asyncpoll: refactor Sectigo / Entrust / GlobalSign to bounded polling (Phase 2)

Phase 2 of the #5 acquisition-readiness fix from the 2026-05-01 issuer
coverage audit. Phase 1 (commit 711265b) shipped the shared asyncpoll
package and refactored DigiCert as the reference. This commit applies
the same pattern to the remaining three async-CA connectors and adds
the operator-facing docs.

Per-connector refactors:

- Sectigo (sectigo.go): GetOrderStatus now wraps pollEnrollmentOnce in
  asyncpoll.Poll. The collectNotReady sentinel (cert approved by SCM
  but not yet retrievable from the collect endpoint) maps to
  StillPending and rides the backoff schedule rather than the prior
  "return pending immediately" branch. Added isPermanentStatusError
  helper to distinguish transient HTTP errors (5xx / 429 / network)
  from permanent ones (4xx / parse failure) — the wrapped checkStatus
  errors get triaged at the poll closure boundary.

- Entrust (entrust.go): GetOrderStatus wraps pollEnrollmentOnce. The
  AWAITING_APPROVAL status maps to StillPending; operators using
  approval-pending workflows where humans approve enrollments should
  bump CERTCTL_ENTRUST_POLL_MAX_WAIT_SECONDS to 86400 (24h) so a
  single scheduler tick can wait through the approval window. The
  default 10-minute deadline matches the other three connectors.

- GlobalSign (globalsign.go): GetOrderStatus wraps pollCertificateOnce.
  GlobalSign tracks orders by serial number rather than order ID, but
  the polling shape is identical to the other three. Status-code
  triage matches DigiCert: 4xx (not 429) is permanent, 5xx / 429 /
  network is transient.

Per-connector Config field added:
- DigiCert.PollMaxWaitSeconds (env CERTCTL_DIGICERT_POLL_MAX_WAIT_SECONDS)
- Sectigo.PollMaxWaitSeconds (env CERTCTL_SECTIGO_POLL_MAX_WAIT_SECONDS)
- Entrust.PollMaxWaitSeconds (env CERTCTL_ENTRUST_POLL_MAX_WAIT_SECONDS)
- GlobalSign.PollMaxWaitSeconds (env CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_POLL_MAX_WAIT_SECONDS)

internal/config/config.go env-var loaders updated for all four. Default
is 600 seconds (10 minutes); zero falls back to the asyncpoll package
default.

Test-helper updates: every existing test that exercises the pending
branch (collectNotReady, AWAITING_APPROVAL, status="pending", etc.)
now sets PollMaxWaitSeconds=1 in its Config so the test doesn't block
on the production-default 10-minute deadline. Tests that exercise
permanent-error branches (404, 401, malformed JSON, etc.) continue
to return immediately.

Test sites updated:
- buildSectigoConnector helper + GetOrderStatus_CollectNotReady test
- buildEntrustConnector helper + GetOrderStatus_Pending test
- buildGlobalsignConnector helper + GetOrderStatus_Pending test +
  the GetHTTPClient_NoMTLSCertPaths test (network failure now rides
  the backoff schedule rather than returning immediately)

Documentation:
- docs/async-polling.md: new operator reference covering the backoff
  schedule, status-code triage, the four env vars, failure modes, and
  where the implementation lives. Audit blocker citation included.
- docs/connectors.md: per-issuer sections for DigiCert, Sectigo,
  Entrust, GlobalSign each gain the PollMaxWaitSeconds env var row
  and a cross-link to async-polling.md.

Lint cleanup: simplified the isPermanentStatusError branch to satisfy
staticcheck S1008 (single-line return for a final boolean check).

Verified locally:
- gofmt -l . clean
- go vet ./... clean
- staticcheck ./... clean
- golangci-lint run --timeout 5m ./... → 0 issues
- go test -short -count=1 across all 4 connector packages + config + asyncpoll: green

Audit reference: cowork/issuer-coverage-audit-2026-05-01/RESULTS.md
Top-10 fix #5 — Phase 2.

internal/config/config.go

@@ -122,6 +122,13 @@ type EntrustConfig struct {
 	// ProfileId is the optional enrollment profile identifier.
 	// Setting: CERTCTL_ENTRUST_PROFILE_ID environment variable.
 	ProfileId string
+
+	// PollMaxWaitSeconds caps GetOrderStatus's bounded-polling
+	// deadline. Approval-pending workflows should bump this (e.g.,
+	// 86400 = 24h) so a single tick can wait through the approval
+	// window. Default 600. Audit fix #5.
+	// Setting: CERTCTL_ENTRUST_POLL_MAX_WAIT_SECONDS.
+	PollMaxWaitSeconds int
 }
 
 // GlobalSignConfig contains GlobalSign Atlas HVCA issuer connector configuration.
@@ -154,6 +161,11 @@ type GlobalSignConfig struct {
 	// present in the host's default trust bundle.
 	// Setting: CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_SERVER_CA_PATH environment variable.
 	ServerCAPath string
+
+	// PollMaxWaitSeconds caps GetOrderStatus's bounded-polling
+	// deadline. Default 600 (10 minutes). Audit fix #5.
+	// Setting: CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_POLL_MAX_WAIT_SECONDS.
+	PollMaxWaitSeconds int
 }
 
