diff --git a/hack/jenkins/verify-dockerized.sh b/hack/jenkins/verify-dockerized.sh
index 19b5d254a81..31ebfcf2248 100755
--- a/hack/jenkins/verify-dockerized.sh
+++ b/hack/jenkins/verify-dockerized.sh
@@ -39,7 +39,8 @@ export LOG_LEVEL=4
 cd /go/src/k8s.io/kubernetes
 
 # hack/verify-client-go.sh requires all dependencies exist in the GOPATH.
-godep restore
+# the retry helps avoid flakes while keeping total time bounded.
+godep restore || godep restore
 
 ./hack/install-etcd.sh
 make verify