diff --git a/.changeset/tidy-hounds-shout.md b/.changeset/tidy-hounds-shout.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0ec4c6e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/tidy-hounds-shout.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+---
+'@flags-sdk/openfeature': patch
+---
+
+Retry initialization after a failed attempt
+
+Previously a rejected `init()` was cached forever, so a single transient failure (e.g. a connect error during a cold start) made every later flag evaluation replay that same error for the rest of the process' lifetime, without ever dialing the provider again.
+
+The rejected attempt is now discarded so the next evaluation retries, while concurrent callers still share a single in-flight attempt. Failures reported by the provider as `PROVIDER_FATAL` — irrecoverable ones such as invalid credentials or configuration — remain cached, since retrying them cannot succeed.
diff --git a/packages/adapter-openfeature/src/index.test.ts b/packages/adapter-openfeature/src/index.test.ts
index 0f4015c6..9fba7a59 100644
--- a/packages/adapter-openfeature/src/index.test.ts
+++ b/packages/adapter-openfeature/src/index.test.ts
@@ -259,6 +259,65 @@ describe('OpenFeature Adapter', () => {
       await expect(adapter.client()).resolves.toBe(mockClient);
     });
 
+    it('should retry initialization after a failed attempt', async () => {
+      const initFn = vi
+        .fn<() => Promise<Client>>()
+        .mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error('transient connect failure'))
+        .mockResolvedValue(mockClient);
+      const adapter = createOpenFeatureAdapter(initFn);
+      const boolean = adapter.booleanValue();
+      const decideOptions = {
+        key: 'test-flag',
+        defaultValue: false,
+        entities: {},
+        headers: mockHeaders as ReadonlyHeaders,
+        cookies: mockCookies as ReadonlyRequestCookies,
+      };
+
+      await expect(boolean.decide(decideOptions)).rejects.toThrow(
+        'transient connect failure',
+      );
+
+      vi.mocked(mockClient.getBooleanValue).mockResolvedValue(true);
+      await expect(boolean.decide(decideOptions)).resolves.toBe(true);
+      expect(initFn).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+    });
+
+    it('should not retry initialization after a fatal error', async () => {
+      const fatalError = Object.assign(new Error('invalid credentials'), {
+        code: 'PROVIDER_FATAL',
+      });
+      const initFn = vi
+        .fn<() => Promise<Client>>()
+        .mockRejectedValue(fatalError);
+      const adapter = createOpenFeatureAdapter(initFn);
+
+      await expect(adapter.client()).rejects.toThrow('invalid credentials');
+      await expect(adapter.client()).rejects.toThrow('invalid credentials');
+      expect(initFn).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    });
+
+    it('should share a single failed attempt across concurrent callers', async () => {
+      const delay = (ms: number) =>
+        new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
+      const initFn = vi.fn<() => Promise<Client>>(async () => {
+        await delay(5);
+        throw new Error('transient connect failure');
+      });
+      const adapter = createOpenFeatureAdapter(initFn);
+
+      const results = await Promise.allSettled([
+        adapter.client(),
+        adapter.client(),
+      ]);
+
+      expect(results.map((result) => result.status)).toEqual([
+        'rejected',
+        'rejected',
+      ]);
+      expect(initFn).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    });
+
     it('should only initialize the client once', async () => {
       const delay = (ms: number) =>
         new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
diff --git a/packages/adapter-openfeature/src/index.ts b/packages/adapter-openfeature/src/index.ts
index 966e4333..3563c37b 100644
--- a/packages/adapter-openfeature/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/adapter-openfeature/src/index.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,22 @@ type AdapterResponse<ClientType> = {
   client: ClientType;
 };
 
+/**
+ * Whether the provider signalled that it can never become ready, e.g. due to
+ * bad credentials or invalid configuration. Retrying such an initialization is
+ * pointless, so the failure is cached instead.
+ *
+ * @see https://openfeature.dev/specification/sections/providers#24-initialization
+ */
+function isFatalError(error: unknown): boolean {
+  return (
+    typeof error === 'object' &&
+    error !== null &&
+    'code' in error &&
+    (error as { code: unknown }).code === 'PROVIDER_FATAL'
+  );
+}
+
 /**
  * Creates a sync OpenFeature adapter.
  * @param init Client
@@ -55,13 +71,30 @@ export function createOpenFeatureAdapter(
 ): AdapterResponse<Client | (() => Promise<Client>)> {
   let client: Client | null = typeof init === 'function' ? null : init;
 
-  let clientPromise: Promise<Client>;
-  async function initialize() {
+  let clientPromise: Promise<Client> | null = null;
+  function initialize(): Client | Promise<Client> {
     if (client) return client;
     if (clientPromise) return clientPromise;
-    clientPromise = typeof init === 'function' ? init() : Promise.resolve(init);
-    client = await clientPromise;
-    return clientPromise;
+
+    const attempt = (
+      typeof init === 'function' ? init() : Promise.resolve(init)
+    ).then(
+      (resolvedClient) => {
+        client = resolvedClient;
+        return resolvedClient;
+      },
+      (error: unknown) => {
+        // Initialization failed. Unless the provider declared the failure
+        // fatal, forget the rejected promise so the next evaluation retries
+        // instead of replaying this error for the rest of the process' life.
+        if (clientPromise === attempt && !isFatalError(error)) {
+          clientPromise = null;
+        }
+        throw error;
+      },
+    );
+    clientPromise = attempt;
+    return attempt;
   }
 
   function booleanValue(
@@ -69,7 +102,7 @@ export function createOpenFeatureAdapter(
   ): Adapter<boolean, EvaluationContext> {
     return {
       async decide({ key, entities, defaultValue }): Promise<boolean> {
-        await initialize();
+        const client = await initialize();
         if (!client) return defaultValue as boolean;
         return client.getBooleanValue(
           key,
@@ -86,7 +119,7 @@ export function createOpenFeatureAdapter(
   ): Adapter<string, EvaluationContext> {
     return {
       async decide({ key, entities, defaultValue }): Promise<string> {
-        await initialize();
+        const client = await initialize();
         if (!client) return defaultValue as string;
         return client.getStringValue(
           key,
@@ -103,7 +136,7 @@ export function createOpenFeatureAdapter(
   ): Adapter<number, EvaluationContext> {
     return {
       async decide({ key, entities, defaultValue }): Promise<number> {
-        await initialize();
+        const client = await initialize();
         if (!client) return defaultValue as number;
         return client.getNumberValue(
           key,
@@ -120,7 +153,7 @@ export function createOpenFeatureAdapter(
   ): Adapter<ValueType, EvaluationContext> {
     return {
       async decide({ key, entities, defaultValue }): Promise<ValueType> {
-        await initialize();
+        const client = await initialize();
         if (!client) return defaultValue as ValueType;
         return client.getObjectValue(
           key,
@@ -140,7 +173,7 @@ export function createOpenFeatureAdapter(
     client:
       typeof init === 'function'
         ? async () => {
-            await initialize();
+            const client = await initialize();
             if (!client)
               throw new Error(
                 '@flags-sdk/openfeature: OpenFeature client failed to initialize',