diff --git a/roboco/agents_config.py b/roboco/agents_config.py
index 37a7ad63..c6ff35bf 100644
--- a/roboco/agents_config.py
+++ b/roboco/agents_config.py
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ def _verify_expiring_token(
     except (ValueError, KeyError):
         return False
     exp = payload.get("exp")
-    if not isinstance(exp, (int, float)):
+    if not isinstance(exp, int | float):
         return False
     # Short-circuit like the original: time.time() is read only when the
     # (id, role, team) fields already match, never on every call.
diff --git a/roboco/api/auth/routes.py b/roboco/api/auth/routes.py
index a6b5c311..1caaed5d 100644
--- a/roboco/api/auth/routes.py
+++ b/roboco/api/auth/routes.py
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ async def revoke_and_logout(
             )
             jti = data.get("jti")
             exp = data.get("exp")
-            if isinstance(jti, str) and isinstance(exp, (int, float)):
+            if isinstance(jti, str) and isinstance(exp, int | float):
                 await revocation.revoke_jti(jti, max(int(exp - time.time()), 1))
         except Exception:
             _logger.warning("logout jti revocation skipped", exc_info=True)
diff --git a/roboco/api/deps.py b/roboco/api/deps.py
index 596178e3..67fb57a6 100644
--- a/roboco/api/deps.py
+++ b/roboco/api/deps.py
@@ -477,7 +477,7 @@ def _should_remint(token: str) -> bool:
             },
         )
         exp = data.get("exp")
-        if isinstance(exp, (int, float)):
+        if isinstance(exp, int | float):
             return (exp - time.time()) < settings.cloud_auth_remint_threshold_seconds
     except Exception:
         return True
diff --git a/roboco/config.py b/roboco/config.py
index fbe3773b..c259ec9e 100644
--- a/roboco/config.py
+++ b/roboco/config.py
@@ -1726,6 +1726,33 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
             "the branch reached the remote."
         ),
     )
+    evidence_assembly_timeout_seconds: float = Field(
+        default=45.0,
+        ge=1.0,
+        description=(
+            "TOTAL budget for one advisory-evidence build (branch fetch, "
+            "diff, list_changed_files — every slow leg) on claim_review / "
+            "claim_doc_task / claim_gate_review / evidence() / i_am_done's "
+            "success envelope. A `LegBudget` (roboco.services.gateway."
+            "choreographer.evidence_legs) is created once per build and "
+            "shared across every leg in it — each leg's wait_for gets only "
+            "what's left of this total, shrinking as legs consume it, so "
+            "summing per-leg budgets can never exceed this cap (and stays "
+            "well under flow_verb_timeout_seconds). A hung leg degrades "
+            "(evidence_gaps) instead of taking the whole verb down with it."
+        ),
+    )
+    conventions_validator_advisory_timeout_seconds: float = Field(
+        default=30.0,
+        ge=1.0,
+        description=(
+            "Ceiling for the conventions-validator subprocess on the "
+            "ADVISORY claim path (claim_review) — the actual budget used is "
+            "min(this, the build's remaining evidence_assembly_timeout_seconds), "
+            "so it also shrinks with the shared LegBudget. Fail-closed paths "
+            "(i_am_done, pr_pass) keep their own hardcoded cap unchanged."
+        ),
+    )
 
     protected_git_urls: list[str] = Field(
         default_factory=list,
diff --git a/roboco/llm/providers/codex_auth.py b/roboco/llm/providers/codex_auth.py
index d1b6e1e6..5ab9c982 100644
--- a/roboco/llm/providers/codex_auth.py
+++ b/roboco/llm/providers/codex_auth.py
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ def _exp_from_jwt(token: str) -> datetime | None:
     if not isinstance(payload, dict):
         return None
     exp = payload.get("exp")
-    if not isinstance(exp, (int, float)):
+    if not isinstance(exp, int | float):
         return None
     return datetime.fromtimestamp(float(exp), tz=UTC)
 
diff --git a/roboco/llm/providers/codex_cli_usage.py b/roboco/llm/providers/codex_cli_usage.py
index 364ae265..0d6b72b1 100644
--- a/roboco/llm/providers/codex_cli_usage.py
+++ b/roboco/llm/providers/codex_cli_usage.py
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ _USAGE_FIELDS = (
 
 
 def _as_int(value: object) -> int:
-    return int(value) if isinstance(value, (int, float)) else 0
+    return int(value) if isinstance(value, int | float) else 0
 
 
 def _usage_from_event(event: dict[str, Any]) -> dict[str, int] | None:
diff --git a/roboco/llm/providers/gemini_cli_usage.py b/roboco/llm/providers/gemini_cli_usage.py
index a81ac25e..eea29647 100644
--- a/roboco/llm/providers/gemini_cli_usage.py
+++ b/roboco/llm/providers/gemini_cli_usage.py
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ _RATE_LIMIT_EXIT_CODE = 75
 
 
 def _coerce_int(value: object) -> int:
-    return int(value) if isinstance(value, (int, float)) else 0
+    return int(value) if isinstance(value, int | float) else 0
 
 
 def _model_tokens(entry: dict[str, Any]) -> tuple[int, int]:
diff --git a/roboco/llm/providers/grok_auth.py b/roboco/llm/providers/grok_auth.py
index c2a891de..475117fb 100644
--- a/roboco/llm/providers/grok_auth.py
+++ b/roboco/llm/providers/grok_auth.py
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ def _exp_from_access_token(access_token: str) -> datetime | None:
     if not isinstance(payload, dict):
         return None
     exp = payload.get("exp")
-    if not isinstance(exp, (int, float)):
+    if not isinstance(exp, int | float):
         return None
     return datetime.fromtimestamp(float(exp), tz=UTC)
 
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ def _apply_refreshed_token(
     if token.get("refresh_token"):
         creds["refresh_token"] = token["refresh_token"]
     expires_in = token.get("expires_in")
-    if isinstance(expires_in, (int, float)):
+    if isinstance(expires_in, int | float):
         creds["expires_at"] = _to_iso_z(now + timedelta(seconds=float(expires_in)))
     else:
         # xAI's refresh response sometimes omits expires_in. The access token
diff --git a/roboco/llm/providers/grok_cli_usage.py b/roboco/llm/providers/grok_cli_usage.py
index 25e3913e..46c98d33 100644
--- a/roboco/llm/providers/grok_cli_usage.py
+++ b/roboco/llm/providers/grok_cli_usage.py
@@ -86,9 +86,9 @@ def _extract_total_tokens(event: dict[str, Any]) -> int:
     for meta in (update_meta, params_meta):
         if isinstance(meta, dict) and "totalTokens" in meta:
             value = meta["totalTokens"]
-            return int(value) if isinstance(value, (int, float)) else 0
+            return int(value) if isinstance(value, int | float) else 0
     value = event.get("totalTokens", 0)
-    return int(value) if isinstance(value, (int, float)) else 0
+    return int(value) if isinstance(value, int | float) else 0
 
 
 def find_updates_path(grok_home: Path, cwd: str, session_id: str) -> Path | None:
diff --git a/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/_impl.py b/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/_impl.py
index ca8d4b64..7e1c4041 100644
--- a/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/_impl.py
+++ b/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/_impl.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 import contextlib
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from datetime import UTC, datetime
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, ClassVar, cast
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, ClassVar, Literal, cast
 from uuid import UUID
 
 import structlog
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer import findings as findings_lib
 from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer._protocol import actor_context_fields
 from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer._verb_runner import VerbRunner
 from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer.collision import build_collision_context
+from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer.evidence_legs import (
+    LegBudget,
+    run_bounded_leg,
+)
 from roboco.services.gateway.claim_guards import (
     already_active_guard,
     paused_tasks_guard,
@@ -81,6 +85,17 @@ if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from roboco.models.base import TaskNature
     from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer._protocol import ChoreographerHelpers
 
+# _ensure_pm_decision's result: "fresh" (a recent decision already satisfies
+# the window, nothing written), "wrote" (recorded now), "transient_failure"
+# (the write raised WITH a non-empty rationale in hand — a DB-contention
+# lock-timeout, not a real absence), "absent" (no rationale AND the window
+# check never ran — legacy default for every call site that hasn't been
+# threaded through yet). Every PM-decision gate helper accepts this as an
+# optional param so "transient_failure" can satisfy the gate for THIS call
+# (the rationale is in the verb payload; the write is a convenience, not the
+# substance) without changing every verb's own public signature.
+PmDecisionOutcome = Literal["fresh", "wrote", "transient_failure", "absent"]
+
 # Minimum character length enforced on rich_plan["approach"] by the PM
 # sub-tasks gate. Must match the Pydantic min_length on
 # IWillPlanRequest.approach. Raised 20→150: plans were vague
@@ -3384,7 +3399,7 @@ class Choreographer:
 
     async def _ensure_pm_decision(
         self, agent_id: UUID, task_id: UUID, rationale: str | None
-    ) -> None:
+    ) -> PmDecisionOutcome:
         """Auto-record a journal:decision from a PM verb's own rationale.
 
         The write-then-gate pattern (mirrors i_am_blocked → write_struggle):
@@ -3399,7 +3414,10 @@ class Choreographer:
         Idempotent within the decision window: when a fresh decision already
         satisfies the gate, no duplicate is written. Best-effort — a journal
         write failure is logged and swallowed so the verb falls through to
-        the normal gate (which rejects as before), never crashing the verb.
+        the normal gate — which the caller can now short-circuit to PASS
+        (see ``PmDecisionOutcome`` / the gate helpers below) instead of
+        laundering a transient DB hiccup into a rejection the PM's own
+        rationale already answers.
 
         Savepoint-guarded: the journal INSERT can lock-timeout on a
         concurrent claim holding the task row's FK share lock (live
@@ -3413,12 +3431,19 @@ class Choreographer:
         below rolls back to, leaving the outer transaction — and every
         object this call didn't itself touch, e.g. the caller's ``t`` —
         exactly as usable as if the write had never been attempted.
+
+        Returns the outcome so the caller can thread it into the gate that
+        runs right after: "fresh" / "wrote" both mean a decision genuinely
+        exists; "transient_failure" means the write raised but a rationale
+        WAS in hand (the caller may treat the gate as satisfied for this
+        call); "absent" means there was no rationale to record at all (the
+        gate should reject exactly as before).
         """
         from roboco.config import settings as _settings
 
         text = (rationale or "").strip()
         if not text:
-            return
+            return "absent"
         try:
             async with self.task.session.begin_nested():
                 latest = await self.journal.latest_decision_at(agent_id, task_id)
@@ -3427,19 +3452,27 @@ class Choreographer:
                     latest is not None
                     and (datetime.now(UTC) - latest).total_seconds() <= window
                 ):
-                    return
+                    return "fresh"
                 await self.journal.write_decision(
                     agent_id=agent_id, task_id=task_id, content=text
                 )
-        except Exception as exc:  # best-effort; gate rejects normally on failure
+                return "wrote"
+        except Exception as exc:  # best-effort; caller's gate handles the fallout
             logger.warning(
                 "auto-record pm decision failed",
                 error=str(exc),
                 task_id=str(task_id),
             )
+            return "transient_failure"
 
     async def _check_pm_decision_required(
-        self, verb: str, agent_id: UUID, task_id: UUID, t: Any
+        self,
+        verb: str,
+        agent_id: UUID,
+        task_id: UUID,
+        t: Any,
+        *,
+        pm_decision_outcome: PmDecisionOutcome | None = None,
     ) -> Envelope | None:
         """Standard PM-verb tracing gate driven by VERB_REQUIREMENTS.
 
@@ -3454,6 +3487,15 @@ class Choreographer:
         than ``settings.pm_decision_window_seconds``. Older decisions are
         treated as missing so PMs write a fresh decision around each
         decision point rather than once at task creation.
+
+        ``pm_decision_outcome`` (from the caller's own
+        ``_ensure_pm_decision`` call, defaulting to ``None`` for legacy
+        parity) short-circuits the freshness check to satisfied when it is
+        ``"transient_failure"`` — the write lock-timed out under DB
+        contention, but the verb's own rationale WAS in hand and is the
+        substance the gate actually cares about; the write was only ever a
+        convenience. Any other value (or ``None``) leaves this check
+        byte-for-byte unchanged.
         """
         from roboco.config import settings as _settings
         from roboco.foundation.policy import tracing as _tr
@@ -3468,6 +3510,14 @@ class Choreographer:
             latest is not None
             and (datetime.now(UTC) - latest).total_seconds() <= window_seconds
         )
+        gate_satisfied_by_rationale = pm_decision_outcome == "transient_failure"
+        if gate_satisfied_by_rationale:
+            logger.warning(
+                "pm decision auto-record failed transiently; gate satisfied "
+                "by verb rationale",
+                task_id=str(task_id),
+                verb=verb,
+            )
 
         # QUICK_CONTEXT_MIN_CHARS applies only to ``delegate`` (its
         # required-set is the only one carrying it); the PM pre-writes the
@@ -3475,7 +3525,7 @@ class Choreographer:
         # Setting the threshold here is inert for unblock / escalate, which do
         # not require it.
         ctx = _tr.GateContext(
-            journal_decision_present=fresh,
+            journal_decision_present=fresh or gate_satisfied_by_rationale,
             quick_context_min_chars=_settings.quick_context_min_chars,
         )
         result = _tr.check_requirements(
@@ -3488,7 +3538,12 @@ class Choreographer:
         return await self._build_tracing_gap(agent_id, task_id, result.missing, task=t)
 
     async def _check_complete_gates(
-        self, agent_id: UUID, task_id: UUID, notes: str
+        self,
+        agent_id: UUID,
+        task_id: UUID,
+        notes: str,
+        *,
+        pm_decision_outcome: PmDecisionOutcome | None = None,
     ) -> Envelope | None:
         """Tracing gate for cell-PM and main-PM ``complete`` verbs.
 
@@ -3498,6 +3553,13 @@ class Choreographer:
         guards because that gate emits a richer remediation message
         listing the non-terminal subtasks; keeping it inline preserves
         that UX.
+
+        ``pm_decision_outcome`` mirrors ``_check_pm_decision_required``'s
+        param: ``"transient_failure"`` (the caller's ``_ensure_pm_decision``
+        write lock-timed out but a rationale WAS provided) satisfies both
+        the decision and reflect legs for this call — same substitution
+        already applied to a genuinely-written decision below — instead of
+        rejecting a DB hiccup as a missing decision.
         """
         from types import SimpleNamespace
 
@@ -3506,9 +3568,17 @@ class Choreographer:
 
         has_decision = await self.journal.has_decision_for_task(agent_id, task_id)
         has_reflect = await self.journal.has_reflect_for_task(agent_id, task_id)
+        gate_satisfied_by_rationale = pm_decision_outcome == "transient_failure"
+        if gate_satisfied_by_rationale:
+            logger.warning(
+                "pm decision auto-record failed transiently; gate satisfied "
+                "by verb rationale",
+                task_id=str(task_id),
+                verb="complete",
+            )
         task_view = SimpleNamespace(notes=notes)
         ctx = _tr.GateContext(
-            journal_decision_present=has_decision,
+            journal_decision_present=has_decision or gate_satisfied_by_rationale,
             # A PM closing/submitting a task documents it in its *decision* note;
             # a separate *reflect* adds little for a coordination/review close and
             # is exactly the artifact weak-model PMs forget — looping on the
@@ -3516,7 +3586,9 @@ class Choreographer:
             # decision as satisfying reflect for the PM complete/submit_up close;
             # the gate still requires a decision + substantive notes, so the close
             # stays documented — only the redundant second-artifact demand drops.
-            journal_reflect_present=has_reflect or has_decision,
+            journal_reflect_present=(
+                has_reflect or has_decision or gate_satisfied_by_rationale
+            ),
             notes_min_chars=getattr(_settings, "notes_min_chars", 20),
         )
         result = _tr.check_requirements(
@@ -3529,7 +3601,12 @@ class Choreographer:
         return await self._build_tracing_gap(agent_id, task_id, result.missing)
 
     async def _check_submit_up_gates(
-        self, agent_id: UUID, task_id: UUID, notes: str
+        self,
+        agent_id: UUID,
+        task_id: UUID,
+        notes: str,
+        *,
+        pm_decision_outcome: PmDecisionOutcome | None = None,
     ) -> Envelope | None:
         """Tracing gate for ``submit_up`` (cell PM bubble-up).
 
