diff --git a/server/providers/transitHistory.test.mjs b/server/providers/transitHistory.test.mjs
index 6ea9209f1..cb06c182a 100644
--- a/server/providers/transitHistory.test.mjs
+++ b/server/providers/transitHistory.test.mjs
@@ -142,9 +142,11 @@ test('three identical-order 15000-vehicle snapshots retain paths within a bounde
     const rows = Array.from({ length: 15000 }, (_, i) =>
       row(now, `vehicle-${i}`),
     );
-    const start = performance.now();
+    // Main-thread CPU: excludes scheduler waits and parallel GC helper threads.
+    const start = process.threadCpuUsage();
     h.ingest(feed, rows, now);
-    times.push(performance.now() - start);
+    const usage = process.threadCpuUsage(start);
+    times.push((usage.user + usage.system) / 1000);
   }
   assert.equal(h.diagnostics().keys, 15000);
   for (let i = 0; i < 15000; i++) {
@@ -154,12 +156,12 @@ test('three identical-order 15000-vehicle snapshots retain paths within a bounde
   }
   assert.ok(h.diagnostics().allocatedBytes < 16 * 1024 * 1024);
   t.diagnostic(
-    `15000-vehicle ingestion ms: ${times.map((n) => n.toFixed(1)).join('/')}`,
+    `15000-vehicle ingestion CPU ms: ${times.map((n) => n.toFixed(1)).join('/')}`,
   );
-  // A ceiling that says "not quadratic", not a benchmark: 15,000 rows in
-  // well under two seconds on a loaded laptop or a slow CI runner. The
-  // per-run figure above is the diagnostic to read.
-  assert.ok(Math.max(...times) < 2000, `ingestion ms: ${times}`);
+  // CPU time measures ingestion work without counting scheduler delays on
+  // loaded runners. Keep the two-second ceiling as a guard against quadratic
+  // work, not a benchmark; the per-poll figures above show any slowdown.
+  assert.ok(Math.max(...times) < 2000, `ingestion CPU ms: ${times}`);
 });
 
 test('snapshot capacity pressure preserves members not yet visited and discloses recreated history', (t) => {
diff --git a/src/annotations/regionRing.test.mjs b/src/annotations/regionRing.test.mjs
index 09814247b..cd8ad6447 100644
--- a/src/annotations/regionRing.test.mjs
+++ b/src/annotations/regionRing.test.mjs
@@ -51,9 +51,11 @@ test('region ring: Natural Earth names resolve without a geocoder', async () =>
 test('region ring: a slow admin-boundary lookup returns region-timeout within the budget', async () => {
   let adminSignal;
   let release;
+  let lookupStarted;
   const { resolveRegionRingForQuery } = createAnnotationResolver({
     featureSource: featureSource({
       getAdministrativeAreas(_point, { signal }) {
+        lookupStarted = Date.now();
         adminSignal = signal;
         return new Promise((resolve) => {
           release = resolve;
@@ -61,7 +63,6 @@ test('region ring: a slow admin-boundary lookup returns region-timeout within th
       },
     }),
   });
-  const started = Date.now();
   const region = await resolveRegionRingForQuery(
     'Atlantis',
     undefined,
@@ -73,8 +74,10 @@ test('region ring: a slow admin-boundary lookup returns region-timeout within th
     ring: null,
     error: 'region-timeout',
   });
+  // Timed from the boundary lookup, so the bundled pack scans before it do not
+  // count. Under the 3 s default budget, so an ignored budgetMs still fails.
   assert.ok(
-    Date.now() - started < 1000,
+    Date.now() - lookupStarted < 2_000,
     'returns at the budget, not the lookup',
   );
   // The lookup is left running so it can fill the boundary cache.
diff --git a/src/data/manager.test.mjs b/src/data/manager.test.mjs
index fce64ae8f..23641c962 100644
--- a/src/data/manager.test.mjs
+++ b/src/data/manager.test.mjs
@@ -2398,10 +2398,13 @@ test('a newer absolute intent aborts a hung guard-compensation instead of starvi
   removeGuard();
   // The newest intent must be able to abort the hung compensation and run.
   const pendingFinalOn = mgr.setEnabled('flights', true, { origin: 'user' });
+  let giveUpTimer;
   const finalOn = await Promise.race([
     pendingFinalOn,
-    new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(() => resolve('starved'), 2000)),
-  ]);
+    new Promise((resolve) => {
+      giveUpTimer = setTimeout(() => resolve('starved'), 2000);
+    }),
+  ]).finally(() => clearTimeout(giveUpTimer));
   assert.notEqual(finalOn, 'starved', 'newest intent must not starve behind the compensation');
   assert.equal(compensationAborted, true, 'the hung compensation was aborted');
   assert.equal(await pendingBlockedOn, false, 'the guard-blocked request stays unfulfilled');
@@ -2451,10 +2454,13 @@ test('re-entrant setEnabled from a blocked-adoption listener supersedes the comp
   releaseFirstDisable();
 
   const blockedOn = await pendingBlockedOn;
+  let giveUpTimer;
   const reentrant = await Promise.race([
     (async () => reentrantResult === null ? 'never-fired' : await reentrantResult)(),
-    new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(() => resolve('starved'), 2000)),
-  ]);
+    new Promise((resolve) => {
+      giveUpTimer = setTimeout(() => resolve('starved'), 2000);
+    }),
+  ]).finally(() => clearTimeout(giveUpTimer));
   await pendingOff;
   await mgr.waitForLayerSettled('flights');
   unsubscribe();
diff --git a/src/sdr/controller.test.mjs b/src/sdr/controller.test.mjs
index 95b1eb5f2..f8078dbe5 100644
--- a/src/sdr/controller.test.mjs
+++ b/src/sdr/controller.test.mjs
@@ -357,10 +357,11 @@ test('WebUSB picker remains available when no authorized receiver matches', asyn
 
 /** Resolve with the promise's value, or 'timed out' after `ms`. */
 function within(promise, ms = 1_000) {
-  return Promise.race([
-    promise,
-    new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(() => resolve('timed out'), ms)),
-  ]);
+  let timer;
+  const timeout = new Promise((resolve) => {
+    timer = setTimeout(() => resolve('timed out'), ms);
+  });
+  return Promise.race([promise, timeout]).finally(() => clearTimeout(timer));
 }
 
 /**