diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index a4b55bf..a346fc6 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,6 +6,12 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [2.5.12] - 2026-10-13
+
+### Fixed
+- Surface the original canonical workflow query timeout instead of automatically
+  admitting another query through the HTTP transport retry policy.
+
 ## [2.5.11] - 2026-10-13
 
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index a4568b3..85f6afa 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
 
 [project]
 name = "durable-workflow"
-version = "2.5.11"
+version = "2.5.12"
 description = "Python client and worker SDK for Durable Workflow Cloud and self-hosted Server"
 readme = "README.md"
 requires-python = ">=3.10"
@@ -71,8 +71,8 @@ durable-workflow-replay-conformance = "durable_workflow.replay_conformance:main"
 durable-workflow-workflow-updates-conformance = "durable_workflow.workflow_updates_conformance:main"
 
 [tool.durable-workflow]
-product-train = "2.5.11"
-registry-version = "2.5.11"
+product-train = "2.5.12"
+registry-version = "2.5.12"
 supported-server-versions = "2.5.16"
 worker-protocol-version = "1.20"
 control-plane-version = "2"
diff --git a/src/durable_workflow/client.py b/src/durable_workflow/client.py
index 2adc367..126cd3f 100644
--- a/src/durable_workflow/client.py
+++ b/src/durable_workflow/client.py
@@ -4323,7 +4323,9 @@ async def query_workflow(
         Queries are synchronous and non-mutating. The server runs the named
         query handler inside the workflow process and returns the decoded
         result. Raises :class:`~durable_workflow.errors.QueryFailed` if the
-        query was rejected or the handler errored.
+        query was rejected, the handler errored, or the original query timed
+        out. A canonical query timeout is surfaced without automatically
+        admitting another query.
         """
         await self._require_query_support()
         body: dict[str, Any] = {}
diff --git a/src/durable_workflow/retry_policy.py b/src/durable_workflow/retry_policy.py
index 78bbe71..dd3616a 100644
--- a/src/durable_workflow/retry_policy.py
+++ b/src/durable_workflow/retry_policy.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 import json
 import logging
 import random
+import re
 from collections.abc import Awaitable, Callable
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from typing import TypeVar
@@ -34,6 +35,24 @@
 )
 
 
+def _query_timeout_refusal(exc: httpx.HTTPStatusError) -> bool:
+    request = exc.request
+    if (exc.response.status_code != 504 or request.method != "POST"
+            or request.headers.get("X-Durable-Workflow-Control-Plane-Version") != "2"
+            or re.search(r"/api/workflows/[^/]+/query/[^/]+$", request.url.path) is None):
+        return False
+    try:
+        body = exc.response.json()
+    except ValueError:
+        return False
+    # This response ends an admitted query. Another POST creates a new task,
+    # rather than retrying the original task or its remaining caller budget.
+    reason = body.get("reason") if isinstance(body, dict) else None
+    return isinstance(reason, str) and reason in {
+        "query_worker_timeout", "query_worker_execution_timeout", "query_task_not_claimed",
+    }
+
+
 def _storage_refusal(exc: Exception) -> tuple[ServerError, str | None] | None:
     if not isinstance(exc, httpx.HTTPStatusError):
         return None
@@ -194,6 +213,8 @@ class TransportRetryPolicy:
     :class:`durable_workflow.workflow.ChildWorkflowRetryPolicy`.
 
     Uses exponential backoff with jitter to avoid thundering herd.
+    Canonical query timeouts end the original query and are surfaced without
+    another query admission; unrelated transient HTTP failures still retry.
     """
 
     max_attempts: int = 3
@@ -213,7 +234,7 @@ def should_retry(self, exc: Exception, attempt: int) -> bool:
 
