcp <node-ip>:10250: i/o timeout","code":500}'
+)
+
+
+class _FakeResponse:
+    """Enough of an HTTP response for `ApiException`, across client versions.
+
+    Older clients read the headers with `getheaders()`, newer ones with
+    `getheader()`, and the body is stored undecoded.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, *, status: int, reason: str, data: bytes) -> None:
+        self.status = status
+        self.reason = reason
+        self.data = data
+        self.headers: dict[str, str] = {}
+
+    def getheaders(self) -> dict[str, str]:
+        return self.headers
+
+    def getheader(self, name: str, default: str | None = None) -> str | None:
+        return self.headers.get(name, default)
+
+
+def _kubelet_unreachable() -> kubernetes.client.exceptions.ApiException:
+    """The exception a dead node actually produces, not a stand-in."""
+    return kubernetes.client.exceptions.ApiException(
+        http_resp=_FakeResponse(
+            status=500,
+            reason="Internal Server Error",
+            data=_KUBELET_UNREACHABLE_BODY.encode(),
+        )
+    )
+
+
+class TestARealKubeletFailureIsSwallowed:
+    """Closes the gap between "the loop works" and "it catches what is thrown".
+
+    These build the launched containers through their real constructors and let
+    the real read path run, so the exception reaching the budget is one the
+    Kubernetes client raised, not a `RuntimeError` a test invented.
+    """
+
+    def test_pod_log_read(self) -> None:
+        container = kubernetes_launchers.LaunchedKubernetesContainer(
+            pod_name="test-pod",
+            namespace="test-ns",
+            output_uris={},
+            log_uri="file:///dev/null",
+            debug_pod=mock.MagicMock(),
+            launcher=mock.MagicMock(_request_timeout=10),
+        )
+        core_api = mock.MagicMock()
+        core_api.read_namespaced_pod_log.side_effect = _kubelet_unreachable()
+        with mock.patch.object(
+            kubernetes_launchers.k8s_client_lib, "CoreV1Api", return_value=core_api
+        ):
+            with mock.patch("time.sleep") as sleep:
+                container.upload_log()
+        assert core_api.read_namespaced_pod_log.call_count == 1
+        assert sleep.call_count == 0
+
+    def test_job_log_read(self) -> None:
+        job = kubernetes_launchers.LaunchedKubernetesJob(
+            job_name="test-job",
+            namespace="test-ns",
+            output_uris={},
+            log_uri="file:///dev/null",
+            debug_job=mock.MagicMock(),
+            launcher=mock.MagicMock(_request_timeout=10),
+        )
+        pod = mock.MagicMock()
+        pod.metadata.name = "test-pod"
+        core_api = mock.MagicMock()
+        core_api.read_namespaced_pod_log.side_effect = _kubelet_unreachable()
+        # Only the Pod listing is faked; the read below it is the real one.
+        with mock.patch.object(job, "_get_all_attempt_pods", return_value={"0": [pod]}):
+            with mock.patch.object(
+                kubernetes_launchers.k8s_client_lib, "CoreV1Api", return_value=core_api
+            ):
+                with mock.patch("time.sleep") as sleep:
+                    job.upload_log()
+        assert core_api.read_namespaced_pod_log.call_count == 1
+        assert sleep.call_count == 0
+
+
+class TestCostToTheCaller:
+    """What the orchestrator's own retry does with the result, using the real `_retry`."""
+
+    def test_a_lost_log_costs_one_request_instead_of_five(self) -> None:
+        container = _container_that_cannot_read_its_log(
+            kubernetes_launchers.LaunchedKubernetesJob
+        )
+        with mock.patch("time.sleep") as sleep:
+            orchestrator_sql._retry(container.upload_log)
+        assert container._get_all_logs.call_count == 1
+        assert sleep.call_count == 0
+
+    def test_the_same_failure_raised_would_have_cost_five(self) -> None:
+        """Why the give-up returns: this is the behaviour it replaces."""
+        raising_upload = mock.MagicMock(side_effect=RuntimeError("kubelet unreachable"))
+        with mock.patch("time.sleep") as sleep:
+            with pytest.raises(RuntimeError):
+                orchestrator_sql._retry(raising_upload)
+        assert raising_upload.call_count == 5
+        assert sleep.call_count == 5