 // EJBCAConfig contains EJBCA (Keyfactor) issuer connector configuration.
@@ -439,6 +451,12 @@ type DigiCertConfig struct {
 	// Default: "https://www.digicert.com/services/v2".
 	// Setting: CERTCTL_DIGICERT_BASE_URL environment variable.
 	BaseURL string
+
+	// PollMaxWaitSeconds caps how long GetOrderStatus blocks doing
+	// internal exponential-backoff polling before returning. Default
+	// 600 (10 minutes); 0 falls back to asyncpoll default.
+	// Setting: CERTCTL_DIGICERT_POLL_MAX_WAIT_SECONDS. Audit fix #5.
+	PollMaxWaitSeconds int
 }
 
 // SectigoConfig contains Sectigo Certificate Manager issuer connector configuration.
@@ -476,6 +494,12 @@ type SectigoConfig struct {
 	// Default: "https://cert-manager.com/api".
 	// Setting: CERTCTL_SECTIGO_BASE_URL environment variable.
 	BaseURL string
+
+	// PollMaxWaitSeconds caps how long GetOrderStatus blocks doing
+	// internal exponential-backoff polling. Default 600. Sectigo's
+	// collectNotReady sentinel rides the backoff schedule.
+	// Setting: CERTCTL_SECTIGO_POLL_MAX_WAIT_SECONDS. Audit fix #5.
+	PollMaxWaitSeconds int
 }
 
 // GoogleCASConfig contains Google Cloud Certificate Authority Service configuration.
@@ -1532,19 +1556,21 @@ func Load() (*Config, error) {
 			TTL:   getEnv("CERTCTL_VAULT_TTL", "8760h"),
 		},
 		DigiCert: DigiCertConfig{
-			APIKey:      getEnv("CERTCTL_DIGICERT_API_KEY", ""),
-			OrgID:       getEnv("CERTCTL_DIGICERT_ORG_ID", ""),
-			ProductType: getEnv("CERTCTL_DIGICERT_PRODUCT_TYPE", "ssl_basic"),
-			BaseURL:     getEnv("CERTCTL_DIGICERT_BASE_URL", "https://www.digicert.com/services/v2"),
+			APIKey:             getEnv("CERTCTL_DIGICERT_API_KEY", ""),
+			OrgID:              getEnv("CERTCTL_DIGICERT_ORG_ID", ""),
+			ProductType:        getEnv("CERTCTL_DIGICERT_PRODUCT_TYPE", "ssl_basic"),
+			BaseURL:            getEnv("CERTCTL_DIGICERT_BASE_URL", "https://www.digicert.com/services/v2"),
+			PollMaxWaitSeconds: getEnvInt("CERTCTL_DIGICERT_POLL_MAX_WAIT_SECONDS", 0),
 		},
 		Sectigo: SectigoConfig{
-			CustomerURI: getEnv("CERTCTL_SECTIGO_CUSTOMER_URI", ""),
-			Login:       getEnv("CERTCTL_SECTIGO_LOGIN", ""),
-			Password:    getEnv("CERTCTL_SECTIGO_PASSWORD", ""),
-			OrgID:       getEnvInt("CERTCTL_SECTIGO_ORG_ID", 0),
-			CertType:    getEnvInt("CERTCTL_SECTIGO_CERT_TYPE", 0),
-			Term:        getEnvInt("CERTCTL_SECTIGO_TERM", 365),
-			BaseURL:     getEnv("CERTCTL_SECTIGO_BASE_URL", "https://cert-manager.com/api"),
+			CustomerURI:        getEnv("CERTCTL_SECTIGO_CUSTOMER_URI", ""),
+			Login:              getEnv("CERTCTL_SECTIGO_LOGIN", ""),
+			Password:           getEnv("CERTCTL_SECTIGO_PASSWORD", ""),
+			OrgID:              getEnvInt("CERTCTL_SECTIGO_ORG_ID", 0),
+			CertType:           getEnvInt("CERTCTL_SECTIGO_CERT_TYPE", 0),
+			Term:               getEnvInt("CERTCTL_SECTIGO_TERM", 365),
+			BaseURL:            getEnv("CERTCTL_SECTIGO_BASE_URL", "https://cert-manager.com/api"),
+			PollMaxWaitSeconds: getEnvInt("CERTCTL_SECTIGO_POLL_MAX_WAIT_SECONDS", 0),
 		},
 		GoogleCAS: GoogleCASConfig{
 			Project:     getEnv("CERTCTL_GOOGLE_CAS_PROJECT", ""),
@@ -1561,19 +1587,21 @@ func Load() (*Config, error) {
 			TemplateArn:      getEnv("CERTCTL_AWS_PCA_TEMPLATE_ARN", ""),
 		},
 		Entrust: EntrustConfig{
-			APIUrl:         getEnv("CERTCTL_ENTRUST_API_URL", ""),
-			ClientCertPath: getEnv("CERTCTL_ENTRUST_CLIENT_CERT_PATH", ""),
-			ClientKeyPath:  getEnv("CERTCTL_ENTRUST_CLIENT_KEY_PATH", ""),
-			CAId:           getEnv("CERTCTL_ENTRUST_CA_ID", ""),
-			ProfileId:      getEnv("CERTCTL_ENTRUST_PROFILE_ID", ""),
+			APIUrl:             getEnv("CERTCTL_ENTRUST_API_URL", ""),
+			ClientCertPath:     getEnv("CERTCTL_ENTRUST_CLIENT_CERT_PATH", ""),
+			ClientKeyPath:      getEnv("CERTCTL_ENTRUST_CLIENT_KEY_PATH", ""),
+			CAId:               getEnv("CERTCTL_ENTRUST_CA_ID", ""),
+			ProfileId:          getEnv("CERTCTL_ENTRUST_PROFILE_ID", ""),
+			PollMaxWaitSeconds: getEnvInt("CERTCTL_ENTRUST_POLL_MAX_WAIT_SECONDS", 0),
 		},
 		GlobalSign: GlobalSignConfig{
-			APIUrl:         getEnv("CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_API_URL", ""),
-			APIKey:         getEnv("CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_API_KEY", ""),
-			APISecret:      getEnv("CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_API_SECRET", ""),
-			ClientCertPath: getEnv("CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_CLIENT_CERT_PATH", ""),
-			ClientKeyPath:  getEnv("CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_CLIENT_KEY_PATH", ""),
-			ServerCAPath:   getEnv("CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_SERVER_CA_PATH", ""),
+			APIUrl:             getEnv("CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_API_URL", ""),
+			APIKey:             getEnv("CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_API_KEY", ""),
+			APISecret:          getEnv("CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_API_SECRET", ""),
+			ClientCertPath:     getEnv("CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_CLIENT_CERT_PATH", ""),
+			ClientKeyPath:      getEnv("CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_CLIENT_KEY_PATH", ""),
+			ServerCAPath:       getEnv("CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_SERVER_CA_PATH", ""),
+			PollMaxWaitSeconds: getEnvInt("CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_POLL_MAX_WAIT_SECONDS", 0),
 		},
 		EJBCA: EJBCAConfig{
 			APIUrl:         getEnv("CERTCTL_EJBCA_API_URL", ""),

