diff --git a/src/js/internal-for-testing.ts b/src/js/internal-for-testing.ts
index 9b1fed3e91d9..796f3da71983 100644
--- a/src/js/internal-for-testing.ts
+++ b/src/js/internal-for-testing.ts
@@ -557,6 +557,7 @@ export const arrayBufferViewHasBuffer = $newCppFunction(
 
 export const timerInternals = {
   timerClockMs: $newRustFunction("runtime/timer/Timer.rs", "internal_bindings.timerClockMs", 0),
+  monotonicNowMs: $newRustFunction("runtime/timer/Timer.rs", "internal_bindings.monotonicNowMs", 0),
 };
 
 // Raw datagram descriptor helpers for tests that need an unbound fd (which
diff --git a/src/js/internal/sql/shared.ts b/src/js/internal/sql/shared.ts
index 7dc59a8b0290..afcfdfd54875 100644
--- a/src/js/internal/sql/shared.ts
+++ b/src/js/internal/sql/shared.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ const {
   SQLQueryFlags,
   symbols: { _strings, _values },
 } = require("internal/sql/query");
+// not Date.now(): bun:test's setSystemTime() / useFakeTimers() override that inside the engine
+const monotonicNowMs = $newRustFunction("runtime/timer/Timer.rs", "internal_bindings.monotonicNowMs", 0);
 
 declare global {
   interface NumberConstructor {
@@ -609,9 +611,7 @@ abstract class BasePooledConnection<ConnectionHandle extends { close(): void; fl
   flags: number = 0;
   /// queryCount is used to indicate the number of queries using the connection, if a connection is reserved or if its a transaction queryCount will be 1 independently of the number of queries
   queryCount: number = 0;
-  /// when the current connect cycle started; 0 when not connecting. Connect
-  /// failures (server not yet accepting connections) are retried until
-  /// connectionTimeout elapses from this point.
+  /// monotonicNowMs() at the start of the current connect cycle; 0 when not connecting.
   connectStartedAt: number = 0;
   connectAttempts: number = 0;
   retryTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null;
@@ -641,7 +641,7 @@ abstract class BasePooledConnection<ConnectionHandle extends { close(): void; fl
   async #beginConnecting() {
     // a fresh connect cycle (not a backoff retry) starts the retry budget
     if (this.connectStartedAt === 0) {
-      this.connectStartedAt = Date.now();
+      this.connectStartedAt = monotonicNowMs();
       this.connectAttempts = 0;
     }
     await this.startConnection();
@@ -742,7 +742,7 @@ abstract class BasePooledConnection<ConnectionHandle extends { close(): void; fl
     if (connectionTimeout <= 0) {
       return false;
     }
-    return this.connectStartedAt !== 0 && Date.now() - this.connectStartedAt < connectionTimeout;
+    return this.connectStartedAt !== 0 && monotonicNowMs() - this.connectStartedAt < connectionTimeout;
   }
 