@@ -3543,6 +3620,11 @@ class Choreographer:
         ``submit_root`` (both route through ``_submit_up_guard``), so
         ``open_finding_ids`` covers pr_gate/pm/ceo-origin findings on either
         a cell root or a Main-PM root.
+
+        ``pm_decision_outcome`` mirrors ``_check_complete_gates``'s param —
+        ``"transient_failure"`` satisfies the decision + reflect legs for
+        this call instead of rejecting a DB-contention write hiccup as a
+        missing decision.
         """
         from types import SimpleNamespace
 
@@ -3552,9 +3634,17 @@ class Choreographer:
         has_decision = await self.journal.has_decision_for_task(agent_id, task_id)
         has_reflect = await self.journal.has_reflect_for_task(agent_id, task_id)
         open_finding_ids = await self._open_finding_ids(task_id)
+        gate_satisfied_by_rationale = pm_decision_outcome == "transient_failure"
+        if gate_satisfied_by_rationale:
+            logger.warning(
+                "pm decision auto-record failed transiently; gate satisfied "
+                "by verb rationale",
+                task_id=str(task_id),
+                verb="submit_up",
+            )
         task_view = SimpleNamespace(notes=notes)
         ctx = _tr.GateContext(
-            journal_decision_present=has_decision,
+            journal_decision_present=has_decision or gate_satisfied_by_rationale,
             # A PM closing/submitting a task documents it in its *decision* note;
             # a separate *reflect* adds little for a coordination/review close and
             # is exactly the artifact weak-model PMs forget — looping on the
@@ -3562,7 +3652,9 @@ class Choreographer:
             # decision as satisfying reflect for the PM complete/submit_up close;
             # the gate still requires a decision + substantive notes, so the close
             # stays documented — only the redundant second-artifact demand drops.
-            journal_reflect_present=has_reflect or has_decision,
+            journal_reflect_present=(
+                has_reflect or has_decision or gate_satisfied_by_rationale
+            ),
             notes_min_chars=getattr(_settings, "notes_min_chars", 20),
             open_finding_ids=open_finding_ids,
         )
@@ -3622,13 +3714,31 @@ class Choreographer:
         files_changed sourced from git (authoritative) so the
         i_am_done envelope shows the same file list QA / docs / PMs will
         see — independent of legacy ``add_files_modified`` plumbing.
+
+        Runs strictly AFTER the composed transition already committed (the
+        caller already ran submit_verification/submit_qa) — this is purely
+        informational, not a gate — so the list_changed_files leg runs
+        bounded via ``run_bounded_leg``: a timeout must not strand the
+        dev's already-succeeded submit behind a hung response.
         """
+        from roboco.config import settings as _settings
+
         journal_highlights = await self.evidence_repo.journal_highlights_for_task(
             task_id
         )
         files_changed: list[str] = []
+        evidence_gaps: list[str] = []
         if t.branch_name:
-            files_changed = await self.git.list_changed_files(branch_name=t.branch_name)
+            budget = LegBudget(_settings.evidence_assembly_timeout_seconds)
+            files_changed = await run_bounded_leg(
+                self.git.list_changed_files(branch_name=t.branch_name),
+                default=[],
+                budget=budget,
+                leg="files_changed",
+                hint="review the PR diff on GitHub directly",
+                task_id=task_id,
+                gaps=evidence_gaps,
+            )
         # Normally empty here — i_am_done's FINDINGS_ADDRESSED gate already
         # required every open finding resolved before this point — but wired
         # in for consistency with every other evidence call site.
@@ -3640,6 +3750,7 @@ class Choreographer:
             journal_highlights=journal_highlights,
             files_changed=files_changed,
             revision_findings=open_findings,
+            evidence_gaps=evidence_gaps,
         )
         agent = await self.task.agent_for(agent_id)
         role = str(agent.role) if agent is not None else "developer"
@@ -5486,7 +5597,7 @@ class Choreographer:
         # Write-then-gate: the delegated subtask's title + description (the
         # PM's own articulation of the work) is recorded as the
         # journal:decision the tracing guard below requires.
-        await self._ensure_pm_decision(
+        pm_decision_outcome = await self._ensure_pm_decision(
             pm_agent_id,
             parent_task_id,
             f"Delegating subtask '{inputs.title}': {inputs.description}",
@@ -5496,7 +5607,12 @@ class Choreographer:
         # coercion + assignee-vs-task_type, parent-ownership/subtask-cap, and
         # (last) decomposition-coverage.
         guard = await self._delegate_post_spec_guards(
-            pm_agent_id, parent_task_id, parent, role_str, inputs
+            pm_agent_id,
+            parent_task_id,
+            parent,
+            role_str,
+            inputs,
+            pm_decision_outcome=pm_decision_outcome,
         )
         if guard is not None:
             return await self._emit_rejection(
@@ -5516,6 +5632,8 @@ class Choreographer:
         parent: Any,
         role_str: str,
         inputs: DelegateInputs,
+        *,
+        pm_decision_outcome: PmDecisionOutcome,
     ) -> Envelope | None:
         """``_delegate_extra_guards``, then the decomposition-coverage gate.
 
@@ -5526,7 +5644,12 @@ class Choreographer:
         gate only ever fires on an otherwise-valid delegate.
         """
         guard = await self._delegate_extra_guards(
-            pm_agent_id, parent_task_id, parent, role_str, inputs
+            pm_agent_id,
+            parent_task_id,
+            parent,
+            role_str,
+            inputs,
+            pm_decision_outcome=pm_decision_outcome,
         )
         if guard is not None:
             return guard
@@ -5608,6 +5731,8 @@ class Choreographer:
         parent: Any,
         role_str: str,
         inputs: DelegateInputs,
+        *,
+        pm_decision_outcome: PmDecisionOutcome,
     ) -> Envelope | None:
         """Delegate-specific guards the spec doesn't model.
 
@@ -5621,7 +5746,11 @@ class Choreographer:
         """
         # Pre-gateway PM.md required journal:decision before each delegate.
         if env := await self._check_pm_decision_required(
-            "delegate", pm_agent_id, parent_task_id, parent
+            "delegate",
+            pm_agent_id,
+            parent_task_id,
+            parent,
+            pm_decision_outcome=pm_decision_outcome,
         ):
             return env
         chain_error = self._validate_delegation_chain(role_str, inputs.assigned_to)
@@ -6970,8 +7099,12 @@ class Choreographer:
         """
         # Write-then-gate: the bubble-up rationale (notes, already validated
         # >= min by the ownership guard) becomes the journal:decision.
-        await self._ensure_pm_decision(pm_agent_id, task_id, notes)
-        if env := await self._check_submit_up_gates(pm_agent_id, task_id, notes):
+        pm_decision_outcome = await self._ensure_pm_decision(
+            pm_agent_id, task_id, notes
+        )
+        if env := await self._check_submit_up_gates(
+            pm_agent_id, task_id, notes, pm_decision_outcome=pm_decision_outcome
+        ):
             return env
         if env := await self._subtasks_not_terminal_envelope(
             pm_agent_id, task_id, context_phrase="bubbling up"
@@ -7197,9 +7330,11 @@ class Choreographer:
         # journal:decision the gate below requires, so a PM that didn't
         # pre-call note(scope='decision') doesn't stall in a tracing_gap
         # respawn loop.
-        await self._ensure_pm_decision(pm_agent_id, task_id, reason)
+        pm_decision_outcome = await self._ensure_pm_decision(
+            pm_agent_id, task_id, reason
+        )
         if env := await self._check_pm_decision_required(
-            "unblock", pm_agent_id, task_id, t
+            "unblock", pm_agent_id, task_id, t, pm_decision_outcome=pm_decision_outcome
         ):
             return await self._emit_rejection(
                 env.with_introspection(task=t, role=role),
@@ -7456,8 +7591,12 @@ class Choreographer:
             )
         # Write-then-gate: the PM's merge rationale (notes) becomes the
         # journal:decision the gate requires — no separate note() call needed.
-        await self._ensure_pm_decision(pm_agent_id, task_id, notes)
-        if env := await self._check_complete_gates(pm_agent_id, task_id, notes):
+        pm_decision_outcome = await self._ensure_pm_decision(
+            pm_agent_id, task_id, notes
+        )
+        if env := await self._check_complete_gates(
+            pm_agent_id, task_id, notes, pm_decision_outcome=pm_decision_outcome
+        ):
             return env
         if env := (
             await self._subtasks_not_terminal_envelope(
@@ -8236,9 +8375,14 @@ class Choreographer:
             )
         # Write-then-gate: the Main PM's root-close rationale (notes) becomes
         # the journal:decision the gate requires.
-        await self._ensure_pm_decision(main_pm_agent_id, root_task_id, notes)
-        if env := await self._check_complete_gates(
+        pm_decision_outcome = await self._ensure_pm_decision(
             main_pm_agent_id, root_task_id, notes
+        )
+        if env := await self._check_complete_gates(
+            main_pm_agent_id,
+            root_task_id,
+            notes,
+            pm_decision_outcome=pm_decision_outcome,
         ):
             return env
         if env := (
@@ -8731,9 +8875,16 @@ class Choreographer:
 
         # Write-then-gate: the escalation reason becomes the journal:decision
         # the preflight gate requires.
-        await self._ensure_pm_decision(pm_agent_id, task_id, reason)
+        pm_decision_outcome = await self._ensure_pm_decision(
+            pm_agent_id, task_id, reason
+        )
         preflight = await self._escalate_up_preflight(
-            pm_agent_id, t, me, briefing, role_str
+            pm_agent_id,
+            t,
+            me,
+            briefing,
+            role_str,
+            pm_decision_outcome=pm_decision_outcome,
         )
         if preflight is not None:
             return await self._emit_rejection(
@@ -8778,6 +8929,8 @@ class Choreographer:
         me: Any,
         briefing: dict[str, Any],
         role_str: str,
+        *,
+        pm_decision_outcome: PmDecisionOutcome,
     ) -> Envelope | None:
         """Verb-specific preflight gates for escalate_up.
 
@@ -8789,7 +8942,11 @@ class Choreographer:
         ``VERB_REQUIREMENTS["escalate_up"]``.
         """
         if env := await self._check_pm_decision_required(
-            "escalate_up", pm_agent_id, t.id, t
+            "escalate_up",
+            pm_agent_id,
+            t.id,
+            t,
+            pm_decision_outcome=pm_decision_outcome,
         ):
             return env.with_introspection(task=t, role=role_str)
         target_slug = me.escalation_target if me else None
@@ -8909,9 +9066,13 @@ class Choreographer:
         # completed subtask covered — inert until coverage is declared).
         # Write-then-gate: the escalation reason becomes the journal:decision
         # the gate below requires.
-        await self._ensure_pm_decision(agent_id, task_id, reason)
+        pm_decision_outcome = await self._ensure_pm_decision(agent_id, task_id, reason)
         env = await self._check_pm_decision_required(
-            "escalate_to_ceo", agent_id, task_id, t
+            "escalate_to_ceo",
+            agent_id,
+            task_id,
+            t,
+            pm_decision_outcome=pm_decision_outcome,
         ) or await self._parent_acs_covered_envelope(
             agent_id, task_id, context_phrase="escalating to CEO"
         )
diff --git a/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/doc.py b/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/doc.py
index 96fc1b6a..51dbdf96 100644
--- a/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/doc.py
+++ b/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/doc.py
@@ -45,6 +45,10 @@ from roboco.foundation.policy import tracing as _tr
 from roboco.foundation.policy.content import markers
 from roboco.models.task import DocRef
 from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer import findings as findings_lib
+from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer.evidence_legs import (
+    LegBudget,
+    run_bounded_leg,
+)
 from roboco.services.gateway.envelope import Envelope
 from roboco.services.gateway.evidence_builder import build_evidence_for_task
 
@@ -196,13 +200,29 @@ class DocMixin(_Base):
         # the task branch already exists (dev created it) so no checkout
         # ran in the doc's workspace. Put the doc on the task branch now
         # so roboco_docs_write / commit don't fail BRANCH_MISMATCH.
-        # Best-effort — a checkout hiccup must not fail the claim.
+        # Best-effort — a checkout hiccup must not fail the claim. Bounded
+        # against the SAME shared LegBudget the evidence legs below use
+        # (one budget per build), so this leg + diff + list_changed_files
+        # can never sum past the total evidence-assembly budget.
+        budget = LegBudget(settings.evidence_assembly_timeout_seconds)
+        gaps: list[str] = []
         if t.branch_name:
             with contextlib.suppress(Exception):
-                await self.git.checkout_branch_in_agent_workspace(
-                    t.branch_name, actor_agent_id=doc_agent_id
+                await run_bounded_leg(
+                    self.git.checkout_branch_in_agent_workspace(
+                        t.branch_name, actor_agent_id=doc_agent_id
+                    ),
+                    default=None,
+                    budget=budget,
+                    leg="workspace checkout",
+                    hint=(
+                        "the diff below may reflect a stale worktree; "
+                        "re-run roboco_git_diff to confirm"
+                    ),
+                    task_id=task_id,
+                    gaps=gaps,
                 )
-        ev = await self._claim_doc_evidence(t, task_id)
+        ev = await self._claim_doc_evidence(t, task_id, budget=budget, extra_gaps=gaps)
         return Envelope.ok(
             status=str(t.status),
             task_id=str(task_id),
@@ -211,19 +231,49 @@ class DocMixin(_Base):
             context_briefing=briefing,
         ).with_introspection(task=t, role=role_str)
 
-    async def _claim_doc_evidence(self, task: Any, task_id: UUID) -> dict[str, Any]:
+    async def _claim_doc_evidence(
+        self,
+        task: Any,
+        task_id: UUID,
+        *,
+        budget: LegBudget,
+        extra_gaps: list[str] | None = None,
+    ) -> dict[str, Any]:
         """Build the evidence dict surfaced inline on claim_doc_task ok envelopes.
 
         files_changed sourced from git (authoritative) instead
         of ``work_session.files_modified``, which the gateway commit()
         does not populate. The docs writer sees an accurate file list.
+
+        The diff/list_changed_files legs run bounded via ``run_bounded_leg``
+        against ``budget`` — the SAME shared instance the caller's checkout
+        leg already drew from, so a timeout skips that piece and records a
+        note in ``evidence_gaps`` instead of hanging this advisory verb, and
+        the whole build (checkout + diff + list_changed_files) stays under
+        one total. ``extra_gaps`` folds in the caller's own pre-evidence
+        gaps (the checkout leg above).
         """
         files_changed: list[str] = []
         diff = ""
+        evidence_gaps: list[str] = list(extra_gaps or [])
         if task.branch_name:
-            diff = await self.git.diff(branch_name=task.branch_name)
-            files_changed = await self.git.list_changed_files(
-                branch_name=task.branch_name
+            diff = await run_bounded_leg(
+                self.git.diff(branch_name=task.branch_name),
+                default="",
+                budget=budget,
+                leg="pr diff",
+                hint="review the PR diff on GitHub directly",
+                task_id=task_id,
+                gaps=evidence_gaps,
+            )
+            files_changed = await run_bounded_leg(
+                self.git.list_changed_files(branch_name=task.branch_name),
+                default=[],
+                budget=budget,
+                leg="files_changed",
+                hint="review the PR diff on GitHub directly",
+                task_id=task_id,
+                gaps=evidence_gaps,
             )
         journal_highlights = await self.evidence_repo.journal_highlights_for_task(
             task_id
@@ -237,6 +287,7 @@ class DocMixin(_Base):
             files_changed=files_changed,
             pr_diff_summary=diff,
             revision_findings=open_findings,
+            evidence_gaps=evidence_gaps,
         ).as_dict()
 
     async def _verify_doc_owner(
diff --git a/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/evidence_legs.py b/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/evidence_legs.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..afd633b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/evidence_legs.py
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+"""Bounded advisory-evidence legs for claim_review / claim_doc_task /
+claim_gate_review / evidence() / i_am_done's success envelope.
+
+Claim-time (and i_am_done's post-transition) evidence assembly is advisory,
+not gating: a slow branch fetch, diff, or list_changed_files must degrade
+the evidence rather than hold the whole flow-verb request (and its
+transaction's row locks) hostage for the full ``flow_verb_timeout_seconds``
+budget. ``run_bounded_leg`` wraps one such awaitable in ``asyncio.wait_for``;
+on a timeout it appends a human-readable entry to the caller's
+``evidence_gaps`` list, logs one structured warning, and returns the
+caller's ``default`` instead of propagating. Fail-closed paths (``i_am_done``
+/ ``pr_pass`` conventions enforcement) do not use this — they keep their
+existing hard cap.
+
+Two distinct timeout shapes get caught, because they fire from different
+layers:
+
+- ``TimeoutError`` — asyncio's own cancellation-converted timeout, raised by
+  ``asyncio.wait_for`` itself when ``coro`` is still running at the deadline
+  (e.g. a slow DB read, a lock wait, or a git op that outlives its own
+  internal bound).
+- ``GitTimeoutError`` — ``GitService._run_git``'s own internal subprocess
+  bound (``settings.git_command_timeout_seconds``, 30s by default — usually
+  SHORTER than a leg's own budget, making this the most common real-world
+  timeout shape for a single hung git call). It is a ``GitError`` /
+  ``RobocoError`` subclass, NOT a ``TimeoutError`` subclass, and is raised
+  from INSIDE the coroutine (the subprocess itself gave up), not by
+  ``wait_for``'s cancellation. Any OTHER ``GitError`` (a real command
+  failure — bad ref, auth, network refusal, not a timeout) still propagates
+  uncaught; only a timeout degrades.
+
+The conventions-validator subprocess leg does NOT go through
+``run_bounded_leg`` — see ``QAMixin._qa_convention_findings``'s docstring
+for why nesting an outer wait_for around a coroutine with its own inner
+wait_for-based cleanup (``proc.kill()`` / ``proc.wait()``) can orphan the
+child process.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import asyncio
+import time
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any
+
+import structlog
+
+from roboco.exceptions import GitTimeoutError
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from collections.abc import Coroutine
+
+logger = structlog.get_logger()
+
+# Floor so a nearly-exhausted budget still gives the next leg a real chance
+# to run (and a real wait_for timeout > 0) instead of skipping it outright.
+_MIN_LEG_SECONDS = 1.0
+
+
+class LegBudget:
+    """A shared, once-per-evidence-build deadline for a sequence of legs.
+
+    Per-leg budgets summed naively can exceed the flow-verb wall (e.g. three
+    45s legs = 135s, well past the 120s verb timeout). One ``LegBudget``
+    instance per evidence build gives each leg only what's left of the
+    TOTAL assembly budget — shrinking as legs consume it, never resetting
+    per leg — so the whole build's wall time is capped near the configured
+    total regardless of how many legs it runs.
+    """
+
+    __slots__ = ("_deadline",)
+
+    def __init__(self, total_seconds: float) -> None:
+        self._deadline = time.monotonic() + total_seconds
+
+    def remaining(self) -> float:
+        """Seconds left before the deadline, floored at ``_MIN_LEG_SECONDS``."""
+        return max(_MIN_LEG_SECONDS, self._deadline - time.monotonic())
+
+
+async def run_bounded_leg[T](
+    coro: Coroutine[Any, Any, T],
+    *,
+    default: T,
+    budget: LegBudget,
+    leg: str,
+    hint: str,
+    task_id: Any,
+    gaps: list[str],
+) -> T:
+    """Await ``coro`` bounded by ``budget``'s remaining time.
+
+    Degrades to ``default`` and appends one entry to ``gaps`` on either
+    timeout shape (see module docstring); the entry names which bound
+    tripped so a reader can tell a slow-but-alive leg (the assembly budget)
+    from a git subprocess that gave up on its own shorter bound.
+
+    Cancelling a ``run_in_executor``/``asyncio.to_thread``-backed git call
+    abandons the worker thread — this only stops AWAITING it, not the
+    underlying subprocess. Each git-touching leg's own subprocess call is
+    independently bounded (``git_command_timeout_seconds`` inside
+    ``_run_git``, or an explicit ``subprocess_timeout`` on
+    ``fetch_branch_for_inspection``) so the thread still self-terminates
+    near its own window rather than running to completion unbounded.
+    """
+    timeout = budget.remaining()
+    try:
+        return await asyncio.wait_for(coro, timeout=timeout)
+    except TimeoutError:
+        gaps.append(
+            f"{leg} unavailable: timed out after {timeout:.0f}s "
+            f"(evidence-assembly budget) — {hint}"
+        )
+        logger.warning(
+            "evidence_leg_timeout",
+            leg=leg,
+            timeout=timeout,
+            task_id=str(task_id),
+            bound="assembly_budget",
+        )
+        return default
+    except GitTimeoutError as exc:
+        gaps.append(
+            f"{leg} unavailable: a git command timed out after {exc.timeout}s "
+            f"(git_command_timeout_seconds) — {hint}"
+        )
+        logger.warning(
+            "evidence_leg_timeout",
+            leg=leg,
+            timeout=exc.timeout,
+            task_id=str(task_id),
+            bound="git_command_timeout",
+        )
+        return default
diff --git a/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/pr_gate.py b/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/pr_gate.py
index bfd087cf..02752568 100644
--- a/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/pr_gate.py
+++ b/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/pr_gate.py
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any
 
