diff --git a/scripts/run_tests_parallel.py b/scripts/run_tests_parallel.py
index 602e033f3d6..09b585ac970 100755
--- a/scripts/run_tests_parallel.py
+++ b/scripts/run_tests_parallel.py
@@ -85,6 +85,15 @@ _SKIP_PARTS = {"integration", "e2e", "docker"}
 # time while keeping a genuinely hung file bounded.
 _DEFAULT_FILE_TIMEOUT_SECONDS = 300.0
 
+# One-shot retry of failing test FILES. A file that exits non-zero is re-run
+# once in a fresh subprocess; if the re-run passes, the file counts as passed
+# but is loudly reported as FLAKY so it gets fixed rather than hidden.
+# Deterministic failures fail both attempts — a real regression can never be
+# laundered into green by this (it would have to flake in our favor twice in
+# a row on the same runner, which is exactly the definition of a flake).
+# Set to 0 to disable (env: HERMES_TEST_FILE_RETRIES).
+_DEFAULT_FILE_RETRIES = 1
+
 # Duration cache: maps relative file paths to last-observed subprocess
 # wall-clock seconds. Used by ``--slice`` to distribute files across
 # CI jobs by estimated total time, so no one job gets all the slow files.
@@ -224,11 +233,19 @@ def _run_one_file(
     pytest_args: List[str],
     repo_root: Path,
     file_timeout: float,
+    retries: int = 0,
 ) -> Tuple[Path, int, str, dict[str, int], float]:
     """Run ``python -m pytest <file> <pytest_args>`` in a fresh subprocess.
 
     Returns (file, returncode, captured_combined_output, summary_counts, subprocess_wall_seconds).
 
+    ``retries`` > 0 enables the one-shot flake retry: a non-zero exit is
+    re-run in a fresh subprocess; if the re-run passes, the file counts as
+    passed but the output is prefixed with a FLAKY banner and the file is
+    recorded in ``_FLAKY_FILES`` so the summary can call it out. A
+    deterministic failure fails every attempt, so real regressions cannot
+    be laundered green.
+
     ``summary_counts`` is the result of ``_parse_pytest_summary(output)`` —
 
     pytest exit codes (https://docs.pytest.org/en/stable/reference/exit-codes.html):
@@ -250,6 +267,41 @@ def _run_one_file(
     orphan onto PID 1. This outer timeout exists only to
     bound a pathologically slow or hung file as a whole.
     """
+    file, rc, output, summary, subproc_wall = _run_one_file_once(
+        file, pytest_args, repo_root, file_timeout
+    )
+    attempt = 0
+    while rc != 0 and attempt < retries:
+        attempt += 1
+        first_output = output
+        file, rc, output, summary, subproc_wall2 = _run_one_file_once(
+            file, pytest_args, repo_root, file_timeout
+        )
+        subproc_wall += subproc_wall2
+        if rc == 0:
+            with _flaky_lock:
+                _FLAKY_FILES.append(file)
+            output = (
+                f"⚠ FLAKY: failed on attempt 1, passed on retry "
+                f"(attempt {attempt + 1}). Fix the flake — do not ignore this.\n"
+                f"--- first-attempt output ---\n{first_output}\n"
+                f"--- retry output ---\n{output}"
+            )
+    return file, rc, output, summary, subproc_wall
+
+
+# Files that failed once and passed on retry — reported in the summary.
+_FLAKY_FILES: List[Path] = []
+_flaky_lock = threading.Lock()
+
+
+def _run_one_file_once(
+    file: Path,
+    pytest_args: List[str],
+    repo_root: Path,
+    file_timeout: float,
+) -> Tuple[Path, int, str, dict[str, int], float]:
+    """Single attempt of a per-file pytest subprocess (see _run_one_file)."""
     cmd = [sys.executable, "-m", "pytest", str(file), *pytest_args]
     
     subproc_start = time.monotonic()
@@ -624,6 +676,19 @@ def main() -> int:
             f"Default: {_DEFAULT_FILE_TIMEOUT_SECONDS}s ({round(_DEFAULT_FILE_TIMEOUT_SECONDS/60)} min), env: HERMES_TEST_FILE_TIMEOUT."
         ),
     )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--file-retries",
+        type=int,
+        default=int(
+            os.environ.get("HERMES_TEST_FILE_RETRIES", _DEFAULT_FILE_RETRIES)
+        ),
+        help=(
+            "Re-run a failing test FILE this many times in a fresh subprocess "
+            "before declaring it failed. A pass-on-retry counts as passed but "
+            "is reported as FLAKY in the summary. 0 disables. "
+            f"Default: {_DEFAULT_FILE_RETRIES}, env: HERMES_TEST_FILE_RETRIES."
+        ),
+    )
     parser.add_argument(
         "--slice",
         metavar="I/N",
@@ -684,7 +749,7 @@ def main() -> int:
     # (``-k=expr``, ``--tb=long``) are self-contained and need no lookahead.
     OUR_FLAGS = {
         "-j", "--jobs", "--paths", "--include-integration",
-        "--file-timeout", "--slice", "--generate-slices", "--files",
+        "--file-timeout", "--file-retries", "--slice", "--generate-slices", "--files",
     }
     # pytest short flags that consume the NEXT token as their value.
     PYTEST_VALUE_FLAGS = {"-k", "-m", "-p", "-o", "-c", "-r", "-W"}
@@ -875,7 +940,8 @@ def main() -> int:
         for file in files:
             t0 = time.monotonic()
             fut = pool.submit(
-                _run_one_file, file, pytest_passthrough, repo_root, args.file_timeout
+                _run_one_file, file, pytest_passthrough, repo_root,
+                args.file_timeout, args.file_retries,
             )
             fut.add_done_callback(lambda f, file=file, t0=t0: _on_done(file, t0, f))
             futures.append(fut)
@@ -890,6 +956,14 @@ def main() -> int:
     pct = min(100, (tests_done / approx_total_tests * 100)) if approx_total_tests else 0
     print(f"=== Summary: {len(files)} files, {tests_passed} tests passed, {tests_failed} failed ({pct:.0f}% complete) in {elapsed:.1f}s ({args.jobs} workers) ===")
 
+    # Flaky files: failed once, passed on the automatic retry. Green, but
+    # loudly reported so they get fixed instead of silently re-flaking.
+    if _FLAKY_FILES:
+        print()
+        print(f"=== ⚠ {len(_FLAKY_FILES)} FLAKY file{'s' if len(_FLAKY_FILES) != 1 else ''} (failed once, passed on retry — fix these) ===")
+        for f in _FLAKY_FILES:
+            print(f"  {_format_file(f, repo_root)}")
+
     # Save durations for future --slice runs. Each slice writes its own
     # partial test_durations.json; a CI merge step joins them later.
     # Locally, _save_durations merges with any existing cache so entries