internal/connector/issuer/entrust/entrust.go

@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/shankar0123/certctl/internal/connector/issuer"
+	"github.com/shankar0123/certctl/internal/connector/issuer/asyncpoll"
 )
 
 // Config represents the Entrust Certificate Services issuer connector configuration.
@@ -58,6 +59,25 @@ type Config struct {
 	// If set, constrains enrollments to use this profile.
 	// Set via CERTCTL_ENTRUST_PROFILE_ID environment variable.
 	ProfileId string `json:"profile_id,omitempty"`
+
+	// PollMaxWaitSeconds caps how long GetOrderStatus blocks doing
+	// internal exponential-backoff polling before returning
+	// StillPending. Default 600 (10 minutes); operators using
+	// approval-pending workflows where humans approve enrollments
+	// should bump this to a higher value (e.g., 86400 = 24h) so a
+	// single scheduler tick can wait through the approval window.
+	//
+	// Set via CERTCTL_ENTRUST_POLL_MAX_WAIT_SECONDS. Audit fix #5.
+	PollMaxWaitSeconds int `json:"poll_max_wait_seconds,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// pollMaxWait returns the configured PollMaxWait as a time.Duration,
+// or the asyncpoll package default if unset.
+func (c *Config) pollMaxWait() time.Duration {
+	if c.PollMaxWaitSeconds <= 0 {
+		return asyncpoll.DefaultMaxWait
+	}
+	return time.Duration(c.PollMaxWaitSeconds) * time.Second
 }
 
 // Connector implements the issuer.Connector interface for Entrust Certificate Services.
@@ -336,56 +356,102 @@ func (c *Connector) RevokeCertificate(ctx context.Context, request issuer.Revoca
 	return nil
 }
 
-// GetOrderStatus checks the status of an Entrust enrollment.
-// If the enrollment is "ISSUED", returns the certificate.
-// If still pending, returns pending status for continued polling.
+// GetOrderStatus checks the status of an Entrust enrollment using
+// bounded internal polling (asyncpoll.Poll). One call blocks for up
+// to PollMaxWait (default 10m; operators using approval-pending
+// workflows can raise to 24h) doing exponential backoff with jitter.
+//
+// Audit fix #5 Phase 2: previously each scheduler tick made one HTTP
+// call. Approval-pending enrollments now ride the backoff schedule
+// rather than tight-loop polling.
 func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer.OrderStatus, error) {
 	c.logger.Debug("checking Entrust enrollment status", "tracking_id", orderID)
 
+	var done *issuer.OrderStatus
+	var lastPendingMsg string
+	cfg := asyncpoll.Config{MaxWait: c.config.pollMaxWait()}
+
+	res, err := asyncpoll.Poll(ctx, cfg, func(ctx context.Context) (asyncpoll.Result, error) {
+		status, result, pollErr := c.pollEnrollmentOnce(ctx, orderID)
+		if status != nil {
+			switch result {
+			case asyncpoll.Done:
+				done = status
+			case asyncpoll.StillPending:
+				if status.Message != nil {
+					lastPendingMsg = *status.Message
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		return result, pollErr
+	})
+
+	now := time.Now()
+	switch res {
+	case asyncpoll.Done:
+		return done, nil
+	case asyncpoll.Failed:
+		return nil, err
+	default:
+		msg := lastPendingMsg
+		if msg == "" {
+			msg = fmt.Sprintf("enrollment %s still pending after PollMaxWait", orderID)
+		}
+		return &issuer.OrderStatus{
+			OrderID:   orderID,
+			Status:    "pending",
+			Message:   &msg,
+			UpdatedAt: now,
+		}, nil
+	}
+}
+
+// pollEnrollmentOnce makes one HTTP GET against the Entrust enrollment
+// status endpoint. 4xx (not 429) is permanent; 5xx / 429 / network is
+// transient and rides the backoff schedule.
+func (c *Connector) pollEnrollmentOnce(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer.OrderStatus, asyncpoll.Result, error) {
 	statusURL := fmt.Sprintf("%s/v1/certificate-authorities/%s/enrollments/%s",
 		c.config.APIUrl, c.config.CAId, orderID)
 	req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, http.MethodGet, statusURL, nil)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create status request: %w", err)
+		return nil, asyncpoll.Failed, fmt.Errorf("failed to create status request: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	resp, err := c.httpClient.Do(req)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Entrust status request failed: %w", err)
+		return nil, asyncpoll.StillPending, fmt.Errorf("Entrust status request failed: %w", err)
 	}
 	defer resp.Body.Close()
 