 import structlog
 
+from roboco.config import settings
 from roboco.foundation.policy import lifecycle as spec_module
 from roboco.foundation.policy import tracing as _tr
 from roboco.foundation.policy.batch import is_batch_root_subtask
@@ -29,6 +30,10 @@ from roboco.foundation.policy.content import (
 )
 from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer import findings as findings_lib
 from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer.collision import build_collision_context
+from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer.evidence_legs import (
+    LegBudget,
+    run_bounded_leg,
+)
 from roboco.services.gateway.envelope import Envelope
 from roboco.services.gateway.evidence_builder import render_findings
 from roboco.services.gateway.merge_chain import resolve_parent_branch
@@ -1243,16 +1248,40 @@ class PRGateMixin(_Base):
         criteria + the task's OPEN findings (so they aren't crowded out by
         the full ledger's cap) + the full findings ledger (every status,
         newest round first) so the reviewer verifies prior rounds
-        item-by-item — parity with QA's ``_build_qa_claim_evidence``."""
+        item-by-item — parity with QA's ``_build_qa_claim_evidence``.
+
+        The diff + changed-files legs run bounded via ``run_bounded_leg``
+        against ONE shared ``LegBudget`` for this build — a timeout skips
+        that piece and records a note in ``evidence_gaps`` instead of
+        hanging this advisory (non-gating) verb.
+        """
         diff = ""
         files_changed: list[str] = []
+        evidence_gaps: list[str] = []
         if t.branch_name:
             gate_parent = await self._gate_diff_parent(t)
-            diff = await self.git.diff(
-                branch_name=t.branch_name,
-                preferred_parent=gate_parent,
+            budget = LegBudget(settings.evidence_assembly_timeout_seconds)
+            diff = await run_bounded_leg(
+                self.git.diff(
+                    branch_name=t.branch_name,
+                    preferred_parent=gate_parent,
+                ),
+                default="",
+                budget=budget,
+                leg="pr diff",
+                hint="review the PR diff on GitHub directly",
+                task_id=t.id,
+                gaps=evidence_gaps,
+            )
+            files_changed = await run_bounded_leg(
+                self._gate_changed_files(t, gate_parent),
+                default=[],
+                budget=budget,
+                leg="files_changed",
+                hint="review the PR diff on GitHub directly",
+                task_id=t.id,
+                gaps=evidence_gaps,
             )
-            files_changed = await self._gate_changed_files(t, gate_parent)
         open_findings = await findings_lib.open_findings_for_task(
             self.task.session, t.id
         )
@@ -1287,4 +1316,6 @@ class PRGateMixin(_Base):
         collision = await self._gate_collision_evidence(t, files_changed)
         if collision:
             evidence["collision_context"] = collision
+        if evidence_gaps:
+            evidence["evidence_gaps"] = evidence_gaps
         return evidence
diff --git a/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/qa.py b/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/qa.py
index 926a867b..4ac3ab67 100644
--- a/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/qa.py
+++ b/roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/qa.py
@@ -52,6 +52,10 @@ from roboco.services.content_notes import apply_structured_note
 from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer import findings as findings_lib
 from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer._protocol import actor_context_fields
 from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer.collision import build_collision_context
+from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer.evidence_legs import (
+    LegBudget,
+    run_bounded_leg,
+)
 from roboco.services.gateway.envelope import Envelope
 from roboco.services.gateway.evidence_builder import build_evidence_for_task
 
@@ -190,19 +194,54 @@ class QAMixin(_Base):
         ).with_introspection(task=t, role=role_str)
 
     async def _qa_convention_findings(
-        self, qa_agent_id: UUID, t: Any
+        self, qa_agent_id: UUID, t: Any, *, timeout: float, gaps: list[str]
     ) -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
         """Convention-validator findings on the task's changed files (flag-gated).
 
         Empty when the subsystem is off; a validator that could not run surfaces
         a single explicit ``could_not_run`` entry rather than being dropped, so
         QA never mistakes a silent failure for a clean diff.
+
+        Deliberately NOT wrapped in ``run_bounded_leg``. Nesting an outer
+        ``asyncio.wait_for`` around this call raced
+        ``conventions_check_for_task``'s own inner ``wait_for`` (which
+        starts LATER, after setup) — the outer cancellation could fire
+        first and land INSIDE the inner ``except TimeoutError:``'s
+        ``proc.kill()``/``proc.wait()`` cleanup, skipping it and leaking the
+        validator subprocess (reproduced live). ``conventions_check_for_task``
+        already self-bounds the subprocess correctly via its own ``timeout``
+        kwarg; this method just reads the result and, on a detected
+        timeout, records the gap itself instead of relying on an outer
+        wrapper to notice.
+
+        ``timeout`` is this build's remaining share of the shared
+        evidence-assembly budget (``LegBudget``), already capped by the
+        caller at ``conventions_validator_advisory_timeout_seconds`` — so
+        this never exceeds its own designed ceiling but shrinks if earlier
+        legs (diff, list_changed_files) consumed most of the shared budget.
+
+        The setup phase inside ``conventions_check_for_task`` (workspace
+        resolution + its own ``list_changed_files`` call) is not separately
+        wrapped here: every individual git op there is already bounded by
+        ``git_command_timeout_seconds`` inside ``_run_git`` (raising
+        ``GitTimeoutError`` on expiry, caught by ``conventions_check_for_task``'s
+        own resolution try/except), and by the time this runs the workspace
+        was already resolved (warmed) by the diff/list_changed_files legs
+        above in the same evidence build — so the one theoretically-unbounded
+        piece (a cold clone) never actually triggers here in practice.
         """
         if not settings.conventions_enabled:
             return []
-        result = await self.git.conventions_check_for_task(qa_agent_id, t)
+        result = await self.git.conventions_check_for_task(
+            qa_agent_id, t, timeout=timeout
+        )
         if result.get("could_not_run"):
             reason = result.get("reason") or "validator could not run"
+            if "timed out" in reason:
+                gaps.append(
+                    f"conventions findings unavailable: {reason} — review the "
+                    "diff manually for architecture-convention issues"
+                )
             return [{"could_not_run": True, "reason": reason}]
         return list(result.get("findings", []))
 
@@ -242,12 +281,38 @@ class QAMixin(_Base):
         ``add_files_modified`` HTTP path that populated files_modified
         is not called by the gateway ``commit()``, so the work_session
         list was always empty — QA saw no files even on real PRs.
+
+        The slow legs (branch-fetch-backed diff, list_changed_files) run
+        bounded via ``run_bounded_leg`` against ONE shared ``LegBudget`` for
+        this whole build — a timeout skips that piece and records a note in
+        ``evidence_gaps`` instead of hanging this advisory (non-gating) verb
+        for the whole ``flow_verb_timeout_seconds`` budget. The conventions
+        leg self-bounds separately (see ``_qa_convention_findings``) but
+        still draws its ceiling from the same shared budget.
         """
         files_changed: list[str] = []
         diff_summary = ""
+        evidence_gaps: list[str] = []
+        budget = LegBudget(settings.evidence_assembly_timeout_seconds)
         if t.branch_name:
-            diff_summary = await self.git.diff(branch_name=t.branch_name)
-            files_changed = await self.git.list_changed_files(branch_name=t.branch_name)
+            diff_summary = await run_bounded_leg(
+                self.git.diff(branch_name=t.branch_name),
+                default="",
+                budget=budget,
+                leg="pr diff",
+                hint="review the PR diff on GitHub directly",
+                task_id=task_id,
+                gaps=evidence_gaps,
+            )
+            files_changed = await run_bounded_leg(
+                self.git.list_changed_files(branch_name=t.branch_name),
+                default=[],
+                budget=budget,
+                leg="files_changed",
+                hint="review the PR diff on GitHub directly",
+                task_id=task_id,
+                gaps=evidence_gaps,
+            )
         journal_highlights = await self.evidence_repo.journal_highlights_for_task(
             task_id
         )
@@ -256,7 +321,15 @@ class QAMixin(_Base):
         # Leaf-only journals stay (include_ancestors defaults False above);
         # ancestor *descriptions* are the ask, not work-so-far.
         parent_context = await self.evidence_repo.ancestor_context_for_task(task_id)
-        convention_findings = await self._qa_convention_findings(qa_agent_id, t)
+        convention_findings = await self._qa_convention_findings(
+            qa_agent_id,
+            t,
+            timeout=min(
+                settings.conventions_validator_advisory_timeout_seconds,
+                budget.remaining(),
+            ),
+            gaps=evidence_gaps,
+        )
         open_findings = await findings_lib.open_findings_for_task(
             self.task.session, t.id
         )
@@ -291,6 +364,7 @@ class QAMixin(_Base):
             parent_context=parent_context,
             collision_context=collision_context,
             video_context=self._qa_video_context(t),
+            evidence_gaps=evidence_gaps,
         )
 
     async def _verify_qa_owner(
diff --git a/roboco/services/gateway/content_actions.py b/roboco/services/gateway/content_actions.py
index 7fb19ef8..7e1172e4 100644
--- a/roboco/services/gateway/content_actions.py
+++ b/roboco/services/gateway/content_actions.py
@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ from roboco.foundation.policy.journaling import Scope as _Scope
 from roboco.models.base import TaskStatus
 from roboco.services.content_notes import content_type_for_role
 from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer import findings as findings_lib
+from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer.evidence_legs import (
+    LegBudget,
+    run_bounded_leg,
+)
 from roboco.services.gateway.commit_validator import validate_commit_message
 from roboco.services.gateway.envelope import Envelope
 from roboco.services.gateway.evidence_builder import build_evidence_for_task
@@ -5387,6 +5391,13 @@ class ContentActions:
         ``files_changed`` and ``pr_diff_summary`` are pulled from git (against
         the branch's parent — the authoritative source) rather than the latest
         commit's delta, so reviewers see the full multi-commit change set.
+
+        The three slow legs (workspace branch fetch, diff, list_changed_files)
+        each run bounded via ``run_bounded_leg`` against ONE shared
+        ``LegBudget`` for this call — a timeout skips that piece and records
+        a note in ``evidence_gaps`` instead of hanging this advisory
+        (read-only, non-gating) verb for the whole ``flow_verb_timeout_seconds``
+        budget.
         """
         t = await self.task.get(task_id)
         if t is None:
@@ -5416,18 +5427,53 @@ class ContentActions:
             await self.task.session.commit()
         except PendingRollbackError:
             await self.task.session.rollback()
+        evidence_gaps: list[str] = []
+        budget = LegBudget(settings.evidence_assembly_timeout_seconds)
         if t.branch_name and t.work_session_id:
-            await self.workspace.fetch_branch_for_inspection(
-                agent_id=agent_id, branch_name=t.branch_name
+            # subprocess_timeout self-bounds the underlying git-fetch
+            # subprocess (on the shared DEFAULT asyncio executor, not
+            # git.py's dedicated pool) to roughly this leg's own share of
+            # the budget, so an abandoned wait_for doesn't leave the
+            # subprocess occupying a thread for up to workspace_clone_timeout
+            # (300s) after we've already given up on it.
+            await run_bounded_leg(
+                self.workspace.fetch_branch_for_inspection(
+                    agent_id=agent_id,
+                    branch_name=t.branch_name,
+                    subprocess_timeout=budget.remaining(),
+                ),
+                default=None,
+                budget=budget,
+                leg="branch fetch",
+                hint=(
+                    "the diff below may reflect a stale workspace; review "
+                    "the PR diff on GitHub directly"
+                ),
+                task_id=task_id,
+                gaps=evidence_gaps,
             )
         diff = ""
         files_changed: list[str] = []
         if t.branch_name:
-            diff = await self.git.diff(
-                branch_name=t.branch_name, actor_agent_id=agent_id
+            diff = await run_bounded_leg(
+                self.git.diff(branch_name=t.branch_name, actor_agent_id=agent_id),
+                default="",
+                budget=budget,
+                leg="pr diff",
+                hint="review the PR diff on GitHub directly",
+                task_id=task_id,
+                gaps=evidence_gaps,
             )
-            files_changed = await self.git.list_changed_files(
-                branch_name=t.branch_name, actor_agent_id=agent_id
+            files_changed = await run_bounded_leg(
+                self.git.list_changed_files(
+                    branch_name=t.branch_name, actor_agent_id=agent_id
+                ),
+                default=[],
+                budget=budget,
+                leg="files_changed",
+                hint="review the PR diff on GitHub directly",
+                task_id=task_id,
+                gaps=evidence_gaps,
             )
         journal_highlights = await self.evidence_repo.journal_highlights_for_task(
             task_id, include_ancestors=True
@@ -5443,6 +5489,7 @@ class ContentActions:
             pr_diff_summary=diff,
             revision_findings=open_findings,
             parent_context=parent_context,
+            evidence_gaps=evidence_gaps,
         )
         return Envelope.ok(
             status=str(t.status),
diff --git a/roboco/services/gateway/evidence_builder.py b/roboco/services/gateway/evidence_builder.py
index 132757eb..e54ad1cd 100644
--- a/roboco/services/gateway/evidence_builder.py
+++ b/roboco/services/gateway/evidence_builder.py
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ _EVIDENCE_OMIT_WHEN_EMPTY = (
     "description",
     "collision_context",
     "video_context",
+    "evidence_gaps",
 )
 
 
@@ -69,6 +70,11 @@ class EvidencePayload:
     # the latest request_render preview + a verification instruction). None
     # for every non-video task; omitted from the dict when empty.
     video_context: dict[str, Any] | None = None
+    # Human-readable notes for an advisory-evidence leg (branch fetch, diff,
+    # conventions validator) that timed out and was skipped rather than
+    # hanging the verb — claim_review / claim_doc_task / claim_gate_review
+    # only. Empty (and omitted) on the normal path.
+    evidence_gaps: list[str] = field(default_factory=list)
 
     def as_dict(self) -> dict[str, Any]:
         data = asdict(self)
@@ -173,6 +179,7 @@ def build_evidence_for_task(
     parent_context: list[dict[str, Any]] | None = None,
     collision_context: list[dict[str, Any]] | None = None,
     video_context: dict[str, Any] | None = None,
+    evidence_gaps: list[str] | None = None,
 ) -> EvidencePayload:
     """Compose an EvidencePayload from a Task model + supplemental data.
 
@@ -186,6 +193,9 @@ def build_evidence_for_task(
     verbatim so this module stays DB-free. ``video_context`` is the
     prebuilt video-artifact block (caller-assembled from the task's
     ``video_draft`` marker + render preview); passed through verbatim.
+    ``evidence_gaps`` carries the caller's bounded-leg timeout notes
+    (``choreographer.evidence_legs.run_bounded_leg``); empty on the normal
+    path.
     """
     return EvidencePayload(
         pr_number=task.pr_number,
@@ -203,6 +213,7 @@ def build_evidence_for_task(
         prior_findings=render_findings(prior_findings),
         collision_context=list(collision_context or []),
         video_context=video_context,
+        evidence_gaps=list(evidence_gaps or []),
     )
 
 
diff --git a/roboco/services/git.py b/roboco/services/git.py
index 25013f36..d4f72529 100644
--- a/roboco/services/git.py
+++ b/roboco/services/git.py
@@ -6151,6 +6151,7 @@ class GitService(BaseService):
         task: Any,
         *,
         preferred_parent: str | None = None,
+        timeout: float | None = None,
     ) -> dict[str, Any]:
         """Run the conventions validator on a task's changed files.
 
@@ -6166,6 +6167,13 @@ class GitService(BaseService):
         ``preferred_parent`` threads to ``list_changed_files`` — the in-path
         PR-review gate's cross-team parent (see ``diff``'s docstring).
 
