diff --git a/cmd/cli/upstream_monitor.go b/cmd/cli/upstream_monitor.go
index 507a06f..acc02bb 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/upstream_monitor.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/upstream_monitor.go
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import (
 
 const (
 	// maxFailureRequest is the maximum failed queries allowed before an upstream is marked as down.
-	maxFailureRequest = 100
+	maxFailureRequest = 50
 	// checkUpstreamBackoffSleep is the time interval between each upstream checks.
 	checkUpstreamBackoffSleep = 2 * time.Second
 )
@@ -23,15 +23,19 @@ type upstreamMonitor struct {
 	down       map[string]bool
 	failureReq map[string]uint64
 	recovered  map[string]bool
+
+	// failureTimerActive tracks if a timer is already running for a given upstream.
+	failureTimerActive map[string]bool
 }
 
 func newUpstreamMonitor(cfg *ctrld.Config) *upstreamMonitor {
 	um := &upstreamMonitor{
-		cfg:        cfg,
-		checking:   make(map[string]bool),
-		down:       make(map[string]bool),
-		failureReq: make(map[string]uint64),
-		recovered:  make(map[string]bool),
+		cfg:                cfg,
+		checking:           make(map[string]bool),
+		down:               make(map[string]bool),
+		failureReq:         make(map[string]uint64),
+		recovered:          make(map[string]bool),
+		failureTimerActive: make(map[string]bool),
 	}
 	for n := range cfg.Upstream {
 		upstream := upstreamPrefix + n
@@ -42,6 +46,8 @@ func newUpstreamMonitor(cfg *ctrld.Config) *upstreamMonitor {
 }
 
 // increaseFailureCount increases failed queries count for an upstream by 1 and logs debug information.
+// It uses a timer to debounce failure detection, ensuring that an upstream is marked as down
+// within 10 seconds if failures persist, without spawning duplicate goroutines.
 func (um *upstreamMonitor) increaseFailureCount(upstream string) {
 	um.mu.Lock()
 	defer um.mu.Unlock()
@@ -54,13 +60,31 @@ func (um *upstreamMonitor) increaseFailureCount(upstream string) {
 	um.failureReq[upstream] += 1
 	failedCount := um.failureReq[upstream]
 
-	// Log the updated failure count
+	// Log the updated failure count.
 	mainLog.Load().Debug().Msgf("upstream %q failure count updated to %d", upstream, failedCount)
 
-	// Check if the failure count has reached the threshold to mark the upstream as down.
+	// If this is the first failure and no timer is running, start a 10-second timer.
+	if failedCount == 1 && !um.failureTimerActive[upstream] {
+		um.failureTimerActive[upstream] = true
+		go func(upstream string) {
+			time.Sleep(10 * time.Second)
+			um.mu.Lock()
+			defer um.mu.Unlock()
+			// If no success occurred during the 10-second window (i.e. counter remains > 0)
+			// and the upstream is not in a recovered state, mark it as down.
+			if um.failureReq[upstream] > 0 && !um.recovered[upstream] {
+				um.down[upstream] = true
+				mainLog.Load().Warn().Msgf("upstream %q marked as down after 10 seconds (failure count: %d)", upstream, um.failureReq[upstream])
+			}
+			// Reset the timer flag so that a new timer can be spawned if needed.
+			um.failureTimerActive[upstream] = false
+		}(upstream)
+	}
+
+	// If the failure count quickly reaches the threshold, mark the upstream as down immediately.
 	if failedCount >= maxFailureRequest {
 		um.down[upstream] = true
-		mainLog.Load().Warn().Msgf("upstream %q marked as down (failure count: %d)", upstream, failedCount)
+		mainLog.Load().Warn().Msgf("upstream %q marked as down immediately (failure count: %d)", upstream, failedCount)
 	} else {
 		um.down[upstream] = false
 	}