diff --git a/.github/scripts/test-verify-nginx-assert.py b/.github/scripts/test-verify-nginx-assert.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3bdfb5f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/scripts/test-verify-nginx-assert.py
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Regression test for the verify_from_outside nginx HTTP assert.
+
+The "Assert that the nginx welcome page is available" task in
+molecule/resources/verify_from_outside/tasks/test/deploy-example.yml performs
+a plain HTTP GET (ansible.builtin.uri) against the MetalLB VIP that the load
+balancer pool assigned, reaching it from the CI runner over the VirtualBox
+host-only network.
+
+The MetalLB speaker announces the VIP on the host-only network, and the runner
+may briefly not see it in its ARP table yet. That manifests as a single-shot
+"status -1 / No route to host" failure that fails the whole verify play even
+though the cluster is healthy. Like the sibling load-balancer address wait and
+the k3s_server_post metallb waits, the assert must retry until it observes
+HTTP 200 with the welcome page.
+
+A bare assert with no retry would otherwise fail an otherwise-green cluster on
+a transient announcement miss.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import print_function
+
+import os
+import subprocess
+
+import yaml
+
+
+def repo_root():
+    return subprocess.check_output(
+        ["git", "rev-parse", "--show-toplevel"], text=True
+    ).strip()
+
+
+def fail(message):
+    raise SystemExit("verify nginx assert test failed: " + message)
+
+
+def find_task(play, name):
+    block = play.get("block")
+    if not isinstance(block, list):
+        fail("expected a block list of tasks")
+    for entry in block:
+        if entry.get("name") == name:
+            return entry
+    fail("could not find the '{0}' task".format(name))
+    return None
+
+
+def check_retry_wiring(task, name):
+    if not task.get("register"):
+        fail("{0} does not register a result; without retry wiring a transient "
+             "MetalLB VIP announcement miss fails the verify play".format(name))
+    until = task.get("until")
+    if not until:
+        fail("{0} does not retry; a transient MetalLB VIP announcement miss "
+             "on the host-only network would fail the verify play".format(name))
+    if isinstance(until, str):
+        until = [until]
+    joined = " | ".join(str(expr) for expr in until)
+    if "result.status == 200" not in joined:
+        fail("{0} does not retry until the HTTP status is 200".format(name))
+    if "Welcome to nginx!" not in joined:
+        fail("{0} does not verify the welcome page content".format(name))
+    if task.get("retries") is None:
+        fail("{0} is missing retries".format(name))
+    if task.get("delay") is None:
+        fail("{0} is missing delay".format(name))
+
+
+def main():
+    task_file = os.path.join(
+        repo_root(),
+        "molecule", "resources", "verify_from_outside", "tasks", "test",
+        "deploy-example.yml",
+    )
+    with open(task_file, encoding="utf-8") as handle:
+        plays = yaml.safe_load(handle)
+
+    play = plays[0]
+    task = find_task(play, "Assert that the nginx welcome page is available")
+
+    if not task.get("ansible.builtin.uri"):
+        fail("task does not use ansible.builtin.uri to reach the VIP")
+
+    check_retry_wiring(task, "Assert that the nginx welcome page is available")
+
+    print("verify nginx assert regression test passed")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index fc60617..b816873 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -147,3 +147,11 @@ repos:
           - Jinja2>=3.1
         pass_filenames: false
         files: ^inventory/sample/group_vars/all\.yml$|^\.github/scripts/test-default-interface\.py$
+      - id: verify-nginx-assert-test
+        name: verify nginx assert test
+        entry: python3 .github/scripts/test-verify-nginx-assert.py
+        language: python
+        additional_dependencies:
+          - PyYAML
+        pass_filenames: false
+        files: ^molecule/resources/verify_from_outside/tasks/test/deploy-example\.yml$|^\.github/scripts/test-verify-nginx-assert\.py$ # noqa yaml[line-length]
diff --git a/molecule/resources/verify_from_outside/tasks/test/deploy-example.yml b/molecule/resources/verify_from_outside/tasks/test/deploy-example.yml
index 3781afd..a2a91cd 100644
--- a/molecule/resources/verify_from_outside/tasks/test/deploy-example.yml
+++ b/molecule/resources/verify_from_outside/tasks/test/deploy-example.yml
@@ -69,7 +69,16 @@
         url: http://{{ nginx_lb_ip | ansible.utils.ipwrap }}:{{ port_ }}/
         return_content: true
       register: result
-      failed_when: "'Welcome to nginx!' not in result.content"
+      # The MetalLB speaker announces the VIP on the host-only network, and the
+      # runner may briefly not see it in its ARP table yet. Retry so a transient
+      # announcement miss does not fail an otherwise healthy cluster, matching
+      # the load-balancer address wait above and the k3s_server_post metallb waits.
+      until:
+        - result.status is defined
+        - result.status == 200
+        - "'Welcome to nginx!' in result.content"
+      retries: 30
+      delay: 5
       vars:
         port_: >-
           {{ nginx_services.resources[0].spec.ports[0].port }}