diff --git a/rcl/test/rcl/test_get_type_description_service.cpp b/rcl/test/rcl/test_get_type_description_service.cpp
index e2571e75c..580d6def5 100644
--- a/rcl/test/rcl/test_get_type_description_service.cpp
+++ b/rcl/test/rcl/test_get_type_description_service.cpp
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@
 
 #include <gtest/gtest.h>
 
+#include <chrono>
 #include <cstring>
+#include <thread>
 
 #include "rcl/error_handling.h"
 #include "rcl/graph.h"
@@ -104,6 +106,55 @@ static bool service_exists(
   return type_name_found;
 }
 
+static bool service_not_exists(
+  const rcl_node_t * node_ptr, const char * service_name,
+  const char * service_type, std::chrono::milliseconds timeout)
+{
+  rcl_allocator_t allocator = rcl_get_default_allocator();
+
+  // Wait for a maximum of timeout milliseconds for the service to go away
+  // Note that this is not just the negation of service_exists; we actually
+  // want to wait until the service goes away
+  auto start_time = std::chrono::system_clock::now();
+  while (std::chrono::system_clock::now() - start_time < timeout) {
+    rcl_names_and_types_t srv_names_and_types = rcl_get_zero_initialized_names_and_types();
+
+    if (
+      RCL_RET_OK != rcl_get_service_names_and_types(
+        node_ptr,
+        &allocator, &srv_names_and_types))
+    {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    OSRF_TESTING_TOOLS_CPP_SCOPE_EXIT(
+    {
+      EXPECT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, rcl_names_and_types_fini(&srv_names_and_types));
+    });
+
+    if (srv_names_and_types.names.size == 0) {
+      return true;
+    }
+
+    if (!string_in_array(&(srv_names_and_types.names), service_name)) {
+      return true;
+    }
+
+    // If we make it here, the service name was in the array.  If the *type* isn't, then there is
+    // another service with this name, which we can ignore.
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < srv_names_and_types.names.size; ++i) {
+      if (string_in_array(&(srv_names_and_types.types[i]), service_type)) {
+        // Both the name and type were here, so the service currently exists.  Continue waiting
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+
+    std::this_thread::sleep_for(std::chrono::milliseconds(10));
+  }
+
+  return false;
+}
+
 class CLASSNAME (TestGetTypeDescSrvFixture, RMW_IMPLEMENTATION) : public ::testing::Test
 {
 public:
@@ -119,27 +170,23 @@ class CLASSNAME (TestGetTypeDescSrvFixture, RMW_IMPLEMENTATION) : public ::testi
   void SetUp()
   {
     rcl_ret_t ret;
+    rcl_init_options_t init_options = rcl_get_zero_initialized_init_options();
+    ret = rcl_init_options_init(&init_options, rcl_get_default_allocator());
+    ASSERT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, ret) << rcl_get_error_string().str;
+    OSRF_TESTING_TOOLS_CPP_SCOPE_EXIT(
     {
-      rcl_init_options_t init_options = rcl_get_zero_initialized_init_options();
-      ret = rcl_init_options_init(&init_options, rcl_get_default_allocator());
-      ASSERT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, ret) << rcl_get_error_string().str;
-      OSRF_TESTING_TOOLS_CPP_SCOPE_EXIT(
-      {
-        EXPECT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, rcl_init_options_fini(&init_options)) << rcl_get_error_string().str;
-      });
-      this->context_ptr = new rcl_context_t;
-      *this->context_ptr = rcl_get_zero_initialized_context();
-      ret = rcl_init(0, nullptr, &init_options, this->context_ptr);
-      ASSERT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, ret) << rcl_get_error_string().str;
-    }
+      EXPECT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, rcl_init_options_fini(&init_options)) << rcl_get_error_string().str;
+    });
+    this->context_ptr = new rcl_context_t;
+    *this->context_ptr = rcl_get_zero_initialized_context();
+    ret = rcl_init(0, nullptr, &init_options, this->context_ptr);
+    ASSERT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, ret) << rcl_get_error_string().str;
     this->node_ptr = new rcl_node_t;
     *this->node_ptr = rcl_get_zero_initialized_node();
     const char * name = "test_service_node";
     rcl_node_options_t node_options = rcl_node_get_default_options();
     ret = rcl_node_init(this->node_ptr, name, "", this->context_ptr, &node_options);
     ASSERT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, ret) << rcl_get_error_string().str;
-    ret = rcl_node_type_description_service_init(node_ptr);
-    ASSERT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, ret) << rcl_get_error_string().str;
 
