diff --git a/deploy-k3s/manifests/api/deployment.yaml b/deploy-k3s/manifests/api/deployment.yaml
index a98f67c..d742ef6 100644
--- a/deploy-k3s/manifests/api/deployment.yaml
+++ b/deploy-k3s/manifests/api/deployment.yaml
@@ -122,11 +122,14 @@ spec:
               path: /api/health/
               port: 8000
             # MigrateWithLock in cmd/api/main.go runs pg_advisory_lock on
-            # every startup. On a cold boot with 3 replicas, the first does
-            # AutoMigrate (~90s) and the others wait on the lock, so real
-            # startup runs 90–240s. 48 × 5s = 240s grace absorbs it without
-            # healthcheck killing a still-starting replica.
-            failureThreshold: 48
+            # every startup against Neon's *direct* (non-pooler) endpoint,
+            # because session-scoped locks don't survive PgBouncer
+            # transaction-mode. AutoMigrate over a transatlantic direct
+            # link runs many DDLs serially × ~110ms RTT each ≈ 4–6 min on
+            # the first pod; subsequent pods see no-op migrate after
+            # acquiring the same lock. 120 × 5s = 600s grace absorbs it
+            # without the healthcheck killing a still-migrating replica.
+            failureThreshold: 120
             periodSeconds: 5
           readinessProbe:
             httpGet: