diff --git a/test/gbrain-detection-override.test.ts b/test/gbrain-detection-override.test.ts
index 07d68577f..c4905d897 100644
--- a/test/gbrain-detection-override.test.ts
+++ b/test/gbrain-detection-override.test.ts
@@ -136,6 +136,27 @@ describe('gbrain detection override → gen-skill-docs', () => {
     }
   });
 
+  test('with status "timeout" (slow-but-healthy, #1964), brain blocks render like "ok"', () => {
+    const { tmpHome, cleanup } = makeFixture(
+      JSON.stringify({ gbrain_local_status: 'timeout', gbrain_on_path: true, gbrain_version: 'test-0.41.0' }),
+    );
+    try {
+      const snap = regenAndSnapshot({
+        respectDetection: true,
+        tmpHome,
+        files: PROBE_FILES,
+      });
+      const content = probeUnion(snap);
+
+      // A slow engine must not silently suppress brain features — same
+      // treatment as "ok" (matches gstack-gbrain-detect --is-ok).
+      expect(content).toContain('## Save Results to Brain');
+      expect(content).toContain('gbrain put "office-hours/');
+    } finally {
+      cleanup();
+    }
+  });
+
   test('with detected:false (status != "ok"), brain blocks stay suppressed', () => {
     const { tmpHome, cleanup } = makeFixture(
       JSON.stringify({ gbrain_local_status: 'no-cli', gbrain_on_path: false, gbrain_version: null }),
diff --git a/test/gbrain-local-status.test.ts b/test/gbrain-local-status.test.ts
index d85e3ea89..b3d3e398e 100644
--- a/test/gbrain-local-status.test.ts
+++ b/test/gbrain-local-status.test.ts
@@ -391,6 +391,20 @@ describe("lib/gbrain-local-status — cache behavior", () => {
     expect(localEngineStatus({ noCache: false })).toBe("ok");
   });
 
+  it("invalidates cache when GBRAIN_HOME changes (key invariant, codex D11)", () => {
+    env = makeEnv({ withGbrain: true, gbrainBehavior: "ok", withConfig: true });
+    restoreEnv = applyEnv(env);
+    expect(localEngineStatus({ noCache: false })).toBe("ok");
+
+    // Point GBRAIN_HOME at an empty dir: a stale cached "ok" must not win —
+    // gbrain_home is part of the cache key, so this re-probes and finds no
+    // config at the new location.
+    const altHome = join(env.tmp, "alt-gbrain-empty");
+    mkdirSync(altHome, { recursive: true });
+    process.env.GBRAIN_HOME = altHome;
+    expect(localEngineStatus({ noCache: false })).toBe("missing-config");
+  });
+
   it("invalidates cache when HOME changes (key invariant)", () => {
     env = makeEnv({ withGbrain: true, gbrainBehavior: "ok", withConfig: true });
     restoreEnv = applyEnv(env);
diff --git a/test/gbrain-sync-skip.test.ts b/test/gbrain-sync-skip.test.ts
index 88ce924a8..1d7423c98 100644
--- a/test/gbrain-sync-skip.test.ts
+++ b/test/gbrain-sync-skip.test.ts
@@ -152,6 +152,36 @@ describe("gstack-gbrain-sync — split-engine SKIP (plan D12)", () => {
     }
   }, 30_000); // proceeding runs the real code-import path against the slow fake (~11s)
 
