This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for managing beam selection. In one aspect, an initiating wireless device may determine whether a pre-grant acknowledgement associated with a first beam has been received from a responding wireless device within an expected receive time. The initiating wireless device may generate an indication to prevent the initiating wireless device from using the first beam for a blocking duration in response to determining that the pre-grant acknowledgement associated with the first beam has not been received within the expected receive time.