diff --git a/qqq-backend-module-api/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/api/actions/BaseAPIActionUtilTest.java b/qqq-backend-module-api/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/api/actions/BaseAPIActionUtilTest.java
index 4fb4d8a9..60923ea5 100644
--- a/qqq-backend-module-api/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/api/actions/BaseAPIActionUtilTest.java
+++ b/qqq-backend-module-api/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/module/api/actions/BaseAPIActionUtilTest.java
@@ -893,6 +893,11 @@ class BaseAPIActionUtilTest extends BaseTest
             LOG.info("Exception in simple http server", e);
          }
       });
+
+      ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+      // give time for the thread w/ the listening socket to start before returning control to the thread that's going to try to connect to it //
+      ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+      SleepUtils.sleep(100, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
    }