diff --git a/src/hydra-queue-runner/build-remote.cc b/src/hydra-queue-runner/build-remote.cc
index 722e2f0a..d5a75d69 100644
--- a/src/hydra-queue-runner/build-remote.cc
+++ b/src/hydra-queue-runner/build-remote.cc
@@ -160,10 +160,33 @@ void State::buildRemote(std::shared_ptr<StoreAPI> store,
             sendDerivation = false;
     } catch (EndOfFile & e) {
         child.pid.wait(true);
+
+        {
+            /* Disable this machine until a certain period of time has
+               passed. This period increases on every consecutive
+               failure. However, don't count failures that occurred
+               soon after the last one (to take into account steps
+               started in parallel). */
+            auto info(machine->state->connectInfo.lock());
+            auto now = std::chrono::system_clock::now();
+            if (info->consecutiveFailures == 0 || info->lastFailure < now - std::chrono::seconds(30)) {
+                info->consecutiveFailures = std::min(info->consecutiveFailures + 1, (unsigned int) 4);
+                info->lastFailure = now;
+                int delta = retryInterval * powf(retryBackoff, info->consecutiveFailures - 1) + (rand() % 30);
+                printMsg(lvlInfo, format("will disable machine ‘%1%’ for %2%s") % machine->sshName % delta);
+                info->disabledUntil = now + std::chrono::seconds(delta);
+            }
+        }
+
         string s = chomp(readFile(result.logFile));
         throw Error(format("cannot connect to ‘%1%’: %2%") % machine->sshName % s);
     }
 
+    {
+        auto info(machine->state->connectInfo.lock());
+        info->consecutiveFailures = 0;
+    }
+
     /* Gather the inputs. If the remote side is Nix <= 1.9, we have to
        copy the entire closure of ‘drvPath’, as well the required
        outputs of the input derivations. On Nix > 1.9, we only need to
diff --git a/src/hydra-queue-runner/builder.cc b/src/hydra-queue-runner/builder.cc
index 540a61d6..56922719 100644
--- a/src/hydra-queue-runner/builder.cc
+++ b/src/hydra-queue-runner/builder.cc
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ void State::builder(Step::ptr step, Machine::ptr machine, std::shared_ptr<Mainta
             step_->tries++;
             nrRetries++;
             if (step_->tries > maxNrRetries) maxNrRetries = step_->tries; // yeah yeah, not atomic
-            int delta = retryInterval * powf(retryBackoff, step_->tries - 1);
+            int delta = retryInterval * powf(retryBackoff, step_->tries - 1) + (rand() % 10);
             printMsg(lvlInfo, format("will retry ‘%1%’ after %2%s") % step->drvPath % delta);
             step_->after = std::chrono::system_clock::now() + std::chrono::seconds(delta);
         }
diff --git a/src/hydra-queue-runner/dispatcher.cc b/src/hydra-queue-runner/dispatcher.cc
index bd4db86d..0c401e87 100644
--- a/src/hydra-queue-runner/dispatcher.cc
+++ b/src/hydra-queue-runner/dispatcher.cc
@@ -36,9 +36,12 @@ void State::dispatcher()
         bool keepGoing;
 
         do {
+            system_time now = std::chrono::system_clock::now();
+
             /* Copy the currentJobs field of each machine. This is
                necessary to ensure that the sort comparator below is
-               an ordering. std::sort() can segfault if it isn't. */
+               an ordering. std::sort() can segfault if it isn't. Also
+               filter out temporarily disabled machines. */
             struct MachineInfo
             {
                 Machine::ptr machine;
@@ -47,8 +50,15 @@ void State::dispatcher()
             std::vector<MachineInfo> machinesSorted;
             {
                 auto machines_(machines.lock());
-                for (auto & m : *machines_)
+                for (auto & m : *machines_) {
+                    auto info(m.second->state->connectInfo.lock());
+                    if (info->consecutiveFailures && info->disabledUntil > now) {
+                        if (info->disabledUntil < sleepUntil)
+                            sleepUntil = info->disabledUntil;
+                        continue;
+                    }
                     machinesSorted.push_back({m.second, m.second->state->currentJobs});
+                }
             }
 
             /* Sort the machines by a combination of speed factor and
@@ -77,7 +87,6 @@ void State::dispatcher()
                on it. Once we find such a pair, we restart the outer
                loop because the machine sorting will have changed. */
             keepGoing = false;
-            system_time now = std::chrono::system_clock::now();
 
             for (auto & mi : machinesSorted) {
                 // FIXME: can we lose a wakeup if a builder exits concurrently?
diff --git a/src/hydra-queue-runner/state.hh b/src/hydra-queue-runner/state.hh
index fa352c6e..761a100b 100644
--- a/src/hydra-queue-runner/state.hh
+++ b/src/hydra-queue-runner/state.hh
@@ -137,6 +137,13 @@ struct Machine
         counter totalStepTime{0}; // total time for steps, including closure copying
         counter totalStepBuildTime{0}; // total build time for steps
 
+        struct ConnectInfo
+        {
+            system_time lastFailure, disabledUntil;
+            unsigned int consecutiveFailures;
+        };
+        Sync<ConnectInfo> connectInfo;
+
         /* Mutex to prevent multiple threads from sending data to the
            same machine (which would be inefficient). */
         std::mutex sendLock;