diff --git a/server/platform/services/remotecluster/service.go b/server/platform/services/remotecluster/service.go
index 9ffa20c057b..b389a813164 100644
--- a/server/platform/services/remotecluster/service.go
+++ b/server/platform/services/remotecluster/service.go
@@ -116,10 +116,14 @@ func NewRemoteClusterService(server ServerIface, app AppIface) (*Service, error)
 			KeepAlive: 30 * time.Second,
 			DualStack: true,
 		}).DialContext,
-		ForceAttemptHTTP2:     true,
-		MaxIdleConns:          200,
-		MaxIdleConnsPerHost:   2,
-		IdleConnTimeout:       90 * time.Second,
+		ForceAttemptHTTP2:   true,
+		MaxIdleConns:        200,
+		MaxIdleConnsPerHost: 2,
+		// Must stay strictly below PingFreq so the pool always discards a connection
+		// before the next ping reuses it. Otherwise pings race the peer reaping its own
+		// idle keep-alive connections (ServiceSettings.IdleTimeout, default 60s) and fail
+		// intermittently with stale-connection errors. See MM-69982.
+		IdleConnTimeout:       PingFreq / 2,
 		TLSHandshakeTimeout:   10 * time.Second,
 		ExpectContinueTimeout: 1 * time.Second,
 		DisableCompression:    false,
diff --git a/server/platform/services/remotecluster/service_test.go b/server/platform/services/remotecluster/service_test.go
index 7b03e9b7b40..8a124f493fa 100644
--- a/server/platform/services/remotecluster/service_test.go
+++ b/server/platform/services/remotecluster/service_test.go
@@ -83,6 +83,29 @@ func TestService_AddTopicListener(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Empty(t, listeners)
 }
 
+func TestRemoteClusterTransportIdleConnTimeout(t *testing.T) {
+	mockServer := newMockServer(t, nil)
+	mockApp := newMockApp(t, nil)
+
+	service, err := NewRemoteClusterService(mockServer, mockApp)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	transport, ok := service.httpClient.Transport.(*http.Transport)
+	require.True(t, ok, "expected the remote cluster client to use an *http.Transport")
+
+	// Regression guard for MM-69982: the pooled-connection idle timeout must be
+	// strictly less than PingFreq. If it is >= PingFreq, a pooled connection
+	// survives from one ping to the next and every ping reuses a connection that
+	// the peer has likely already reaped (peers close idle keep-alives after their
+	// own IdleTimeout, default 60s), producing intermittent stale-connection ping
+	// failures. Keeping it below PingFreq means the pool discards the connection
+	// before the next ping, so each ping dials fresh and the race cannot occur.
+	require.Positive(t, transport.IdleConnTimeout, "IdleConnTimeout must be set")
+	assert.Less(t, transport.IdleConnTimeout, PingFreq,
+		"IdleConnTimeout (%s) must be strictly less than PingFreq (%s) to avoid stale keep-alive reuse on pings",
+		transport.IdleConnTimeout, PingFreq)
+}
+
 // leaderAwareMockServer is a mock server that supports toggling leader state
 // and firing leader-change listeners, allowing lifecycle tests to simulate
 // HA cluster leader transitions.