+        ``timeout`` overrides the validator subprocess's default budget
+        (``_CONVENTIONS_VALIDATOR_TIMEOUT_SECONDS``) — the advisory
+        ``claim_review`` path passes ``settings.
+        conventions_validator_advisory_timeout_seconds`` here; every
+        fail-closed caller (``i_am_done``, ``pr_pass``) omits it and keeps
+        the longer hardcoded cap.
+
         The changed-file LIST above comes from git objects (``list_changed_files``
         fetches + diffs ``origin/<branch>``); the validator below reads CONTENT
         off the physical worktree, which only ``_ensure_worktree_for_commit``
@@ -6214,11 +6222,16 @@ class GitService(BaseService):
         # content and false-passes on newly-added files.
         workspace = self._worktree_for_task(clone_root, require_uuid(task.id))
         await self._ensure_worktree_for_commit(clone_root, workspace, branch)
-        return await self._run_conventions_validator(workspace, changed)
+        return await self._run_conventions_validator(
+            workspace, changed, timeout=timeout
+        )
 
     async def _run_conventions_validator(
-        self, workspace: Path, files: list[str]
+        self, workspace: Path, files: list[str], *, timeout: float | None = None
     ) -> dict[str, Any]:
+        effective_timeout = (
+            timeout if timeout is not None else _CONVENTIONS_VALIDATOR_TIMEOUT_SECONDS
+        )
         proc = await asyncio.create_subprocess_exec(
             sys.executable,
             "-m",
@@ -6234,7 +6247,7 @@ class GitService(BaseService):
         try:
             out, err = await asyncio.wait_for(
                 proc.communicate(),
-                timeout=_CONVENTIONS_VALIDATOR_TIMEOUT_SECONDS,
+                timeout=effective_timeout,
             )
         except TimeoutError:
             # Fail closed (could_not_run=True → block gate refuses the submit),
@@ -6245,10 +6258,7 @@ class GitService(BaseService):
             return {
                 "findings": [],
                 "could_not_run": True,
-                "reason": (
-                    f"validator timed out after "
-                    f"{_CONVENTIONS_VALIDATOR_TIMEOUT_SECONDS}s"
-                ),
+                "reason": (f"validator timed out after {effective_timeout}s"),
             }
         if proc.returncode != 0:
             reason = err.decode(errors="replace").strip() or "validator crashed"
diff --git a/roboco/services/prompter.py b/roboco/services/prompter.py
index ed22a4b9..ec2d26b1 100644
--- a/roboco/services/prompter.py
+++ b/roboco/services/prompter.py
@@ -509,7 +509,7 @@ class PrompterService:
         if not raw:
             return ()
         deps: list[int] = []
-        for item in raw if isinstance(raw, (list, tuple)) else [raw]:
+        for item in raw if isinstance(raw, list | tuple) else [raw]:
             try:
                 deps.append(int(str(item).strip()))
             except (TypeError, ValueError) as exc:
diff --git a/roboco/services/workspace.py b/roboco/services/workspace.py
index 6f006e5f..6cd51c81 100644
--- a/roboco/services/workspace.py
+++ b/roboco/services/workspace.py
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession
 
 from roboco.config import settings
 from roboco.db.tables import AgentTable
+from roboco.exceptions import GitTimeoutError
 from roboco.logging import get_logger
 from roboco.models.base import Team
 from roboco.models.env_branches import head_branch
@@ -2260,6 +2261,7 @@ class WorkspaceService:
         *,
         agent_id: UUID,
         branch_name: str,
+        subprocess_timeout: float | None = None,
     ) -> Path:
         """Fetch `branch_name` into the inspecting agent's workspace.
 
@@ -2268,10 +2270,22 @@ class WorkspaceService:
 
         1. Resolves the project from the branch (via the owning task).
         2. Ensures a healthy workspace for `agent_id` on that project
-           (clones if missing — same path as the agent's first claim).
+           (clones if missing — same path as the agent's first claim). This
+           CLONE-CREATION step always keeps its own `workspace_clone_timeout`
+           (300s) budget regardless of `subprocess_timeout` below — a fresh
+           clone genuinely needs that much room.
         3. Runs `git fetch origin <branch>` with the project token so the
            branch ref is locally available for `git diff`.
 
+        `subprocess_timeout` overrides ONLY the fetch subprocess in step 3
+        (default `settings.workspace_clone_timeout`, 300s, for every
+        existing caller that omits it). The advisory `evidence()` call site
+        passes its own leg budget so a hung fetch self-terminates near that
+        window instead of occupying a thread on the shared DEFAULT asyncio
+        executor (`asyncio.to_thread` here, NOT git.py's dedicated
+        `_GIT_EXECUTOR`) for up to 300s after the caller already gave up
+        waiting on it.
+
         Returns the workspace path so the caller can chain checkout/diff
         operations if needed.
         """
@@ -2306,17 +2320,31 @@ class WorkspaceService:
             basic = base64.b64encode(f"x-access-token:{git_token}".encode()).decode()
             prefix = ["-c", f"http.extraheader=Authorization: Basic {basic}"]
 
+        effective_timeout = (
+            subprocess_timeout
+            if subprocess_timeout is not None
+            else settings.workspace_clone_timeout
+        )
+
         def _do_fetch() -> subprocess.CompletedProcess[str]:
             return subprocess.run(
                 ["git", *prefix, "fetch", "origin", branch_name],
                 cwd=str(workspace),
                 capture_output=True,
                 text=True,
-                timeout=settings.workspace_clone_timeout,
+                timeout=effective_timeout,
                 check=False,
             )
 
-        result = await asyncio.to_thread(_do_fetch)
+        try:
+            result = await asyncio.to_thread(_do_fetch)
+        except subprocess.TimeoutExpired as exc:
+            # Mirrors _run_git's own TimeoutExpired -> GitTimeoutError
+            # conversion (git.py) so a bounded caller (run_bounded_leg)
+            # catches this the same way as every other git-touching leg.
+            raise GitTimeoutError(
+                f"fetch origin {branch_name}", int(effective_timeout)
+            ) from exc
         if result.returncode != 0:
             logger.warning(
                 "fetch_branch_for_inspection: fetch returned non-zero",
diff --git a/tests/foundation/test_lifecycle_consumer_parity.py b/tests/foundation/test_lifecycle_consumer_parity.py
index 86011d05..4baa01ae 100644
--- a/tests/foundation/test_lifecycle_consumer_parity.py
+++ b/tests/foundation/test_lifecycle_consumer_parity.py
@@ -989,6 +989,19 @@ async def test_escalate_up_matches_spec(role: str, status: str) -> None:
         id=agent_id, role=role, team="backend", slug=None, escalation_target="main-pm"
     )
     task_svc.escalate.return_value = after
+    # escalate_up's own _ensure_pm_decision write-then-gate opens a
+    # session.begin_nested() savepoint unconditionally (even on the
+    # fresh-decision no-write path below) — an unshaped AsyncMock's
+    # auto-attribute return doesn't support `async with`, which orphans
+    # the mock's internal coroutine (AsyncMockMixin._execute_mock_call
+    # never awaited).
+    task_svc.session = MagicMock()
+    task_svc.session.begin_nested = MagicMock(
+        return_value=MagicMock(
+            __aenter__=AsyncMock(return_value=None),
+            __aexit__=AsyncMock(return_value=False),
+        )
+    )
     journal_svc = AsyncMock()
     # journal:decision is not on the spec — satisfy it so the verb-specific
     # preflight does not surface a non-spec tracing_gap on the allowed branch.
diff --git a/tests/integration/test_a2a_routes.py b/tests/integration/test_a2a_routes.py
index fcecff33..f1196e53 100644
--- a/tests/integration/test_a2a_routes.py
+++ b/tests/integration/test_a2a_routes.py
@@ -325,7 +325,6 @@ async def test_send_message_with_task_id_response(a2a_route_client: dict) -> Non
 async def test_send_message_response_invalid_task_id(
     a2a_route_client: dict,
 ) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
         instance = AsyncMock()
@@ -352,7 +351,6 @@ async def test_send_message_response_invalid_task_id(
 async def test_send_message_response_task_not_found(
     a2a_route_client: dict,
 ) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
         instance = AsyncMock()
@@ -379,7 +377,6 @@ async def test_send_message_response_task_not_found(
 async def test_send_message_create_notification_success(
     a2a_route_client: dict,
 ) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
         instance = AsyncMock()
@@ -403,7 +400,6 @@ async def test_send_message_create_notification_success(
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_send_message_permission_error(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
         instance = AsyncMock()
@@ -427,7 +423,6 @@ async def test_send_message_permission_error(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_send_message_value_error(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
         instance = AsyncMock()
@@ -454,7 +449,6 @@ async def test_send_message_value_error(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_cancel_task_success(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
-
     a2a_task = A2ATask.model_validate(
         {
             "id": str(a2a_route_client["task"].id),
@@ -484,7 +478,6 @@ async def test_cancel_task_success(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_cancel_task_already_terminal(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     _set_pm_context(a2a_route_client["app"], a2a_route_client["dev"])
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
@@ -502,7 +495,6 @@ async def test_cancel_task_already_terminal(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_cancel_task_not_found(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     _set_pm_context(a2a_route_client["app"], a2a_route_client["dev"])
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
@@ -638,7 +630,6 @@ async def test_send_message_uses_authenticated_identity_not_client_from_agent(
 async def test_chat_create_conversation_access_denied(
     a2a_route_client: dict,
 ) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
         instance = AsyncMock()
@@ -667,7 +658,6 @@ async def test_chat_create_conversation_access_denied(
 async def test_chat_create_conversation_success(
     a2a_route_client: dict,
 ) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     conv_id = uuid4()
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
@@ -707,7 +697,6 @@ async def test_chat_create_conversation_success(
 async def test_chat_create_conversation_refresh_failed(
     a2a_route_client: dict,
 ) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
         instance = AsyncMock()
@@ -744,7 +733,6 @@ async def test_chat_create_conversation_refresh_failed(
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_get_conversation_not_found(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
         instance = AsyncMock()
@@ -758,7 +746,6 @@ async def test_get_conversation_not_found(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_get_conversation_success(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     conv_id = uuid4()
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
@@ -790,7 +777,6 @@ async def test_get_conversation_success(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
 async def test_close_conversation_value_error(
     a2a_route_client: dict,
 ) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
         instance = AsyncMock()
@@ -806,7 +792,6 @@ async def test_close_conversation_value_error(
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_close_conversation_success(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
         instance = AsyncMock()
@@ -822,7 +807,6 @@ async def test_close_conversation_success(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_list_chat_messages(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     msg = SimpleNamespace(
         id=uuid4(),
@@ -853,7 +837,6 @@ async def test_list_chat_messages(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
 async def test_send_chat_message_value_error(
     a2a_route_client: dict,
 ) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
         instance = AsyncMock()
@@ -869,7 +852,6 @@ async def test_send_chat_message_value_error(
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_send_chat_message_success(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     msg = SimpleNamespace(
         id=uuid4(),
@@ -926,7 +908,6 @@ async def test_send_chat_message_over_budget_returns_403(
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_mark_read(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
         instance = AsyncMock()
@@ -941,7 +922,6 @@ async def test_mark_read(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_get_task_conversations(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
         instance = AsyncMock()
@@ -956,7 +936,6 @@ async def test_get_task_conversations(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_chat_list_with_status_filter(a2a_route_client: dict) -> None:
-
     client = a2a_route_client["client"]
     with patch("roboco.api.routes.a2a.A2AService") as mock_service_cls:
         instance = AsyncMock()
diff --git a/tests/integration/test_foundation_phase2_smoke.py b/tests/integration/test_foundation_phase2_smoke.py
index 4d4efb17..29333a1c 100644
--- a/tests/integration/test_foundation_phase2_smoke.py
+++ b/tests/integration/test_foundation_phase2_smoke.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ def _enclosing_function(tree: ast.AST, lineno: int) -> str | None:
     candidate: str | None = None
     candidate_start = -1
     for node in ast.walk(tree):
-        if isinstance(node, (ast.AsyncFunctionDef, ast.FunctionDef)):
+        if isinstance(node, ast.AsyncFunctionDef | ast.FunctionDef):
             start = node.lineno
             end = getattr(node, "end_lineno", None) or start
             if start <= lineno <= end and start > candidate_start:
diff --git a/tests/integration/test_task_service_lifecycle_misc.py b/tests/integration/test_task_service_lifecycle_misc.py
index 2613b723..d0de0010 100644
--- a/tests/integration/test_task_service_lifecycle_misc.py
+++ b/tests/integration/test_task_service_lifecycle_misc.py
@@ -884,7 +884,6 @@ async def test_soft_block_task_for_agent_full_flow(
     db_session: AsyncSession,
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-
     svc = task_setup["svc"]
     task = await svc.create(_req(task_setup))
     task.assigned_to = task_setup["agent_id"]
@@ -929,7 +928,6 @@ async def test_soft_block_task_for_agent_full_flow(
 async def test_docs_complete_for_task_invokes_notification(
     task_setup: dict, db_session: AsyncSession, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
 ) -> None:
-
     svc = task_setup["svc"]
     doc = AgentTable(
         id=uuid4(),
@@ -988,7 +986,6 @@ async def test_docs_complete_for_task_invokes_notification(
 async def test_escalate_to_ceo_for_agent_invokes_notification(
     task_setup: dict, db_session: AsyncSession, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
 ) -> None:
-
     svc = task_setup["svc"]
     pm = AgentTable(
         id=uuid4(),
@@ -1054,7 +1051,6 @@ async def test_escalate_to_ceo_for_agent_invokes_notification(
 async def test_claim_task_for_agent_commits_and_returns(
     task_setup: dict, db_session: AsyncSession, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
 ) -> None:
-
     svc = task_setup["svc"]
     task = await svc.create(_req(task_setup))
     task.branch_name = "feature/backend/x"
@@ -1088,7 +1084,6 @@ async def test_claim_task_for_agent_commits_and_returns(
 async def test_complete_task_for_agent_commits(
     task_setup: dict, db_session: AsyncSession, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
 ) -> None:
-
     svc = task_setup["svc"]
     pm = AgentTable(
         id=uuid4(),
@@ -1138,7 +1133,6 @@ async def test_complete_task_for_agent_commits(
 async def test_substitute_task_for_agent_runs_update(
     task_setup: dict, db_session: AsyncSession, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
 ) -> None:
-
     svc = task_setup["svc"]
     task = await svc.create(_req(task_setup))
     task.assigned_to = task_setup["agent_id"]
diff --git a/tests/integration/test_tasks_routes.py b/tests/integration/test_tasks_routes.py
index 801dcc8b..9419e49f 100644
--- a/tests/integration/test_tasks_routes.py
+++ b/tests/integration/test_tasks_routes.py
@@ -1182,7 +1182,6 @@ async def test_unblock_task_not_blocked_returns_400(task_client: dict) -> None:
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_unblock_task_forbidden(task_client: dict) -> None:
-
     other = await _seed_agent(task_client)
     task = _seed_task(task_client, status=TaskStatus.BLOCKED, assigned_to=other.id)
     await task_client["db"].flush()
@@ -1615,7 +1614,6 @@ async def test_activate_unknown_returns_4xx(task_client: dict) -> None:
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_activate_developer_forbidden(task_client: dict) -> None:
-
     app = task_client["client"]._transport.app
 
     async def _override_agent() -> AgentContext:
@@ -1668,7 +1666,6 @@ async def test_get_team_tasks_unauthorized(task_client: dict) -> None:
 async def test_get_task_stats_by_team_developer_forbidden(
     task_client: dict,
 ) -> None:
-
     app = task_client["client"]._transport.app
 
