diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 8eadeb6..35960f5 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,21 @@ All notable changes to the AxonFlow Java SDK will be documented in this file.
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
 and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [Unreleased]
+
+### Fixed
+
+- **README "Retry Configuration" section.** Removed three `RetryConfig.Builder`
+  methods that do not exist on the public API (`initialDelayMs(int)`,
+  `maxDelayMs(int)`, `retryableStatusCodes(Set<Integer>)`). The example now
+  uses the actual `initialDelay(Duration)` / `maxDelay(Duration)` builders, and
+  the surrounding prose documents the real retry contract from
+  `RetryExecutor.isRetryable`: retries fire on connect/timeout, `5xx`, and
+  `429`; `401`/`403` and other `4xx` are always terminal. Locked in by the
+  regression test added for
+  [getaxonflow/axonflow-enterprise#2275](https://github.com/getaxonflow/axonflow-enterprise/issues/2275)
+  in PR #178. Documentation-only — no code or behavior change.
+
 ## [8.1.0] - 2026-05-19 — `X-Client-ID` header on every outbound request (v9 identity)
 
 **Companion release to the v9 identity cleanup on the platform (Epic #2230).**
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 0a0a6d5..10ce5a5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -337,19 +337,35 @@ try {
 
 ## Retry Configuration
 
-The SDK includes automatic retry with exponential backoff:
+The SDK includes automatic retry with exponential backoff. The retry policy
+itself is not configurable per HTTP status — retries fire on connect/timeout
+errors, `5xx` server errors, and `429 Too Many Requests`. Authentication
+failures (`401`/`403`), policy violations, and other `4xx` client errors are
+always terminal and never retried (see `RetryExecutor.isRetryable`). This
+contract is locked in as a regression test for
+[getaxonflow/axonflow-enterprise#2275](https://github.com/getaxonflow/axonflow-enterprise/issues/2275)
+— a retry storm on `401` against a misconfigured agent.
+
+The `RetryConfig.Builder` exposes the following knobs:
+
+- `enabled(boolean)` — turn retries off entirely (defaults to `true`).
+- `maxAttempts(int)` — total attempts including the first, `1`–`10` (default `3`).
+- `initialDelay(Duration)` — base delay before the second attempt (default `1s`).
+- `maxDelay(Duration)` — cap on the exponential backoff (default `30s`).
+- `multiplier(double)` — backoff multiplier, ≥ `1.0` (default `2.0`).
 
 ```java
+import java.time.Duration;
+
 AxonFlowConfig config = AxonFlowConfig.builder()
     .endpoint("https://agent.getaxonflow.com")
     .clientId("your-client-id")
-            .clientSecret("your-client-secret")
+    .clientSecret("your-client-secret")
     .retryConfig(RetryConfig.builder()
         .maxAttempts(3)
-        .initialDelayMs(100)
-        .maxDelayMs(5000)
+        .initialDelay(Duration.ofMillis(100))
+        .maxDelay(Duration.ofSeconds(5))
         .multiplier(2.0)
-        .retryableStatusCodes(Set.of(429, 500, 502, 503, 504))
         .build())
     .build();
 ```