   /// Returns true if a scheduled connect retry was cancelled; in that case
diff --git a/src/runtime/timer/Timer.rs b/src/runtime/timer/Timer.rs
index 73eae0ce9d4a..25202c510a06 100644
--- a/src/runtime/timer/Timer.rs
+++ b/src/runtime/timer/Timer.rs
@@ -596,4 +596,18 @@ pub(crate) mod internal_bindings {
         // `js_number(f64)` (i64 → f64 is lossless for the millisecond range).
         Ok(JSValue::js_number(now as f64))
     }
+
+    /// Monotonic milliseconds for deadlines Bun's own JS measures (e.g. the SQL
+    /// connect-retry budget). bun:test's `setSystemTime()` / `useFakeTimers()`
+    /// override `Date.now()` and `performance.now()` inside the engine, so a
+    /// deadline measured with either freezes or jumps along with the mocked
+    /// clock. This is the real clock the timer heap is drained against.
+    #[bun_jsc::host_fn]
+    pub(crate) fn monotonic_now_ms(
+        _global_this: &JSGlobalObject,
+        _call_frame: &CallFrame,
+    ) -> JsResult<JSValue> {
+        let now = Timespec::now(TimespecMockMode::ForceRealTime).ms();
+        Ok(JSValue::js_number(now as f64))
+    }
 }
diff --git a/test/js/bun/test/fake-timers/fake-timers.test.ts b/test/js/bun/test/fake-timers/fake-timers.test.ts
index 9b78720b9c1c..3e03dc64c91a 100644
--- a/test/js/bun/test/fake-timers/fake-timers.test.ts
+++ b/test/js/bun/test/fake-timers/fake-timers.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { RedisClient, SQL } from "bun";
+import { timerInternals } from "bun:internal-for-testing";
 import { heapStats } from "bun:jsc";
 import { bunEnv, bunExe } from "harness";
 import { spawnSync as childProcessSpawnSync } from "node:child_process";
@@ -399,6 +400,35 @@ describe("runtime timeouts are not fake timers", () => {
     }
   });
 });
+
+// Deadlines the runtime measures in JS (Bun.SQL's connect-retry budget) read
+// monotonicNowMs(), which stays on the real clock while Date.now(),
+// performance.now() and the mockable timer clock follow the fake one.
+describe("monotonicNowMs() is not a mocked clock", () => {
+  const ONE_HOUR = 60 * 60 * 1000;
+
+  test("useFakeTimers() neither restarts it nor advances it", () => {
+    const beforeFakeTimers = timerInternals.monotonicNowMs();
+    vi.useFakeTimers();
+    const atActivation = timerInternals.monotonicNowMs();
+    vi.advanceTimersByTime(ONE_HOUR);
+    const afterAdvance = timerInternals.monotonicNowMs();
+    expect({
+      mockedTimerClock: timerInternals.timerClockMs(),
+      performanceNow: performance.now(),
+      // the mocked clocks restart from 0 on activation; a mocked reading here
+      // would be below the reading taken before useFakeTimers()
+      restarted: atActivation < beforeFakeTimers,
+      advancedByTheHour: afterAdvance - atActivation >= ONE_HOUR,
+    }).toEqual({
+      mockedTimerClock: ONE_HOUR,
+      performanceNow: ONE_HOUR,
+      restarted: false,
+      advancedByTheHour: false,
+    });
+  });
+});
+
 // Bun.cron() is mockable, so a job created under fake timers lives in the fake
 // heap, and useRealTimers() / clearAllTimers() drop it with the rest. Like a
 // dropped setInterval it has to end up stopped, rather than holding the process
diff --git a/test/js/sql/sql-connect-error-reporting.test.ts b/test/js/sql/sql-connect-error-reporting.test.ts
index 6f6df881a1df..97bd61ee5205 100644
--- a/test/js/sql/sql-connect-error-reporting.test.ts
+++ b/test/js/sql/sql-connect-error-reporting.test.ts
@@ -23,9 +23,18 @@
 // Uses plain TCP servers / closed ports so the tests run without Docker.
 
 import { SQL } from "bun";
-import { expect, test } from "bun:test";
+import { expect, setSystemTime, test } from "bun:test";
 import type net from "node:net";
-import { closedPort, listeningServer, pgAuthenticationOk, pgErrorResponse, pgReadyForQuery } from "./wire-frames";
+import {
+  closedPort,
+  listeningServer,
+  mysqlHandshakeV10,
+  mysqlOkPacket,
+  mysqlReadPackets,
+  pgAuthenticationOk,
+  pgErrorResponse,
+  pgReadyForQuery,
+} from "./wire-frames";
 
 // connectionTimeout (seconds, fractional allowed) bounds the connect-retry
 // budget; keep it short in tests that expect the failure to surface. Tests
@@ -48,6 +57,20 @@ function postgresAuthOkAndReady(socket: net.Socket) {
   socket.write(Buffer.concat([pgAuthenticationOk(), pgReadyForQuery()]));
 }
 