 	respBody, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to read status response: %w", err)
+		return nil, asyncpoll.StillPending, fmt.Errorf("failed to read status response: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Entrust enrollment status returned %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, string(respBody))
+		err := fmt.Errorf("Entrust enrollment status returned %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, string(respBody))
+		if resp.StatusCode == http.StatusTooManyRequests || resp.StatusCode >= 500 {
+			return nil, asyncpoll.StillPending, err
+		}
+		return nil, asyncpoll.Failed, err
 	}
 
 	var statusResp enrollmentStatusResponse
 	if err := json.Unmarshal(respBody, &statusResp); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse status response: %w", err)
+		return nil, asyncpoll.Failed, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse status response: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	now := time.Now()
-
 	switch statusResp.Status {
 	case "ISSUED":
 		if statusResp.Certificate == "" {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("enrollment is ISSUED but certificate is missing")
+			return nil, asyncpoll.Failed, fmt.Errorf("enrollment is ISSUED but certificate is missing")
 		}
-
 		serial, notBefore, notAfter, err := parseCertMetadata(statusResp.Certificate)
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse certificate metadata: %w", err)
+			return nil, asyncpoll.Failed, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse certificate metadata: %w", err)
 		}
-
-		c.logger.Info("Entrust enrollment completed",
-			"tracking_id", orderID,
-			"serial", serial)
-
+		c.logger.Info("Entrust enrollment completed", "tracking_id", orderID, "serial", serial)
 		return &issuer.OrderStatus{
 			OrderID:   orderID,
 			Status:    "completed",
@@ -395,7 +461,7 @@ func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer
 			NotBefore: &notBefore,
 			NotAfter:  &notAfter,
 			UpdatedAt: now,
-		}, nil
+		}, asyncpoll.Done, nil
 
 	case "PENDING", "PROCESSING", "AWAITING_APPROVAL":
 		msg := fmt.Sprintf("enrollment %s is %s", orderID, statusResp.Status)
@@ -404,7 +470,7 @@ func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer
 			Status:    "pending",
 			Message:   &msg,
 			UpdatedAt: now,
-		}, nil
+		}, asyncpoll.StillPending, nil
 
 	case "REJECTED", "DENIED", "FAILED":
 		msg := fmt.Sprintf("enrollment %s was %s", orderID, statusResp.Status)
@@ -413,7 +479,7 @@ func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer
 			Status:    "failed",
 			Message:   &msg,
 			UpdatedAt: now,
-		}, nil
+		}, asyncpoll.Done, nil
 
 	default:
 		msg := fmt.Sprintf("unknown enrollment status: %s", statusResp.Status)
@@ -422,7 +488,7 @@ func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer
 			Status:    "pending",
 			Message:   &msg,
 			UpdatedAt: now,
-		}, nil
+		}, asyncpoll.StillPending, nil
 	}
 }
 

internal/connector/issuer/entrust/entrust_failure_test.go

@@ -21,8 +21,9 @@ import (
 func buildEntrustConnector(t *testing.T, baseURL string) *Connector {
 	t.Helper()
 	cfg := &Config{
-		APIUrl: baseURL,
-		CAId:   "test-ca-id",
+		APIUrl:             baseURL,
+		CAId:               "test-ca-id",
+		PollMaxWaitSeconds: 1, // keep async-pending tests fast
 	}
 	httpClient := &http.Client{Transport: &http.Transport{TLSClientConfig: &tls.Config{InsecureSkipVerify: true}}} //nolint:gosec
 	return NewWithHTTPClient(cfg, slog.Default(), httpClient)

internal/connector/issuer/entrust/entrust_test.go

@@ -344,10 +344,11 @@ func TestEntrustConnector(t *testing.T) {
 		defer srv.Close()
 
 		config := &entrust.Config{
-			APIUrl:         srv.URL,
-			ClientCertPath: "/dev/null",
-			ClientKeyPath:  "/dev/null",
-			CAId:           "ca-123",
+			APIUrl:             srv.URL,
+			ClientCertPath:     "/dev/null",
+			ClientKeyPath:      "/dev/null",
+			CAId:               "ca-123",
+			PollMaxWaitSeconds: 1, // keep async-pending tests fast
 		}
 		connector := entrust.NewWithHTTPClient(config, logger, srv.Client())
 

internal/connector/issuer/globalsign/globalsign.go

@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/shankar0123/certctl/internal/connector/issuer"
+	"github.com/shankar0123/certctl/internal/connector/issuer/asyncpoll"
 )
 
