diff --git a/.github/workflows/codeql.yml b/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
index 3b4a067c24..c1921a692b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
@@ -73,7 +73,9 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/{azure-cli.sources,microsoft-prod.list,ondrej-ubuntu-php-noble.sources}
           sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 update
-          sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install libpsl-dev libbrotli-dev libidn2-dev libssh2-1-dev libssh-dev \
+          printf '#!/bin/sh\nfor i in 1 2 3; do timeout 60 "$@" && break; echo "Error: slow server, retry"; sleep 1; done' > "$HOME"/my-apt; chmod +x "$HOME"/my-apt
+          sudo "$HOME"/my-apt apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install \
+            libpsl-dev libbrotli-dev libidn2-dev libssh2-1-dev libssh-dev \
             libnghttp2-dev libldap-dev libkrb5-dev libgnutls28-dev libwolfssl-dev
           HOMEBREW_NO_AUTO_UPDATE=1 /home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew install c-ares gsasl libnghttp3 libngtcp2 mbedtls rustls-ffi
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/configure-vs-cmake.yml b/.github/workflows/configure-vs-cmake.yml
index 3c8f0249f8..f0dc948786 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/configure-vs-cmake.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/configure-vs-cmake.yml
@@ -144,7 +144,9 @@ jobs:
       TRIPLET: 'x86_64-w64-mingw32'
     steps:
       - name: 'install packages'
-        run: sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install gcc-mingw-w64-x86-64-win32
+        run: |
+          printf '#!/bin/sh\nfor i in 1 2 3; do timeout 30 "$@" && break; echo "Error: slow server, retry"; sleep 1; done' > "$HOME"/my-apt; chmod +x "$HOME"/my-apt
+          sudo "$HOME"/my-apt apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install gcc-mingw-w64-x86-64-win32
 
       - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/distcheck.yml b/.github/workflows/distcheck.yml
index d09f45d433..5e2cb02547 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/distcheck.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/distcheck.yml
@@ -288,7 +288,8 @@ jobs:
             sha256sum pkg.bin && sha256sum pkg.bin | grep -qwF -- "${OLD_CMAKE_SHA256_WIN_INTEL}" && unzip -q pkg.bin && rm -f pkg.bin
             printf '%s' ~/cmake-"${OLD_CMAKE_VERSION}"-win64-x64/bin/cmake.exe > ~/old-cmake-path.txt
           elif [[ "${MATRIX_IMAGE}" = *'ubuntu'* ]]; then
-            sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install libpsl-dev libssl-dev
+            printf '#!/bin/sh\nfor i in 1 2 3; do timeout 30 "$@" && break; echo "Error: slow server, retry"; sleep 1; done' > "$HOME"/my-apt; chmod +x "$HOME"/my-apt
+            sudo "$HOME"/my-apt apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install libpsl-dev libssl-dev
             cd ~
             curl --disable --fail --silent --show-error --connect-timeout 15 --max-time 60 --retry 3 --retry-connrefused \
               --location "https://github.com/Kitware/CMake/releases/download/v${OLD_CMAKE_VERSION}/cmake-${OLD_CMAKE_VERSION}-Linux-aarch64.tar.gz" --output pkg.bin
diff --git a/.github/workflows/http3-linux.yml b/.github/workflows/http3-linux.yml
index 6ad55a8892..5995394e20 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/http3-linux.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/http3-linux.yml
@@ -186,7 +186,8 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/{azure-cli.sources,microsoft-prod.list,ondrej-ubuntu-php-noble.sources}
           sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 update
-          sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install \
+          printf '#!/bin/sh\nfor i in 1 2 3; do timeout 60 "$@" && break; echo "Error: slow server, retry"; sleep 1; done' > "$HOME"/my-apt; chmod +x "$HOME"/my-apt
+          sudo "$HOME"/my-apt apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install \
             libtool autoconf automake pkgconf \
             libbrotli-dev libzstd-dev zlib1g-dev \
             libev-dev \
@@ -489,7 +490,8 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/{azure-cli.sources,microsoft-prod.list,ondrej-ubuntu-php-noble.sources}
           sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 update
-          sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install \
+          printf '#!/bin/sh\nfor i in 1 2 3; do timeout 45 "$@" && break; echo "Error: slow server, retry"; sleep 1; done' > "$HOME"/my-apt; chmod +x "$HOME"/my-apt
+          sudo "$HOME"/my-apt apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install \
             libtool autoconf automake pkgconf \
             libpsl-dev libbrotli-dev libzstd-dev zlib1g-dev libidn2-0-dev libldap-dev libuv1-dev valgrind \
             ${INSTALL_PACKAGES} \
diff --git a/.github/workflows/linux.yml b/.github/workflows/linux.yml
index f1ae2bcac9..206d21d244 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/linux.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/linux.yml
@@ -429,7 +429,8 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/{azure-cli.sources,microsoft-prod.list,ondrej-ubuntu-php-noble.sources}
           sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 update
-          sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install \
+          printf '#!/bin/sh\nfor i in 1 2 3; do timeout 45 "$@" && break; echo "Error: slow server, retry"; sleep 1; done' > "$HOME"/my-apt; chmod +x "$HOME"/my-apt
+          sudo "$HOME"/my-apt apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install \
             libtool autoconf automake pkgconf \
             libpsl-dev zlib1g-dev libbrotli-dev libzstd-dev \
             ${INSTALL_PACKAGES} \
@@ -450,7 +451,8 @@ jobs:
           sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/{azure-cli.sources,microsoft-prod.list,ondrej-ubuntu-php-noble.sources}
           sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
           sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 update
-          sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install \
+          printf '#!/bin/sh\nfor i in 1 2 3; do timeout 45 "$@" && break; echo "Error: slow server, retry"; sleep 1; done' > "$HOME"/my-apt; chmod +x "$HOME"/my-apt
+          sudo "$HOME"/my-apt apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install \
             libtool autoconf automake pkgconf stunnel4 \
             libpsl-dev:i386 libbrotli-dev:i386 libzstd-dev:i386 \
             ${MATRIX_INSTALL_PACKAGES}
@@ -790,7 +792,8 @@ jobs:
             --compressed https://apt.repos.intel.com/intel-gpg-keys/GPG-PUB-KEY-INTEL-SW-PRODUCTS.PUB | \
             sudo tee /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/intel-sw.asc >/dev/null
           sudo add-apt-repository 'deb https://apt.repos.intel.com/oneapi all main'
-          sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install intel-oneapi-compiler-dpcpp-cpp-and-cpp-classic
+          printf '#!/bin/sh\nfor i in 1 2 3; do timeout 90 "$@" && break; echo "Error: slow server, retry"; sleep 1; done' > "$HOME"/my-apt; chmod +x "$HOME"/my-apt
+          sudo "$HOME"/my-apt apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install intel-oneapi-compiler-dpcpp-cpp-and-cpp-classic
           source /opt/intel/oneapi/setvars.sh
           printenv >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/non-native.yml b/.github/workflows/non-native.yml
index cb12569b3b..49a351cfcf 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/non-native.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/non-native.yml
@@ -348,7 +348,9 @@ jobs:
       fail-fast: false
     steps:
       - name: 'install packages'
-        run: sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install libfl2
+        run: |
+          printf '#!/bin/sh\nfor i in 1 2 3; do timeout 30 "$@" && break; echo "Error: slow server, retry"; sleep 1; done' > "$HOME"/my-apt; chmod +x "$HOME"/my-apt
+          sudo "$HOME"/my-apt apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install libfl2
 
       - name: 'cache compiler (djgpp)'
         uses: actions/cache@cdf6c1fa76f9f475f3d7449005a359c84ca0f306 # v5.0.3
diff --git a/.github/workflows/windows.yml b/.github/workflows/windows.yml
index 6bee3d2eb3..a5d96ef0a6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/windows.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/windows.yml
@@ -740,7 +740,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: 'install packages'
         env:
           MATRIX_INSTALL_PACKAGES: '${{ matrix.install_packages }}'
-        run: sudo apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install gcc-mingw-w64-x86-64-win32 ${MATRIX_INSTALL_PACKAGES}
+        run: |
+          printf '#!/bin/sh\nfor i in 1 2 3; do timeout 30 "$@" && break; echo "Error: slow server, retry"; sleep 1; done' > "$HOME"/my-apt; chmod +x "$HOME"/my-apt
+          sudo "$HOME"/my-apt apt-get -o Dpkg::Use-Pty=0 install gcc-mingw-w64-x86-64-win32 ${MATRIX_INSTALL_PACKAGES}
 
       - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
         with: