diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker.Tests/MxAccess/FailoverAlarmConsumerTests.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker.Tests/MxAccess/FailoverAlarmConsumerTests.cs
index da293cc..07060fb 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker.Tests/MxAccess/FailoverAlarmConsumerTests.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker.Tests/MxAccess/FailoverAlarmConsumerTests.cs
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ public sealed class FailoverAlarmConsumerTests
 
         sut.Subscribe(@"\\HOST\Galaxy!Area"); // threshold=1 → Subtag (mode change 1)
         Assert.Single(changes);
-        Assert.Equal(AlarmProviderMode.Subtag, changes[^1].Mode);
+        Assert.Equal(AlarmProviderMode.Subtag, changes[changes.Count - 1].Mode);
 
         // Primary heals: PollOnce stops throwing. ProbeOnce should call only
         // PollOnce (not Subscribe) to detect recovery.
@@ -172,9 +172,9 @@ public sealed class FailoverAlarmConsumerTests
         sut.ProbeOnce(); // cleanProbes=2 → failback to Alarmmgr (mode change 2)
 
         Assert.Equal(2, changes.Count);
-        Assert.Equal(AlarmProviderMode.Alarmmgr, changes[^1].Mode);
+        Assert.Equal(AlarmProviderMode.Alarmmgr, changes[changes.Count - 1].Mode);
         Assert.Equal(AlarmProviderMode.Alarmmgr, sut.Mode);
-        Assert.Equal(0, changes[^1].HResult);
+        Assert.Equal(0, changes[changes.Count - 1].HResult);
 
         // ProbeOnce must not have called Subscribe at all during probing.
         Assert.Equal(subscribeCountAfterFailover, primary.SubscribeCount);
@@ -263,4 +263,32 @@ public sealed class FailoverAlarmConsumerTests
         Assert.Equal(22, sut.AcknowledgeByGuid(Guid.NewGuid(), "c", "n", "node", "dom", "full"));
         Assert.Equal(22, sut.AcknowledgeByName("a", "p", "g", "c", "n", "node", "dom", "full"));
     }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    ///     Proves that an intermittent failure during failback probing resets the
+    ///     clean-probe counter to zero, requiring a fresh unbroken run of
+    ///     <see cref="FailoverSettings.StableProbes"/> before failing back.
+    /// </summary>
+    [Fact]
+    public void FailbackProbe_IntermittentFailure_ResetsCleanCount()
+    {
+        var primary = new FlakyPrimary { ThrowOnPoll = true };
+        var standby = new StubStandby();
+        using var sut = new FailoverAlarmConsumer(primary, standby, new FailoverSettings(threshold: 1, probeIntervalSeconds: 0, stableProbes: 3));
+        sut.Subscribe(@"\\HOST\Galaxy!Area");           // threshold=1 → switch to Subtag
+        Assert.Equal(AlarmProviderMode.Subtag, sut.Mode);
+
+        primary.ThrowOnPoll = false;
+        sut.ProbeOnce();  // clean 1
+        sut.ProbeOnce();  // clean 2
+        primary.ThrowOnPoll = true;
+        sut.ProbeOnce();  // fails → reset to 0
+        Assert.Equal(AlarmProviderMode.Subtag, sut.Mode);
+
+        primary.ThrowOnPoll = false;
+        sut.ProbeOnce();  // clean 1
+        sut.ProbeOnce();  // clean 2
+        sut.ProbeOnce();  // clean 3 → failback
+        Assert.Equal(AlarmProviderMode.Alarmmgr, sut.Mode);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker/MxAccess/FailoverAlarmConsumer.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker/MxAccess/FailoverAlarmConsumer.cs
index 35cd513..b40c614 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker/MxAccess/FailoverAlarmConsumer.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.MxGateway.Worker/MxAccess/FailoverAlarmConsumer.cs
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ public sealed class FailoverAlarmConsumer : IMxAccessAlarmConsumer
     private int consecutiveFailures;
     private int cleanProbes;
     private bool disposed;
+    private DateTime lastProbeAtUtc = DateTime.MinValue;
 
     /// <summary>
     ///     The subscription expression passed to <see cref="Subscribe"/>.
@@ -177,6 +178,16 @@ public sealed class FailoverAlarmConsumer : IMxAccessAlarmConsumer
     ///         drive it directly.
     ///     </para>
     ///     <para>
+    ///         <strong>Probe throttle.</strong> When
+    ///         <see cref="FailoverSettings.ProbeIntervalSeconds"/> is greater than
+    ///         zero, successive calls to this method are throttled: a probe is
+    ///         skipped unless at least that many seconds have elapsed since the
+    ///         last probe that was actually executed. When
+    ///         <see cref="FailoverSettings.ProbeIntervalSeconds"/> is zero, the
+    ///         throttle is disabled and every call probes immediately (the default
+    ///         used by unit tests).
+    ///     </para>
+    ///     <para>
     ///         <strong>Why PollOnce only — no re-Subscribe.</strong>
     ///         Failover does NOT tear down the primary's subscription;
     ///         <see cref="WnWrapAlarmConsumer"/> is single-subscribe and would
@@ -202,6 +213,16 @@ public sealed class FailoverAlarmConsumer : IMxAccessAlarmConsumer
         if (disposed) throw new ObjectDisposedException(nameof(FailoverAlarmConsumer));
         if (active != Active.Standby) return;
 
+        // Throttle probes to the configured cadence. When ProbeIntervalSeconds
+        // is 0 the throttle is disabled and every call probes immediately.
+        if (settings.ProbeIntervalSeconds > 0
+            && (DateTime.UtcNow - lastProbeAtUtc).TotalSeconds < settings.ProbeIntervalSeconds)
+        {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        lastProbeAtUtc = DateTime.UtcNow;
+
         try
         {
             // Re-poll the still-subscribed primary. Do NOT call Subscribe —
@@ -278,7 +299,7 @@ public sealed class FailoverAlarmConsumer : IMxAccessAlarmConsumer
         {
             action();
         }
-        catch (Exception ex)
+        catch (Exception ex) when (ex is not OutOfMemoryException)
         {
             consecutiveFailures++;
             int hresult = ex is COMException ? ex.HResult : 0;