 // Config represents the GlobalSign Atlas HVCA issuer connector configuration.
@@ -73,6 +74,24 @@ type Config struct {
 	// internal CA not present in the host's default trust bundle.
 	// Set via CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_SERVER_CA_PATH environment variable.
 	ServerCAPath string `json:"server_ca_path,omitempty"`
+
+	// PollMaxWaitSeconds caps how long GetOrderStatus blocks doing
+	// internal exponential-backoff polling before returning
+	// StillPending. Default 600 (10 minutes). GlobalSign tracks
+	// orders by serial number rather than order ID, but the polling
+	// shape is identical.
+	//
+	// Set via CERTCTL_GLOBALSIGN_POLL_MAX_WAIT_SECONDS. Audit fix #5.
+	PollMaxWaitSeconds int `json:"poll_max_wait_seconds,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// pollMaxWait returns the configured PollMaxWait as a time.Duration,
+// or the asyncpoll package default if unset.
+func (c *Config) pollMaxWait() time.Duration {
+	if c.PollMaxWaitSeconds <= 0 {
+		return asyncpoll.DefaultMaxWait
+	}
+	return time.Duration(c.PollMaxWaitSeconds) * time.Second
 }
 
 // Connector implements the issuer.Connector interface for GlobalSign Atlas HVCA.
@@ -423,21 +442,72 @@ func (c *Connector) RevokeCertificate(ctx context.Context, request issuer.Revoca
 	return nil
 }
 
-// GetOrderStatus checks the status of a GlobalSign certificate order by serial number.
-// Polls the certificate endpoint; when status is "issued", downloads and returns the cert.
+// GetOrderStatus checks the status of a GlobalSign certificate order
+// by serial number, using bounded internal polling (asyncpoll.Poll).
+// One call blocks for up to PollMaxWait (default 10m) doing
+// exponential backoff with jitter; returns Done with the cert,
+// Failed with the rejection reason, or StillPending if the deadline
+// expires (caller can re-invoke).
+//
+// Audit fix #5 Phase 2: previously each scheduler tick made one HTTP
+// call against an unready order. GlobalSign tracks orders by serial
+// number rather than order ID, but the polling shape is identical.
 func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer.OrderStatus, error) {
 	c.logger.Debug("checking GlobalSign certificate status", "serial", orderID)
 
+	var done *issuer.OrderStatus
+	var lastPendingMsg string
+	cfg := asyncpoll.Config{MaxWait: c.config.pollMaxWait()}
+
+	res, err := asyncpoll.Poll(ctx, cfg, func(ctx context.Context) (asyncpoll.Result, error) {
+		status, result, pollErr := c.pollCertificateOnce(ctx, orderID)
+		if status != nil {
+			switch result {
+			case asyncpoll.Done:
+				done = status
+			case asyncpoll.StillPending:
+				if status.Message != nil {
+					lastPendingMsg = *status.Message
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		return result, pollErr
+	})
+
+	now := time.Now()
+	switch res {
+	case asyncpoll.Done:
+		return done, nil
+	case asyncpoll.Failed:
+		return nil, err
+	default:
+		msg := lastPendingMsg
+		if msg == "" {
+			msg = fmt.Sprintf("certificate %s still pending after PollMaxWait", orderID)
+		}
+		return &issuer.OrderStatus{
+			OrderID:   orderID,
+			Status:    "pending",
+			Message:   &msg,
+			UpdatedAt: now,
+		}, nil
+	}
+}
+
+// pollCertificateOnce makes one HTTP GET against the GlobalSign Atlas
+// HVCA certificate status endpoint and translates the response into
+// an asyncpoll.Result. 4xx (not 429) is permanent; 5xx / 429 / network
+// is transient.
+func (c *Connector) pollCertificateOnce(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer.OrderStatus, asyncpoll.Result, error) {
 	client, err := c.getHTTPClient(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return nil, asyncpoll.Failed, err
 	}
 
-	// GlobalSign status endpoint: GET /v2/certificates/{serial}
 	statusURL := strings.TrimSuffix(c.config.APIUrl, "/") + fmt.Sprintf("/v2/certificates/%s", orderID)
 	req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, http.MethodGet, statusURL, nil)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create status request: %w", err)
+		return nil, asyncpoll.Failed, fmt.Errorf("failed to create status request: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	req.Header.Set("ApiKey", c.config.APIKey)
@@ -446,40 +516,39 @@ func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer
 
 	resp, err := client.Do(req)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("GlobalSign status request failed: %w", err)
+		return nil, asyncpoll.StillPending, fmt.Errorf("GlobalSign status request failed: %w", err)
 	}
 	defer resp.Body.Close()
 
 	respBody, err := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to read status response: %w", err)
+		return nil, asyncpoll.StillPending, fmt.Errorf("failed to read status response: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("GlobalSign certificate status returned %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, string(respBody))
+		statusErr := fmt.Errorf("GlobalSign certificate status returned %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, string(respBody))
+		if resp.StatusCode == http.StatusTooManyRequests || resp.StatusCode >= 500 {
+			return nil, asyncpoll.StillPending, statusErr
+		}
+		return nil, asyncpoll.Failed, statusErr
 	}
 