+/** Minimal MySQL server: greet, then answer the HandshakeResponse with OK. */
+function mysqlGreetAndAuthOk(socket: net.Socket) {
+  let buffered = Buffer.alloc(0);
+  let authenticated = false;
+  socket.write(mysqlHandshakeV10());
+  socket.on("data", chunk => {
+    buffered = mysqlReadPackets(Buffer.concat([buffered, chunk]), seq => {
+      if (authenticated) return;
+      authenticated = true;
+      socket.write(mysqlOkPacket(seq + 1));
+    });
+  });
+}
+
 test("postgres: connection refused is reported distinctly and fails fast", async () => {
   const port = await closedPort();
   const start = Date.now();
@@ -336,3 +359,78 @@ test("mysql: connectionTimeout: 0 disables connect retries", async () => {
     server.close();
   }
 });
+
+// The retry budget is measured on the monotonic clock, so bun:test's
+// setSystemTime() (which pins Date.now() at the given instant) neither keeps
+// the pool retrying past connectionTimeout nor ends the budget early.
+const ONE_DAY_MS = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
+
+test("postgres: the retry budget elapses while Date.now() is pinned by setSystemTime()", async () => {
+  const { port, server } = await listeningServer(socket => socket.destroy());
+  setSystemTime(new Date("2020-01-01T00:00:00Z"));
+  try {
+    // with the budget measured via Date.now() this never rejects: every
+    // attempt sees 0ms elapsed and the pool redials forever
+    const err = await connectError(`postgres://postgres@127.0.0.1:${port}/postgres`, 0.25);
+    expect(err.code).toBe("ERR_POSTGRES_CONNECTION_FAILED");
+  } finally {
+    setSystemTime();
+    server.close();
+  }
+});
+
+test("postgres: setSystemTime() jumping ahead during a connect cycle does not end the retry budget", async () => {
+  let connections = 0;
+  const { port, server } = await listeningServer(socket => {
+    if (++connections === 1) {
+      // the pool recorded the start of this cycle before the jump; a Date.now()
+      // budget would now see a day of the default 30s budget gone and give up
+      setSystemTime(new Date(Date.now() + ONE_DAY_MS));
+      socket.destroy();
+      return;
+    }
+    socket.once("data", () => postgresAuthOkAndReady(socket));
+  });
+  const db = new SQL({ url: `postgres://postgres@127.0.0.1:${port}/postgres`, max: 1 });
+  try {
+    await db.connect();
+    expect(connections).toBe(2);
+  } finally {
+    setSystemTime();
+    await db.close({ timeout: 0 });
+    server.close();
+  }
+});
+
+test("mysql: the retry budget elapses while Date.now() is pinned by setSystemTime()", async () => {
+  const { port, server } = await listeningServer(socket => socket.destroy());
+  setSystemTime(new Date("2020-01-01T00:00:00Z"));
+  try {
+    const err = await connectError(`mysql://root@127.0.0.1:${port}/mysql`, 0.25);
+    expect(err.code).toBe("ERR_MYSQL_CONNECTION_FAILED");
+  } finally {
+    setSystemTime();
+    server.close();
+  }
+});
+
+test("mysql: setSystemTime() jumping ahead during a connect cycle does not end the retry budget", async () => {
+  let connections = 0;
+  const { port, server } = await listeningServer(socket => {
+    if (++connections === 1) {
+      setSystemTime(new Date(Date.now() + ONE_DAY_MS));
+      socket.destroy();
+      return;
+    }
+    mysqlGreetAndAuthOk(socket);
+  });
+  const db = new SQL({ url: `mysql://root@127.0.0.1:${port}/mysql`, max: 1 });
+  try {
+    await db.connect();
+    expect(connections).toBe(2);
+  } finally {
+    setSystemTime();
+    await db.close({ timeout: 0 });
+    server.close();
+  }
+});