diff --git a/tests/plugins/test_retaindb_plugin.py b/tests/plugins/test_retaindb_plugin.py
index 9ad801769..5d517bce7 100644
--- a/tests/plugins/test_retaindb_plugin.py
+++ b/tests/plugins/test_retaindb_plugin.py
@@ -31,6 +31,31 @@ def _isolate_env(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     monkeypatch.delenv("RETAINDB_PROJECT", raising=False)
 
 
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def _cap_retaindb_sleeps(monkeypatch):
+    """Cap production-code sleeps so background-thread tests run fast.
+
+    The retaindb ``_WriteQueue._flush_row`` does ``time.sleep(2)`` after
+    errors. Across multiple tests that trigger the retry path, that adds
+    up. Cap the module's bound ``time.sleep`` to 0.05s — tests don't care
+    about the exact retry delay, only that it happens. The test file's
+    own ``time.sleep`` stays real since it uses a different reference.
+    """
+    try:
+        from plugins.memory import retaindb as _retaindb
+    except ImportError:
+        return
+
+    real_sleep = _retaindb.time.sleep
+
+    def _capped_sleep(seconds):
+        return real_sleep(min(float(seconds), 0.05))
+
+    import types as _types
+    fake_time = _types.SimpleNamespace(sleep=_capped_sleep, time=_retaindb.time.time)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(_retaindb, "time", fake_time)
+
+
 # We need the repo root on sys.path so the plugin can import agent.memory_provider
 import sys
 _repo_root = str(Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2])
@@ -130,16 +155,18 @@ class TestWriteQueue:
     def test_enqueue_creates_row(self, tmp_path):
         q, client, db_path = self._make_queue(tmp_path)
         q.enqueue("user1", "sess1", [{"role": "user", "content": "hi"}])
-        # Give the writer thread a moment to process
-        time.sleep(1)
+        # shutdown() blocks until the writer thread drains the queue — no need
+        # to pre-sleep (the old 1s sleep was a just-in-case wait, but shutdown
+        # does the right thing).
         q.shutdown()
         # If ingest succeeded, the row should be deleted
         client.ingest_session.assert_called_once()
 
     def test_enqueue_persists_to_sqlite(self, tmp_path):
         client = MagicMock()
-        # Make ingest hang so the row stays in SQLite
-        client.ingest_session = MagicMock(side_effect=lambda *a, **kw: time.sleep(5))
+        # Make ingest slow so the row is still in SQLite when we peek.
+        # 0.5s is plenty — the test just needs the flush to still be in-flight.
+        client.ingest_session = MagicMock(side_effect=lambda *a, **kw: time.sleep(0.5))
         db_path = tmp_path / "test_queue.db"
         q = _WriteQueue(client, db_path)
         q.enqueue("user1", "sess1", [{"role": "user", "content": "test"}])
@@ -154,8 +181,7 @@ class TestWriteQueue:
     def test_flush_deletes_row_on_success(self, tmp_path):
         q, client, db_path = self._make_queue(tmp_path)
         q.enqueue("user1", "sess1", [{"role": "user", "content": "hi"}])
-        time.sleep(1)
-        q.shutdown()
+        q.shutdown()  # blocks until drain
         # Row should be gone
         conn = sqlite3.connect(str(db_path))
         rows = conn.execute("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM pending").fetchone()[0]
@@ -168,14 +194,20 @@ class TestWriteQueue:
         db_path = tmp_path / "test_queue.db"
         q = _WriteQueue(client, db_path)
         q.enqueue("user1", "sess1", [{"role": "user", "content": "hi"}])
-        time.sleep(3)  # Allow retry + sleep(2) in _flush_row
+        # Poll for the error to be recorded (max 2s), instead of a fixed 3s wait.
+        deadline = time.time() + 2.0
+        last_error = None
+        while time.time() < deadline:
+            conn = sqlite3.connect(str(db_path))
+            row = conn.execute("SELECT last_error FROM pending").fetchone()
+            conn.close()
+            if row and row[0]:
+                last_error = row[0]
+                break
+            time.sleep(0.05)
         q.shutdown()
-        # Row should still exist with error recorded
-        conn = sqlite3.connect(str(db_path))
-        row = conn.execute("SELECT last_error FROM pending").fetchone()
-        conn.close()
-        assert row is not None
-        assert "API down" in row[0]
+        assert last_error is not None
+        assert "API down" in last_error
 
     def test_thread_local_connection_reuse(self, tmp_path):
         q, _, _ = self._make_queue(tmp_path)
@@ -193,14 +225,27 @@ class TestWriteQueue:
         client1.ingest_session = MagicMock(side_effect=RuntimeError("fail"))
         q1 = _WriteQueue(client1, db_path)
         q1.enqueue("user1", "sess1", [{"role": "user", "content": "lost turn"}])
-        time.sleep(3)
+        # Wait until the error is recorded (poll with short interval).
+        deadline = time.time() + 2.0
+        while time.time() < deadline:
+            conn = sqlite3.connect(str(db_path))
+            row = conn.execute("SELECT last_error FROM pending").fetchone()
+            conn.close()
+            if row and row[0]:
+                break
+            time.sleep(0.05)
         q1.shutdown()
 
         # Now create a new queue — it should replay the pending rows
         client2 = MagicMock()
         client2.ingest_session = MagicMock(return_value={"status": "ok"})
         q2 = _WriteQueue(client2, db_path)
-        time.sleep(2)
+        # Poll for the replay to happen.
+        deadline = time.time() + 2.0
+        while time.time() < deadline:
+            if client2.ingest_session.called:
+                break
+            time.sleep(0.05)
         q2.shutdown()
 
