diff --git a/linkerd/app/core/src/control.rs b/linkerd/app/core/src/control.rs
index 51e589dc09..3a739f5a0a 100644
--- a/linkerd/app/core/src/control.rs
+++ b/linkerd/app/core/src/control.rs
@@ -2,12 +2,10 @@ use crate::{
     classify, config, dns, identity, metrics, proxy::http, svc, tls, transport::ConnectTcp, Addr,
     Error,
 };
-use futures::future::Either;
 use linkerd_metrics::prom;
 use std::fmt;
 use tokio::time;
-use tokio_stream::{wrappers::IntervalStream, StreamExt};
-use tracing::{info_span, warn};
+use tracing::info_span;
 
 #[derive(Clone, Debug)]
 pub struct Config {
@@ -106,26 +104,6 @@ impl Config {
         let addr = self.addr;
         tracing::trace!(%addr, "Building");
 
-        // When a DNS resolution fails, log the error and use the TTL, if there
-        // is one, to drive re-resolution attempts.
-        let resolve_backoff = {
-            let backoff = self.connect.backoff;
-            move |error: Error| {
-                warn!(error, "Failed to resolve control-plane component");
-                if let Some(e) = crate::errors::cause_ref::<dns::ResolveError>(&*error) {
-                    if let Some(ttl) = e.negative_ttl() {
-                        return Ok::<_, Error>(Either::Left(
-                            IntervalStream::new(time::interval(ttl)).map(|_| ()),
-                        ));
-                    }
-                }
-
-                // If the error didn't give us a TTL, use the default jittered
-                // backoff.
-                Ok(Either::Right(backoff.stream()))
-            }
-        };
-
         let client = svc::stack(ConnectTcp::new(
             self.connect.keepalive,
             self.connect.user_timeout,
@@ -151,7 +129,11 @@ impl Config {
 
         let balance = endpoint
             .lift_new()
-            .push(self::balance::layer(metrics.balance, dns, resolve_backoff))
+            .push(self::balance::layer(
+                metrics.balance,
+                dns,
+                self.connect.backoff,
+            ))
             .push(legacy_metrics.to_layer::<classify::Response, _, _>())
             .push(classify::NewClassify::layer_default());
 
@@ -251,20 +233,24 @@ mod balance {
         proxy::{dns_resolve::DnsResolve, http, resolve::recover},
         svc, tls,
     };
+    use futures::Stream;
+    use linkerd_error::Recover;
+    use linkerd_exp_backoff::{ExponentialBackoff, ExponentialBackoffStream};
     use linkerd_stack::ExtractParam;
-    use std::net::SocketAddr;
+    use std::{net::SocketAddr, pin::Pin, task};
+    use tokio_stream::wrappers::IntervalStream;
 
     pub(super) type Metrics = http::balance::MetricFamilies<Labels>;
 
-    pub fn layer<B, R: Clone, N>(
+    pub(super) type Resolve = recover::Resolve<ResolveRecover, DnsResolve>;
+
+    pub fn layer<B, N>(
         metrics: Metrics,
         dns: dns::Resolver,
-        recover: R,
-    ) -> impl svc::Layer<
-        N,
-        Service = http::NewBalance<B, Params, recover::Resolve<R, DnsResolve>, NewIntoTarget<N>>,
-    > {
-        let resolve = recover::Resolve::new(recover, DnsResolve::new(dns));
+        backoff: ExponentialBackoff,
+    ) -> impl svc::Layer<N, Service = http::NewBalance<B, Params, Resolve, NewIntoTarget<N>>> {
+        let resolve = recover::Resolve::new(ResolveRecover::new(backoff), DnsResolve::new(dns));
+
         svc::layer::mk(move |inner| {
             http::NewBalance::new(
                 NewIntoTarget { inner },
@@ -293,6 +279,92 @@ mod balance {
         addr: String,
     }
 
+    /// A [`Recover`] implementation that respects DNS resolution errors.
+    ///
+    /// When a DNS resolution fails, this will log the error and use the TTL, if there is one,
+    /// to drive re-resolution attempts. It defaults to an exponential backoff with jitter for
+    /// other errors.
+    #[derive(Clone)]
+    pub(super) struct ResolveRecover {
+        backoff: ExponentialBackoff,
+    }
+
+    /// A [`Stream`] used for control-plane client's error recovery.
+    #[pin_project::pin_project(project = ResolveBackoffProj)]
+    pub(super) enum ResolveBackoff {
+        /// A DNS-resolution error occurred.
+        ///
+        /// This will backoff at a regular interval according to the negative TTL.
+        NegativeTtl(#[pin] IntervalStream),
+        /// A jittered exponential backoff.
+        ExponentialBackoff(#[pin] ExponentialBackoffStream),
+    }
+
+    // === impl ResolveRecover ===
+
+    impl ResolveRecover {
+        /// Returns a new [`ResolveRecover`].
+        pub fn new(config: ExponentialBackoff) -> Self {
+            Self { backoff: config }
+        }
+    }
+
+    impl Recover for ResolveRecover {
+        type Backoff = ResolveBackoff;
+        fn recover(
+            &self,
+            error: linkerd_error::Error,
+        ) -> Result<Self::Backoff, linkerd_error::Error> {
+            let ResolveRecover { backoff } = self;
+
+            tracing::warn!(error, "Failed to resolve control-plane component");
+
+            // If we are recovering due to a DNS resolution error, check for a negative TTL.
+            if let Some(e) = crate::errors::cause_ref::<dns::ResolveError>(&*error) {
+                if let Some(ttl) = e.negative_ttl() {
+                    let interval = tokio::time::interval(ttl);
+                    let stream = IntervalStream::new(interval);
+                    return Ok(ResolveBackoff::NegativeTtl(stream));
+                }
+            }
+
+            // If the error didn't give us a TTL, use the default jittered backoff.
+            Ok(ResolveBackoff::ExponentialBackoff(backoff.stream()))
+        }
+    }
+
+    // === impl ResolveBackoff ===
+
+    impl Stream for ResolveBackoff {
+        /// No items are yielded in this stream.
+        type Item = ();
+
+        fn poll_next(
+            self: Pin<&mut Self>,
+            cx: &mut task::Context<'_>,
+        ) -> task::Poll<Option<Self::Item>> {
+            use ResolveBackoffProj::{ExponentialBackoff, NegativeTtl};
+
+            match self.project() {
+                NegativeTtl(stream) => {
+                    // We can discard the `Instant`s that IntervalStream yields.
+                    let discard = |opt: Option<_>| opt.map(drop);
+                    stream.poll_next(cx).map(discard)
+                }
+                ExponentialBackoff(stream) => stream.poll_next(cx),
+            }
+        }
+
+        fn size_hint(&self) -> (usize, Option<usize>) {
+            use ResolveBackoff::{ExponentialBackoff, NegativeTtl};
+
+            match self {
+                NegativeTtl(stream) => stream.size_hint(),
+                ExponentialBackoff(stream) => stream.size_hint(),
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     // === impl NewIntoTarget ===
 
     impl<N: svc::NewService<ControlAddr>> svc::NewService<ControlAddr> for NewIntoTarget<N> {