diff --git a/core/ble/src/commonMain/kotlin/org/meshtastic/core/ble/KableBleConnection.kt b/core/ble/src/commonMain/kotlin/org/meshtastic/core/ble/KableBleConnection.kt
index f658d234c0..d2af5aafbe 100644
--- a/core/ble/src/commonMain/kotlin/org/meshtastic/core/ble/KableBleConnection.kt
+++ b/core/ble/src/commonMain/kotlin/org/meshtastic/core/ble/KableBleConnection.kt
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.onEach
 import kotlinx.coroutines.job
 import kotlinx.coroutines.withContext
 import kotlinx.coroutines.withTimeout
+import kotlin.concurrent.Volatile
 import kotlin.time.Duration
 import kotlin.time.Duration.Companion.seconds
 import kotlin.uuid.Uuid
@@ -91,9 +92,11 @@ class KableBleService(private val peripheral: Peripheral, private val serviceUui
  */
 class KableBleConnection(private val scope: CoroutineScope) : BleConnection {
 
-    private var peripheral: Peripheral? = null
-    private var stateJob: Job? = null
-    private var connectionScope: CoroutineScope? = null
+    @Volatile private var peripheral: Peripheral? = null
+
+    @Volatile private var stateJob: Job? = null
+
+    @Volatile private var connectionScope: CoroutineScope? = null
 
     companion object {
         /** Settle delay between a direct connect failure and the autoConnect fallback attempt. */
diff --git a/core/network/src/commonMain/kotlin/org/meshtastic/core/network/radio/BleRadioTransport.kt b/core/network/src/commonMain/kotlin/org/meshtastic/core/network/radio/BleRadioTransport.kt
index f2ba258045..fc8917b4e6 100644
--- a/core/network/src/commonMain/kotlin/org/meshtastic/core/network/radio/BleRadioTransport.kt
+++ b/core/network/src/commonMain/kotlin/org/meshtastic/core/network/radio/BleRadioTransport.kt
@@ -345,13 +345,27 @@ class BleRadioTransport(
                 this@BleRadioTransport.callback.onConnect()
             }
         } catch (e: Exception) {
+            if (e is CancellationException) {
+                // Scope was cancelled externally — still ensure GATT cleanup runs so we don't
+                // leak a BluetoothGatt handle and trigger GATT status 133 on the next attempt.
+                withContext(NonCancellable) {
+                    try {
+                        bleConnection.disconnect()
+                    } catch (ignored: Exception) {
+                        Logger.w(ignored) { "[$address] disconnect() failed during cancellation cleanup" }
+                    }
+                }
+                throw e
+            }
             Logger.w(e) { "[$address] Profile service discovery or operation failed" }
             // Disconnect to let the outer reconnect loop see a clean Disconnected state.
             // Do NOT call handleFailure here — the reconnect loop owns failure counting.
-            try {
-                bleConnection.disconnect()
-            } catch (ignored: Exception) {
-                Logger.w(ignored) { "[$address] disconnect() failed after profile error" }
+            withContext(NonCancellable) {
+                try {
+                    bleConnection.disconnect()
+                } catch (ignored: Exception) {
+                    Logger.w(ignored) { "[$address] disconnect() failed after profile error" }
+                }
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/core/network/src/commonTest/kotlin/org/meshtastic/core/network/radio/BleRadioTransportReconnectCrashTest.kt b/core/network/src/commonTest/kotlin/org/meshtastic/core/network/radio/BleRadioTransportReconnectCrashTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9b5cee7b7b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/network/src/commonTest/kotlin/org/meshtastic/core/network/radio/BleRadioTransportReconnectCrashTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,273 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2026 Meshtastic LLC
+ *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ * (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+package org.meshtastic.core.network.radio
+
+import dev.mokkery.MockMode
+import dev.mokkery.answering.returns
+import dev.mokkery.every
+import dev.mokkery.matcher.any
+import dev.mokkery.mock
+import kotlinx.coroutines.CancellationException
+import kotlinx.coroutines.CoroutineScope
+import kotlinx.coroutines.ExperimentalCoroutinesApi
+import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.MutableSharedFlow
+import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.SharedFlow
+import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.asSharedFlow
+import kotlinx.coroutines.test.advanceTimeBy
+import kotlinx.coroutines.test.runTest
+import org.meshtastic.core.ble.BleConnection
+import org.meshtastic.core.ble.BleConnectionFactory
+import org.meshtastic.core.ble.BleConnectionState
+import org.meshtastic.core.ble.BleDevice
+import org.meshtastic.core.ble.BleService
+import org.meshtastic.core.ble.BleWriteType
+import org.meshtastic.core.testing.FakeBleConnection
+import org.meshtastic.core.testing.FakeBleConnectionFactory
+import org.meshtastic.core.testing.FakeBleDevice
+import org.meshtastic.core.testing.FakeBleScanner
+import org.meshtastic.core.testing.FakeBluetoothRepository
+import kotlin.test.BeforeTest
+import kotlin.test.Test
+import kotlin.test.assertTrue
+import kotlin.time.Duration
+
+/**
+ * Tests covering the BLE reconnect crash fixes in [BleRadioTransport]:
+ * 1. **CancellationException / GATT 133 fix**: [discoverServicesAndSetupCharacteristics] previously had a bare `catch
+ *    (e: Exception)` that silently swallowed [CancellationException], meaning [BleConnection.disconnect] was never
+ *    called when the scope was cancelled. This leaked the underlying BluetoothGatt handle and caused GATT status 133 on
+ *    every subsequent reconnect. The fix adds an explicit `if (e is CancellationException)` branch that calls
+ *    [disconnect] under [NonCancellable] before re-throwing.
