diff --git a/packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/pr-mode-worktree-invariants.test.ts b/packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/pr-mode-worktree-invariants.slow.test.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/pr-mode-worktree-invariants.test.ts
rename to packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/pr-mode-worktree-invariants.slow.test.ts
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/shared-branch-group-lifecycle.test.ts b/packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/shared-branch-group-lifecycle.slow.test.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/shared-branch-group-lifecycle.test.ts
rename to packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/shared-branch-group-lifecycle.slow.test.ts
diff --git a/packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/shared-branch-group-working-branch.test.ts b/packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/shared-branch-group-working-branch.slow.test.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/shared-branch-group-working-branch.test.ts
rename to packages/engine/src/__tests__/reliability-interactions/shared-branch-group-working-branch.slow.test.ts
diff --git a/packages/engine/vitest.config.ts b/packages/engine/vitest.config.ts
index 4647a84b16..7ccec53dcc 100644
--- a/packages/engine/vitest.config.ts
+++ b/packages/engine/vitest.config.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,13 @@ export default defineConfig({
     // Real-git integration tests need more than the default 5 s under concurrent
     // load (other packages run tests at the same time via pnpm recursive).
     testTimeout: 30_000,
+    // Fail FAST on a wedge instead of hanging the worker until the CI job
+    // timeout. A real-git test can leave a promise (e.g. an un-resolved merge
+    // waiter) or a worktree hook stuck; without explicit hook/teardown timeouts
+    // the worker drains for minutes and the whole shard is SIGKILLed with no
+    // named failure. These bound setup/teardown so the culprit test is reported.
+    hookTimeout: 45_000,
+    teardownTimeout: 20_000,
     // Split into two projects so the reliability-interactions suite (real
     // worktrees + real git, contention-sensitive event ordering) runs
     // single-threaded without throttling the rest of the engine suite.