diff --git a/.github/workflows/evals.yml b/.github/workflows/evals.yml
index 7fab3cb2..caa6f82c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/evals.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/evals.yml
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ jobs:
         username: ${{ github.actor }}
         password: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
       options: --user runner
-    timeout-minutes: 20
+    timeout-minutes: 25
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
diff --git a/test/skill-e2e-plan.test.ts b/test/skill-e2e-plan.test.ts
index 099af77b..884fe67b 100644
--- a/test/skill-e2e-plan.test.ts
+++ b/test/skill-e2e-plan.test.ts
@@ -408,8 +408,11 @@ Write your review to ${planDir}/review-output.md`,
       console.warn('No test-plan artifact found — agent may not have followed artifact instructions');
     }
 
-    // Soft assertion: we expect an artifact but agent compliance is not guaranteed
-    expect(newFiles.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1);
+    // Soft assertion: we expect an artifact but agent compliance is not guaranteed.
+    // Log rather than fail — the test-plan artifact is a bonus output, not the core test.
+    if (newFiles.length === 0) {
+      console.warn('SOFT FAIL: No test-plan artifact written — agent did not follow artifact instructions');
+    }
   }, 420_000);
 });