diff --git a/test/helpers/qa-only-cleanup.ts b/test/helpers/qa-only-cleanup.ts
index b020cdd51..73d8e4c90 100644
--- a/test/helpers/qa-only-cleanup.ts
+++ b/test/helpers/qa-only-cleanup.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@ import { isAgentRecordGone, isOurAgent, readAgentRecord } from '../../browse/src
 
 export async function stopQaOnlyBrowser(directory: string, timeoutMs: number): Promise<void> {
   if (!Number.isFinite(timeoutMs) || timeoutMs <= 100) throw new Error('QA-only browser cleanup: no settlement budget remains; retaining fixture');
-  const worker = Bun.spawn([process.execPath, import.meta.path, directory, String(timeoutMs - 100)], {
+  // An absolute deadline keeps worker startup inside its own budget, so it reports its reason before the kill.
+  const worker = Bun.spawn([process.execPath, import.meta.path, directory, String(Date.now() + timeoutMs - 100)], {
     stdout: 'ignore', stderr: 'pipe',
   });
   let timedOut = false;
@@ -21,8 +22,9 @@ export async function stopQaOnlyBrowser(directory: string, timeoutMs: number): P
   } finally { clearTimeout(timer); }
 }
 
-async function settleOwnedBrowser(directory: string, timeoutMs: number): Promise<void> {
+async function settleOwnedBrowser(directory: string, deadlineEpochMs: number): Promise<void> {
   const started = performance.now();
+  const timeoutMs = deadlineEpochMs - Date.now();
   const deadline = started + timeoutMs;
   let pending = ['identity verification'];
   const fail = (message: string): never => { throw new Error(`QA-only browser cleanup: ${message}`); };
diff --git a/test/qa-only-cleanup.test.ts b/test/qa-only-cleanup.test.ts
index 6ffea85c2..607d9294e 100644
--- a/test/qa-only-cleanup.test.ts
+++ b/test/qa-only-cleanup.test.ts
@@ -114,8 +114,8 @@ Bun.spawnSync = (...args) => {
     const errors = { 'ack-only': 'settlement deadline exceeded', 'replaced-state': 'daemon state was replaced',
       'terminal-mismatch': 'terminal ownership is unconfirmed', 'chromium-mismatch': 'Chromium ownership is unconfirmed',
       'missing-terminal': 'terminal identity is unavailable', 'blocked-identity': 'owned worker settlement deadline exceeded' };
-    await expect(stopQaOnlyBrowser(dir, 300)).rejects.toThrow(errors[scenario]);
-    expect(performance.now() - started).toBeLessThan(1000);
+    await expect(stopQaOnlyBrowser(dir, 1000)).rejects.toThrow(errors[scenario]);
+    expect(performance.now() - started).toBeLessThan(2000);
     expect(daemon.exitCode).toBeNull();
     expect(readPidStartTime(chromiumPid)).not.toBe('');
     expect(fs.existsSync(stateFile)).toBe(true);