     async def _override_agent() -> AgentContext:
@@ -1779,7 +1776,6 @@ async def test_delete_task_forbidden_non_creator(task_client: dict) -> None:
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_cancel_developer_forbidden(task_client: dict) -> None:
-
     task = _seed_task(task_client)
     await task_client["db"].flush()
     app = task_client["client"]._transport.app
diff --git a/tests/unit/api/test_websocket_handler_cleanup.py b/tests/unit/api/test_websocket_handler_cleanup.py
index 7abcef34..fc52259a 100644
--- a/tests/unit/api/test_websocket_handler_cleanup.py
+++ b/tests/unit/api/test_websocket_handler_cleanup.py
@@ -84,7 +84,6 @@ async def test_system_stream_disconnects_on_cancelled_error() -> None:
 async def test_notification_stream_disconnects_on_non_disconnect_exception(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-
     agent_id = uuid4()
     mgr = ConnectionManager()
     ws = _mock_ws_for_receive(RuntimeError("transport reset"))
@@ -109,7 +108,6 @@ async def test_notification_stream_disconnects_on_non_disconnect_exception(
 async def test_agent_stream_disconnects_on_non_disconnect_exception(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-
     target_id = uuid4()
     viewer_id = uuid4()
     mgr = ConnectionManager()
diff --git a/tests/unit/api/test_websocket_idle_timeout.py b/tests/unit/api/test_websocket_idle_timeout.py
index 813b23cb..76610240 100644
--- a/tests/unit/api/test_websocket_idle_timeout.py
+++ b/tests/unit/api/test_websocket_idle_timeout.py
@@ -89,7 +89,6 @@ async def test_system_stream_reaps_silent_socket_after_idle_timeout() -> None:
 async def test_notification_stream_reaps_silent_socket_after_idle_timeout(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-
     agent_id = uuid4()
     mgr = ConnectionManager()
     hang_future: asyncio.Future[str] = asyncio.Future()
@@ -109,7 +108,6 @@ async def test_notification_stream_reaps_silent_socket_after_idle_timeout(
 async def test_agent_stream_reaps_silent_socket_after_idle_timeout(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-
     target_id = uuid4()
     viewer_id = uuid4()
     mgr = ConnectionManager()
diff --git a/tests/unit/gateway/test_choreographer_pm.py b/tests/unit/gateway/test_choreographer_pm.py
index ef7740ba..fbf2e5bb 100644
--- a/tests/unit/gateway/test_choreographer_pm.py
+++ b/tests/unit/gateway/test_choreographer_pm.py
@@ -978,18 +978,27 @@ async def test_escalate_up_survives_journal_write_lock_timeout() -> None:
     with no rollback/savepoint, poisoning the session so the very next
     attribute touch (``_escalate_up_preflight`` reading ``t.id``) raised an
     unhandled ``PendingRollbackError``. The write is now savepoint-guarded
-    (``begin_nested()``): the failure is contained, the verb falls through
-    cleanly to the normal tracing_gap rejection (no decision was actually
-    persisted), and the task stays fully readable — no unhandled exception
-    escapes ``escalate_up``."""
+    (``begin_nested()``): the failure is contained and no unhandled
+    exception escapes ``escalate_up``.
+
+    Round-2 fix (transient-failure gate bypass): a lock-timeout with a
+    non-empty rationale already in hand (``reason``) no longer falls through
+    to a tracing_gap rejection either — the PM answered the gate's actual
+    question (why); the write was only ever a convenience. Laundering
+    transient DB congestion into a rejected/blocked PM verb is exactly the
+    bug this closes — see test_pm_decision_transient_failure_* below for the
+    gate-helper-level unit coverage.
+    """
     pm_id = uuid4()
     task_id = uuid4()
     t = MagicMock(id=task_id, status="blocked", assigned_to=pm_id, team="backend")
+    after = MagicMock(**{**t.__dict__, "assigned_to": uuid4()})
     task_svc = AsyncMock()
     task_svc.get.return_value = t
     task_svc.agent_for.return_value = MagicMock(
         role="cell_pm", escalation_target="main-pm"
     )
+    task_svc.escalate.return_value = after
     journal_svc = AsyncMock()
     journal_svc.has_decision_for_task.return_value = False
     journal_svc.latest_decision_at.return_value = None
@@ -1006,11 +1015,11 @@ async def test_escalate_up_survives_journal_write_lock_timeout() -> None:
     # The savepoint was actually engaged — proves the fix is wired in, not
     # merely that AsyncMock happened to swallow the raise on its own.
     task_svc.session.begin_nested.assert_called()
-    # No unhandled exception escaped escalate_up: the gate falls through to
-    # its normal clean rejection since the decision write never landed.
+    # No unhandled exception escaped escalate_up, AND the gate is satisfied
+    # by the verb's own rationale instead of rejecting a DB hiccup.
     body = env.as_dict()
-    assert body["error"] == "tracing_gap"
-    assert "journal:decision" in body["missing"]
+    assert body["error"] is None, body
+    task_svc.escalate.assert_awaited_once()
     # The task is still fully readable afterward — this is exactly where
     # the production trace crashed with PendingRollbackError on t.id.
     assert t.id == task_id
diff --git a/tests/unit/gateway/test_conventions_gate_i_am_done.py b/tests/unit/gateway/test_conventions_gate_i_am_done.py
index 1ef7fba6..7e33c86c 100644
--- a/tests/unit/gateway/test_conventions_gate_i_am_done.py
+++ b/tests/unit/gateway/test_conventions_gate_i_am_done.py
@@ -109,3 +109,18 @@ async def test_gate_records_findings_even_when_blocking(
     env = await c._conventions_gate(_ctx())
     assert env is not None  # still blocks
     assert recorded and recorded[0] is _BLOCK_RESULT
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_gate_never_overrides_the_fail_closed_timeout(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    """i_am_done's conventions gate is fail-closed and must keep the
+    validator's hardcoded 120s cap — unlike claim_review's advisory path, it
+    must never pass a ``timeout`` override down to ``conventions_check_for_task``."""
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "conventions_enabled", True)
+    c = _make_choreographer(check_result={"findings": [], "could_not_run": False})
+    await c._conventions_gate(_ctx())
+    check = c.git.conventions_check_for_task
+    check.assert_awaited_once()
+    assert "timeout" not in check.await_args.kwargs
diff --git a/tests/unit/gateway/test_conventions_gate_pr_pass.py b/tests/unit/gateway/test_conventions_gate_pr_pass.py
index 327b121a..d6f1c35d 100644
--- a/tests/unit/gateway/test_conventions_gate_pr_pass.py
+++ b/tests/unit/gateway/test_conventions_gate_pr_pass.py
@@ -125,3 +125,18 @@ async def test_pr_pass_guard_inert_when_flag_off(
     monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "conventions_enabled", False)
     c = _make_choreographer(check_result=_BLOCK_RESULT)
     assert await c._conventions_guard(uuid4(), MagicMock(), {}) is None
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_pr_pass_guard_never_overrides_the_fail_closed_timeout(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    """The pr_pass gate is fail-closed and must keep the validator's
+    hardcoded 120s cap — unlike claim_review's advisory path, it must
+    never pass a ``timeout`` override down to ``conventions_check_for_task``."""
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "conventions_enabled", True)
+    c = _make_choreographer(check_result={"findings": [], "could_not_run": False})
+    await c._conventions_guard(uuid4(), MagicMock(), {})
+    check = c.git.conventions_check_for_task
+    check.assert_awaited_once()
+    assert "timeout" not in check.await_args.kwargs
diff --git a/tests/unit/gateway/test_conventions_in_qa_evidence.py b/tests/unit/gateway/test_conventions_in_qa_evidence.py
index 3b37fe20..9c3b56ce 100644
--- a/tests/unit/gateway/test_conventions_in_qa_evidence.py
+++ b/tests/unit/gateway/test_conventions_in_qa_evidence.py
@@ -31,7 +31,12 @@ async def test_findings_surfaced_when_flag_on(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -
     monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "conventions_enabled", True)
     findings = [{"file": "x.py", "line": 1, "level": "warn", "fix_hint": "h"}]
     c = _make_choreographer(check_result={"findings": findings, "could_not_run": False})
-    assert await c._qa_convention_findings(uuid4(), MagicMock()) == findings
+    gaps: list[str] = []
+    assert (
+        await c._qa_convention_findings(uuid4(), MagicMock(), timeout=30.0, gaps=gaps)
+        == findings
+    )
+    assert gaps == []
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -40,21 +45,32 @@ async def test_empty_when_flag_off(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
     c = _make_choreographer(
         check_result={"findings": [{"file": "x"}], "could_not_run": False}
     )
-    assert await c._qa_convention_findings(uuid4(), MagicMock()) == []
+    gaps: list[str] = []
+    assert (
+        await c._qa_convention_findings(uuid4(), MagicMock(), timeout=30.0, gaps=gaps)
+        == []
+    )
+    assert gaps == []
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_could_not_run_surfaced_as_single_entry(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
+    """A non-timeout could_not_run reason ("boom") stays fail-open in
+    convention_findings but must NOT also spam evidence_gaps — only a
+    detected timeout does (see test_claim_review_conventions_timeout_
+    degrades_with_gap in test_evidence_assembly_bounded_legs.py)."""
     monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "conventions_enabled", True)
     c = _make_choreographer(
         check_result={"findings": [], "could_not_run": True, "reason": "boom"}
     )
-    out = await c._qa_convention_findings(uuid4(), MagicMock())
+    gaps: list[str] = []
+    out = await c._qa_convention_findings(uuid4(), MagicMock(), timeout=30.0, gaps=gaps)
     assert len(out) == 1
     assert out[0]["could_not_run"] is True
     assert out[0]["reason"] == "boom"
+    assert gaps == []
 
