diff --git a/cmd/hardlink/main.go b/cmd/hardlink/main.go
index fe6cfbf..131253e 100644
--- a/cmd/hardlink/main.go
+++ b/cmd/hardlink/main.go
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	buildVersion     = "v2.1.1"
+	buildVersion     = "v2.1.2"
 	serviceName      = "hardlink"
 	pollingFrequency = 8 * time.Second
 )
diff --git a/internal/dispenser/dispenser.go b/internal/dispenser/dispenser.go
index ec56c13..90673ff 100644
--- a/internal/dispenser/dispenser.go
+++ b/internal/dispenser/dispenser.go
@@ -295,11 +295,60 @@ func sendAndReadACK(ctx context.Context, port serialTransport, packet []byte, pr
 	if err := waitForSequence(ctx, processingDelay); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	response := make([]byte, 3)
-	if err := readExact(ctx, port, response); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("read ACK: %w", err)
+	return readACK(ctx, port)
+}
+
+// readACK scans sequentially without reading beyond a complete candidate.
+// Wrong-address candidates are consumed in full; no bytes persist across calls.
+func readACK(ctx context.Context, port serialTransport) (err error) {
+	const scanLimit = 64
+	seen := make([]byte, 0, scanLimit)
+	defer func() {
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Warnf("dispenser ACK acquisition failed: address=% X seen=% X error=%v", Address, seen, err)
+		}
+	}()
+	var candidate [3]byte
+	used := 0
+	for len(seen) < scanLimit {
+		if err := ctx.Err(); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		need := 1
+		if used > 0 {
+			need = len(candidate) - used
+		}
+		need = min(need, scanLimit-len(seen))
+		chunk := candidate[used : used+need]
+		n, readErr := port.Read(chunk)
+		seen = append(seen, chunk[:n]...)
+		log.Debugf("dispenser ACK RX: address=% X n=%d bytes=% X error=%v", Address, n, chunk[:n], readErr)
+		if err := ctx.Err(); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		used += n
+		if used == 1 && candidate[0] != ACK && candidate[0] != NAK {
+			log.Debugf("dispenser ACK ignored leading byte: % X", candidate[:1])
+			used = 0
+		} else if used == len(candidate) {
+			if len(Address) >= 2 && candidate[1] == Address[0] && candidate[2] == Address[1] {
+				log.Debugf("dispenser ACK/NAK accepted: address=% X token=% X", Address, candidate[:])
+				if candidate[0] == ACK && len(seen) > len(candidate) {
+					log.Warnf("dispenser ACK resynchronized: address=% X ignored=% X accepted=% X", Address, seen[:len(seen)-len(candidate)], candidate[:])
+				}
+				return checkACK(candidate[:])
+			}
+			log.Debugf("dispenser ACK ignored wrong-address candidate: address=% X candidate=% X", Address, candidate[:])
+			used = 0
+		}
+		if readErr != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("read ACK: %w", readErr)
+		}
+		if n == 0 {
+			return fmt.Errorf("read ACK: %w", io.ErrNoProgress)
+		}
 	}
-	return checkACK(response)
+	return fmt.Errorf("read ACK: scan limit of %d bytes exhausted", scanLimit)
 }
 
 // queryStatus accepts only the fixed RF/AP payload sizes, before reading a body.
diff --git a/internal/dispenser/transport_test.go b/internal/dispenser/transport_test.go
index 69ee972..6598094 100644
--- a/internal/dispenser/transport_test.go
+++ b/internal/dispenser/transport_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
+	"os"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 )
@@ -24,6 +25,146 @@ var vendorFrames = []struct {
 	{"RS", commandRS, []byte{2, 0x30, 0x30, 0, 2, 0x52, 0x53, 3, 2}},
 }
 
