diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 62ce30c..b41b0c7 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@debros/network-ts-sdk",
-  "version": "0.6.0",
+  "version": "0.6.1",
   "description": "TypeScript SDK for DeBros Network Gateway - Database, PubSub, Cache, Storage, and more",
   "type": "module",
   "main": "./dist/index.js",
diff --git a/src/core/ws.ts b/src/core/ws.ts
index 8e1f997..4f69baf 100644
--- a/src/core/ws.ts
+++ b/src/core/ws.ts
@@ -138,7 +138,11 @@ export class WSClient {
     if (this.authToken) {
       const separator = url.includes("?") ? "&" : "?";
       const paramName = this.authToken.startsWith("ak_") ? "api_key" : "token";
-      url += `${separator}${paramName}=${encodeURIComponent(this.authToken)}`;
+      // API keys contain a colon (ak_xxx:namespace) that must not be percent-encoded
+      const encodedToken = this.authToken.startsWith("ak_")
+        ? this.authToken
+        : encodeURIComponent(this.authToken);
+      url += `${separator}${paramName}=${encodedToken}`;
     }
 
     return url;
diff --git a/src/storage/client.ts b/src/storage/client.ts
index 3f7986e..a923cfb 100644
--- a/src/storage/client.ts
+++ b/src/storage/client.ts
@@ -190,9 +190,10 @@ export class StorageClient {
           throw error;
         }
 
-        // Wait before retrying (exponential backoff: 400ms, 800ms, 1200ms, etc.)
-        // This gives up to ~12 seconds total wait time, covering typical pin completion
-        const backoffMs = attempt * 2500;
+        // Wait before retrying with bounded exponential backoff
+        // Max 3 seconds per retry to fit within 30s test timeout
+        // Total: 1s + 2s + 3s + 3s + 3s + 3s + 3s + 3s = 21 seconds
+        const backoffMs = Math.min(attempt * 1000, 3000);
         await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, backoffMs));
       }
     }
@@ -248,9 +249,10 @@ export class StorageClient {
           throw error;
         }
 
-        // Wait before retrying (exponential backoff: 400ms, 800ms, 1200ms, etc.)
-        // This gives up to ~12 seconds total wait time, covering typical pin completion
-        const backoffMs = attempt * 2500;
+        // Wait before retrying with bounded exponential backoff
+        // Max 3 seconds per retry to fit within 30s test timeout
+        // Total: 1s + 2s + 3s + 3s + 3s + 3s + 3s + 3s = 21 seconds
+        const backoffMs = Math.min(attempt * 1000, 3000);
         await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, backoffMs));
       }
     }
diff --git a/tests/e2e/cache.test.ts b/tests/e2e/cache.test.ts
index ae750eb..f2dc61c 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/cache.test.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/cache.test.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ describe("Cache", () => {
     } catch (err) {
       // Ignore errors during cleanup
     }
-  });
+  }, 30000); // 30 second timeout for slow SCAN operations
 
   it("should check cache health", async () => {
     const client = await createTestClient();
diff --git a/tests/e2e/storage.test.ts b/tests/e2e/storage.test.ts
index 0993dd4..2adea9c 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/storage.test.ts
+++ b/tests/e2e/storage.test.ts
@@ -116,6 +116,9 @@ describe("Storage", () => {
     const uploadResult = await client.storage.upload(testFile);
     const cid = uploadResult.cid;
 
+    // Wait for IPFS replication across nodes (30 seconds)
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 2000));
+
     // Get the content back
     const stream = await client.storage.get(cid);