 
 def _stub_task() -> MagicMock:
diff --git a/tests/unit/gateway/test_evidence_assembly_bounded_legs.py b/tests/unit/gateway/test_evidence_assembly_bounded_legs.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8362ca4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/gateway/test_evidence_assembly_bounded_legs.py
@@ -0,0 +1,763 @@
+"""Bounded advisory-evidence legs on claim_review / claim_doc_task /
+claim_gate_review / evidence() / i_am_done's success envelope.
+
+Live bug: claim-evidence assembly's slow legs (branch-fetch-backed diff,
+list_changed_files, the conventions-validator subprocess) had no per-leg
+budget, so a hung leg silently ate the whole ``flow_verb_timeout_seconds``
+(120s) and died as a FlowVerbTimeout 504 — holding every row the request
+touched for the duration. Fix: each slow leg runs bounded via
+``run_bounded_leg`` (``asyncio.wait_for``) against a SHARED ``LegBudget`` per
+build; a timeout skips that piece, records a human-readable note in the
+evidence's ``evidence_gaps``, and lets the claim verb succeed with partial
+evidence instead of hanging.
+
+Adversarial-review follow-up (round 2) covers four confirmed gaps:
+1. ``run_bounded_leg`` must catch ``GitTimeoutError`` too (``_run_git``'s own
+   internal subprocess bound — NOT a ``TimeoutError`` subclass, and usually
+   the FIRST bound to trip since it defaults to 30s, shorter than a leg's
+   own budget) — every timeout-shaped test below is parametrized over both
+   exception shapes.
+2. The conventions leg no longer wraps ``_qa_convention_findings`` in an
+   outer ``run_bounded_leg`` — that raced ``conventions_check_for_task``'s
+   own inner timeout+cleanup and leaked the validator subprocess. It now
+   self-bounds via the ``timeout`` kwarg alone and reports its own gap.
+3. ``fetch_branch_for_inspection`` takes an optional ``subprocess_timeout``
+   so its fetch subprocess self-bounds near the leg's own budget instead of
+   occupying a thread on the shared default executor for up to 300s.
+4. A shared ``LegBudget`` (one per evidence build) makes every leg's
+   ``wait_for`` draw from one TOTAL budget instead of getting its own full
+   allotment — summed per-leg budgets can no longer exceed the total.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import asyncio
+import time
+from datetime import UTC, datetime
+from typing import Any
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock
+from uuid import uuid4
+
+import pytest
+from roboco.config import settings
+from roboco.exceptions import GitCommandError, GitTimeoutError
+from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer import Choreographer, ChoreographerDeps
+from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer.evidence_legs import (
+    LegBudget,
+    run_bounded_leg,
+)
+
+# Every timeout-shaped test is parametrized over both real timeout shapes:
+# asyncio's own cancellation-converted TimeoutError, and GitTimeoutError
+# (GitService._run_git's own internal subprocess bound — a GitError/
+# RobocoError subclass, NOT a TimeoutError subclass, and the most common
+# real-world single-hung-git-call shape since it defaults to a SHORTER
+# window, 30s, than a leg's own budget).
+_TIMEOUT_EXCEPTIONS = (
+    TimeoutError("hung"),
+    GitTimeoutError("git diff", 30),
+)
+_TIMEOUT_IDS = ("asyncio_timeout", "git_timeout")
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# run_bounded_leg / LegBudget themselves
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_run_bounded_leg_passes_through_on_success() -> None:
+    async def fast() -> str:
+        return "value"
+
+    gaps: list[str] = []
+    result = await run_bounded_leg(
+        fast(),
+        default="fallback",
+        budget=LegBudget(5.0),
+        leg="unit leg",
+        hint="check manually",
+        task_id=uuid4(),
+        gaps=gaps,
+    )
+    assert result == "value"
+    assert gaps == []
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("exc", _TIMEOUT_EXCEPTIONS, ids=_TIMEOUT_IDS)
+async def test_run_bounded_leg_degrades_to_default_on_timeout(exc: Exception) -> None:
+    async def hangs() -> str:
+        raise exc
+
+    gaps: list[str] = []
+    result = await run_bounded_leg(
+        hangs(),
+        default="fallback",
+        budget=LegBudget(5.0),
+        leg="unit leg",
+        hint="check manually",
+        task_id=uuid4(),
+        gaps=gaps,
+    )
+    assert result == "fallback"
+    assert len(gaps) == 1
+    assert "unit leg unavailable" in gaps[0]
+    assert "check manually" in gaps[0]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_run_bounded_leg_actually_bounds_a_slow_coroutine() -> None:
+    """A genuinely slow (not pre-raised) coroutine is cancelled at the
+    budget's deadline, not awaited to completion."""
+
+    async def slow() -> str:
+        await asyncio.sleep(10)
+        return "too late"
+
+    gaps: list[str] = []
+    result = await run_bounded_leg(
+        slow(),
+        default="fallback",
+        budget=LegBudget(0.05),
+        leg="unit leg",
+        hint="check manually",
+        task_id=uuid4(),
+        gaps=gaps,
+    )
+    assert result == "fallback"
+    assert len(gaps) == 1
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_run_bounded_leg_other_git_error_still_propagates() -> None:
+    """A real command failure (not a timeout) is NOT a degrade case — it
+    must still propagate uncaught, same as any other unexpected exception."""
+
+    async def fails() -> str:
+        raise GitCommandError("git diff", "fatal: bad revision")
+
+    gaps: list[str] = []
+    with pytest.raises(GitCommandError):
+        await run_bounded_leg(
+            fails(),
+            default="fallback",
+            budget=LegBudget(5.0),
+            leg="unit leg",
+            hint="check manually",
+            task_id=uuid4(),
+            gaps=gaps,
+        )
+    assert gaps == []
+
+
+def test_leg_budget_remaining_shrinks_over_time() -> None:
+    # Total well above _MIN_LEG_SECONDS (1.0) so the floor never engages
+    # here — otherwise both readings would clamp to 1.0 and look equal.
+    budget = LegBudget(3.0)
+    first = budget.remaining()
+    time.sleep(0.1)
+    second = budget.remaining()
+    assert second < first
+    assert first == pytest.approx(3.0, abs=0.05)
+    assert (first - second) == pytest.approx(0.1, abs=0.05)
+
+
+def test_leg_budget_floors_at_minimum() -> None:
+    """A budget already past its deadline still yields a positive window
+    (the floor) rather than 0 or a negative timeout — a leg always gets a
+    real chance to run, even a badly-exhausted one."""
+    budget = LegBudget(0.01)
+    time.sleep(0.05)
+    assert budget.remaining() == pytest.approx(1.0, abs=0.05)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_run_bounded_leg_shares_one_shrinking_budget_across_legs() -> None:
+    """Three legs sharing ONE LegBudget: the first two finish fast and
+    consume real budget; the last two never finish on their own and get
+    progressively SMALLER windows (shrinking, not each getting the full
+    total) — both record their own gap, and total wall time stays bounded
+    near the shared total instead of the naive per-leg sum (0.1+0.1+5+5s).
+    """
+    budget = LegBudget(1.2)
+    gaps: list[str] = []
+
+    async def _takes(seconds: float) -> str:
+        await asyncio.sleep(seconds)
+        return "done"
+
+    start = time.monotonic()
+    remaining_before_1 = budget.remaining()
+    r1 = await run_bounded_leg(
+        _takes(0.1),
+        default="gap1",
+        budget=budget,
+        leg="leg1",
+        hint="h",
+        task_id="t",
+        gaps=gaps,
+    )
+    remaining_before_2 = budget.remaining()
+    r2 = await run_bounded_leg(
+        _takes(5.0),
+        default="gap2",
+        budget=budget,
+        leg="leg2",
+        hint="h",
+        task_id="t",
+        gaps=gaps,
+    )
+    remaining_before_3 = budget.remaining()
+    r3 = await run_bounded_leg(
+        _takes(5.0),
+        default="gap3",
+        budget=budget,
+        leg="leg3",
+        hint="h",
+        task_id="t",
+        gaps=gaps,
+    )
+    elapsed = time.monotonic() - start
+    expected_gap_count = 2  # leg2 + leg3 both timed out; leg1 completed
+
+    assert r1 == "done"
+    assert r2 == "gap2"
+    assert r3 == "gap3"
+    assert len(gaps) == expected_gap_count
+    assert "leg2" in gaps[0]
+    assert "leg3" in gaps[1]
+    # Each leg's own remaining() reading is strictly smaller than the last
+    # — the shared deadline never resets.
+    assert remaining_before_1 > remaining_before_2 > remaining_before_3
+    # ponytail: the floor (max 1.0s) can inflate the LAST leg's window past
+    # what a naive "budget minus elapsed" would give once the deadline is
+    # already exhausted — a single floor engagement caps the worst-case
+    # overage at _MIN_LEG_SECONDS (1.0s), so budget total + ~1.3s is a safe,
+    # honest ceiling rather than a strict `<= budget` bound. Upgrade path:
+    # make the floor configurable if a caller ever needs a tighter cap.
+    budget_total_seconds = 1.2
+    floor_overage_tolerance_seconds = 1.3
+    assert elapsed <= budget_total_seconds + floor_overage_tolerance_seconds
+    # And it's nowhere near the naive per-leg-gets-its-own-full-timeout sum
+    # (0.1 + 5.0 + 5.0 = 10.1s) that pre-LegBudget behavior would produce.
+    naive_per_leg_sum_seconds = 5.0
+    assert elapsed < naive_per_leg_sum_seconds
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Shared choreographer test harness (mirrors test_choreographer_qa.py /
+# test_claim_doc_task_checkout.py / test_claim_gate_review_guards.py)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def _make_deps(**overrides: Any) -> ChoreographerDeps:
+    base: dict[str, Any] = {
+        "task": AsyncMock(),
+        "work_session": AsyncMock(),
+        "git": AsyncMock(),
+        "a2a": AsyncMock(),
+        "journal": AsyncMock(),
+        "audit": AsyncMock(),
+        "evidence_repo": AsyncMock(),
+    }
+    base.update(overrides)
+    repo = base["evidence_repo"]
+    for method in (
+        "list_unread_a2a",
+        "list_unread_mentions",
+        "list_pending_notifications",
+        "task_metadata_gaps",
+        "recent_team_activity",
+        "blockers_in_lane",
+        "journal_highlights_for_task",
+    ):
+        getattr(repo, method).return_value = []
+    _ldef = base["journal"].latest_decision_at.return_value
+    if type(_ldef).__name__ in ("MagicMock", "AsyncMock"):
+        base["journal"].latest_decision_at.return_value = datetime.now(UTC)
+    return ChoreographerDeps(**base)
+
+
+def _stub_empty_ledger(session: MagicMock) -> None:
+    session.execute = AsyncMock(
+        return_value=MagicMock(
+            scalars=MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(all=MagicMock(return_value=[])))
+        )
+    )
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# claim_review (qa.py)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+_PR_NUMBER = 8
+_PR_URL = "https://github.com/x/y/pull/8"
+
+
+def _qa_task(task_id: Any) -> MagicMock:
+    return MagicMock(
+        id=task_id,
+        status="awaiting_qa",
+        assigned_to=None,
+        pr_number=_PR_NUMBER,
+        pr_url=_PR_URL,
+        commits=[{"sha": "abc123", "message": "feat: x"}],
+        team="backend",
+        branch_name="feature/backend/abc--def",
+        work_session_id=uuid4(),
+        documents=[],
+        dev_notes="implemented x",
+        acceptance_criteria=["AC1"],
+        acceptance_criteria_status=[
+            {"criterion": "AC1", "referencing_artifact_id": "abc123"},
+        ],
+        parent_task_id=None,
+    )
+
+
+def _qa_harness(git_svc: AsyncMock) -> tuple[Choreographer, Any, Any]:
+    """Does NOT touch ``settings.conventions_enabled`` — callers that care
+    set it themselves via their own ``monkeypatch`` fixture; a shared
+    forced-False here would silently clobber a caller's forced-True set
+    moments earlier (``monkeypatch.setattr`` doesn't stack, last write
+    wins), which is exactly what broke the conventions-specific tests."""
+    qa_id = uuid4()
+    task_id = uuid4()
+    t_initial = _qa_task(task_id)
+    t_claimed = MagicMock(**{**t_initial.__dict__, "assigned_to": qa_id})
+
+    task_svc = AsyncMock()
+    task_svc.get.return_value = t_initial
+    task_svc.agent_for.return_value = MagicMock(role="qa", team="backend")
+    task_svc.list_in_progress_for_agent.return_value = []
+    task_svc.list_paused_for_agent.return_value = []
+    task_svc.qa_claim.return_value = t_claimed
+    _stub_empty_ledger(task_svc.session)
+
+    deps = _make_deps(task=task_svc, git=git_svc)
+    return Choreographer(deps), qa_id, task_id
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("exc", _TIMEOUT_EXCEPTIONS, ids=_TIMEOUT_IDS)
+async def test_claim_review_diff_timeout_degrades_with_gap(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, exc: Exception
+) -> None:
+    """A hung git.diff on claim_review must not hang the verb: it degrades
+    to an empty diff, records the gap, and the OTHER leg (list_changed_files)
+    still comes through untouched."""
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "conventions_enabled", False)
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.diff.side_effect = exc
+    git_svc.list_changed_files.return_value = ["README.md"]
+    c, qa_id, task_id = _qa_harness(git_svc)
+
+    env = await c.claim_review(qa_id, task_id)
+    body = env.as_dict()
+    assert body["error"] is None, body
+    ev = body["evidence"]
+    assert ev["pr_diff_summary"] == ""
+    assert ev["files_changed"] == ["README.md"]
+    assert "evidence_gaps" in ev
+    assert len(ev["evidence_gaps"]) == 1
+    assert "pr diff unavailable" in ev["evidence_gaps"][0]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_claim_review_conventions_timeout_degrades_with_gap(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    """conventions_check_for_task's OWN internal timeout (proc.kill()'d and
+    reaped inside git.py, never raising) surfaces as could_not_run=True with
+    a "timed out" reason — not an exception. The advisory call site
+    (_qa_convention_findings) detects that shape and records the gap
+    itself; NO outer run_bounded_leg wraps this leg (that's the fix — see
+    module docstring point 2)."""
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "conventions_enabled", True)
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.diff.return_value = "diff content"
+    git_svc.list_changed_files.return_value = ["README.md"]
+    git_svc.conventions_check_for_task.return_value = {
+        "findings": [],
+        "could_not_run": True,
+        "reason": "validator timed out after 30.0s",
+    }
+    c, qa_id, task_id = _qa_harness(git_svc)
+
+    env = await c.claim_review(qa_id, task_id)
+    body = env.as_dict()
+    assert body["error"] is None, body
+    ev = body["evidence"]
+    assert ev["pr_diff_summary"] == "diff content"
+    assert ev["files_changed"] == ["README.md"]
+    assert ev["convention_findings"] == [
+        {"could_not_run": True, "reason": "validator timed out after 30.0s"}
+    ]
+    assert "evidence_gaps" in ev
+    assert any("conventions findings unavailable" in g for g in ev["evidence_gaps"])
+    # The advisory (shorter) ceiling reached the validator call, not the
+    # fail-closed i_am_done/pr_pass default (None -> hardcoded 120s).
+    git_svc.conventions_check_for_task.assert_awaited_once()
+    call_kwargs = git_svc.conventions_check_for_task.await_args.kwargs
+    assert (
+        call_kwargs["timeout"]
+        <= settings.conventions_validator_advisory_timeout_seconds
+    )
+    assert call_kwargs["timeout"] > 0
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_claim_review_conventions_non_timeout_could_not_run_no_gap(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    """A genuine resolution failure (not a timeout) still surfaces in
+    convention_findings (existing fail-open shape) but must NOT also spam
+    evidence_gaps — that's reserved for actual degraded-advisory-leg notes."""
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "conventions_enabled", True)
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.diff.return_value = "diff content"
+    git_svc.list_changed_files.return_value = ["README.md"]
+    git_svc.conventions_check_for_task.return_value = {
+        "findings": [],
+        "could_not_run": True,
+        "reason": "resolution failed: NotFoundError: Branch not found",
+    }
+    c, qa_id, task_id = _qa_harness(git_svc)
+
+    env = await c.claim_review(qa_id, task_id)
+    body = env.as_dict()
+    assert body["error"] is None, body
+    ev = body["evidence"]
+    assert ev["convention_findings"][0]["could_not_run"] is True
+    assert "evidence_gaps" not in ev
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_qa_convention_findings_not_cancelled_by_outer_budget(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    """Regression for the orphaned-subprocess bug: even with a tiny shared
+    evidence-assembly budget, _qa_convention_findings must NOT be cut short
+    by an outer wait_for — it awaits conventions_check_for_task to
+    completion. A slow-but-real mock (0.15s) run against a budget whose
+    total is far smaller (0.02s) proves there is no outer wrap: if there
+    still were one, this would return the default/empty shape instead of
+    the real result."""
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "conventions_enabled", True)
+
+    async def _slow_check(*_args: object, **_kwargs: object) -> dict[str, Any]:
+        await asyncio.sleep(0.15)
+        return {"findings": [{"file": "x.py", "line": 1}], "could_not_run": False}
+
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.conventions_check_for_task.side_effect = _slow_check
+    c, _qa_id, _task_id = _qa_harness(git_svc)
+    cc: Any = c
+
+    gaps: list[str] = []
+    result = await cc._qa_convention_findings(
+        uuid4(), MagicMock(), timeout=0.02, gaps=gaps
+    )
+    assert result == [{"file": "x.py", "line": 1}]
+    assert gaps == []
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_claim_review_normal_path_has_no_evidence_gaps(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    """Byte-for-byte unchanged normal path: no evidence_gaps key at all when
+    nothing times out."""
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "conventions_enabled", False)
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.diff.return_value = "diff content"
+    git_svc.list_changed_files.return_value = ["README.md"]
+    c, qa_id, task_id = _qa_harness(git_svc)
+
+    env = await c.claim_review(qa_id, task_id)
+    body = env.as_dict()
+    assert body["error"] is None, body
+    ev = body["evidence"]
+    assert ev["pr_diff_summary"] == "diff content"
+    assert ev["files_changed"] == ["README.md"]
+    assert "evidence_gaps" not in ev
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# claim_doc_task (doc.py)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def _doc_task(task_id: Any, branch: str) -> MagicMock:
+    return MagicMock(
+        id=task_id,
+        status="awaiting_documentation",
+        assigned_to=None,
+        task_type="documentation",
+        team="backend",
+        branch_name=branch,
+        quick_context=None,
+        documents=[],
+        commits=[{"sha": "abc123", "message": "[x] work"}],
+        pr_number=7,
+        pr_url="https://github.com/x/y/pull/7",
+        dev_notes="done",
+        acceptance_criteria_status=[],
+        work_session_id=uuid4(),
+    )
+
+
+def _doc_harness(git_svc: AsyncMock) -> tuple[Choreographer, Any, Any]:
+    doc_id = uuid4()
+    task_id = uuid4()
+    branch = "feature/backend/root1234--cellpm56--dev78901"
+    t_initial = _doc_task(task_id, branch)
+    t_claimed = MagicMock(**{**t_initial.__dict__, "assigned_to": doc_id})
+
+    task_svc = AsyncMock()
+    task_svc.get.return_value = t_initial
+    task_svc.agent_for.return_value = MagicMock(role="documenter", team="backend")
+    task_svc.list_in_progress_for_agent.return_value = []
+    task_svc.list_paused_for_agent.return_value = []
+    task_svc.doc_claim.return_value = t_claimed
+    _stub_empty_ledger(task_svc.session)
+
+    deps = _make_deps(task=task_svc, git=git_svc)
+    return Choreographer(deps), doc_id, task_id
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("exc", _TIMEOUT_EXCEPTIONS, ids=_TIMEOUT_IDS)
+async def test_claim_doc_task_diff_timeout_degrades_with_gap(exc: Exception) -> None:
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.diff.side_effect = exc
+    git_svc.list_changed_files.return_value = ["README.md"]
+    c, doc_id, task_id = _doc_harness(git_svc)
+
+    env = await c.claim_doc_task(doc_id, task_id)
+    body = env.as_dict()
+    assert body["error"] is None, body
+    ev = body["evidence"]
+    assert ev["pr_diff_summary"] == ""
+    assert ev["files_changed"] == ["README.md"]
+    assert "evidence_gaps" in ev
+    assert any("pr diff unavailable" in g for g in ev["evidence_gaps"])
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("exc", _TIMEOUT_EXCEPTIONS, ids=_TIMEOUT_IDS)
+async def test_claim_doc_task_checkout_timeout_degrades_with_gap(
+    exc: Exception,
+) -> None:
+    """The checkout leg (run before evidence assembly) also degrades bounded
+    instead of an unbounded suppress(Exception) — its gap folds into the
+    same evidence_gaps list the diff/list_changed_files legs use, drawing
+    from the SAME shared LegBudget."""
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.checkout_branch_in_agent_workspace.side_effect = exc
+    git_svc.diff.return_value = "diff content"
+    git_svc.list_changed_files.return_value = ["README.md"]
+    c, doc_id, task_id = _doc_harness(git_svc)
+
+    env = await c.claim_doc_task(doc_id, task_id)
+    body = env.as_dict()
+    assert body["error"] is None, body
+    ev = body["evidence"]
+    # The other legs are untouched by the checkout's own timeout.
+    assert ev["pr_diff_summary"] == "diff content"
+    assert ev["files_changed"] == ["README.md"]
+    assert "evidence_gaps" in ev
+    assert any("workspace checkout unavailable" in g for g in ev["evidence_gaps"])
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_claim_doc_task_normal_path_has_no_evidence_gaps() -> None:
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.diff.return_value = "diff content"
+    git_svc.list_changed_files.return_value = ["README.md"]
+    c, doc_id, task_id = _doc_harness(git_svc)
+
+    env = await c.claim_doc_task(doc_id, task_id)
+    body = env.as_dict()
+    assert body["error"] is None, body
+    ev = body["evidence"]
+    assert ev["pr_diff_summary"] == "diff content"
+    assert ev["files_changed"] == ["README.md"]
+    assert "evidence_gaps" not in ev
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# claim_gate_review (pr_gate.py)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def _gate_task() -> MagicMock:
+    return MagicMock(
+        id=uuid4(),
+        status="awaiting_pr_review",
+        assigned_to=uuid4(),
+        parent_task_id=None,
+        task_type="planning",
+        dependency_ids=[],
+        team="main_pm",
+        pr_number=139,
+        pr_url="https://example/pr/139",
+        branch_name="feature/main_pm/root",
+        batch_id=None,
+        description=None,
+        acceptance_criteria=[],
+    )
+
+
+def _gate_harness(git_svc: AsyncMock) -> tuple[Choreographer, Any, Any]:
+    task_svc = AsyncMock()
+    t = _gate_task()
+    task_svc.get.return_value = t
+    task_svc.agent_for.return_value = MagicMock(
+        role="pr_reviewer", slug="be-pr-reviewer"
+    )
+    task_svc.list_in_progress_for_agent.return_value = []
+    task_svc.list_paused_for_agent.return_value = []
+    task_svc.unmet_dependency_ids = AsyncMock(return_value=[])
+    task_svc.has_earlier_incomplete_code_sibling.return_value = False
+    task_svc.pr_gate_claim = AsyncMock(return_value=t)
+    _stub_empty_ledger(task_svc.session)
+    deps = _make_deps(task=task_svc, git=git_svc)
+    return Choreographer(deps), t, uuid4()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("exc", _TIMEOUT_EXCEPTIONS, ids=_TIMEOUT_IDS)
+async def test_claim_gate_review_diff_timeout_degrades_with_gap(exc: Exception) -> None:
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.diff.side_effect = exc
+    git_svc.list_changed_files.return_value = ["README.md"]
+    c, t, reviewer_id = _gate_harness(git_svc)
+
+    env = await c.claim_gate_review(reviewer_id, t.id)
+    body = env.as_dict()
+    assert body["error"] is None, body
+    ev = body["evidence"]
+    assert ev["pr_diff"] == ""
+    assert "evidence_gaps" in ev
+    assert any("pr diff unavailable" in g for g in ev["evidence_gaps"])
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_claim_gate_review_files_changed_timeout_degrades_with_gap(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    """list_changed_files hanging must not sink the whole gate claim, and the
+    diff leg (which succeeded) must remain intact in the evidence.
+
+    ``_gate_changed_files`` has its own internal ``except Exception`` (an
+    existing hard-failure fail-open, untouched by this fix) that would
+    swallow a synchronously-raised exception (of either timeout shape)
+    before the outer ``run_bounded_leg`` ever saw it — so this uses a
+    genuinely slow coroutine + a monkeypatched short budget to exercise the
+    real cancel-at-the-wall path (``asyncio.wait_for`` cancelling the
+    awaited task via ``CancelledError``, which that ``except Exception``
+    does NOT catch), matching what a real hang does in production.
+    """
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, "evidence_assembly_timeout_seconds", 0.02)
+
+    async def _hangs(*_args: object, **_kwargs: object) -> list[str]:
+        await asyncio.sleep(5)
+        return ["should-not-be-reached"]
+
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.diff.return_value = "diff content"
+    git_svc.list_changed_files.side_effect = _hangs
+    c, t, reviewer_id = _gate_harness(git_svc)
+
+    env = await c.claim_gate_review(reviewer_id, t.id)
+    body = env.as_dict()
+    assert body["error"] is None, body
+    ev = body["evidence"]
+    assert ev["pr_diff"] == "diff content"
+    assert "evidence_gaps" in ev
+    assert any("files_changed unavailable" in g for g in ev["evidence_gaps"])
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_claim_gate_review_normal_path_has_no_evidence_gaps() -> None:
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.diff.return_value = "diff content"
+    git_svc.list_changed_files.return_value = ["README.md"]
+    c, t, reviewer_id = _gate_harness(git_svc)
+
+    env = await c.claim_gate_review(reviewer_id, t.id)
+    body = env.as_dict()
+    assert body["error"] is None, body
+    ev = body["evidence"]
+    assert ev["pr_diff"] == "diff content"
+    assert "evidence_gaps" not in ev
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# _build_i_am_done_ok (i_am_done's success-envelope evidence). Runs strictly
+# AFTER the composed transition already committed — advisory, not gating —
+# so its list_changed_files leg is bounded exactly like the claim paths.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def _done_task(task_id: Any) -> MagicMock:
+    return MagicMock(
+        id=task_id,
+        branch_name="feature/backend/abc",
+        commits=[{"sha": "abc123", "message": "x"}],
+        dev_notes="done",
+        acceptance_criteria_status=[],
+        pr_number=5,
+        pr_url="https://github.com/x/y/pull/5",
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("exc", _TIMEOUT_EXCEPTIONS, ids=_TIMEOUT_IDS)
+async def test_build_i_am_done_ok_files_changed_timeout_degrades_with_gap(
+    exc: Exception,
+) -> None:
+    """A hung list_changed_files leg in i_am_done's already-committed
+    success-envelope builder must not hang the dev's response — it degrades
+    to an empty files_changed and records the gap."""
+    agent_id = uuid4()
+    task_id = uuid4()
+    t = _done_task(task_id)
+    task_svc = AsyncMock()
+    task_svc.agent_for.return_value = MagicMock(role="developer", team="backend")
+    _stub_empty_ledger(task_svc.session)
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.list_changed_files.side_effect = exc
+    deps = _make_deps(task=task_svc, git=git_svc)
+    c = Choreographer(deps)
+
+    env = await c._build_i_am_done_ok(agent_id, task_id, t)
+    body = env.as_dict()
+    assert body["error"] is None, body
+    ev = body["evidence"]
+    assert ev["files_changed"] == []
+    assert "evidence_gaps" in ev
+    assert any("files_changed unavailable" in g for g in ev["evidence_gaps"])
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_build_i_am_done_ok_normal_path_has_no_evidence_gaps() -> None:
+    agent_id = uuid4()
+    task_id = uuid4()
+    t = _done_task(task_id)
+    task_svc = AsyncMock()
+    task_svc.agent_for.return_value = MagicMock(role="developer", team="backend")
+    _stub_empty_ledger(task_svc.session)
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.list_changed_files.return_value = ["README.md"]
+    deps = _make_deps(task=task_svc, git=git_svc)
+    c = Choreographer(deps)
+
+    env = await c._build_i_am_done_ok(agent_id, task_id, t)
+    body = env.as_dict()
+    assert body["error"] is None, body
+    ev = body["evidence"]
+    assert ev["files_changed"] == ["README.md"]
+    assert "evidence_gaps" not in ev
diff --git a/tests/unit/gateway/test_evidence_populates_files_changed.py b/tests/unit/gateway/test_evidence_populates_files_changed.py
index f940d461..ea11062f 100644
--- a/tests/unit/gateway/test_evidence_populates_files_changed.py
+++ b/tests/unit/gateway/test_evidence_populates_files_changed.py
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock
 from uuid import uuid4
 
 import pytest
+from roboco.config import settings
+from roboco.exceptions import GitTimeoutError
 from roboco.services.gateway.content_actions import ContentActions, ContentActionsDeps
 
