diff --git a/src/data/analystEngine.js b/src/data/analystEngine.js
index 50a17204e..ea65f35c9 100644
--- a/src/data/analystEngine.js
+++ b/src/data/analystEngine.js
@@ -487,7 +487,16 @@ const ANSWERABLE = new Set(['ok', 'empty']);
 
 /** Rows per scan slice before yielding to the page. */
 const SCAN_CHUNK = 20_000;
+/**
+ * A slice also ends after this long: a row inside a large area pays a ray
+ * cast over every edge (a 6,000-vertex outline takes ~200 ms per 20,000 rows),
+ * so the row count alone would still make long tasks.
+ */
+const SCAN_BUDGET_MS = 8;
+/** Rows between clock checks. */
+const SCAN_CLOCK_EVERY = 256;
 const yieldToPage = () => new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 0));
+const clockMs = () => globalThis.performance?.now?.() ?? Date.now();
 
 /**
  * Compile the filters into one predicate over (layerKey, row).
@@ -628,12 +637,19 @@ export async function selectAnalystRows(
   let min = Infinity;
   let max = -Infinity;
   let seen = 0;
+  let sliceStart = clockMs();
   for (const { key, rows } of groups) {
     const kept = [];
     for (const row of rows) {
-      if (++seen % SCAN_CHUNK === 0) {
+      seen += 1;
+      if (
+        seen % SCAN_CHUNK === 0 ||
+        (seen % SCAN_CLOCK_EVERY === 0 &&
+          clockMs() - sliceStart >= SCAN_BUDGET_MS)
+      ) {
         await yieldToPage();
         if (!isCurrent()) return null;
+        sliceStart = clockMs();
       }
       if (inScope && !inScope(row)) continue;
       if (!passes(key, row)) continue;
@@ -901,6 +917,8 @@ export function createAnalystEngine(providers) {
             needsClarification: true,
             query: scope.name,
             candidates: region.candidates || [],
+            // The way back once the user picks: count over that area.
+            then: 'After the user picks, call resolve_area with that candidateId, then analyst_query with scope {kind:"area", areaId}.',
             coverage: {
               layersQueried,
               scope: `region:${scope.name}:ambiguous`,
diff --git a/src/data/analystEngine.test.mjs b/src/data/analystEngine.test.mjs
index 5a46c629c..51052f4cf 100644
--- a/src/data/analystEngine.test.mjs
+++ b/src/data/analystEngine.test.mjs
@@ -1097,6 +1097,7 @@ test('analyst: an ambiguous region asks instead of counting', async () => {
   assert.equal(r.ok, false);
   assert.equal(r.code, 'NEEDS_CLARIFICATION');
   assert.equal(r.candidates.length, 1);
+  assert.match(r.then, /resolve_area.*candidateId.*analyst_query.*kind.*area/, 'the model gets a route back');
   assert.equal(engine.hasMemory(), false);
 });
 
@@ -1202,3 +1203,23 @@ test('a follow-up on handed-off places keeps the area they were found in', async
   assert.equal(result.scopeLabel, 'inside Kathmandu');
   assert.equal(result.coverage.scope, 'area:area-1');
 });
+
+test('a slow scan yields on a time budget, not only every 20,000 rows', async () => {
+  // 4,000 rows that each cost ~0.05 ms to read: ~200 ms of work in one slice
+  // under a row-count budget alone.
+  const slow = () => {
+    const until = performance.now() + 0.05;
+    while (performance.now() < until);
+    return 5;
+  };
+  const rows = Array.from({ length: 4_000 }, (_, i) => ({ id: `S${i}`, lat: 0, lon: 0, get frp() { return slow(); } }));
+  const engine = createAnalystEngine({ getRecords: () => rows, getViewContext: () => ({ lat: 0, lon: 0, viewRadiusKm: 25 }) });
+  // Count the scan's yields (other timers run only when it yields), not wall
+  // gaps, so a loaded machine cannot fail it.
+  let ticks = 0;
+  const timer = setInterval(() => ticks++, 0);
+  const result = await engine.query({ layers: ['local-firms'], scope: { kind: 'anywhere' }, filters: [{ field: 'frp', op: 'gt', value: 1 }] });
+  clearInterval(timer);
+  assert.equal(result.count, 4_000);
+  assert.ok(ticks >= 5, `the scan yielded ${ticks} times in ~200 ms of work`);
+});