diff --git a/packages/core/tests/integration/cli/cli.test.ts b/packages/core/tests/integration/cli/cli.test.ts
index bdf09cc..e55bdcc 100644
--- a/packages/core/tests/integration/cli/cli.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/tests/integration/cli/cli.test.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ import { assertNodeVersion, createTestServer } from "../server.js";
 const exec = promisify(execFile);
 
 const PORT = 4398; // Different port from client integration tests
-const TIMEOUT = 60_000;
 
 // Path to the built CLI binary
 const CLI_BIN = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../../../dist/cli/index.mjs");
@@ -30,7 +29,7 @@ describe("CLI Integration", () => {
 	beforeAll(async () => {
 		assertNodeVersion();
 		ctx = await createTestServer({ port: PORT });
-	}, TIMEOUT);
+	});
 
 	afterAll(async () => {
 		await ctx?.cleanup();
diff --git a/packages/core/tests/integration/client/client.test.ts b/packages/core/tests/integration/client/client.test.ts
index f417ace..3868a9e 100644
--- a/packages/core/tests/integration/client/client.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/tests/integration/client/client.test.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ import type { TestServerContext } from "../server.js";
 import { assertNodeVersion, createTestServer } from "../server.js";
 
 const PORT = 4399;
-const TIMEOUT = 60_000;
 
 describe("EmDashClient Integration", () => {
 	let ctx: TestServerContext;
@@ -23,7 +22,7 @@ describe("EmDashClient Integration", () => {
 	beforeAll(async () => {
 		assertNodeVersion();
 		ctx = await createTestServer({ port: PORT });
-	}, TIMEOUT);
+	});
 
 	afterAll(async () => {
 		await ctx?.cleanup();
diff --git a/packages/core/tests/integration/client/comments.test.ts b/packages/core/tests/integration/client/comments.test.ts
index 2632239..209e70d 100644
--- a/packages/core/tests/integration/client/comments.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/tests/integration/client/comments.test.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ import type { TestServerContext } from "../server.js";
 import { assertNodeVersion, createTestServer } from "../server.js";
 
 const PORT = 4396;
-const TIMEOUT = 60_000;
 
 /** Helper: raw fetch with auth headers */
 async function adminFetch(
@@ -88,7 +87,7 @@ describe("Comments Integration", () => {
 			const body = await res.text().catch(() => "");
 			throw new Error(`Failed to enable comments on posts (${res.status}): ${body}`);
 		}
-	}, TIMEOUT);
+	});
 
 	afterAll(async () => {
 		await ctx?.cleanup();
diff --git a/packages/core/tests/integration/client/field-widgets.test.ts b/packages/core/tests/integration/client/field-widgets.test.ts
index c56a7b6..20c51ec 100644
--- a/packages/core/tests/integration/client/field-widgets.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/tests/integration/client/field-widgets.test.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import type { TestServerContext } from "../server.js";
 import { assertNodeVersion, createTestServer } from "../server.js";
 
 const PORT = 4397;
-const TIMEOUT = 90_000;
 
 describe("Field Widgets Integration", () => {
 	let ctx: TestServerContext;
@@ -25,7 +24,7 @@ describe("Field Widgets Integration", () => {
 	beforeAll(async () => {
 		assertNodeVersion();
 		ctx = await createTestServer({ port: PORT });
-	}, TIMEOUT);
+	});
 
 	afterAll(async () => {
 		await ctx?.cleanup();
diff --git a/packages/core/tests/integration/server.ts b/packages/core/tests/integration/server.ts
index f3c129c..084df15 100644
--- a/packages/core/tests/integration/server.ts
+++ b/packages/core/tests/integration/server.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
  */
 
 import { execFile, spawn } from "node:child_process";
-import { existsSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync, symlinkSync, unlinkSync } from "node:fs";
+import { existsSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync, symlinkSync } from "node:fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { join, resolve } from "node:path";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ const DONOR_NODE_MODULES = resolve(import.meta.dirname, "../../../../demos/simpl
 
 export interface TestServerOptions {
 	port: number;
-	/** Server startup timeout in ms (default: 30_000) */
+	/** Server startup timeout in ms (default: 90_000) */
 	timeout?: number;
 	/** Seed test data after setup (default: true) */
 	seed?: boolean;
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ async function waitForServer(url: string, timeoutMs: number): Promise<void> {
  * database file — source files stay at their real paths.
  */
 export async function createTestServer(options: TestServerOptions): Promise<TestServerContext> {
-	const { port, timeout = 60_000, seed = true } = options;
+	const { port, timeout = 90_000, seed = true } = options;
 	const baseUrl = `http://localhost:${port}`;
 
 	// --- 0. Ensure workspace is built ---
@@ -161,12 +161,12 @@ export async function createTestServer(options: TestServerOptions): Promise<Test
 
 	// Ensure node_modules symlink exists in the fixture dir.
 	// Multiple test suites may race to create this — handle EEXIST gracefully.
+	// The symlink is intentionally never removed: it's shared across concurrent
+	// test suites and gitignored, so cleanup of one suite must not break others.
 	const fixtureNodeModules = join(FIXTURE_DIR, "node_modules");
-	let createdSymlink = false;
 	if (!existsSync(fixtureNodeModules)) {
 		try {
 			symlinkSync(DONOR_NODE_MODULES, fixtureNodeModules);
-			createdSymlink = true;
 		} catch (err: unknown) {
 			if ((err as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code !== "EEXIST") throw err;
 		}
@@ -215,13 +215,6 @@ export async function createTestServer(options: TestServerOptions): Promise<Test
 
 		// Remove temp data directory
 		rmSync(tempDataDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
-
-		// Remove symlink if we created it
-		if (createdSymlink && existsSync(fixtureNodeModules)) {
-			try {
-				unlinkSync(fixtureNodeModules);
-			} catch {}
-		}
 	}
 
 	try {