diff --git a/.github/workflows/docs.yaml b/.github/workflows/docs.yaml
index d9361ee384a1..ce201ef3f1ad 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docs.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docs.yaml
@@ -55,21 +55,23 @@ jobs:
         echo "SPHINX_OPTS=-W -v --keep-going -j 2" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       if: ${{ fromJSON(env.SPHINX_WARNINGS_AS_ERROR) }}
     - name: install pandoc linux
-    # add the || true logic to not error in case the index cannot be fetched.
-    # this is known to have happened before e.g.
-    # https://github.com/microsoft/linux-package-repositories/issues/130
       run: |
-        sudo apt update || true
-        sudo apt install pandoc
+        sudo apt-get -o Acquire::Retries=4 -o APT::Update::Error-Mode=any update
+        sudo apt-get -o Acquire::Retries=4 install --yes pandoc
       if: runner.os == 'Linux'
     - name: Install pandoc on windows
-      uses: Wandalen/wretry.action@e68c23e6309f2871ca8ae4763e7629b9c258e1ea # v3.8.0
-      with:
-        action: crazy-max/ghaction-chocolatey@v1.6.0
-        with: |
-          args: install pandoc
-        attempt_limit: 5
-        attempt_delay: 1000
+      shell: pwsh
+      run: |
+        for ($attempt = 1; $attempt -le 5; $attempt++) {
+          choco install pandoc --yes --no-progress
+          if ($LASTEXITCODE -in 0, 1641, 3010) {
+            exit 0
+          }
+          if ($attempt -eq 5) {
+            throw "Pandoc installation failed after 5 attempts (exit code $LASTEXITCODE)."
+          }
+          Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
+        }
       if: runner.os == 'Windows'
     # h5py does not ship wheels for Python 3.15 yet so it is built from source,
     # which requires the HDF5 headers. Remove once h5py ships cp315 wheels.