     const char * node_fqn = rcl_node_get_fully_qualified_name(this->node_ptr);
     snprintf(
@@ -165,23 +212,27 @@ class CLASSNAME (TestGetTypeDescSrvFixture, RMW_IMPLEMENTATION) : public ::testi
 TEST_F(
   CLASSNAME(TestGetTypeDescSrvFixture, RMW_IMPLEMENTATION),
   test_service_init_and_fini_functions) {
+  // Service does not initially exist
   EXPECT_TRUE(
-    service_exists(
+    service_not_exists(
       this->node_ptr, this->get_type_description_service_name,
-      GET_TYPE_DESCRIPTION_SRV_TYPE_NAME));
-  EXPECT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, rcl_node_type_description_service_fini(this->node_ptr));
-  EXPECT_FALSE(
-    service_exists(
-      this->node_ptr, this->get_type_description_service_name,
-      GET_TYPE_DESCRIPTION_SRV_TYPE_NAME));
-  EXPECT_EQ(RCL_RET_NOT_INIT, rcl_node_type_description_service_fini(this->node_ptr));
+      GET_TYPE_DESCRIPTION_SRV_TYPE_NAME, std::chrono::seconds(5)));
 
+  // Once the type descrition service is init, then it appear in the graph
   EXPECT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, rcl_node_type_description_service_init(this->node_ptr));
   EXPECT_TRUE(
     service_exists(
       this->node_ptr, this->get_type_description_service_name,
       GET_TYPE_DESCRIPTION_SRV_TYPE_NAME));
-  EXPECT_EQ(RCL_RET_ALREADY_INIT, rcl_node_type_description_service_init(this->node_ptr));
+
+  // Once the type description service is fini, then it no longer appears in the graph
+  EXPECT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, rcl_node_type_description_service_fini(this->node_ptr));
+  EXPECT_TRUE(
+    service_not_exists(
+      this->node_ptr, this->get_type_description_service_name,
+      GET_TYPE_DESCRIPTION_SRV_TYPE_NAME, std::chrono::seconds(5)));
+
+  EXPECT_EQ(RCL_RET_NOT_INIT, rcl_node_type_description_service_fini(this->node_ptr));
 }
 
 /* Basic nominal test of the ~/get_type_description service. */
@@ -190,6 +241,9 @@ TEST_F(CLASSNAME(TestGetTypeDescSrvFixture, RMW_IMPLEMENTATION), test_service_no
   const rosidl_service_type_support_t * ts = ROSIDL_GET_SRV_TYPE_SUPPORT(
     type_description_interfaces, srv, GetTypeDescription);
 
+  // Create type description service.
+  EXPECT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, rcl_node_type_description_service_init(this->node_ptr));
+
   // Create client.
   rcl_client_t client = rcl_get_zero_initialized_client();
   rcl_client_options_t client_options = rcl_client_get_default_options();
@@ -201,6 +255,9 @@ TEST_F(CLASSNAME(TestGetTypeDescSrvFixture, RMW_IMPLEMENTATION), test_service_no
   {
     rcl_ret_t ret = rcl_client_fini(&client, this->node_ptr);
     EXPECT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, ret) << rcl_get_error_string().str;
+
+    ret = rcl_node_type_description_service_fini(this->node_ptr);
+    EXPECT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, ret) << rcl_get_error_string().str;
   });
   ASSERT_TRUE(wait_for_server_to_be_available(this->node_ptr, &client, 10, 1000));
 
@@ -283,6 +340,9 @@ TEST_F(
   const rosidl_service_type_support_t * ts = ROSIDL_GET_SRV_TYPE_SUPPORT(
     type_description_interfaces, srv, GetTypeDescription);
 
+  // Create type description service.
+  EXPECT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, rcl_node_type_description_service_init(this->node_ptr));
+
   // Create client.
   rcl_client_t client = rcl_get_zero_initialized_client();
   rcl_client_options_t client_options = rcl_client_get_default_options();
@@ -294,6 +354,9 @@ TEST_F(
   {
     rcl_ret_t ret = rcl_client_fini(&client, this->node_ptr);
     EXPECT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, ret) << rcl_get_error_string().str;
+
+    ret = rcl_node_type_description_service_fini(this->node_ptr);
+    EXPECT_EQ(RCL_RET_OK, ret) << rcl_get_error_string().str;
   });
   ASSERT_TRUE(wait_for_server_to_be_available(this->node_ptr, &client, 10, 1000));