diff --git a/.github/scripts/provisioning/__tests__/provision-core.test.js b/.github/scripts/provisioning/__tests__/provision-core.test.js
index ed78981e..fc6f11d9 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/provisioning/__tests__/provision-core.test.js
+++ b/.github/scripts/provisioning/__tests__/provision-core.test.js
@@ -102,6 +102,58 @@ test('heals an incomplete repo when seedContent is available', async () => {
   assert.equal(summary.healed, 1);
 });
 
+test('waits for asynchronous template copy before verifying a fresh repo', async () => {
+  // GitHub's generate-from-template API returns before the content copy
+  // finishes; verification must wait instead of marking the learner failed.
+  const { client, state } = makeClient();
+  client.createFromTemplate = async ({ repo }) => {
+    state.calls.create += 1;
+    state.repos.set(repo, { workflows: [] });
+    return { full_name: repo };
+  };
+  let listCalls = 0;
+  client.listWorkflowPaths = async ({ repo }) => {
+    listCalls += 1;
+    if (listCalls >= 3) state.repos.get(repo).workflows = [...REQUIRED];
+    return state.repos.get(repo).workflows;
+  };
+  let slept = 0;
+  const countingSleep = async () => { slept += 1; };
+
+  const roster = rosterWith({ github_handle: 'dana', cohort_id: 'c1' });
+  const { roster: out, summary } = await provisionRoster({
+    roster,
+    client,
+    config,
+    sleep: countingSleep
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(out.learners[0].provision_state, 'provisioned');
+  assert.equal(summary.created, 1);
+  assert.equal(summary.error, 0);
+  assert.ok(slept >= 1, 'should have waited between verification attempts');
+});
+
+test('still fails when content never arrives after creation', async () => {
+  const { client, state } = makeClient();
+  client.createFromTemplate = async ({ repo }) => {
+    state.calls.create += 1;
+    state.repos.set(repo, { workflows: [] });
+    return { full_name: repo };
+  };
+  const roster = rosterWith({ github_handle: 'erin', cohort_id: 'c1' });
+  const { roster: out, log, summary } = await provisionRoster({
+    roster,
+    client,
+    config: { ...config, verifyRetries: 2, verifyDelayMs: 0 },
+    sleep: noSleep
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(out.learners[0].provision_state, 'failed');
+  assert.equal(summary.error, 1);
+  assert.match(log[0].error_detail, /Verification failed/);
+});
+
 test('fails loudly when repo exists but incomplete and cannot heal', async () => {
   const { client, state } = makeClient();
   state.repos.set('learning-room-c1-carol', { workflows: ['pr-validation-bot.yml'] });
diff --git a/.github/scripts/provisioning/provision-core.js b/.github/scripts/provisioning/provision-core.js
index 0fbf7070..c6190240 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/provisioning/provision-core.js
+++ b/.github/scripts/provisioning/provision-core.js
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@ const sleepReal = (ms) => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
  *   repoNameFor,             // (handle, cohortId) => name; defaults to defaultRepoName
  *   delayMs,                 // delay between entries (default 1500)
  *   maxRetries,              // backoff attempts on secondary rate limit (default 5)
+ *   verifyRetries,           // verification attempts after create/heal (default 10)
+ *   verifyDelayMs,           // delay between verification attempts (default 3000)
  *   collaboratorPermission   // default 'push'
  * }
  *
@@ -60,6 +62,8 @@ async function provisionRoster({
   const repoNameFor = config.repoNameFor || defaultRepoName;
   const delayMs = config.delayMs == null ? 1500 : config.delayMs;
   const maxRetries = config.maxRetries == null ? 5 : config.maxRetries;
+  const verifyRetries = config.verifyRetries == null ? 10 : config.verifyRetries;
+  const verifyDelayMs = config.verifyDelayMs == null ? 3000 : config.verifyDelayMs;
   const permission = config.collaboratorPermission || 'push';
 
   const log = [];
@@ -85,7 +89,10 @@ async function provisionRoster({
             templateRepo,
             repoName,
             requiredWorkflows,
-            permission
+            permission,
+            verifyRetries,
+            verifyDelayMs,
+            sleep
           }),
         { maxRetries, sleep, logger }
       );
@@ -135,7 +142,10 @@ async function provisionOne({
   templateRepo,
   repoName,
   requiredWorkflows,
-  permission
+  permission,
+  verifyRetries = 10,
+  verifyDelayMs = 3000,
+  sleep = sleepReal
 }) {
   const exists = await client.repoExists({ owner: studentOwner, repo: repoName });
 
@@ -180,9 +190,17 @@ async function provisionOne({
     permission
   });
 
-  // Final verification gate: required workflows must be present.
-  const present = await client.listWorkflowPaths({ owner: studentOwner, repo: repoName });
-  const stillMissing = missingWorkflows(requiredWorkflows, present);
+  // Final verification gate: required workflows must be present. On a fresh
+  // create (or heal), GitHub copies template content asynchronously after the
+  // API returns, so give the copy time to land instead of failing the learner.
+  const attempts = result === 'already-exists' ? 1 : Math.max(1, verifyRetries);
+  let stillMissing = requiredWorkflows;
+  for (let attempt = 1; attempt <= attempts; attempt += 1) {
+    const present = await client.listWorkflowPaths({ owner: studentOwner, repo: repoName });
+    stillMissing = missingWorkflows(requiredWorkflows, present);
+    if (stillMissing.length === 0) break;
+    if (attempt < attempts) await sleep(verifyDelayMs);
+  }
   if (stillMissing.length > 0) {
     throw new Error(
       `Verification failed for ${studentOwner}/${repoName}: missing ${stillMissing.join(', ')}`