diff --git a/src/functional_test_runner/lib/config/schema.js b/src/functional_test_runner/lib/config/schema.js
index 96ac32729b015..92f75d107445c 100644
--- a/src/functional_test_runner/lib/config/schema.js
+++ b/src/functional_test_runner/lib/config/schema.js
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ export const schema = Joi.object().keys({
   timeouts: Joi.object().keys({
     find: Joi.number().default(10000),
     try: Joi.number().default(40000),
+    waitFor: Joi.number().default(20000),
     esRequestTimeout: Joi.number().default(30000),
     kibanaStabilize: Joi.number().default(15000),
     navigateStatusPageCheck: Joi.number().default(250),
diff --git a/test/common/services/retry.js b/test/common/services/retry.js
deleted file mode 100644
index aacc2e87f6c88..0000000000000
--- a/test/common/services/retry.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,68 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
- * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
- * this work for additional information regarding copyright
- * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
- * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
- * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
- * You may obtain a copy of the License at
- *
- *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- *
- * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
- * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
- * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
- * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
- * specific language governing permissions and limitations
- * under the License.
- */
-
-import bluebird from 'bluebird';
-
-export function RetryProvider({ getService }) {
-  const config = getService('config');
-  const log = getService('log');
-
-  class Retry {
-    tryForTime(timeout, block) {
-      const start = Date.now();
-      const retryDelay = 502;
-      let lastTry = 0;
-      let finalMessage;
-      let prevMessage;
-
-      function attempt() {
-        lastTry = Date.now();
-
-        if (lastTry - start > timeout) {
-          throw new Error('tryForTime timeout: ' + finalMessage);
-        }
-
-        return bluebird
-          .try(block)
-          .catch(function tryForTimeCatch(err) {
-            if (err.message === prevMessage) {
-              log.debug('--- tryForTime errored again with the same message  ...');
-            } else {
-              prevMessage = err.message;
-              log.debug('--- tryForTime error: ' + prevMessage);
-            }
-            finalMessage = err.stack || err.message;
-            return bluebird.delay(retryDelay).then(attempt);
-          });
-      }
-
-      return bluebird.try(attempt);
-    }
-
-    try(block) {
-      return this.tryForTime(config.get('timeouts.try'), block);
-    }
-
-    tryMethod(object, method, ...args) {
-      return this.try(() => object[method](...args));
-    }
-  }
-
-  return new Retry();
-}
diff --git a/test/common/services/retry/index.js b/test/common/services/retry/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..298867a7a6b74
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/common/services/retry/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+export { RetryProvider } from './retry';
diff --git a/test/common/services/retry/retry.js b/test/common/services/retry/retry.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..897bfb4535445
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/common/services/retry/retry.js
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+import { retryForTruthy } from './retry_for_truthy';
+import { retryForSuccess } from './retry_for_success';
+
+export function RetryProvider({ getService }) {
+  const config = getService('config');
+  const log = getService('log');
+
+  return new class Retry {
+    async tryForTime(timeout, block) {
+      return await retryForSuccess(log, {
+        timeout,
+        methodName: 'retry.tryForTime',
+        block
+      });
+    }
+
+    async try(block) {
+      return await retryForSuccess(log, {
+        timeout: config.get('timeouts.try'),
+        methodName: 'retry.try',
+        block
+      });
+    }
+
+    async tryMethod(object, method, ...args) {
+      return await retryForSuccess(log, {
+        timeout: config.get('timeouts.try'),
+        methodName: 'retry.tryMethod',
+        block: async () => (
+          await object[method](...args)
+        )
+      });
+    }
+
+    async waitForWithTimeout(description, timeout, block) {
+      await retryForTruthy(log, {
+        timeout,
+        methodName: 'retry.waitForWithTimeout',
+        description,
+        block
+      });
+    }
+
+    async waitFor(description, block) {
+      await retryForTruthy(log, {
+        timeout: config.get('timeouts.waitFor'),
+        methodName: 'retry.waitFor',
+        description,
+        block
+      });
+    }
+  };
+}
diff --git a/test/common/services/retry/retry_for_success.js b/test/common/services/retry/retry_for_success.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..2571650a9f6ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/common/services/retry/retry_for_success.js
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+import { inspect } from 'util';
+
+const delay = ms => new Promise(resolve => (
+  setTimeout(resolve, ms)
+));
+
+const returnTrue = () => true;
+
+const defaultOnFailure = (methodName) => (lastError) => {
+  throw new Error(`${methodName} timeout: ${lastError.stack || lastError.message}`);
+};
+
+/**
+ * Run a function and return either an error or result
+ * @param {Function} block
+ */
+async function runAttempt(block) {
+  try {
+    return {
+      result: await block()
+    };
+  } catch (error) {
+    return {
+      // we rely on error being truthy and throwing falsy values is *allowed*
+      // so we cast falsy values to errors
+      error: error || new Error(`${inspect(error)} thrown`),
+    };
+  }
+}
+
+export async function retryForSuccess(log, {
+  timeout,
+  methodName,
+  block,
+  onFailure = defaultOnFailure(methodName),
+  accept = returnTrue
+}) {
+  const start = Date.now();
+  const retryDelay = 502;
+  let lastError;
+
+  while (true) {
+    if (Date.now() - start > timeout) {
+      await onFailure(lastError);
+      throw new Error('expected onFailure() option to throw an error');
+    }
+
+    const { result, error } = await runAttempt(block);
+
+    if (!error && accept(result)) {
+      return result;
+    }
+
+    if (error) {
+      if (lastError && lastError.message === error.message) {
+        log.debug(`--- ${methodName} failed again with the same message...`);
+      } else {
+        log.debug(`--- ${methodName} error: ${error.message}`);
+      }
+
+      lastError = error;
+    }
+
+    await delay(retryDelay);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/test/common/services/retry/retry_for_truthy.js b/test/common/services/retry/retry_for_truthy.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..65ebef1e30420
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/common/services/retry/retry_for_truthy.js
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one or more contributor
+ * license agreements. See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright
+ * ownership. Elasticsearch B.V. licenses this file to you under
+ * the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
+ * not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing,
+ * software distributed under the License is distributed on an
+ * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY
+ * KIND, either express or implied.  See the License for the
+ * specific language governing permissions and limitations
+ * under the License.
+ */
+
+import { retryForSuccess } from './retry_for_success';
+
+export async function retryForTruthy(log, {
+  timeout,
+  methodName,
+  description,
+  block
+}) {
+  log.debug(`Waiting up to ${timeout}ms for ${description}...`);
+
+  const accept = result => Boolean(result);
+
+  const onFailure = lastError => {
+    let msg = `timed out waiting for ${description}`;
+
+    if (lastError) {
+      msg = `${msg} -- last error: ${lastError.stack || lastError.message}`;
+    }
+
+    throw new Error(msg);
+  };
+
+  await retryForSuccess(log, {
+    timeout,
+    methodName,
+    block,
+    onFailure,
+    accept
+  });
+}