 
@@ -223,3 +225,143 @@ async def test_evidence_no_branch_skips_git_calls() -> None:
     assert body["evidence"]["pr_diff_summary"] == ""
     git_svc.diff.assert_not_awaited()
     git_svc.list_changed_files.assert_not_awaited()
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Bounded advisory-evidence legs: evidence() must not hang on a slow branch
+# fetch / diff / list_changed_files leg — it degrades and records a note in
+# evidence_gaps instead (same run_bounded_leg treatment as claim_review /
+# claim_doc_task / claim_gate_review). Every timeout-shaped test is
+# parametrized over both real timeout shapes: asyncio's own
+# cancellation-converted TimeoutError, and GitTimeoutError (_run_git's own
+# internal subprocess bound — a GitError/RobocoError subclass, NOT a
+# TimeoutError subclass, and the most common real-world single-hung-git-call
+# shape since it defaults to a SHORTER window than a leg's own budget).
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+_TIMEOUT_EXCEPTIONS = (
+    TimeoutError("hung"),
+    GitTimeoutError("git diff", 30),
+)
+_TIMEOUT_IDS = ("asyncio_timeout", "git_timeout")
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("exc", _TIMEOUT_EXCEPTIONS, ids=_TIMEOUT_IDS)
+async def test_evidence_diff_timeout_degrades_with_gap(exc: Exception) -> None:
+    """A hung git.diff must not hang evidence(): it degrades to an empty
+    diff, records the gap, and list_changed_files (the other leg) still
+    comes through untouched."""
+    agent_id = uuid4()
+    task_id = uuid4()
+    task_svc = AsyncMock()
+    task_svc.get.return_value = _task_with_pr(task_id, commits=["abc"])
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.diff.side_effect = exc
+    git_svc.list_changed_files.return_value = ["README.md"]
+    workspace_svc = AsyncMock()
+    evidence_repo = AsyncMock()
+    evidence_repo.journal_highlights_for_task.return_value = []
+
+    ca = ContentActions(
+        _deps_for_evidence(task_svc, git_svc, workspace_svc, evidence_repo)
+    )
+    env = await ca.evidence(agent_id=agent_id, task_id=task_id)
+    body = env.as_dict()
+    assert body["error"] is None, body
+    ev = body["evidence"]
+    assert ev["pr_diff_summary"] == ""
+    assert ev["files_changed"] == ["README.md"]
+    assert "evidence_gaps" in ev
+    assert any("pr diff unavailable" in g for g in ev["evidence_gaps"])
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("exc", _TIMEOUT_EXCEPTIONS, ids=_TIMEOUT_IDS)
+async def test_evidence_branch_fetch_timeout_degrades_with_gap(exc: Exception) -> None:
+    """A hung workspace branch-fetch must not hang evidence() either — the
+    subsequent diff/list_changed_files legs still run (against whatever the
+    workspace already has) and the gap is recorded."""
+    agent_id = uuid4()
+    task_id = uuid4()
+    task_svc = AsyncMock()
+    task_svc.get.return_value = _task_with_pr(task_id, commits=["abc"])
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.diff.return_value = "diff content"
+    git_svc.list_changed_files.return_value = ["README.md"]
+    workspace_svc = AsyncMock()
+    workspace_svc.fetch_branch_for_inspection.side_effect = exc
+    evidence_repo = AsyncMock()
+    evidence_repo.journal_highlights_for_task.return_value = []
+
+    ca = ContentActions(
+        _deps_for_evidence(task_svc, git_svc, workspace_svc, evidence_repo)
+    )
+    env = await ca.evidence(agent_id=agent_id, task_id=task_id)
+    body = env.as_dict()
+    assert body["error"] is None, body
+    ev = body["evidence"]
+    assert ev["pr_diff_summary"] == "diff content"
+    assert ev["files_changed"] == ["README.md"]
+    assert "evidence_gaps" in ev
+    assert any("branch fetch unavailable" in g for g in ev["evidence_gaps"])
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_evidence_branch_fetch_passes_subprocess_timeout_from_budget() -> None:
+    """The branch-fetch leg passes its own remaining LegBudget share down as
+    fetch_branch_for_inspection's subprocess_timeout, so a hung fetch
+    subprocess self-terminates near the leg's own budget instead of
+    occupying a thread on the shared default executor for up to
+    workspace_clone_timeout (300s) after evidence() already gave up on it."""
+    agent_id = uuid4()
+    task_id = uuid4()
+    task_svc = AsyncMock()
+    task_svc.get.return_value = _task_with_pr(task_id, commits=["abc"])
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.diff.return_value = "diff content"
+    git_svc.list_changed_files.return_value = ["README.md"]
+    workspace_svc = AsyncMock()
+    workspace_svc.fetch_branch_for_inspection.return_value = None
+    evidence_repo = AsyncMock()
+    evidence_repo.journal_highlights_for_task.return_value = []
+
+    ca = ContentActions(
+        _deps_for_evidence(task_svc, git_svc, workspace_svc, evidence_repo)
+    )
+    env = await ca.evidence(agent_id=agent_id, task_id=task_id)
+    assert env.as_dict()["error"] is None
+
+    workspace_svc.fetch_branch_for_inspection.assert_awaited_once()
+    call_kwargs = workspace_svc.fetch_branch_for_inspection.await_args.kwargs
+    assert (
+        call_kwargs["subprocess_timeout"] <= settings.evidence_assembly_timeout_seconds
+    )
+    assert call_kwargs["subprocess_timeout"] > 0
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_evidence_normal_path_has_no_evidence_gaps() -> None:
+    """Byte-for-byte unchanged normal path: no evidence_gaps key at all when
+    nothing times out."""
+    agent_id = uuid4()
+    task_id = uuid4()
+    task_svc = AsyncMock()
+    task_svc.get.return_value = _task_with_pr(task_id, commits=["abc"])
+    git_svc = AsyncMock()
+    git_svc.diff.return_value = "diff content"
+    git_svc.list_changed_files.return_value = ["README.md"]
+    workspace_svc = AsyncMock()
+    evidence_repo = AsyncMock()
+    evidence_repo.journal_highlights_for_task.return_value = []
+
+    ca = ContentActions(
+        _deps_for_evidence(task_svc, git_svc, workspace_svc, evidence_repo)
+    )
+    env = await ca.evidence(agent_id=agent_id, task_id=task_id)
+    body = env.as_dict()
+    assert body["error"] is None, body
+    ev = body["evidence"]
+    assert ev["pr_diff_summary"] == "diff content"
+    assert ev["files_changed"] == ["README.md"]
+    assert "evidence_gaps" not in ev
diff --git a/tests/unit/gateway/test_pm_decision_autorecord.py b/tests/unit/gateway/test_pm_decision_autorecord.py
index e79d8f8d..5402e3b0 100644
--- a/tests/unit/gateway/test_pm_decision_autorecord.py
+++ b/tests/unit/gateway/test_pm_decision_autorecord.py
@@ -7,6 +7,12 @@ gate runs. This removes the dominant stall where a loaded/weak-model PM
 forgot the separate note(scope='decision') call and looped on a
 tracing_gap → respawn. The gate itself is unchanged (see
 test_pm_decision_window.py) — this only ensures a fresh decision exists.
+
+``_ensure_pm_decision`` returns a ``PmDecisionOutcome`` ("fresh" / "wrote" /
+"transient_failure" / "absent") the caller threads into the gate helper that
+runs right after (see test_pm_decision_transient_failure.py for the
+gate-satisfaction behavior itself) — these tests pin the outcome value for
+each branch.
 """
 
 from __future__ import annotations
@@ -54,8 +60,11 @@ async def test_writes_decision_when_none_exists() -> None:
     journal.latest_decision_at.return_value = None
     c = Choreographer(_make_deps(journal=journal))
 
-    await c._ensure_pm_decision(agent_id, task_id, "Merging PR #120; all ACs verified")
+    outcome = await c._ensure_pm_decision(
+        agent_id, task_id, "Merging PR #120; all ACs verified"
+    )
 
+    assert outcome == "wrote"
     journal.write_decision.assert_awaited_once()
     _args, kwargs = journal.write_decision.call_args
     assert kwargs["agent_id"] == agent_id
@@ -69,8 +78,9 @@ async def test_skips_when_fresh_decision_already_exists() -> None:
     journal.latest_decision_at.return_value = datetime.now(UTC) - timedelta(seconds=60)
     c = Choreographer(_make_deps(journal=journal))
 
-    await c._ensure_pm_decision(uuid4(), uuid4(), "rationale text here")
+    outcome = await c._ensure_pm_decision(uuid4(), uuid4(), "rationale text here")
 
+    assert outcome == "fresh"
     journal.write_decision.assert_not_awaited()
 
 
@@ -82,8 +92,11 @@ async def test_writes_when_existing_decision_is_stale() -> None:
     )
     c = Choreographer(_make_deps(journal=journal))
 
-    await c._ensure_pm_decision(uuid4(), uuid4(), "fresh rationale around this point")
+    outcome = await c._ensure_pm_decision(
+        uuid4(), uuid4(), "fresh rationale around this point"
+    )
 
+    assert outcome == "wrote"
     journal.write_decision.assert_awaited_once()
 
 
@@ -92,21 +105,29 @@ async def test_noop_on_empty_rationale() -> None:
     journal = AsyncMock()
     c = Choreographer(_make_deps(journal=journal))
 
-    await c._ensure_pm_decision(uuid4(), uuid4(), "   ")
-    await c._ensure_pm_decision(uuid4(), uuid4(), None)
+    outcome_blank = await c._ensure_pm_decision(uuid4(), uuid4(), "   ")
+    outcome_none = await c._ensure_pm_decision(uuid4(), uuid4(), None)
 
+    assert outcome_blank == "absent"
+    assert outcome_none == "absent"
     journal.latest_decision_at.assert_not_awaited()
     journal.write_decision.assert_not_awaited()
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_swallows_write_failure_best_effort() -> None:
-    """A journal write failure must not crash the verb — the gate then
-    rejects normally (the pre-fix behaviour), never a 500."""
+    """A journal write failure must not crash the verb. Round-2 fix: the
+    outcome is "transient_failure" (not swallowed into a bare None) so the
+    caller's gate can treat a DB hiccup as satisfied by the rationale
+    already in hand — see test_pm_decision_transient_failure.py for the
+    gate-satisfaction behavior itself."""
     journal = AsyncMock()
     journal.latest_decision_at.return_value = None
     journal.write_decision.side_effect = RuntimeError("db down")
     c = Choreographer(_make_deps(journal=journal))
 
     # Must not raise.
-    await c._ensure_pm_decision(uuid4(), uuid4(), "rationale that triggers a write")
+    outcome = await c._ensure_pm_decision(
+        uuid4(), uuid4(), "rationale that triggers a write"
+    )
+    assert outcome == "transient_failure"
diff --git a/tests/unit/gateway/test_pm_decision_transient_failure.py b/tests/unit/gateway/test_pm_decision_transient_failure.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..045baa38
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/gateway/test_pm_decision_transient_failure.py
@@ -0,0 +1,285 @@
+"""PM-decision write-then-gate: transient DB failure must not launder into a
+durable rejection/block.
+
+Live bug: every PM verb (complete / submit_up / submit_root / unblock /
+escalate_up / escalate_to_ceo / delegate) runs ``_ensure_pm_decision`` to
+auto-record its own rationale as a journal:decision before the freshness
+gate (``_check_pm_decision_required`` / ``_check_complete_gates`` /
+``_check_submit_up_gates``) runs. The write can lock-timeout under DB
+contention (a concurrent claim holding the task row's FK share lock); the
+old contract swallowed that and let the gate reject a "missing decision"
+the PM's own rationale already answered — a PM retries, keeps getting
+rejected while contention lasts, then escalates, and the task ends up
+BLOCKED. Transient congestion laundered into a durable blocked task.
+
+Fix: ``_ensure_pm_decision`` returns a ``PmDecisionOutcome`` — "fresh" /
+"wrote" / "transient_failure" / "absent". Every gate helper accepts
+``pm_decision_outcome`` (default ``None`` = legacy behavior unchanged) and
+treats "transient_failure" as gate-satisfied for THIS call — the rationale
+is in the verb payload; the write was only ever a convenience. "absent" (no
+rationale at all) still rejects exactly as before.
+
+These tests exercise the gate helpers directly (the leanest harness that
+reaches the actual decision-point) for precise, fast coverage of the
+mechanism, plus one near-real-call-site test per verb family
+(``_cell_pm_complete_guard``, ``escalate_up``) proving the real wiring.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from datetime import UTC, datetime
+from typing import Any
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock
+from uuid import uuid4
+
+import pytest
+from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer import Choreographer, ChoreographerDeps
+from roboco.services.gateway.choreographer import _impl as _impl_module
+from sqlalchemy.exc import OperationalError
+
+
+def _make_choreographer(**overrides: Any) -> Choreographer:
+    base: dict[str, Any] = {
+        "task": AsyncMock(),
+        "work_session": AsyncMock(),
+        "git": AsyncMock(),
+        "a2a": AsyncMock(),
+        "journal": AsyncMock(),
+        "audit": AsyncMock(),
+        "evidence_repo": AsyncMock(),
+    }
+    base.update(overrides)
+    return Choreographer(ChoreographerDeps(**base))
+
+
+_TRANSIENT_WARNING_SUBSTRING = "gate satisfied by verb rationale"
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# _check_pm_decision_required (unblock / escalate_up / escalate_to_ceo / delegate)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_check_pm_decision_required_transient_failure_satisfies_gate(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    """A "transient_failure" outcome satisfies the gate for this call even
+    though no fresh decision exists — the verb's own rationale is the
+    substance, the write was a convenience.
+
+    ``_impl.py`` logs via ``structlog.get_logger()`` directly; absent this
+    process having called ``roboco.logging.setup_logging()`` (never true in
+    a bare unit-test run), structlog uses its own default global config and
+    never touches stdlib ``logging`` — so ``caplog`` cannot see it. Patching
+    the module-level ``logger`` object is the reliable way to assert a
+    structlog call in this harness.
+    """
+    mock_logger = MagicMock()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(_impl_module, "logger", mock_logger)
+    journal_svc = AsyncMock()
+    journal_svc.latest_decision_at.return_value = None  # no fresh decision
+    c = _make_choreographer(journal=journal_svc)
+    t = MagicMock(id=uuid4())
+
+    env = await c._check_pm_decision_required(
+        "unblock",
+        uuid4(),
+        t.id,
+        t,
+        pm_decision_outcome="transient_failure",
+    )
+    assert env is None
+    mock_logger.warning.assert_called_once()
+    call = mock_logger.warning.call_args
+    assert _TRANSIENT_WARNING_SUBSTRING in call.args[0]
+    assert call.kwargs.get("verb") == "unblock"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_check_pm_decision_required_absent_still_rejects() -> None:
+    """ "absent" (no rationale, no fresh decision) rejects exactly as before
+    — defense-in-depth unchanged."""
+    journal_svc = AsyncMock()
+    journal_svc.latest_decision_at.return_value = None
+    c = _make_choreographer(journal=journal_svc)
+    t = MagicMock(id=uuid4())
+
+    env = await c._check_pm_decision_required(
+        "unblock", uuid4(), t.id, t, pm_decision_outcome="absent"
+    )
+    assert env is not None
+    assert env.as_dict()["error"] == "tracing_gap"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_check_pm_decision_required_none_default_unchanged() -> None:
+    """Every call site that hasn't threaded the outcome through (there are
+    none left in production, but the param defaults to None for legacy
+    parity) behaves byte-for-byte as before: no fresh decision rejects."""
+    journal_svc = AsyncMock()
+    journal_svc.latest_decision_at.return_value = None
+    c = _make_choreographer(journal=journal_svc)
+    t = MagicMock(id=uuid4())
+
+    env = await c._check_pm_decision_required("unblock", uuid4(), t.id, t)
+    assert env is not None
+    assert env.as_dict()["error"] == "tracing_gap"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_check_pm_decision_required_fresh_path_unchanged() -> None:
+    """A genuinely fresh decision passes regardless of pm_decision_outcome
+    — "fresh" is not a special-case bypass, it's the ordinary passing path."""
+    journal_svc = AsyncMock()
+    journal_svc.latest_decision_at.return_value = datetime.now(UTC)
+    c = _make_choreographer(journal=journal_svc)
+    t = MagicMock(id=uuid4())
+
+    env = await c._check_pm_decision_required(
+        "unblock", uuid4(), t.id, t, pm_decision_outcome="fresh"
+    )
+    assert env is None
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# _check_complete_gates (cell_pm / main_pm complete)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_check_complete_gates_transient_failure_satisfies_gate(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    """See ``test_check_pm_decision_required_transient_failure_satisfies_gate``
+    for why the module logger is patched directly instead of using caplog."""
+    mock_logger = MagicMock()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(_impl_module, "logger", mock_logger)
+    journal_svc = AsyncMock()
+    journal_svc.has_decision_for_task.return_value = False
+    journal_svc.has_reflect_for_task.return_value = False
+    c = _make_choreographer(journal=journal_svc)
+
+    env = await c._check_complete_gates(
+        uuid4(),
+        uuid4(),
+        "closing this task: the cell's contribution merged cleanly",
+        pm_decision_outcome="transient_failure",
+    )
+    assert env is None
+    mock_logger.warning.assert_called_once()
+    call = mock_logger.warning.call_args
+    assert _TRANSIENT_WARNING_SUBSTRING in call.args[0]
+    assert call.kwargs.get("verb") == "complete"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_check_complete_gates_absent_still_rejects() -> None:
+    journal_svc = AsyncMock()
+    journal_svc.has_decision_for_task.return_value = False
+    journal_svc.has_reflect_for_task.return_value = False
+    c = _make_choreographer(journal=journal_svc)
+
+    env = await c._check_complete_gates(
+        uuid4(),
+        uuid4(),
+        "closing this task: the cell's contribution merged cleanly",
+        pm_decision_outcome="absent",
+    )
+    assert env is not None
+    assert env.as_dict()["error"] == "tracing_gap"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_check_complete_gates_fresh_path_unchanged() -> None:
+    journal_svc = AsyncMock()
+    journal_svc.has_decision_for_task.return_value = True
+    journal_svc.has_reflect_for_task.return_value = True
+    c = _make_choreographer(journal=journal_svc)
+
+    env = await c._check_complete_gates(
+        uuid4(),
+        uuid4(),
+        "closing this task: the cell's contribution merged cleanly",
+        pm_decision_outcome="fresh",
+    )
+    assert env is None
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# _cell_pm_complete_guard — the real complete() call site, one hop above the
+# gate helper, proving the outcome actually reaches it end to end (without
+# dragging in the full cell_pm_complete verb's PR-merge/finalize machinery).
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_cell_pm_complete_guard_survives_journal_write_lock_timeout() -> None:
+    """journal.write_decision raising (a lock-timeout under DB contention)
+    with a substantive ``notes`` rationale in hand must not reject the PM's
+    complete — the guard clears (returns None) instead of tracing_gap."""
+    pm_id = uuid4()
+    task_id = uuid4()
+    t = MagicMock(
+        id=task_id,
+        assigned_to=pm_id,
+        status="awaiting_pm_review",
+        pr_number=42,
+    )
+    task_svc = AsyncMock()
+    task_svc.all_subtasks_terminal.return_value = True
+    task_svc.uncovered_parent_acceptance_criteria.return_value = []
+    # _ensure_pm_decision opens a session.begin_nested() savepoint before
+    # the write raises — an unshaped AsyncMock's auto-attribute return
+    # doesn't support `async with`, orphaning the mock's internal coroutine
+    # (AsyncMockMixin._execute_mock_call never awaited).
+    task_svc.session = MagicMock()
+    task_svc.session.begin_nested = MagicMock(
+        return_value=MagicMock(
+            __aenter__=AsyncMock(return_value=None),
+            __aexit__=AsyncMock(return_value=False),
+        )
+    )
+    journal_svc = AsyncMock()
+    journal_svc.has_decision_for_task.return_value = False
+    journal_svc.has_reflect_for_task.return_value = False
+    journal_svc.latest_decision_at.return_value = None
+    journal_svc.write_decision.side_effect = OperationalError(
+        "INSERT INTO journal_entries (id, ...) VALUES (...)",
+        {},
+        Exception("canceling statement due to lock timeout"),
+    )
+    c = _make_choreographer(task=task_svc, journal=journal_svc)
+
+    env = await c._cell_pm_complete_guard(
+        pm_id, task_id, t, "closing this task: the cell's contribution merged cleanly"
+    )
+
+    task_svc.session.begin_nested.assert_called()
+    assert env is None, env.as_dict() if env is not None else None
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_cell_pm_complete_guard_empty_notes_still_rejects() -> None:
+    """No rationale at all (empty notes) AND no fresh decision on record
+    still rejects — "absent" is not a bypass."""
+    pm_id = uuid4()
+    task_id = uuid4()
+    t = MagicMock(
+        id=task_id,
+        assigned_to=pm_id,
+        status="awaiting_pm_review",
+        pr_number=42,
+    )
+    task_svc = AsyncMock()
+    task_svc.all_subtasks_terminal.return_value = True
+    task_svc.uncovered_parent_acceptance_criteria.return_value = []
+    journal_svc = AsyncMock()
+    journal_svc.has_decision_for_task.return_value = False
+    journal_svc.has_reflect_for_task.return_value = False
+    journal_svc.latest_decision_at.return_value = None
+    c = _make_choreographer(task=task_svc, journal=journal_svc)
+
+    env = await c._cell_pm_complete_guard(pm_id, task_id, t, "")
+    assert env is not None
+    assert env.as_dict()["error"] == "tracing_gap"
diff --git a/tests/unit/models/test_misc_models.py b/tests/unit/models/test_misc_models.py
index b5b2a041..2dd3b70c 100644
--- a/tests/unit/models/test_misc_models.py
+++ b/tests/unit/models/test_misc_models.py
@@ -88,7 +88,6 @@ def test_agent_instance_default_factory_assigns_id() -> None:
 
