diff --git a/hermes_cli/gateway.py b/hermes_cli/gateway.py
index 8d863fc7e6..9a358d95d6 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/gateway.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/gateway.py
@@ -4008,19 +4008,18 @@ def _wait_for_tcp_port_free(host: str, port: int, *, timeout: float = 10.0) -> b
     the race logs EADDRINUSE and keeps running with no API. Connection-refused means the
     listener is gone; a timed-out connect is a live listener with a slow accept queue.
     """
-    deadline = time.monotonic() + timeout
-    while time.monotonic() < deadline:
+    def _port_free() -> bool:
         try:
             with socket.create_connection((host, port), timeout=0.2):
-                pass
+                return False
         except ConnectionRefusedError:
             return True
         except TimeoutError:
-            pass  # a slow accept queue is still a live listener
+            return False  # a slow accept queue is still a live listener
         except OSError:
             return True  # unresolvable/unreachable address: nothing to wait for; the bind retry covers it
-        time.sleep(0.1)
-    return False
+
+    return poll_until(_port_free, timeout, 0.1)
 
 
 def _wait_for_api_server_port_free(*, timeout: float = 10.0) -> bool:
diff --git a/tools/voice_mode.py b/tools/voice_mode.py
index 93a1f83a48..17f14b442c 100644
--- a/tools/voice_mode.py
+++ b/tools/voice_mode.py
@@ -371,9 +371,9 @@ def _sd_play_blocking(sd, audio, sample_rate: int, *, timeout: float, blocksize:
     """``sd.play`` then poll until idle or *timeout* (``sd.wait()`` has no timeout and
     hangs forever if the device stalls)."""
     sd.play(audio, samplerate=sample_rate, blocksize=blocksize)
-    deadline = time.monotonic() + timeout
-    while sd.get_stream() and sd.get_stream().active and time.monotonic() < deadline:
-        time.sleep(0.01)
+    from agent.deadline import poll_until
+
+    poll_until(lambda: not (sd.get_stream() and sd.get_stream().active), timeout, 0.01)
     sd.stop()