diff --git a/wait-for-grafana/README.md b/wait-for-grafana/README.md
index 22f81bf..7732537 100644
--- a/wait-for-grafana/README.md
+++ b/wait-for-grafana/README.md
@@ -22,11 +22,11 @@ The time to wait between each check, in seconds. Default is `0.5`.
 
 ### `startupTimeout` (optional)
 
-The maximum time to wait for the server's TCP port to bind, in seconds. Default is `300`.
+The maximum time to wait for the server's TCP port to bind, in seconds. Default is `60`.
 
 This covers the window between the container starting and Grafana's HTTP listener becoming active. During this phase the action polls every 5 seconds. Once the port responds (with any status other than `000`), normal health polling begins using the `timeout` and `interval` values above.
 
-On contested CI runners, Grafana's HTTP listener can take longer to bind than the default health-check window allows, regardless of Grafana version. Increasing this value gives the process more time to start without affecting the health-check phase.
+Raise this value only if Grafana genuinely takes longer than the default to start. A long default delays diagnosis of startup *crashes* (for example, a provisioning deadlock that prevents the HTTP listener from ever binding), since the action can only observe `000` and cannot distinguish "still booting" from "dead before booting." Pair this action with a separate diagnostic step that dumps container logs on failure to recover the real signal.
 
 ## How to use?
 
diff --git a/wait-for-grafana/action.yml b/wait-for-grafana/action.yml
index b742ccb..4e9cbc8 100644
--- a/wait-for-grafana/action.yml
+++ b/wait-for-grafana/action.yml
@@ -18,9 +18,9 @@ inputs:
     required: true
     default: "0.5"
   startupTimeout:
-    description: "Seconds to wait for the TCP port to bind before health polling begins. On contested CI runners, Grafana's HTTP listener can take longer to start than the default health-check window allows."
+    description: "Seconds to wait for the TCP port to bind before health polling begins. Raise this only if Grafana genuinely takes longer than the default to start — a long default delays diagnosis of startup crashes (e.g. provisioning deadlocks), which never recover no matter how long we wait."
     required: true
-    default: "300"
+    default: "60"
 runs:
   using: "composite"
   steps:
diff --git a/wait-for-grafana/wait-for-grafana.sh b/wait-for-grafana/wait-for-grafana.sh
index 5da6bac..7ae478e 100755
--- a/wait-for-grafana/wait-for-grafana.sh
+++ b/wait-for-grafana/wait-for-grafana.sh
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ url="$1"
 expected_response_code="$2"
 timeout="$3"
 interval="$4"
-startup_timeout="${5:-300}"
+startup_timeout="${5:-60}"
 
 echo "Checking URL: $url"
 echo "Expected response code: $expected_response_code"