diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Host/Health/RequiredSingletonsHealthCheck.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Host/Health/RequiredSingletonsHealthCheck.cs
index b3e84441..5fb5c894 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Host/Health/RequiredSingletonsHealthCheck.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Host/Health/RequiredSingletonsHealthCheck.cs
@@ -157,11 +157,9 @@ public sealed class RequiredSingletonsHealthCheck : IHealthCheck
             // ActorSelection so a missing path resolves an ActorIdentity with a null
             // Subject (rather than throwing) within the bounded timeout.
             var selection = system.ActorSelection($"/user/{proxyName}");
-            using var cts = CancellationTokenSource.CreateLinkedTokenSource(cancellationToken);
-            cts.CancelAfter(ProbeTimeout);
 
             var identity = await selection
-                .Ask<ActorIdentity>(new Identify(proxyName), ProbeTimeout, cts.Token)
+                .Ask<ActorIdentity>(new Identify(proxyName), ProbeTimeout, cancellationToken)
                 .ConfigureAwait(false);
 
             return (proxyName, identity.Subject is not null);
diff --git a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Host.Tests/RequiredSingletonsHealthCheckTests.cs b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Host.Tests/RequiredSingletonsHealthCheckTests.cs
index fd6c281d..61e87938 100644
--- a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Host.Tests/RequiredSingletonsHealthCheckTests.cs
+++ b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Host.Tests/RequiredSingletonsHealthCheckTests.cs
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ public class RequiredSingletonsHealthCheckTests : TestKit
 {
     /// <summary>A minimal live actor that does nothing — its mere existence makes
     /// an <see cref="Identify"/> resolve a non-null Subject (i.e. "reachable").</summary>
+    /// <remarks>No <c>Receive&lt;Identify&gt;</c> handler is needed: Akka's
+    /// <see cref="ActorBase"/> answers every <see cref="Identify"/> message with
+    /// an <see cref="ActorIdentity"/> automatically, so an empty actor at the proxy
+    /// path is sufficient to simulate a reachable singleton.</remarks>
     private sealed class EchoActor : ReceiveActor
     {
     }
@@ -106,4 +110,34 @@ public class RequiredSingletonsHealthCheckTests : TestKit
 
         Assert.Equal(HealthStatus.Unhealthy, result.Status);
     }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task PreCancelledToken_ReportsUnhealthy_DoesNotThrow()
+    {
+        // Shutdown-race path: CheckHealthAsync is called with an already-cancelled
+        // token (e.g. host is tearing down). The check must never throw — any
+        // OperationCanceledException from Ask must be caught and mapped to Unhealthy.
+        foreach (var name in RequiredSingletonsHealthCheck.RequiredSingletonProxyNames)
+        {
+            Sys.ActorOf(Props.Create(() => new EchoActor()), name);
+        }
+
+        var check = new RequiredSingletonsHealthCheck(
+            ProviderReturning(Sys),
+            NullLogger<RequiredSingletonsHealthCheck>.Instance);
+
+        using var cts = new CancellationTokenSource();
+        cts.Cancel(); // already cancelled before the check runs
+
+        var context = new HealthCheckContext
+        {
+            Registration = new HealthCheckRegistration(
+                "required-singletons", check, failureStatus: null, tags: null),
+        };
+
+        // Must not throw; an already-cancelled token → all probes fail → Unhealthy.
+        var result = await check.CheckHealthAsync(context, cts.Token);
+
+        Assert.Equal(HealthStatus.Unhealthy, result.Status);
+    }
 }