         # Retry 5xx server errors and 429 rate limit
         if isinstance(exc, httpx.HTTPStatusError):
-            if _poll_capacity_refusal(exc):
+            if _query_timeout_refusal(exc) or _poll_capacity_refusal(exc):
                 return False
             return exc.response.status_code >= 500 or exc.response.status_code == 429
 
diff --git a/tests/test_query_timeout_retry.py b/tests/test_query_timeout_retry.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..81aa15d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_query_timeout_retry.py
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import httpx
+import pytest
+
+from durable_workflow import Client
+from durable_workflow.errors import QueryFailed
+from durable_workflow.retry_policy import TransportRetryPolicy
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("protocol", ["1.20", "1.19"])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("reason", [
+    "query_worker_execution_timeout", "query_task_not_claimed", "query_worker_timeout",
+])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("prefix", ["", "/api/runtime/v1/namespaces/example"])
+async def test_query_exposes_original_canonical_timeout_without_another_admission(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, protocol: str, reason: str, prefix: str,
+) -> None:
+    monkeypatch.setenv("DURABLE_WORKFLOW_WORKER_PROTOCOL_VERSION", protocol)
+    original = {"reason": reason, "message": "Original query ended.",
+                "control_plane": {"operation": "query", "reason": reason}}
+    admissions = 0
+    discovery_protocols = []
+
+    def handle(request: httpx.Request) -> httpx.Response:
+        nonlocal admissions
+        if request.url.path.endswith("/api/cluster/info"):
+            discovery_protocols.append(request.headers["X-Durable-Workflow-Protocol-Version"])
+            return httpx.Response(200, json={
+                "worker_protocol": {"server_capabilities": {"query_tasks": True}},
+            })
+        assert request.url.path == prefix + "/api/workflows/original/query/total"
+        assert request.headers["X-Durable-Workflow-Control-Plane-Version"] == "2"
+        admissions += 1
+        if admissions == 1:
+            return httpx.Response(504, json=original)
+        # The old policy hides the original failure behind a distinct admission.
+        return httpx.Response(200, json={"result": "replacement-query"})
+
+    async with Client("https://runtime.example" + prefix, worker_token="worker", control_token="control",
+                      retry_policy=TransportRetryPolicy(initial_backoff_seconds=0, jitter=False)) as client:
+        await client._http.aclose()
+        client._http = httpx.AsyncClient(base_url=client.base_url, transport=httpx.MockTransport(handle))
+        with pytest.raises(QueryFailed) as failure:
+            await client.query_workflow("original", "total")
+    assert admissions == 1
+    assert discovery_protocols == [protocol]
+    assert failure.value.status == 504 and failure.value.reason == reason
+    assert failure.value.body == original
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(("method", "path", "status", "body", "headers"), [
+    ("POST", "/api/workflows/w/query/q", 504, {"reason": "gateway_timeout"},
+     {"X-Durable-Workflow-Control-Plane-Version": "2"}),
+    ("POST", "/api/workflows/w/query/q", 503, {"reason": "query_worker_timeout"},
+     {"X-Durable-Workflow-Control-Plane-Version": "2"}),
+    ("GET", "/api/workflows/w/query/q", 504, {"reason": "query_worker_timeout"},
+     {"X-Durable-Workflow-Control-Plane-Version": "2"}),
+    ("POST", "/api/workflows/w/signals/q", 504, {"reason": "query_worker_timeout"},
+     {"X-Durable-Workflow-Control-Plane-Version": "2"}),
+    ("POST", "/api/workflows/w/query/q", 504, {"reason": "query_worker_timeout"}, {}),
+    ("POST", "/api/workflows/w/query/q", 504, [],
+     {"X-Durable-Workflow-Control-Plane-Version": "2"}),
+    ("POST", "/api/workflows/w/query/q", 504, {"reason": []},
+     {"X-Durable-Workflow-Control-Plane-Version": "2"}),
+])
+def test_other_transport_failures_keep_existing_retry_policy(
+    method: str, path: str, status: int, body: object, headers: dict[str, str],
+) -> None:
+    request = httpx.Request(method, "https://runtime.example" + path, headers=headers)
+    response = httpx.Response(status, request=request, json=body)
+    error = httpx.HTTPStatusError("transport failure", request=request, response=response)
+    assert TransportRetryPolicy().should_retry(error, 0) is True