diff --git a/services/david/david.service.js b/services/david/david.service.js
index e5b28f2b74..18f499aa8d 100644
--- a/services/david/david.service.js
+++ b/services/david/david.service.js
@@ -83,12 +83,12 @@ module.exports = class David extends BaseJsonService {
       options: { qs: { path } },
       errorMessages: {
         /* note:
-        david returns a 500 response for 'not found'
+        david returns a 504 response for 'not found'
         e.g: https://david-dm.org/foo/barbaz/info.json
         not a 404 so we can't handle 'not found' cleanly
         because this might also be some other error.
         */
-        500: 'repo or path not found or david internal error',
+        504: 'repo or path not found or david internal error',
       },
     })
   }
diff --git a/services/david/david.tester.js b/services/david/david.tester.js
index 21400f45a8..275e702ab1 100644
--- a/services/david/david.tester.js
+++ b/services/david/david.tester.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ const isDependencyStatus = Joi.string().valid(
 
 t.create('david dependencies (valid)')
   .get('/expressjs/express.json')
+  .timeout(15000)
   .expectBadge({
     label: 'dependencies',
     message: isDependencyStatus,
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@ t.create('david dependencies (valid)')
 
 t.create('david dev dependencies (valid)')
   .get('/dev/expressjs/express.json')
+  .timeout(15000)
   .expectBadge({
     label: 'dev dependencies',
     message: isDependencyStatus,
@@ -25,6 +27,7 @@ t.create('david dev dependencies (valid)')
 
 t.create('david optional dependencies (valid)')
   .get('/optional/elnounch/byebye.json')
+  .timeout(15000)
   .expectBadge({
     label: 'optional dependencies',
     message: isDependencyStatus,
@@ -32,6 +35,7 @@ t.create('david optional dependencies (valid)')
 
 t.create('david peer dependencies (valid)')
   .get('/peer/webcomponents/generator-element.json')
+  .timeout(15000)
   .expectBadge({
     label: 'peer dependencies',
     message: isDependencyStatus,
@@ -39,6 +43,7 @@ t.create('david peer dependencies (valid)')
 
 t.create('david dependencies with path (valid)')
   .get('/babel/babel.json?path=packages/babel-core')
+  .timeout(15000)
   .expectBadge({
     label: 'dependencies',
     message: isDependencyStatus,
@@ -46,10 +51,12 @@ t.create('david dependencies with path (valid)')
 
 t.create('david dependencies (none)')
   .get('/peer/expressjs/express.json') // express does not specify peer dependencies
+  .timeout(15000)
   .expectBadge({ label: 'peer dependencies', message: 'none' })
 
 t.create('david dependencies (repo not found)')
   .get('/pyvesb/emptyrepo.json')
+  .timeout(15000)
   .expectBadge({
     label: 'dependencies',
     message: 'repo or path not found or david internal error',
@@ -57,6 +64,7 @@ t.create('david dependencies (repo not found)')
 
 t.create('david dependencies (path not found')
   .get('/babel/babel.json?path=invalid/path')
+  .timeout(15000)
   .expectBadge({
     label: 'dependencies',
     message: 'repo or path not found or david internal error',