+func TestACKScannerFragmentation(t *testing.T) {
+	transportAddress(t)
+	for _, address := range []string{"00", "15"} {
+		Address = []byte(address)
+		wrong := []byte("15")
+		if address == "15" {
+			wrong = []byte("00")
+		}
+		for _, prefix := range [][]byte{nil, {0x30}, {0x10}, {address[1]}, {ACK, wrong[0], wrong[1], 0x30}, {NAK, wrong[0], wrong[1]}} {
+			for _, token := range []byte{ACK, NAK} {
+				wire := append(append([]byte(nil), prefix...), token, Address[0], Address[1])
+				for mask := 0; mask < 1<<(len(wire)-1); mask++ {
+					t.Run(fmt.Sprintf("%s/%X/%d", address, wire, mask), func(t *testing.T) {
+						p := &scriptedTransport{}
+						start := 0
+						for i := 1; i < len(wire); i++ {
+							if mask&(1<<(i-1)) != 0 {
+								p.chunks = append(p.chunks, wire[start:i])
+								start = i
+							}
+						}
+						p.chunks = append(p.chunks, wire[start:])
+						err := dispatchCommand(context.Background(), p, commandFC7, 0)
+						if (err != nil) != (token == NAK) {
+							t.Fatalf("dispatchCommand(% X)=%v", wire, err)
+						}
+						want := [][]byte{createPacket(Address, commandFC7)}
+						if token == ACK {
+							want = append(want, append([]byte{ENQ}, Address...))
+						}
+						if len(p.writes) != len(want) {
+							t.Fatalf("writes=% X want=% X", p.writes, want)
+						}
+						for i := range want {
+							if !bytes.Equal(p.writes[i], want[i]) {
+								t.Errorf("write=% X want=% X", p.writes[i], want[i])
+							}
+						}
+						if len(p.chunks) != 0 {
+							t.Errorf("unread token bytes=% X", p.chunks)
+						}
+					})
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestACKScannerBoundsAndFollowingTransaction(t *testing.T) {
+	transportAddress(t)
+	for _, address := range []string{"00", "15"} {
+		Address = []byte(address)
+		ack := append([]byte{ACK}, Address...)
+		for _, leading := range []int{61, 62, 64} {
+			wire := append(bytes.Repeat([]byte{0xff}, leading), ack...)
+			p := &scriptedTransport{chunks: [][]byte{wire}}
+			err := dispatchCommand(context.Background(), p, commandRS, 0)
+			if (err == nil) != (leading == 61) {
+				t.Errorf("leading=%d error=%v", leading, err)
+			}
+			if leading != 61 && (len(p.writes) != 1 || len(bytes.Join(p.chunks, nil)) != len(wire)-64) {
+				t.Fatalf("scan exceeded bound: writes=% X remaining=% X", p.writes, p.chunks)
+			}
+		}
+		wire := append(append(append([]byte{0x10}, ack...), ack...), 0xfe)
+		p := &scriptedTransport{chunks: [][]byte{wire}}
+		for i := 0; i < 2; i++ {
+			if err := dispatchCommand(context.Background(), p, commandFC7, 0); err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+		}
+		if len(p.writes) != 4 || !bytes.Equal(bytes.Join(p.chunks, nil), []byte{0xfe}) {
+			t.Fatalf("transaction boundary lost: writes=% X remaining=% X", p.writes, p.chunks)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+type ackReadErrorTransport struct {
+	*scriptedTransport
+	reads, failAt int
+	err           error
+}
+
+func (p *ackReadErrorTransport) Read(b []byte) (int, error) {
+	p.reads++
+	n, err := p.scriptedTransport.Read(b)
+	if p.reads == p.failAt {
+		return n, p.err
+	}
+	return n, err
+}
+
+func TestACKScannerReadErrors(t *testing.T) {
+	transportAddress(t)
+	for _, address := range []string{"00", "15"} {
+		Address = []byte(address)
+		for _, token := range []byte{ACK, NAK} {
+			for _, readErr := range []error{io.EOF, os.ErrDeadlineExceeded, io.ErrClosedPipe} {
+				for _, failAt := range []int{1, 2} {
+					p := &ackReadErrorTransport{scriptedTransport: &scriptedTransport{chunks: [][]byte{{token, Address[0], Address[1]}}}, failAt: failAt, err: readErr}
+					err := dispatchCommand(context.Background(), p, commandFC7, 0)
+					if failAt == 1 && !errors.Is(err, readErr) {
+						t.Fatalf("incomplete token error=%v want=%v", err, readErr)
+					}
+					if failAt == 2 && ((err == nil) != (token == ACK) || errors.Is(err, readErr)) {
+						t.Fatalf("complete token %02X with read error returned %v", token, err)
+					}
+					wantWrites := 1
+					if failAt == 2 && token == ACK {
+						wantWrites = 2
+					}
+					if len(p.writes) != wantWrites || p.reads != failAt {
+						t.Fatalf("writes=%d reads=%d want=%d/%d", len(p.writes), p.reads, wantWrites, failAt)
+					}
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		for _, wire := range [][]byte{nil, {0x30, ACK, Address[0]}, {0xff, 0xfe}, {ACK, Address[0]}} {
+			p := &scriptedTransport{chunks: [][]byte{wire}}
+			if err := dispatchCommand(context.Background(), p, commandFC7, 0); err == nil || len(p.writes) != 1 {
+				t.Fatalf("incomplete/garbage % X: err=%v writes=% X", wire, err, p.writes)
+			}
+		}
+		for _, cancelAt := range []int{1, 2} {
+			ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+			p := &ackReadErrorTransport{scriptedTransport: &scriptedTransport{chunks: [][]byte{{ACK, Address[0], Address[1]}}}, failAt: 2, err: io.EOF}
+			p.afterRead = func() {
+				if p.reads == cancelAt {
+					cancel()
+				}
+			}
+			err := dispatchCommand(ctx, p, commandFC7, 0)
+			cancel()
+			if !errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) || len(p.writes) != 1 || p.reads != cancelAt {
+				t.Fatalf("cancel read %d: err=%v writes=%d reads=%d", cancelAt, err, len(p.writes), p.reads)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestVendorOutboundFrames(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, tc := range vendorFrames {
 		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -216,7 +357,11 @@ func TestTransportCancellation(t *testing.T) {
 			case "processing wait":
 				p.afterWrite = cancel
 			case "after ACK":
-				p.afterRead = cancel
+				p.afterRead = func() {
+					if len(p.chunks) == 1 {
+						cancel()
+					}
+				}
 			case "after ENQ":
 				wantWrites = 2
 				p.afterWrite = func() {
@@ -229,7 +374,7 @@ func TestTransportCancellation(t *testing.T) {
 				reads := 0
 				p.afterRead = func() {
 					reads++
-					if reads == 2 {
+					if reads == 3 {
 						cancel()
 					}
 				}
diff --git a/release notes.md b/release notes.md
index 3485805..8d662ba 100644
--- a/release notes.md	
+++ b/release notes.md	
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 
 builtVersion is a const in main.go
 
+#### v2.1.2 - 30 September 2026
+fix(dispenser): scan ACK responses without assuming 3-byte reads
+
 #### v2.1.1 - 28 September 2026
 feat(dispenser): add worker-owned idle card prestaging