diff --git a/kmod/src/counters.h b/kmod/src/counters.h
index 18e6daf1..c6d38775 100644
--- a/kmod/src/counters.h
+++ b/kmod/src/counters.h
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@
 	EXPAND_COUNTER(forest_read_items)			\
 	EXPAND_COUNTER(forest_roots_next_hint)			\
 	EXPAND_COUNTER(forest_set_bloom_bits)			\
+	EXPAND_COUNTER(inode_deleted)				\
 	EXPAND_COUNTER(item_cache_count_objects)		\
 	EXPAND_COUNTER(item_cache_scan_objects)			\
 	EXPAND_COUNTER(item_clear_dirty)			\
diff --git a/kmod/src/inode.c b/kmod/src/inode.c
index 5e3f724f..61f06cd0 100644
--- a/kmod/src/inode.c
+++ b/kmod/src/inode.c
@@ -1854,6 +1854,9 @@ static int try_delete_inode_items(struct super_block *sb, u64 ino)
 		goto out;
 
 	ret = delete_inode_items(sb, ino, &sinode, lock, orph_lock);
+	if (ret == 0)
+		scoutfs_inc_counter(sb, inode_deleted);
+
 out:
 	if (clear_trying)
 		clear_bit(bit_nr, ldata->trying);
diff --git a/tests/tests/orphan-inodes.sh b/tests/tests/orphan-inodes.sh
index 756f041e..fd0d1d75 100644
--- a/tests/tests/orphan-inodes.sh
+++ b/tests/tests/orphan-inodes.sh
@@ -69,8 +69,32 @@ while test -d $(echo /sys/fs/scoutfs/*/fence/* | cut -d " " -f 1); do
 done
 # wait for orphan scans to run
 t_set_all_sysfs_mount_options orphan_scan_delay_ms 1000
-# also have to wait for delayed log merge work from mount
-sleep 15
+# wait until we see two consecutive orphan scan attempts without
+# any inode deletion forward progress in each mount
+for nr in $(t_fs_nrs); do
+	C=0
+	LOSA=$(t_counter orphan_scan_attempts $nr)
+	LDOP=$(t_counter inode_deleted $nr)
+
+	while [ $C -lt 2 ]; do
+		sleep 1
+
+		OSA=$(t_counter orphan_scan_attempts $nr)
+		DOP=$(t_counter inode_deleted $nr)
+
+		if [ $OSA != $LOSA ]; then
+			if [ $DOP == $LDOP ]; then
+				(( C++ ))
+			else
+				C=0
+			fi
+		fi
+
+		LOSA=$OSA
+		LDOP=$DOP
+	done
+done
+
 for ino in $inos; do
 	inode_exists $ino && echo "$ino still exists"
 done