+  it("memory stage also PROCEEDS (with warning) on probe timeout (#1964)", () => {
+    const env = makeEnv({ withGbrain: true, gbrainBehavior: "slow", withConfig: true });
+    try {
+      const r = runOrchestrator(env, ["--no-code", "--no-brain-sync"], {
+        GSTACK_GBRAIN_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS: "300",
+      });
+      const out = r.stdout + r.stderr;
+      expect(out).not.toContain("local engine timeout");
+      expect(out).toContain("memory: engine probe timed out");
+    } finally {
+      env.cleanup();
+    }
+  }, 30_000);
+
+  it("dream stage also PROCEEDS (with warning) on probe timeout (#1964)", () => {
+    const env = makeEnv({ withGbrain: true, gbrainBehavior: "slow", withConfig: true });
+    try {
+      const r = runOrchestrator(
+        env,
+        ["--dream", "--no-code", "--no-memory", "--no-brain-sync"],
+        { GSTACK_GBRAIN_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS: "300" },
+      );
+      const out = r.stdout + r.stderr;
+      expect(out).not.toContain("local engine timeout");
+      expect(out).toContain("dream: engine probe timed out");
+    } finally {
+      env.cleanup();
+    }
+  }, 30_000);
+
   it("SKIPs code stage when local engine is broken-db; brain-sync still attempted", () => {
     const env = makeEnv({ withGbrain: true, gbrainBehavior: "broken-db", withConfig: true });
     try {
diff --git a/test/redact-engine.test.ts b/test/redact-engine.test.ts
index 75908a983..88b302db6 100644
--- a/test/redact-engine.test.ts
+++ b/test/redact-engine.test.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   exitCodeFor,
   maskPreview,
   normalizeWithMap,
+  redactFindingSpans,
   type RepoVisibility,
 } from "../lib/redact-engine";
 import {
@@ -364,6 +365,52 @@ describe("masking + purity", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("redactFindingSpans — machine-egress masking (#1947)", () => {
+  test("clean input passes through unchanged", () => {
+    const text = "push failed: remote rejected the branch";
+    expect(redactFindingSpans(text, { repoVisibility: "private" })).toBe(text);
+  });
+
+  test("a single finding's span becomes <REDACTED-{id}>, context survives", () => {
+    const token = "ghp_" + "1234567890abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz";
+    const out = redactFindingSpans(`auth ${token} rejected`, { repoVisibility: "private" });
+    expect(out).toBe("auth <REDACTED-github.pat> rejected");
+  });
+
+  test("multiple findings are all replaced (right-to-left splice keeps offsets valid)", () => {
+    const pat = "ghp_" + "1234567890abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz";
+    const aws = "AKIA1234567890ABCDEF";
+    const out = redactFindingSpans(`first ${aws} then ${pat} end`, {
+      repoVisibility: "private",
+    });
+    expect(out).toBe("first <REDACTED-aws.access_key> then <REDACTED-github.pat> end");
+  });
+
+  test("fails closed (null) when a span cannot be relocated — never raw passthrough", () => {
+    // env.kv's span (the value) starts well past the regex match start (the
+    // var name), so locateSpan's rewind-2 re-exec misses it. The contract is
+    // null → caller drops the whole payload. The one thing that must never
+    // happen is the secret surviving in the output.
+    const secret = "8Fk2pQ9vXz4wL7mN3rT6yB1cD5eG0hJq";
+    const out = redactFindingSpans(`API_KEY=${secret}`, { repoVisibility: "private" });
+    if (out !== null) {
+      // If locateSpan ever learns to find context-prefixed spans, masking
+      // must actually mask.
+      expect(out).not.toContain(secret);
+    } else {
+      expect(out).toBeNull();
+    }
+  });
+
+  test("multiline input redacts a finding past the first line (locateSpan line/col path)", () => {
+    const token = "ghp_" + "1234567890abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz";
+    const out = redactFindingSpans(`line one\nline two has ${token}\nline three`, {
+      repoVisibility: "private",
+    });
+    expect(out).toBe("line one\nline two has <REDACTED-github.pat>\nline three");
+  });
+});
+
 describe("taxonomy integrity", () => {
   test("every pattern has a unique id", () => {
     const set = new Set(PATTERNS.map((p) => p.id));
diff --git a/test/security-dashboard-fallback.test.ts b/test/security-dashboard-fallback.test.ts
index 55cba86d9..f23a6800e 100644
--- a/test/security-dashboard-fallback.test.ts
+++ b/test/security-dashboard-fallback.test.ts
@@ -174,6 +174,14 @@ describe("gstack-security-dashboard — never reports fake zeros (#1947)", () =>
     expect(parsed.security.top_attack_domains[0].domain).toBe("evil.example");
   });
 