 	var certResp certificateResponse
 	if err := json.Unmarshal(respBody, &certResp); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse status response: %w", err)
+		return nil, asyncpoll.Failed, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse status response: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	now := time.Now()
-
 	switch certResp.Status {
 	case "issued":
 		if certResp.Certificate == "" {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("certificate status is issued but certificate PEM is missing")
+			return nil, asyncpoll.Failed, fmt.Errorf("certificate status is issued but certificate PEM is missing")
 		}
-
 		notBefore, notAfter, err := parseCertDates(certResp.Certificate)
 		if err != nil {
 			c.logger.Warn("failed to parse certificate dates", "error", err)
 		}
-
-		c.logger.Info("GlobalSign certificate ready",
-			"serial", orderID)
-
+		c.logger.Info("GlobalSign certificate ready", "serial", orderID)
 		return &issuer.OrderStatus{
 			OrderID:   orderID,
 			Status:    "completed",
@@ -489,7 +558,7 @@ func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer
 			NotBefore: &notBefore,
 			NotAfter:  &notAfter,
 			UpdatedAt: now,
-		}, nil
+		}, asyncpoll.Done, nil
 
 	case "pending", "processing":
 		msg := fmt.Sprintf("certificate %s is %s", orderID, certResp.Status)
@@ -498,7 +567,7 @@ func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer
 			Status:    "pending",
 			Message:   &msg,
 			UpdatedAt: now,
-		}, nil
+		}, asyncpoll.StillPending, nil
 
 	case "rejected", "denied", "failed":
 		msg := fmt.Sprintf("certificate %s was %s", orderID, certResp.Status)
@@ -507,7 +576,7 @@ func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer
 			Status:    "failed",
 			Message:   &msg,
 			UpdatedAt: now,
-		}, nil
+		}, asyncpoll.Done, nil
 
 	default:
 		msg := fmt.Sprintf("unknown certificate status: %s", certResp.Status)
@@ -516,7 +585,7 @@ func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer
 			Status:    "pending",
 			Message:   &msg,
 			UpdatedAt: now,
-		}, nil
+		}, asyncpoll.StillPending, nil
 	}
 }
 

internal/connector/issuer/globalsign/globalsign_failure_test.go

@@ -19,9 +19,10 @@ import (
 func buildGlobalsignConnector(t *testing.T, baseURL string) *globalsign.Connector {
 	t.Helper()
 	cfg := &globalsign.Config{
-		APIUrl:    baseURL,
-		APIKey:    "k",
-		APISecret: "s",
+		APIUrl:             baseURL,
+		APIKey:             "k",
+		APISecret:          "s",
+		PollMaxWaitSeconds: 1, // keep async-pending tests fast
 	}
 	// Use NewWithHTTPClient with a test client so getHTTPClient short-circuits
 	// (no mTLS cert loading). Custom transport is required so the
@@ -125,19 +126,26 @@ func TestGlobalsign_GetOrderStatus_IssuedWithMalformedPEM_NonFatalParseDateWarni
 func TestGlobalsign_GetHTTPClient_NoMTLSCertPaths_ReturnsClientAsIs(t *testing.T) {
 	// When ClientCertPath and ClientKeyPath are both empty, getHTTPClient
 	// returns httpClient as-is — exercises that branch.
+	//
+	// PollMaxWaitSeconds=1 keeps this test fast: a network failure on
+	// the invalid host is now treated as transient by the bounded-
+	// polling Poller, so without the deadline the call blocks for
+	// the production-default 10 minutes.
 	cfg := &globalsign.Config{
-		APIUrl:    "http://example.invalid",
-		APIKey:    "k",
-		APISecret: "s",
+		APIUrl:             "http://example.invalid",
+		APIKey:             "k",
+		APISecret:          "s",
+		PollMaxWaitSeconds: 1,
 		// no cert paths
 	}
 	c := globalsign.NewWithHTTPClient(cfg, slog.Default(), &http.Client{})
-	// GetOrderStatus will fail at HTTP do (invalid host), but getHTTPClient
-	// will have been exercised through the no-mTLS branch.
-	_, err := c.GetOrderStatus(context.Background(), "x")
-	if err == nil {
-		t.Errorf("expected error from invalid host")
-	}
+	// GetOrderStatus blocks briefly (1s) due to bounded polling, then
+	// returns a pending OrderStatus (transient network err did not
+	// become a permanent failure). The test exercises the
+	// no-mTLS branch in getHTTPClient — the post-poll status doesn't
+	// matter; we just need GetOrderStatus to be invoked through the
+	// branch.
+	_, _ = c.GetOrderStatus(context.Background(), "x")
 }
 
 func TestGlobalsign_GetHTTPClient_MTLSPathConfigured_LoadsKeyPair(t *testing.T) {

internal/connector/issuer/globalsign/globalsign_test.go

@@ -355,9 +355,10 @@ func TestGlobalSignConnector(t *testing.T) {
 		defer mockServer.Close()
 
 		config := &globalsign.Config{
-			APIUrl:    mockServer.URL,
-			APIKey:    "gs-test-key",
-			APISecret: "gs-test-secret",
+			APIUrl:             mockServer.URL,
+			APIKey:             "gs-test-key",
+			APISecret:          "gs-test-secret",
+			PollMaxWaitSeconds: 1, // keep async-pending tests fast
 		}
 
 		connector := globalsign.NewWithHTTPClient(config, logger, httpClient)

internal/connector/issuer/sectigo/sectigo.go

@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/shankar0123/certctl/internal/connector/issuer"
+	"github.com/shankar0123/certctl/internal/connector/issuer/asyncpoll"
 )
 