         # The replayed row should have been ingested via client2
diff --git a/tests/run_agent/conftest.py b/tests/run_agent/conftest.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9b431869b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/run_agent/conftest.py
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+"""Fast-path fixtures shared across tests/run_agent/.
+
+Many tests in this directory exercise the retry/backoff paths in the
+agent loop. Production code uses ``jittered_backoff(base_delay=5.0)``
+with a ``while time.time() < sleep_end`` loop — a single retry test
+spends 5+ seconds of real wall-clock time on backoff waits.
+
+Mocking ``jittered_backoff`` to return 0.0 collapses the while-loop
+to a no-op (``time.time() < time.time() + 0`` is false immediately),
+which handles the most common case without touching ``time.sleep``.
+
+We deliberately DO NOT mock ``time.sleep`` here — some tests
+(test_interrupt_propagation, test_primary_runtime_restore, etc.) use
+the real ``time.sleep`` for threading coordination or assert that it
+was called with specific values. Tests that want to additionally
+fast-path direct ``time.sleep(N)`` calls in production code should
+monkeypatch ``run_agent.time.sleep`` locally (see
+``test_anthropic_error_handling.py`` for the pattern).
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import pytest
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def _fast_retry_backoff(monkeypatch):
+    """Short-circuit retry backoff for all tests in this directory."""
+    try:
+        import run_agent
+    except ImportError:
+        return
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(run_agent, "jittered_backoff", lambda *a, **k: 0.0)
diff --git a/tests/run_agent/test_413_compression.py b/tests/run_agent/test_413_compression.py
index e8835c641..8bd357d3d 100644
--- a/tests/run_agent/test_413_compression.py
+++ b/tests/run_agent/test_413_compression.py
@@ -19,6 +19,24 @@ import pytest
 
 from agent.context_compressor import SUMMARY_PREFIX
 from run_agent import AIAgent
+import run_agent
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Fast backoff for compression retry tests
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def _no_compression_sleep(monkeypatch):
+    """Short-circuit the 2s time.sleep between compression retries.
+
+    Production code has ``time.sleep(2)`` in multiple places after a 413/context
+    compression, for rate-limit smoothing. Tests assert behavior, not timing.
+    """
+    import time as _time
+    monkeypatch.setattr(_time, "sleep", lambda *_a, **_k: None)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(run_agent, "jittered_backoff", lambda *a, **k: 0.0)
 
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/tests/run_agent/test_anthropic_error_handling.py b/tests/run_agent/test_anthropic_error_handling.py
index 00055928e..cdf337254 100644
--- a/tests/run_agent/test_anthropic_error_handling.py
+++ b/tests/run_agent/test_anthropic_error_handling.py
@@ -27,6 +27,39 @@ from gateway.config import Platform
 from gateway.session import SessionSource
 
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Fast backoff for tests that exercise the retry loop
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def _no_backoff_wait(monkeypatch):
+    """Short-circuit retry backoff so tests don't block on real wall-clock waits.
+
+    The production code uses jittered_backoff() with a 5s base delay plus a
+    tight time.sleep(0.2) loop. Without this patch, each 429/500/529 retry
+    test burns ~10s of real time on CI — across six tests that's ~60s for
+    behavior we're not asserting against timing.
+
+    Tests assert retry counts and final results, never wait durations.
+    """
+    import asyncio as _asyncio
+    import time as _time
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(run_agent, "jittered_backoff", lambda *a, **k: 0.0)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(_time, "sleep", lambda *_a, **_k: None)
+
+    # Also fast-path asyncio.sleep — the gateway's _run_agent path has
+    # several await asyncio.sleep(...) calls that add real wall-clock time.
+    _real_asyncio_sleep = _asyncio.sleep
+
+    async def _fast_sleep(delay=0, *args, **kwargs):
+        # Yield to the event loop but skip the actual delay.
+        await _real_asyncio_sleep(0)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(_asyncio, "sleep", _fast_sleep)
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Helpers
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/tests/run_agent/test_fallback_model.py b/tests/run_agent/test_fallback_model.py
index 6491bd686..d2aec022e 100644
--- a/tests/run_agent/test_fallback_model.py
+++ b/tests/run_agent/test_fallback_model.py
@@ -11,6 +11,16 @@ from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
 import pytest
 
 from run_agent import AIAgent
+import run_agent
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def _no_fallback_wait(monkeypatch):
+    """Short-circuit time.sleep in fallback/recovery paths so tests don't
+    block on the ``min(3 + retry_count, 8)`` wait before a primary retry."""
+    import time as _time
+    monkeypatch.setattr(_time, "sleep", lambda *_a, **_k: None)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(run_agent, "jittered_backoff", lambda *a, **k: 0.0)
 
 
 def _make_tool_defs(*names: str) -> list:
diff --git a/tests/run_agent/test_run_agent_codex_responses.py b/tests/run_agent/test_run_agent_codex_responses.py
index 4ff00018d..81213aaf6 100644
--- a/tests/run_agent/test_run_agent_codex_responses.py
+++ b/tests/run_agent/test_run_agent_codex_responses.py
@@ -12,6 +12,15 @@ sys.modules.setdefault("fal_client", types.SimpleNamespace())
 import run_agent
 
 
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def _no_codex_backoff(monkeypatch):
+    """Short-circuit retry backoff so Codex retry tests don't block on real
+    wall-clock waits (5s jittered_backoff base delay + tight time.sleep loop)."""
+    import time as _time
+    monkeypatch.setattr(run_agent, "jittered_backoff", lambda *a, **k: 0.0)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(_time, "sleep", lambda *_a, **_k: None)
+
+
 def _patch_agent_bootstrap(monkeypatch):
     monkeypatch.setattr(
         run_agent,