diff --git a/pkg/service/nrf_commands.go b/pkg/service/nrf_commands.go
index 2fb3e54..31c3efb 100644
--- a/pkg/service/nrf_commands.go
+++ b/pkg/service/nrf_commands.go
@@ -7,10 +7,30 @@ import (
 	"github.com/librescoot/bluetooth-service/pkg/ble"
 )
 
-// InitializeNRF52 initializes communication with the nRF52
+// nrfHandshakeTimeout caps how long InitializeNRF52 waits for the nRF to
+// reply to the version request. The reply normally arrives in a few ms over
+// USOCK; 2 seconds is generous enough to ride out worst-case scheduling
+// latency and tight enough to surface a non-responsive nRF immediately
+// instead of leaving the service silently degraded.
+const nrfHandshakeTimeout = 2 * time.Second
+
+// InitializeNRF52 initializes communication with the nRF52 and blocks until
+// the nRF acknowledges by emitting a BLE version frame, or until
+// nrfHandshakeTimeout elapses. A timeout is returned as an error so callers
+// (Bootstrap.startNormally, ReconnectUSock) can surface FaultNRFInit or
+// failed:reconnect as appropriate. Late-arriving versions clear the fault
+// via handleBLEVersionMessage, so a slow handshake self-heals.
 func (s *Service) InitializeNRF52() error {
 	s.log.Infof("Starting nRF52 initialization...")
 
+	// Drain any stale version signal from a previous handshake. The buffered
+	// channel may still hold an entry if the version handler fired between
+	// the previous wait and now (e.g. on rapid reconnects).
+	select {
+	case <-s.versionRxCh:
+	default:
+	}
+
 	// 1. Disable data streaming
 	if err := writeUARTMessage(s.usock, ble.TypeDataStream, ble.TypeDataStreamEnable, 0); err != nil {
 		s.log.Warnf(" failed to disable data streaming: %v", err)
@@ -58,8 +78,19 @@ func (s *Service) InitializeNRF52() error {
 		s.log.Debugf("Sent command to restart advertising without whitelist")
 	}
 
-	s.log.Infof("nRF52 initialization complete")
-	return nil
+	// Block until the version reply arrives or we time out. The version
+	// handler does a non-blocking send on versionRxCh on receipt; a reply
+	// that arrived during the steps above is sitting in the buffered
+	// channel and is consumed immediately here.
+	select {
+	case <-s.versionRxCh:
+		s.log.Infof("nRF52 initialization complete")
+		return nil
+	case <-time.After(nrfHandshakeTimeout):
+		return fmt.Errorf("handshake timeout: no version response within %v", nrfHandshakeTimeout)
+	case <-s.stopCh:
+		return fmt.Errorf("handshake aborted: service stopping")
+	}
 }
 
 // ShutdownNRF52 tells the nRF to stop its autonomous data stream before
diff --git a/pkg/service/service.go b/pkg/service/service.go
index 1c1cd11..077ccd4 100644
--- a/pkg/service/service.go
+++ b/pkg/service/service.go
@@ -70,6 +70,13 @@ type Service struct {
 	// recovers.
 	schemaMu    sync.RWMutex
 	schemaCache map[string]settingSchema
+
+	// Signaled by handleBLEVersionMessage whenever a BLE version frame
+	// arrives from the nRF. InitializeNRF52 drains this channel before
+	// sending the version request, then waits on it to confirm the
+	// handshake completed before returning. Buffered (size 1) so the
+	// version handler's send is non-blocking.
+	versionRxCh chan struct{}
 }
 
 // Fault codes for bluetooth service
@@ -82,10 +89,11 @@ const (
 // New creates a new Service instance
 func New(ipcClient *ipc.Client, log *logger.Logger) *Service {
 	return &Service{
-		ipc:    ipcClient,
-		log:    log,
-		stopCh: make(chan struct{}),
-		faults: ipcClient.NewFaultSet("ble:fault", "ble", "fault"),
+		ipc:         ipcClient,
+		log:         log,
+		stopCh:      make(chan struct{}),
+		faults:      ipcClient.NewFaultSet("ble:fault", "ble", "fault"),
+		versionRxCh: make(chan struct{}, 1),
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/service/usock_handlers.go b/pkg/service/usock_handlers.go
index efef45c..60a8fd5 100644
--- a/pkg/service/usock_handlers.go
+++ b/pkg/service/usock_handlers.go
@@ -380,6 +380,15 @@ func (s *Service) handleBLEVersionMessage(msgType ble.MessageType, absSubTypeKey
 		if versionStr, ok := convertToString(value); ok {
 			s.log.Infof("Detected firmware version: %s", versionStr)
 
+			// Signal InitializeNRF52's handshake wait; clear FaultNRFInit
+			// so a late-arriving version after a handshake-timeout self-heals
+			// the fault state.
+			select {
+			case s.versionRxCh <- struct{}{}:
+			default:
+			}
+			s.ClearFault(FaultNRFInit)
+
 			// Write version to Redis immediately (before compatibility check)
 			if err := s.ipc.Hash(KeyFirmwareVersion).Set("nrf-fw-version", versionStr); err != nil {
 				s.log.Errorf("Failed to update BLE version in Redis: %v", err)