 // Config represents the Sectigo Certificate Manager issuer connector configuration.
@@ -69,6 +70,25 @@ type Config struct {
 	// Default: "https://cert-manager.com/api".
 	// Set via CERTCTL_SECTIGO_BASE_URL environment variable.
 	BaseURL string `json:"base_url"`
+
+	// PollMaxWaitSeconds caps how long GetOrderStatus blocks doing
+	// internal exponential-backoff polling before returning
+	// StillPending. Default 600 (10 minutes). Sectigo's
+	// collectNotReady sentinel maps to StillPending so recently-
+	// issued certs that aren't yet retrievable get the backoff
+	// schedule rather than tight-loop polling.
+	//
+	// Set via CERTCTL_SECTIGO_POLL_MAX_WAIT_SECONDS. Audit fix #5.
+	PollMaxWaitSeconds int `json:"poll_max_wait_seconds,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// pollMaxWait returns the configured PollMaxWait as a time.Duration,
+// or the asyncpoll package default if unset.
+func (c *Config) pollMaxWait() time.Duration {
+	if c.PollMaxWaitSeconds <= 0 {
+		return asyncpoll.DefaultMaxWait
+	}
+	return time.Duration(c.PollMaxWaitSeconds) * time.Second
 }
 
 // Connector implements the issuer.Connector interface for Sectigo Certificate Manager.
@@ -355,30 +375,94 @@ func (c *Connector) RevokeCertificate(ctx context.Context, request issuer.Revoca
 	return nil
 }
 
-// GetOrderStatus checks the status of a Sectigo certificate enrollment.
-// If the enrollment is "Issued", downloads the certificate and returns it.
-// If still pending, returns pending status for continued polling.
+// GetOrderStatus checks the status of a Sectigo certificate enrollment
+// using bounded internal polling (asyncpoll.Poll). One call blocks for
+// up to PollMaxWait (default 10m) doing exponential backoff with
+// jitter; returns Done with the cert, Failed with the rejection
+// reason, or StillPending if the deadline expires (caller can
+// re-invoke).
+//
+// Audit fix #5 Phase 2: previously each scheduler tick made one HTTP
+// call against an unready order. Sectigo's collectNotReady sentinel
+// (cert approved but not yet generated) now maps to StillPending and
+// rides the backoff schedule rather than tight-loop polling.
 func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer.OrderStatus, error) {
 	c.logger.Debug("checking Sectigo enrollment status", "ssl_id", orderID)
 
-	// Parse sslId from string
+	// Parse sslId from string once at entry — invalid ID is a
+	// permanent error, no point polling.
 	var sslId int
 	if _, err := fmt.Sscanf(orderID, "%d", &sslId); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid Sectigo ssl_id: %s", orderID)
 	}
 
+	var done *issuer.OrderStatus
+	var lastPendingMsg string
+	cfg := asyncpoll.Config{MaxWait: c.config.pollMaxWait()}
+
+	res, err := asyncpoll.Poll(ctx, cfg, func(ctx context.Context) (asyncpoll.Result, error) {
+		status, result, pollErr := c.pollEnrollmentOnce(ctx, sslId, orderID)
+		if status != nil {
+			switch result {
+			case asyncpoll.Done:
+				done = status
+			case asyncpoll.StillPending:
+				if status.Message != nil {
+					lastPendingMsg = *status.Message
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		return result, pollErr
+	})
+
+	now := time.Now()
+	switch res {
+	case asyncpoll.Done:
+		return done, nil
+	case asyncpoll.Failed:
+		return nil, err
+	default:
+		msg := lastPendingMsg
+		if msg == "" {
+			msg = fmt.Sprintf("enrollment %s still pending after PollMaxWait", orderID)
+		}
+		return &issuer.OrderStatus{
+			OrderID:   orderID,
+			Status:    "pending",
+			Message:   &msg,
+			UpdatedAt: now,
+		}, nil
+	}
+}
+
+// pollEnrollmentOnce makes one HTTP GET against the Sectigo SCM
+// status endpoint and translates the response into an asyncpoll.Result
+// plus (when applicable) a populated OrderStatus.
+//
+// collectNotReady is the load-bearing Sectigo sentinel: even when
+// the SCM status endpoint reports "Issued", the cert may not yet be
+// retrievable from the collect endpoint. We treat this as
+// StillPending so the backoff schedule applies.
+func (c *Connector) pollEnrollmentOnce(ctx context.Context, sslId int, orderID string) (*issuer.OrderStatus, asyncpoll.Result, error) {
 	status, err := c.checkStatus(ctx, sslId)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		// Triage by examining the wrapped status code: 4xx (not 429)
+		// is permanent (404 = enrollment doesn't exist, 400 = bad
+		// request, 401/403 = auth). Parse failures are also
+		// permanent — the upstream's response shape is broken.
+		// 5xx / 429 / network errors are transient and ride the
+		// backoff schedule.
+		if isPermanentStatusError(err) {
+			return nil, asyncpoll.Failed, err
+		}
+		return nil, asyncpoll.StillPending, err
 	}
 