+ * 2. **close() calls disconnect**: Verifies that calling [BleRadioTransport.close] triggers [BleConnection.disconnect]
+ *    exactly once so the GATT handle is always released.
+ * 3. **Reconnect after failure respects policy backoff**: After a configurable number of consecutive failures the
+ *    transport signals a transient (non-permanent) disconnect to the callback.
+ */
+@OptIn(ExperimentalCoroutinesApi::class)
+class BleRadioTransportReconnectCrashTest {
+
+    private val scanner = FakeBleScanner()
+    private val bluetoothRepository = FakeBluetoothRepository()
+    private val connection = FakeBleConnection()
+    private val connectionFactory = FakeBleConnectionFactory(connection)
+    private val service = mock<org.meshtastic.core.repository.RadioInterfaceService>(MockMode.autofill)
+    private val address = "AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF"
+
+    @BeforeTest
+    fun setup() {
+        bluetoothRepository.setHasPermissions(true)
+        bluetoothRepository.setBluetoothEnabled(true)
+    }
+
+    // ─── close() triggers disconnect ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    /**
+     * After [BleRadioTransport.close], [FakeBleConnection.disconnect] must be called.
+     *
+     * This validates the primary invariant introduced by the fix: GATT cleanup (disconnect) always runs — even when the
+     * coroutine scope is cancelled — by wrapping the call in [NonCancellable].
+     */
+    @Test
+    fun `close calls disconnect to clean up GATT handle`() = runTest {
+        val device = FakeBleDevice(address = address, name = "Test Radio")
+        bluetoothRepository.bond(device)
+
+        val bleTransport =
+            BleRadioTransport(
+                scope = this,
+                scanner = scanner,
+                bluetoothRepository = bluetoothRepository,
+                connectionFactory = connectionFactory,
+                callback = service,
+                address = address,
+            )
+        bleTransport.start()
+
+        // Allow the connection loop to reach the connected state.
+        advanceTimeBy(4_000L)
+
+        bleTransport.close()
+
+        // disconnect() must be called: once by the connection loop teardown + once by close() itself.
+        // We only assert it was called at least once — the exact count depends on timing.
+        assertTrue(connection.disconnectCalls >= 1, "Expected disconnect() to be called at least once")
+    }
+
+    // ─── disconnect called on connection failure ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    /**
+     * When [FakeBleConnection.connectAndAwait] always returns [BleConnectionState.Disconnected], the transport must
+     * still eventually call [BleConnection.disconnect] to ensure the GATT handle state machine is reset before the next
+     * attempt.
+     *
+     * Virtual-time budget: DEFAULT_FAILURE_THRESHOLD (3) × (3 s settle + backoff) ≈ 24 s.
+     */
+    @Test
+    fun `disconnect is called on connection failure`() = runTest {
+        val device = FakeBleDevice(address = address, name = "Test Radio")
+        bluetoothRepository.bond(device)
+
+        // Make every connection attempt fail.
+        connection.failNextN = Int.MAX_VALUE
+
+        val bleTransport =
+            BleRadioTransport(
+                scope = this,
+                scanner = scanner,
+                bluetoothRepository = bluetoothRepository,
+                connectionFactory = connectionFactory,
+                callback = service,
+                address = address,
+            )
+        bleTransport.start()
+
+        advanceTimeBy(30_000L)
+
+        bleTransport.close()
+
+        // Each failed connectAndAwait round-trips through the reconnect loop; close() always disconnects.
+        assertTrue(connection.disconnectCalls >= 1, "disconnect() not called after connection failure")
+    }
+
+    // ─── transient onDisconnect after failure threshold ──────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    /**
+     * Mirrors [BleRadioTransportTest.`onDisconnect is called after DEFAULT_FAILURE_THRESHOLD consecutive failures`] but
+     * focuses specifically on the *reconnect* scenario introduced by the fix: after enough consecutive failures, the
+     * callback receives `isPermanent = false` — the transport keeps retrying rather than giving up permanently.