+  it("stale cache responses pass the stale flag through (json mode)", () => {
+    const staleBody = JSON.stringify({ ...JSON.parse(GOOD_BODY_MARKER), stale: true });
+    const r = run(SEC_BIN, { mode: "ok", body: staleBody, json: true });
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(r.stdout.trim());
+    expect(parsed.status).toBe("ok");
+    expect(parsed.stale).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it("200 without marker (legacy backend) → figures shown with unverified note", () => {
     const r = run(SEC_BIN, { mode: "ok", body: GOOD_BODY_LEGACY });
     expect(r.stdout).toContain("Attacks detected last 7 days: 3");
@@ -186,6 +194,18 @@ describe("gstack-security-dashboard — never reports fake zeros (#1947)", () =>
     expect(parsed.status).toBe("legacy_unverified");
     expect(parsed.security.attacks_last_7_days).toBe(3);
   });
+
+  it("200 with a body missing .security → unknown backend_error, never 0", () => {
+    const r = run(SEC_BIN, {
+      mode: "ok",
+      body: JSON.stringify({ weekly_active: 42, status: "ok" }),
+      json: true,
+    });
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(r.stdout.trim());
+    expect(parsed.status).toBe("unknown");
+    expect(parsed.reason).toBe("backend_error");
+    expect(parsed.security).toBeNull();
+  });
 });
 
 describe("gstack-community-dashboard — never reports fake zeros (#1947)", () => {
@@ -212,4 +232,10 @@ describe("gstack-community-dashboard — never reports fake zeros (#1947)", () =
     expect(r.stdout).toContain("Weekly active installs: 42");
     expect(r.stdout).toContain("unverified");
   });
+
+  it("200 with a garbage body (no weekly_active) → unknown, never 0", () => {
+    const r = run(COMM_BIN, { mode: "ok", body: '{"error":"weird"}' });
+    expect(r.stdout).toContain("unknown — backend error (HTTP 200)");
+    expect(r.stdout).not.toContain("Weekly active installs:");
+  });
 });
diff --git a/test/telemetry.test.ts b/test/telemetry.test.ts
index 63c9e67f3..33e1db241 100644
--- a/test/telemetry.test.ts
+++ b/test/telemetry.test.ts
@@ -236,6 +236,36 @@ describe('gstack-telemetry-log', () => {
     expect(lines[0]).not.toContain(token);
   });
 
+  test('truncates error_message to 200 chars after redaction (#1947)', () => {
+    setConfig('telemetry', 'anonymous');
+    const long = 'x'.repeat(300);
+    run(
+      `${BIN}/gstack-telemetry-log --skill qa --duration 10 --outcome error --error-message '${long}' --session-id red-3`,
+    );
+
+    const events = parseJsonl();
+    expect(events).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(events[0].error_message.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(200);
+  });
+
+  test('fails closed: error_message becomes null when the engine cannot relocate a span (#1947)', () => {
+    setConfig('telemetry', 'anonymous');
+    const secret = '8Fk2pQ9vXz4wL7mN3rT6yB1cD5eG0hJq';
+    // env.kv-shaped finding (line-anchored, so the assignment leads the
+    // message): the span (value) starts past the regex match start,
+    // locateSpan misses it, redactFindingSpans returns null — the bin must
+    // drop the whole message, never pass it through raw.
+    run(
+      `${BIN}/gstack-telemetry-log --skill qa --duration 10 --outcome error --error-message 'API_KEY=${secret} rejected by daemon' --session-id red-4`,
+    );
+
+    const lines = readJsonl();
+    expect(lines).toHaveLength(1);
+    const event = JSON.parse(lines[0]);
+    expect(event.error_message).toBeNull();
+    expect(lines[0]).not.toContain(secret);
+  });
+
   test('creates analytics directory if missing', () => {
     // Remove analytics dir
     const analyticsDir = path.join(tmpDir, 'analytics');