diff --git a/server/src/__tests__/decisions-service.test.ts b/server/src/__tests__/decisions-service.test.ts
index febd4223aba..f03851919cb 100644
--- a/server/src/__tests__/decisions-service.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/__tests__/decisions-service.test.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { randomUUID } from "node:crypto";
 import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from "node:fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import path from "node:path";
-import { eq } from "drizzle-orm";
+import { eq, inArray } from "drizzle-orm";
 import { afterAll, afterEach, beforeAll, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import {
   activityLog,
@@ -84,6 +84,11 @@ describePg("decisionService", () => {
     options: [{ id: "yes", label: "Yes", effects: [{ type: "comment_on_issue", targetIssueId, staleness, bodyMarkdown: "hello" }] }],
     ...extra,
   });
+  const expireDecisions = async (...ids: string[]) => {
+    await db.update(decisions)
+      .set({ expiresAt: new Date(Date.now() - 1_000) })
+      .where(inArray(decisions.id, ids));
+  };
 
   it("returns the existing decision for concurrent idempotent creates", async () => {
     const input = {
@@ -440,27 +445,27 @@ describePg("decisionService", () => {
 
   it("bounds expiration work to the configured batch size", async () => {
     process.env.PAPERCLIP_DECISIONS_SWEEP_BATCH_SIZE = "1";
-    await createCommentDecision("lenient", { idempotencyKey: "batch-1", expiresAt: new Date(Date.now() + 5) });
-    await createCommentDecision("lenient", { idempotencyKey: "batch-2", expiresAt: new Date(Date.now() + 5) });
-    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 10));
+    const first = await createCommentDecision("lenient", { idempotencyKey: "batch-1" });
+    const second = await createCommentDecision("lenient", { idempotencyKey: "batch-2" });
+    await expireDecisions(first.id, second.id);
     expect((await service().sweepExpired()).expired).toBe(1);
     expect((await service().sweepExpired()).expired).toBe(1);
   });
 
   it("falls back to the default sweep batch size for invalid configuration", async () => {
     process.env.PAPERCLIP_DECISIONS_SWEEP_BATCH_SIZE = "not-a-number";
-    await createCommentDecision("lenient", { idempotencyKey: "invalid-batch-1", expiresAt: new Date(Date.now() + 5) });
-    await createCommentDecision("lenient", { idempotencyKey: "invalid-batch-2", expiresAt: new Date(Date.now() + 5) });
-    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 10));
+    const first = await createCommentDecision("lenient", { idempotencyKey: "invalid-batch-1" });
+    const second = await createCommentDecision("lenient", { idempotencyKey: "invalid-batch-2" });
+    await expireDecisions(first.id, second.id);
 
     await expect(service().sweepExpired()).resolves.toMatchObject({ expired: 2 });
   });
 
   it("expires TTL and target-gone decisions and wakes the origin agent", async () => {
-    const ttl = await createCommentDecision("lenient", { expiresAt: new Date(Date.now() + 5) });
+    const ttl = await createCommentDecision("lenient");
     const gone = await createCommentDecision("strict", { idempotencyKey: "gone" });
     await db.update(issues).set({ status: "cancelled" }).where(eq(issues.id, targetIssueId));
-    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 10));
+    await expireDecisions(ttl.id);
     expect((await service().sweepExpired()).expired).toBe(2);
     const rows = await db.select().from(decisions);
     expect(rows.find((row) => row.id === ttl.id)?.metadata).toMatchObject({ expiredReason: "ttl" });