diff --git a/MobileGL/MG_Remote/Client/ClientSession.cpp b/MobileGL/MG_Remote/Client/ClientSession.cpp
index 6685d53f..c4b60536 100644
--- a/MobileGL/MG_Remote/Client/ClientSession.cpp
+++ b/MobileGL/MG_Remote/Client/ClientSession.cpp
@@ -1504,6 +1504,10 @@ namespace MobileGL::MG_Remote::Client {
                 // One op is outstanding at a time (m_remoteControlMutex), so a report naming any
                 // other seq is a server that has lost track of which op it is running.
                 const auto* progress = envelope->msg_as_SurfaceProgress();
+                // An OLDER seq is an op this client already gave up on (its reply budget expired
+                // while the server's apply thread was blocked - a long GPU stall does it): the
+                // server is reporting, late, on work it did take. Dropped, like its late reply.
+                if (progress != nullptr && progress->seq() < frame.seq) continue;
                 if (progress == nullptr || progress->seq() != frame.seq) {
                     MGLOG_E("MG_Remote client: a SurfaceProgress names seq %llu while seq %llu is "
                             "the op outstanding",
@@ -1545,6 +1549,19 @@ namespace MobileGL::MG_Remote::Client {
                 return MOBILEGL_ERR_PROTOCOL_MISMATCH;
             }
             const ::MobileGL::Wire::SurfaceReply* wire = envelope->msg_as_SurfaceReply();
+            if (wire->seq() < frame.seq) {
+                // THE LATE ANSWER TO AN OP THIS CLIENT TIMED OUT ON. One op is outstanding at a
+                // time, so every reply older than the one owed is exactly that: the server
+                // answered after the budget expired. Treating it as a protocol mismatch left the
+                // session one reply behind for good - every later op read its predecessor's
+                // answer and failed, which wedged a client for the rest of its life after one
+                // multi-second GPU stall. Drop it and keep waiting for ours.
+                MGLOG_W("MG_Remote client: dropping the late SurfaceReply for seq %llu (an op that "
+                        "timed out); still waiting for seq %llu",
+                        static_cast<unsigned long long>(wire->seq()),
+                        static_cast<unsigned long long>(frame.seq));
+                continue;
+            }
             if (wire->seq() != frame.seq) {
                 MGLOG_E("MG_Remote client: SurfaceReply names seq %llu, we asked for %llu",
                         static_cast<unsigned long long>(wire->seq()),
diff --git a/MobileGL/MG_Test/Wire/ServerSpawnTest.cpp b/MobileGL/MG_Test/Wire/ServerSpawnTest.cpp
index f2df6ffe..9a0ce13d 100644
--- a/MobileGL/MG_Test/Wire/ServerSpawnTest.cpp
+++ b/MobileGL/MG_Test/Wire/ServerSpawnTest.cpp
@@ -1122,6 +1122,35 @@ TEST(ServerSpawnTest, AFrozenServerReportsNoProgressAndTheOpStillTimesOutAtTheBu
     EXPECT_FALSE(Client::ClientSession::DeviceLost()) << "a frozen server is not a lost device (5.4)";
 }
 
+// THE LATE ANSWER TO AN OP THE CLIENT GAVE UP ON. A server whose apply thread is blocked for
+// longer than the reply budget - a GPU hang the driver takes ~10 s to reset does it - answers the
+// timed-out op when it comes back. The client used to read that answer as the NEXT op's and call
+// it a protocol mismatch, and from then on every op read its predecessor's reply: one long GPU
+// stall left the client unable to make a context current for the rest of its life. The late reply
+// is now dropped and the next op reads its own. Red once by restoring the mismatch arm: the second
+// op comes back MOBILEGL_ERR_PROTOCOL_MISMATCH.
+TEST(ServerSpawnTest, AnOpAfterOneThatTimedOutReadsItsOwnReplyAndNotThatLateOne) {
+    const ScopedEnvironment headless("EGL_PLATFORM", HeadlessEglPlatform());
+    const ShortReplyBudgets budgets(1000);
+
+    Session session;
+    ASSERT_TRUE(Bring("latereply", &session));
+    ScopedSessionCleanup cleanup{session};
+    ASSERT_EQ(Handshake(session), MOBILEGL_OK);
+    ASSERT_EQ(::kill(session.server.pid, SIGSTOP), 0);
+    Server::SurfaceControlFrame first = PbufferCreation();
+    const MobileGLResult timedOut = Client::ClientSessionInstance().RunRemoteSurfaceControlFrame(first);
+    (void)::kill(session.server.pid, SIGCONT);
+    ASSERT_EQ(timedOut, MOBILEGL_ERR_TIMEOUT) << "the frozen server's op was not timed out";
+
+    Server::SurfaceControlFrame second = PbufferCreation();
+    second.surface = 2;
+    const MobileGLResult rc = Client::ClientSessionInstance().RunRemoteSurfaceControlFrame(second);
+    EXPECT_EQ(rc, MOBILEGL_OK) << "the op after a timed-out one came back rc=" << static_cast<int>(rc)
+                               << ": it read the late reply of the op before it";
+    EXPECT_FALSE(Client::ClientSession::DeviceLost()) << "a late reply is not a lost device";
+}
+
 TEST(ServerSpawnTest, TheHandshakeCarriesTwoDifferentProcessIdsAndNotTwoZeroes) {
     // CONTRACT-P6 4.3. Hello::pid was hard-coded 0 and Welcome::serverPid ECHOED it back, so the
     // handshake carried 0 and 0 and named nothing at all. Both now carry real ids, which makes