 
 def test_orchestrator_agent_config_defaults() -> None:
-
     cfg = OrchestratorAgentConfig(
         agent_id="be-dev-1",
         blueprint_path=Path("/tmp/blueprint"),
diff --git a/tests/unit/services/test_feature_flags.py b/tests/unit/services/test_feature_flags.py
index d4e30e30..7ebc9efd 100644
--- a/tests/unit/services/test_feature_flags.py
+++ b/tests/unit/services/test_feature_flags.py
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ async def test_get_bool_parses_and_defaults() -> None:
 async def test_apply_overrides_stored_flags_only(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-
     # Baseline env defaults.
     monkeypatch.setattr(cfg, "external_pr_enabled", False)
     monkeypatch.setattr(cfg, "research_enabled", True)
@@ -73,7 +72,6 @@ async def test_apply_overrides_stored_flags_only(
 async def test_effective_values_use_env_default_when_unset(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-
     monkeypatch.setattr(cfg, "strategy_engine_enabled", True)
 
     async def fake_get(_self: SettingsService, _key: str) -> str | None:
diff --git a/tests/unit/services/test_git_conventions_check_fail_closed.py b/tests/unit/services/test_git_conventions_check_fail_closed.py
index 3fc6b39f..d3dedf72 100644
--- a/tests/unit/services/test_git_conventions_check_fail_closed.py
+++ b/tests/unit/services/test_git_conventions_check_fail_closed.py
@@ -149,3 +149,80 @@ async def test_validator_timeout_fails_closed_and_reaps(
     assert "timed out" in (result.get("reason") or "")
     fake_proc.kill.assert_called_once()
     fake_proc.wait.assert_awaited_once()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_run_conventions_validator_timeout_override_used_over_hardcoded(
+    tmp_path: Path, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+) -> None:
+    """An explicit ``timeout`` kwarg wins over the module-level hardcoded
+    default — the advisory claim_review path's shorter budget must actually
+    reach the subprocess wait, not the fail-closed 120s cap. Sets the module
+    constant to something LONG (would never fire in the test's real time
+    budget) so a failure here would prove the override was ignored, not a
+    coincidence of both values being short."""
+    fake_proc = MagicMock()
+    fake_proc.returncode = None
+
+    async def _communicate() -> tuple[bytes, bytes]:
+        await asyncio.sleep(30)
+        return (b"", b"")
+
+    fake_proc.communicate = _communicate
+    fake_proc.kill = MagicMock()
+    fake_proc.wait = AsyncMock(return_value=-9)
+
+    async def _fake_exec(*_args: object, **_kwargs: object) -> object:
+        return fake_proc
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(asyncio, "create_subprocess_exec", _fake_exec)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(git_module, "_CONVENTIONS_VALIDATOR_TIMEOUT_SECONDS", 300)
+
+    svc = _service()
+    result = await svc._run_conventions_validator(tmp_path, ["a.py"], timeout=0.01)
+    assert result["could_not_run"] is True
+    assert "timed out after 0.01s" in (result.get("reason") or "")
+
+
+def _task_with_id(branch_name: str) -> MagicMock:
+    """Like ``_task`` but with a real UUID id — ``conventions_check_for_task``
+    calls ``require_uuid(task.id)`` outside the resolution try/except, so a
+    bare MagicMock id would raise before reaching the validator call."""
+    return MagicMock(branch_name=branch_name, id=uuid4())
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_conventions_check_for_task_forwards_timeout_override() -> None:
+    """``conventions_check_for_task``'s ``timeout`` kwarg must reach
+    ``_run_conventions_validator`` — the seam ``claim_review`` uses to pin
+    the ADVISORY (shorter) budget instead of the fail-closed default."""
+    svc = _service()
+    _bind(svc, "_workspace_for_branch", AsyncMock(return_value=Path("/tmp/ws")))
+    _bind(svc, "list_changed_files", AsyncMock(return_value=["a.py"]))
+    _bind(svc, "_worktree_for_task", MagicMock(return_value=Path("/tmp/wt")))
+    _bind(svc, "_ensure_worktree_for_commit", AsyncMock(return_value=None))
+    validator = AsyncMock(return_value={"findings": [], "could_not_run": False})
+    _bind(svc, "_run_conventions_validator", validator)
+
+    await svc.conventions_check_for_task(
+        uuid4(), _task_with_id("feature/backend/abc"), timeout=30.0
+    )
+    validator.assert_awaited_once_with(Path("/tmp/wt"), ["a.py"], timeout=30.0)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_conventions_check_for_task_default_timeout_is_none() -> None:
+    """The fail-closed callers (i_am_done's ``_conventions_gate``, pr_pass's
+    ``_conventions_guard``) never pass ``timeout`` — confirming the default
+    forwards ``None`` so ``_run_conventions_validator`` falls back to its
+    hardcoded fail-closed cap, unchanged."""
+    svc = _service()
+    _bind(svc, "_workspace_for_branch", AsyncMock(return_value=Path("/tmp/ws")))
+    _bind(svc, "list_changed_files", AsyncMock(return_value=["a.py"]))
+    _bind(svc, "_worktree_for_task", MagicMock(return_value=Path("/tmp/wt")))
+    _bind(svc, "_ensure_worktree_for_commit", AsyncMock(return_value=None))
+    validator = AsyncMock(return_value={"findings": [], "could_not_run": False})
+    _bind(svc, "_run_conventions_validator", validator)
+
+    await svc.conventions_check_for_task(uuid4(), _task_with_id("feature/backend/abc"))
+    validator.assert_awaited_once_with(Path("/tmp/wt"), ["a.py"], timeout=None)
diff --git a/tests/unit/services/test_git_worktree_routing_gaps.py b/tests/unit/services/test_git_worktree_routing_gaps.py
index 07aee884..136bc13c 100644
--- a/tests/unit/services/test_git_worktree_routing_gaps.py
+++ b/tests/unit/services/test_git_worktree_routing_gaps.py
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ async def test_conventions_check_runs_validator_in_worktree_not_clone() -> None:
     captured: list[Path] = []
 
     async def _capture_validator(
-        workspace: Path, _files: list[str]
+        workspace: Path, _files: list[str], **_kwargs: object
     ) -> dict[str, object]:
         captured.append(Path(workspace))
         return {"findings": [], "could_not_run": False}
diff --git a/tests/unit/services/test_main_pm_code_guard.py b/tests/unit/services/test_main_pm_code_guard.py
index 3606036a..9d0e9b70 100644
--- a/tests/unit/services/test_main_pm_code_guard.py
+++ b/tests/unit/services/test_main_pm_code_guard.py
@@ -169,7 +169,6 @@ async def test_create_rejects_cell_pm_assignee_plus_code() -> None:
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_create_allows_cell_pm_assignee_plus_planning() -> None:
-
     be_pm_uuid = AGENTS["be-pm"].uuid
     svc = TaskService(
         MagicMock(add=MagicMock(), flush=AsyncMock(), execute=AsyncMock())
diff --git a/tests/unit/services/test_workspace_fetch_branch_for_inspection.py b/tests/unit/services/test_workspace_fetch_branch_for_inspection.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b54742bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/services/test_workspace_fetch_branch_for_inspection.py
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+"""fetch_branch_for_inspection's subprocess_timeout override (adversarial-review
+round-2 fix 3): the fetch subprocess must self-bound near the caller's own leg
+budget instead of running up to workspace_clone_timeout (300s) on the shared
+DEFAULT asyncio executor (asyncio.to_thread, not git.py's dedicated
+_GIT_EXECUTOR) after the caller has already given up waiting on it. A
+timeout there now raises GitTimeoutError (mirroring _run_git's own
+TimeoutExpired -> GitTimeoutError conversion in git.py), not a raw
+subprocess.TimeoutExpired, so a bounded caller (run_bounded_leg) catches it
+the same way as every other git-touching leg.
+
+The clone-CREATION step (ensure_workspace, stubbed out here) is untouched by
+this fix and keeps its own workspace_clone_timeout (300s) unconditionally —
+these tests isolate the FETCH subprocess only.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import subprocess
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock, patch
+from uuid import uuid4
+
+import pytest
+from roboco.config import settings
+from roboco.exceptions import GitTimeoutError
+from roboco.services.workspace import WorkspaceService
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from pathlib import Path
+
+# Named constant to satisfy ruff PLR2004 (magic value in comparison).
+_EXPECTED_TIMEOUT_SECONDS = 5
+
+
+def _service() -> WorkspaceService:
+    session = MagicMock()
+    session.execute = AsyncMock()
+    return WorkspaceService(session)
+
+
+def _bind(svc: WorkspaceService, name: str, value: object) -> None:
+    """Stub `name` on `svc` without tripping mypy's method-assign check."""
+    object.__setattr__(svc, name, value)
+
+
+def _wire_resolution(svc: WorkspaceService, workspace: Path) -> None:
+    """Stub the resolution steps ahead of the fetch subprocess so only the
+    fetch itself is under test."""
+    _bind(svc, "_resolve_branch_to_project_slug", AsyncMock(return_value="roboco"))
+    _bind(svc, "ensure_workspace", AsyncMock(return_value=workspace))
+
+
+def _no_project_service_patch() -> Any:
+    """No git token (project=None skips the decrypt path entirely)."""
+    return patch(
+        "roboco.services.project.get_project_service",
+        return_value=MagicMock(get_by_slug=AsyncMock(return_value=None)),
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_default_subprocess_timeout_is_workspace_clone_timeout(
+    tmp_path: Path,
+) -> None:
+    """Every EXISTING caller omits subprocess_timeout — behavior byte-for-byte
+    unchanged: the fetch subprocess keeps the 300s workspace_clone_timeout."""
+    svc = _service()
+    _wire_resolution(svc, tmp_path)
+    captured: list[object] = []
+
+    def _fake_run(*_args: object, **kwargs: object) -> subprocess.CompletedProcess[str]:
+        captured.append(kwargs.get("timeout"))
+        return subprocess.CompletedProcess(args=[], returncode=0, stdout="", stderr="")
+
+    with (
+        patch("roboco.services.workspace.subprocess.run", side_effect=_fake_run),
+        patch("roboco.services.workspace._ensure_agent_owned"),
+        _no_project_service_patch(),
+    ):
+        await svc.fetch_branch_for_inspection(agent_id=uuid4(), branch_name="feature/x")
+
+    assert captured == [settings.workspace_clone_timeout]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_subprocess_timeout_override_reaches_the_fetch(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    svc = _service()
+    _wire_resolution(svc, tmp_path)
+    captured: list[object] = []
+
+    def _fake_run(*_args: object, **kwargs: object) -> subprocess.CompletedProcess[str]:
+        captured.append(kwargs.get("timeout"))
+        return subprocess.CompletedProcess(args=[], returncode=0, stdout="", stderr="")
+
+    with (
+        patch("roboco.services.workspace.subprocess.run", side_effect=_fake_run),
+        patch("roboco.services.workspace._ensure_agent_owned"),
+        _no_project_service_patch(),
+    ):
+        await svc.fetch_branch_for_inspection(
+            agent_id=uuid4(), branch_name="feature/x", subprocess_timeout=12.5
+        )
+
+    assert captured == [12.5]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_timeout_expired_becomes_git_timeout_error(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    """Mirrors _run_git's own TimeoutExpired -> GitTimeoutError conversion
+    (git.py) so run_bounded_leg catches this uniformly with every other
+    git-touching leg, instead of a raw subprocess.TimeoutExpired propagating
+    uncaught to the RobocoError handler."""
+    svc = _service()
+    _wire_resolution(svc, tmp_path)
+
+    def _fake_run(*_args: object, **kwargs: object) -> subprocess.CompletedProcess[str]:
+        timeout = kwargs.get("timeout")
+        raise subprocess.TimeoutExpired(
+            cmd="git fetch",
+            timeout=float(timeout) if isinstance(timeout, int | float) else 0,
+        )
+
+    with (
+        patch("roboco.services.workspace.subprocess.run", side_effect=_fake_run),
+        patch("roboco.services.workspace._ensure_agent_owned"),
+        _no_project_service_patch(),
+        pytest.raises(GitTimeoutError) as exc_info,
+    ):
+        await svc.fetch_branch_for_inspection(
+            agent_id=uuid4(), branch_name="feature/x", subprocess_timeout=5.0
+        )
+    assert exc_info.value.timeout == _EXPECTED_TIMEOUT_SECONDS
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_agents_config.py b/tests/unit/test_agents_config.py
index c52feba1..55c3dd73 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_agents_config.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_agents_config.py
@@ -350,7 +350,7 @@ def test_issue_agent_token_with_ttl_uses_expiring_format(
     assert payload["id"] == "be-dev-1"
     assert payload["role"] == "developer"
     assert payload["team"] == "backend"
-    assert isinstance(payload["iat"], (int, float))
+    assert isinstance(payload["iat"], int | float)
     assert payload["exp"] == payload["iat"] + 3600