diff --git a/tests/cron/test_scheduler.py b/tests/cron/test_scheduler.py
index 94587fccedd..073d0d8510e 100644
--- a/tests/cron/test_scheduler.py
+++ b/tests/cron/test_scheduler.py
@@ -1450,9 +1450,19 @@ class TestRunJobConfigLogging:
             "prompt": "hello",
         }
 
+        # Mock heavy post-yaml work so the test only exercises the warning
+        # path. Without these mocks, _run_job_impl continues into provider
+        # resolution and MCP discovery, both of which can spawn subprocesses
+        # / hit the network and have caused this test to time out on CI
+        # (>30s wall clock) under load. See PR #33661 follow-up.
         with patch("cron.scheduler._hermes_home", tmp_path), \
              patch("cron.scheduler._resolve_origin", return_value=None), \
              patch("dotenv.load_dotenv"), \
+             patch("hermes_cli.runtime_provider.resolve_runtime_provider",
+                   return_value={"provider": "openrouter", "api_key": "x",
+                                 "base_url": "https://example.invalid",
+                                 "api_mode": "chat_completions"}), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool.discover_mcp_tools", return_value=[]), \
              patch("run_agent.AIAgent") as mock_agent_cls:
             mock_agent = MagicMock()
             mock_agent.run_conversation.return_value = {"final_response": "ok"}
@@ -1482,6 +1492,11 @@ class TestRunJobConfigLogging:
         with patch("cron.scheduler._hermes_home", tmp_path), \
              patch("cron.scheduler._resolve_origin", return_value=None), \
              patch("dotenv.load_dotenv"), \
+             patch("hermes_cli.runtime_provider.resolve_runtime_provider",
+                   return_value={"provider": "openrouter", "api_key": "x",
+                                 "base_url": "https://example.invalid",
+                                 "api_mode": "chat_completions"}), \
+             patch("tools.mcp_tool.discover_mcp_tools", return_value=[]), \
              patch("run_agent.AIAgent") as mock_agent_cls:
             mock_agent = MagicMock()
             mock_agent.run_conversation.return_value = {"final_response": "ok"}
diff --git a/tests/tools/test_browser_supervisor.py b/tests/tools/test_browser_supervisor.py
index 179a94506ed..8d844cfefc6 100644
--- a/tests/tools/test_browser_supervisor.py
+++ b/tests/tools/test_browser_supervisor.py
@@ -89,18 +89,45 @@ def chrome_cdp(request):
         except Exception:
             time.sleep(0.25)
     if ws_url is None:
-        proc.terminate()
-        proc.wait(timeout=5)
+        try:
+            proc.terminate()
+            proc.wait(timeout=5)
+        except (subprocess.TimeoutExpired, AssertionError, Exception):
+            try:
+                proc.kill()
+            except Exception:
+                pass
+            try:
+                proc.wait(timeout=2)
+            except (AssertionError, Exception):
+                pass
         shutil.rmtree(profile, ignore_errors=True)
         pytest.skip("Chrome didn't expose CDP in time")
 
     yield ws_url, port
 
-    proc.terminate()
+    # Tear down Chrome. The stdlib `subprocess._wait()` POSIX implementation
+    # has a known race (https://bugs.python.org/issue38630): when SIGCHLD
+    # arrives concurrently with `proc.wait()`, `_try_wait(WNOHANG)` can
+    # return a foreign pid and the `assert pid == self.pid or pid == 0`
+    # fires. We saw this in CI on slice 1 after this fixture's teardown
+    # (PR #33661 follow-up). Swallow the stdlib race + force-kill if wait
+    # hangs, then always reap so we don't leak a zombie.
+    try:
+        proc.terminate()
+    except Exception:
+        pass
     try:
         proc.wait(timeout=3)
-    except Exception:
-        proc.kill()
+    except (subprocess.TimeoutExpired, AssertionError, Exception):
+        try:
+            proc.kill()
+        except Exception:
+            pass
+        try:
+            proc.wait(timeout=2)
+        except (AssertionError, Exception):
+            pass
     shutil.rmtree(profile, ignore_errors=True)