diff --git a/tests/integration/test_task_service_misc.py b/tests/integration/test_task_service_misc.py
index 1cf8b55f..fdc22f96 100644
--- a/tests/integration/test_task_service_misc.py
+++ b/tests/integration/test_task_service_misc.py
@@ -220,16 +220,15 @@ async def test_validate_parent_depth_exceeds_max(
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_activate_without_project_id_raises(
+async def test_activate_without_project_or_product_raises(
     task_setup: dict, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
 ) -> None:
-    """Tasks with no project_id can't be activated.
+    """A task with neither a project nor a product cannot be activated.
 
-    Tests the defensive guard at line 550-554 by stubbing get() to return
-    a task synthetically built with project_id=None. The DB column is
-    NOT NULL so this code path can only be reached if the in-memory object
-    is mutated post-fetch (which the activate flow does after the session
-    check).
+    A task needs a project (a repo) OR a product (a cell->project map for a
+    fan-out/coordination task). Only when BOTH are missing is it genuinely
+    misconfigured and activation must raise. Stub get() to return a task with
+    project_id=None AND product_id=None so the guard is reached.
     """
     svc = task_setup["svc"]
 
@@ -238,6 +237,7 @@ async def test_activate_without_project_id_raises(
     fake_task.title = "fake"
     fake_task.status = TaskStatus.BACKLOG
     fake_task.project_id = None
+    fake_task.product_id = None
 
     async def _stub_get(tid):
         del tid
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ async def test_activate_without_project_id_raises(
         return await real_execute(stmt, *a, **kw)
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(db, "execute", _exec_stub)
-    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="no project set"):
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="no project or product"):
         await svc.activate(fake_task.id, agent_role="cell_pm")
 
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/runtime/test_blocker_and_claimed_dispatch.py b/tests/unit/runtime/test_blocker_and_claimed_dispatch.py
index a88baa14..f2c86397 100644
--- a/tests/unit/runtime/test_blocker_and_claimed_dispatch.py
+++ b/tests/unit/runtime/test_blocker_and_claimed_dispatch.py
@@ -83,11 +83,10 @@ def test_blocked_task_non_cell_team_unassigned_is_unroutable() -> None:
 
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# _claimed_task_needs_agent (#19)
+# _claimed_task_needs_agent — claimed-but-no-agent detection
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 _STALE = (datetime.now(UTC) - timedelta(minutes=30)).isoformat()
-_FRESH = datetime.now(UTC).isoformat()
 
 
 def test_claimed_task_with_no_agent_past_grace_returns_assignee() -> None:
@@ -119,7 +118,10 @@ def test_claimed_task_within_grace_window_is_skipped() -> None:
         "id": "t1",
         "status": "claimed",
         "assigned_to": AGENT_UUIDS["be-dev-1"],
-        "updated_at": _FRESH,
+        # Compute "fresh" at test time, not module load: the grace check uses
+        # wall-clock now(), so a module-level constant ages out of the window
+        # during a long full-suite run and flakes this assertion.
+        "updated_at": datetime.now(UTC).isoformat(),
     }
     # Fresh claim — spawn may still be in flight; do not churn.
     assert orch._claimed_task_needs_agent(task) is None