diff --git a/shard_core/service/peer.py b/shard_core/service/peer.py
index f0d040b..55dbe80 100644
--- a/shard_core/service/peer.py
+++ b/shard_core/service/peer.py
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import asyncio
 import logging
 
-import httpx
 import requests
 from fastapi.requests import Request
 from http_message_signatures import HTTPSignatureKeyResolver, algorithms
@@ -30,7 +29,13 @@ async def update_all_peer_pubkeys():
     async with db_conn() as conn:
         all_peers = await db_peers.get_all(conn)
     peers_with_pubkey = [Peer(**p) for p in all_peers if p.get("public_bytes_b64")]
-    await asyncio.gather(*[update_peer_meta(peer) for peer in peers_with_pubkey])
+    results = await asyncio.gather(
+        *[update_peer_meta(peer) for peer in peers_with_pubkey],
+        return_exceptions=True,
+    )
+    for peer, result in zip(peers_with_pubkey, results):
+        if isinstance(result, Exception):
+            log.warning(f"Failed to update peer meta for {peer.short_id}: {result}")
 
 
 async def update_peer_meta(peer: Peer):
@@ -49,7 +54,7 @@ def do_request():
 
     try:
         response.raise_for_status()
-    except httpx.HTTPStatusError as e:
+    except requests.HTTPError as e:
         log.debug(f"Could not update peer meta for {peer.short_id}: {e}")
         async with db_conn() as conn:
             await db_peers.update_by_id(conn, peer.id, {"is_reachable": False})
diff --git a/tests/test_peer_refresh.py b/tests/test_peer_refresh.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2db3c49
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_peer_refresh.py
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+import logging
+
+import responses
+from starlette import status
+
+from shard_core.data_model.identity import Identity, OutputIdentity
+from shard_core.database import peers as db_peers
+from shard_core.database.connection import db_conn
+from shard_core.data_model.peer import Peer
+from shard_core.service.peer import update_all_peer_pubkeys
+
+
+def _whoareyou_url(identity: Identity) -> str:
+    return f"https://{identity.short_id}.freeshard.cloud/core/public/meta/whoareyou"
+
+
+async def _insert_peer(identity: Identity, name: str, is_reachable: bool = True):
+    async with db_conn() as conn:
+        await db_peers.insert(
+            conn,
+            {
+                "id": identity.id,
+                "name": name,
+                "public_bytes_b64": identity.public_key_pem,
+                "is_reachable": is_reachable,
+            },
+        )
+
+
+async def _get_peer(identity: Identity) -> Peer:
+    async with db_conn() as conn:
+        return Peer(**await db_peers.get_by_id_prefix(conn, identity.id))
+
+
+async def test_unreachable_peer_does_not_block_others(db):
+    bad = Identity.create("bad peer")
+    good = Identity.create("good peer")
+    await _insert_peer(bad, name="stale bad")
+    await _insert_peer(good, name="stale good", is_reachable=False)
+
+    with responses.RequestsMock(assert_all_requests_are_fired=False) as rsps:
+        rsps.get(_whoareyou_url(bad), status=status.HTTP_500_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR)
+        rsps.get(
+            _whoareyou_url(good),
+            json=OutputIdentity(**good.model_dump()).model_dump(),
+        )
+
+        await update_all_peer_pubkeys()
+
+        # both peers were really contacted (the 500 path was exercised, not a
+        # silent ConnectionError fallback from a mismatched URL)
+        assert len(rsps.calls) == 2
+
+    good_peer = await _get_peer(good)
+    assert good_peer.name == "good peer"
+    assert good_peer.is_reachable is True
+
+    bad_peer = await _get_peer(bad)
+    assert bad_peer.is_reachable is False
+
+
+async def test_unexpected_peer_error_does_not_block_others(db, memory_logger):
+    broken = Identity.create("broken peer")
+    good = Identity.create("good peer")
+    await _insert_peer(broken, name="stale broken")
+    await _insert_peer(good, name="stale good", is_reachable=False)
+
+    with responses.RequestsMock(assert_all_requests_are_fired=False) as rsps:
+        # broken peer answers with a different identity than its stored id,
+        # which raises inside update_peer_meta and is not caught there
+        rsps.get(
+            _whoareyou_url(broken),
+            json=OutputIdentity(
+                **Identity.create("impostor").model_dump()
+            ).model_dump(),
+        )
+        rsps.get(
+            _whoareyou_url(good),
+            json=OutputIdentity(**good.model_dump()).model_dump(),
+        )
+
+        await update_all_peer_pubkeys()
+
+    good_peer = await _get_peer(good)
+    assert good_peer.name == "good peer"
+    assert good_peer.is_reachable is True
+
+    # the unexpected error is swallowed by the gather and left the broken peer
+    # untouched, and it was surfaced via a warning
+    broken_peer = await _get_peer(broken)
+    assert broken_peer.name == "stale broken"
+    assert any(
+        r.levelno == logging.WARNING and broken.short_id in r.getMessage()
+        for r in memory_logger.records
+    )