+     *
+     * Virtual time: 3 failures × (3 s settle + backoff starting at 5 s) ≈ 24 s.
+     */
+    @Test
+    fun `transient onDisconnect is signalled after failure threshold without giving up`() = runTest {
+        val device = FakeBleDevice(address = address, name = "Test Radio")
+        bluetoothRepository.bond(device)
+
+        connection.connectException = org.meshtastic.core.model.RadioNotConnectedException("simulated GATT failure")
+
+        every { service.onDisconnect(any(), any()) } returns Unit
+
+        val bleTransport =
+            BleRadioTransport(
+                scope = this,
+                scanner = scanner,
+                bluetoothRepository = bluetoothRepository,
+                connectionFactory = connectionFactory,
+                callback = service,
+                address = address,
+            )
+        bleTransport.start()
+
+        advanceTimeBy(24_001L)
+
+        // Transient disconnect must have been signalled.
+        dev.mokkery.verify { service.onDisconnect(isPermanent = false, errorMessage = any()) }
+        // Permanent disconnect must NEVER be called by the transport on its own.
+        dev.mokkery.verify(mode = dev.mokkery.verify.VerifyMode.not) {
+            service.onDisconnect(isPermanent = true, errorMessage = any())
+        }
+
+        bleTransport.close()
+    }
+
+    // ─── CancellationException is not silently swallowed ─────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    /**
+     * [BleRadioTransport.close] cancels the [connectionScope]. The cancellation propagates as a [CancellationException]
+     * through the active coroutines in [discoverServicesAndSetupCharacteristics].
+     *
+     * Before the fix, `catch (e: Exception)` swallowed the [CancellationException] and the `disconnect()` call was
+     * skipped. After the fix, [disconnect] is called under [NonCancellable].
+     *
+     * This test uses a dedicated fake that throws [CancellationException] from [BleConnection.profile] to simulate the
+     * scope-cancellation path without races.
+     */
+    @Test
+    fun `disconnect is called when profile setup throws CancellationException`() = runTest {
+        val throwingConnection = CancellingProfileBleConnection()
+        val throwingFactory =
+            object : BleConnectionFactory {
+                override fun create(scope: CoroutineScope, tag: String): BleConnection = throwingConnection
+            }
+        val device = FakeBleDevice(address = address, name = "Test Radio")
+        bluetoothRepository.bond(device)
+
+        val bleTransport =
+            BleRadioTransport(
+                scope = this,
+                scanner = scanner,
+                bluetoothRepository = bluetoothRepository,
+                connectionFactory = throwingFactory,
+                callback = service,
+                address = address,
+            )
+        bleTransport.start()
+
+        // Allow one connection attempt to reach profile() and be cancelled.
+        advanceTimeBy(4_000L)
+
+        bleTransport.close()
+
+        assertTrue(
+            throwingConnection.disconnectCalls >= 1,
+            "disconnect() must be called after CancellationException in profile() — GATT leak fix",
+        )
+    }
+}
+
+// ─── Test doubles ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+/**
+ * A [BleConnection] that succeeds at [connectAndAwait] but throws [CancellationException] from [profile]. This
+ * simulates what happens when the owning coroutine scope is cancelled while GATT service discovery is in progress.
+ */
+private class CancellingProfileBleConnection : BleConnection {
+
+    private val _deviceFlow = MutableSharedFlow<BleDevice?>(replay = 1)
+    override val deviceFlow: SharedFlow<BleDevice?> = _deviceFlow.asSharedFlow()
+
+    private val _connectionState = MutableSharedFlow<BleConnectionState>(replay = 1)
+    override val connectionState: SharedFlow<BleConnectionState> = _connectionState.asSharedFlow()
+
+    override val device: BleDevice? = null
+
+    var disconnectCalls = 0
+
+    override suspend fun connect(device: BleDevice) {
+        _deviceFlow.emit(device)
+        _connectionState.emit(BleConnectionState.Connected)
+    }
+
+    override suspend fun connectAndAwait(device: BleDevice, timeout: Duration): BleConnectionState {
+        connect(device)
+        return BleConnectionState.Connected
+    }
+
+    override suspend fun disconnect() {
+        disconnectCalls++
+        _connectionState.emit(BleConnectionState.Disconnected())
+        _deviceFlow.emit(null)
+    }
+
+    override suspend fun <T> profile(
+        serviceUuid: kotlin.uuid.Uuid,
+        timeout: Duration,
+        setup: suspend CoroutineScope.(BleService) -> T,
+    ): T = throw CancellationException("Simulated scope cancellation during service discovery")
+
+    override fun maximumWriteValueLength(writeType: BleWriteType): Int? = null
+}