 	now := time.Now()
-
 	switch status.Status {
 	case "Issued":
 		certPEM, chainPEM, serial, notBefore, notAfter, collectErr := c.collectCertificate(ctx, sslId)
 		if collectErr != nil {
-			// Cert approved but not yet generated — treat as pending
 			if isCollectNotReady(collectErr) {
 				msg := fmt.Sprintf("enrollment %s is issued but certificate not yet generated", orderID)
 				return &issuer.OrderStatus{
@@ -386,15 +470,11 @@ func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer
 					Status:    "pending",
 					Message:   &msg,
 					UpdatedAt: now,
-				}, nil
+				}, asyncpoll.StillPending, nil
 			}
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to collect certificate: %w", collectErr)
+			return nil, asyncpoll.Failed, fmt.Errorf("failed to collect certificate: %w", collectErr)
 		}
-
-		c.logger.Info("Sectigo enrollment completed",
-			"ssl_id", orderID,
-			"serial", serial)
-
+		c.logger.Info("Sectigo enrollment completed", "ssl_id", orderID, "serial", serial)
 		return &issuer.OrderStatus{
 			OrderID:   orderID,
 			Status:    "completed",
@@ -404,7 +484,7 @@ func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer
 			NotBefore: &notBefore,
 			NotAfter:  &notAfter,
 			UpdatedAt: now,
-		}, nil
+		}, asyncpoll.Done, nil
 
 	case "Applied", "Pending":
 		msg := fmt.Sprintf("enrollment %s is %s", orderID, status.Status)
@@ -413,7 +493,7 @@ func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer
 			Status:    "pending",
 			Message:   &msg,
 			UpdatedAt: now,
-		}, nil
+		}, asyncpoll.StillPending, nil
 
 	case "Rejected":
 		msg := fmt.Sprintf("enrollment %s was rejected", orderID)
@@ -422,7 +502,7 @@ func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer
 			Status:    "failed",
 			Message:   &msg,
 			UpdatedAt: now,
-		}, nil
+		}, asyncpoll.Done, nil
 
 	case "Revoked", "Expired", "Not Enrolled":
 		msg := fmt.Sprintf("enrollment %s has status: %s", orderID, status.Status)
@@ -431,7 +511,7 @@ func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer
 			Status:    "failed",
 			Message:   &msg,
 			UpdatedAt: now,
-		}, nil
+		}, asyncpoll.Done, nil
 
 	default:
 		msg := fmt.Sprintf("unknown enrollment status: %s", status.Status)
@@ -440,10 +520,32 @@ func (c *Connector) GetOrderStatus(ctx context.Context, orderID string) (*issuer
 			Status:    "pending",
 			Message:   &msg,
 			UpdatedAt: now,
-		}, nil
+		}, asyncpoll.StillPending, nil
 	}
 }
 
+// isPermanentStatusError reports whether an error returned from
+// checkStatus represents a permanent client-side failure (4xx other
+// than 429, or a body-parse failure). Used by pollEnrollmentOnce to
+// distinguish "stop polling" from "transient; keep polling".
+//
+// Heuristic-based on the error wrap shape: checkStatus formats HTTP
+// status errors as "Sectigo status returned %d:" so we can grep for
+// known permanent codes. Parse-failure errors contain "parse status
+// response".
+func isPermanentStatusError(err error) bool {
+	if err == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	msg := err.Error()
+	for _, code := range []string{"returned 400", "returned 401", "returned 403", "returned 404"} {
+		if strings.Contains(msg, code) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return strings.Contains(msg, "parse status response")
+}
+
 // checkStatus retrieves the enrollment status from Sectigo.
 func (c *Connector) checkStatus(ctx context.Context, sslId int) (*statusResponse, error) {
 	statusURL := fmt.Sprintf("%s/ssl/v1/%d", c.config.BaseURL, sslId)

internal/connector/issuer/sectigo/sectigo_failure_test.go

@@ -20,13 +20,14 @@ func buildSectigoConnector(t *testing.T, baseURL string) *sectigo.Connector {
 	t.Helper()
 	c := sectigo.New(nil, slog.Default())
 	cfg := sectigo.Config{
-		BaseURL:     baseURL,
-		CustomerURI: "tcust",
-		Login:       "user",
-		Password:    "pw",
-		CertType:    1,
-		OrgID:       2,
-		Term:        365,
+		BaseURL:            baseURL,
+		CustomerURI:        "tcust",
+		Login:              "user",
+		Password:           "pw",
+		CertType:           1,
+		OrgID:              2,
+		Term:               365,
+		PollMaxWaitSeconds: 1, // keep async-pending tests fast
 	}
 	raw, _ := json.Marshal(cfg)
 	if err := c.ValidateConfig(context.Background(), raw); err != nil {

internal/connector/issuer/sectigo/sectigo_test.go

@@ -381,11 +381,12 @@ func TestSectigoConnector(t *testing.T) {
 		defer srv.Close()
 
 		config := &sectigo.Config{
-			CustomerURI: "test-org",
-			Login:       "api-user",
-			Password:    "api-pass",
-			OrgID:       12345,
-			BaseURL:     srv.URL,
+			CustomerURI:        "test-org",
+			Login:              "api-user",
+			Password:           "api-pass",
+			OrgID:              12345,
+			BaseURL:            srv.URL,
+			PollMaxWaitSeconds: 1, // keep pending tests fast
 		}
 		connector := sectigo.New(config, logger)
 
@@ -449,11 +450,12 @@ func TestSectigoConnector(t *testing.T) {
 		defer srv.Close()
 
 		config := &sectigo.Config{
-			CustomerURI: "test-org",
-			Login:       "api-user",
-			Password:    "api-pass",
-			OrgID:       12345,
-			BaseURL:     srv.URL,
+			CustomerURI:        "test-org",
+			Login:              "api-user",
+			Password:           "api-pass",
+			OrgID:              12345,
+			BaseURL:            srv.URL,
+			PollMaxWaitSeconds: 1, // keep collect-not-ready tests fast
 		}
 		connector := sectigo.New(config, logger)