diff --git a/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/runtime-primary-initial-reply.test.ts b/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/runtime-primary-initial-reply.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a9c5683175d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/runtime-primary-initial-reply.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+import { afterEach, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import type { ChatCatalogContext } from "../chat-catalog-contract.js";
+
+const port = vi.hoisted(() => ({ now: 45_000, deadlines: [] as number[] }));
+vi.mock("../codex-subscription-fixture.js", () => ({ codexSubscriptionAgentConfig: (value: unknown) => value }));
+vi.mock("../api.js", () => ({ pollUntil: async (options: {
+  deadlineAt: number; load(): Promise<unknown>; accept(value: unknown): boolean; reject?(value: unknown): string | undefined;
+}) => {
+  port.deadlines.push(options.deadlineAt);
+  while (Date.now() < options.deadlineAt) {
+    const value = await options.load();
+    const rejected = options.reject?.(value);
+    if (rejected) throw Error(rejected);
+    if (options.accept(value)) return value;
+    port.now += 10_000;
+  }
+  throw Error("Synthetic observer deadline reached");
+} }));
+import { runtimePrimaryCases } from "./runtime-primary.js";
+afterEach(() => vi.restoreAllMocks());
+
+type Options = { deadline?: number | "missing"; terminal?: "succeeded" | "running" | "failed" | "cancelled";
+  readyAt?: number; lateLoad?: boolean; noWork?: boolean; extraRun?: boolean };
+function fixture(options: Options = {}) {
+  port.now = 45_000; port.deadlines.splice(0);
+  vi.spyOn(Date, "now").mockImplementation(() => port.now);
+  const deadline = options.deadline === undefined ? 300_000 : options.deadline;
+  const readyAt = options.readyAt ?? 215_000;
+  const get = vi.fn(async () => { throw Error("Reached human preference step"); });
+  const ctx = {
+    ...(deadline === "missing" ? {} : { observationDeadlineAt: deadline }),
+    input: { api: { get }, fixtures: { company: { id: "company" }, agent: { id: "ceo" } } },
+    issue: () => ({ id: "source", conversationState: port.now >= readyAt ? "waiting" : "active" }),
+    refreshIssue: vi.fn(async () => {}),
+    allRuns: vi.fn(async () => {
+      if (options.lateLoad) port.now = 300_001;
+      if (options.noWork) return [];
+      return [{ id: "native", companyId: "company", agentId: "ceo",
+        status: port.now >= readyAt ? options.terminal ?? "succeeded" : "running" },
+        ...(options.extraRun ? [{ id: "unexpected", status: "succeeded" }] : [])];
+    }),
+  } as unknown as ChatCatalogContext;
+  return { ctx, get };
+}
+it("owning act observes a delayed real completion only within the remaining original300s before the first human preference action", async () => {
+  const f = fixture();
+  await expect(runtimePrimaryCases[0]!.act!(f.ctx, {})).rejects.toThrow("Reached human preference step");
+  expect(port.deadlines).toEqual([300_000]);
+  expect(port.now).toBeGreaterThan(195_000); // old150s allowance from45s setup boundary
+  expect(port.now).toBeLessThan(300_000);
+  expect(f.get).toHaveBeenCalledExactlyOnceWith("/api/companies/company/primary-agent/me");
+});
+it.each([{ deadline: "missing" }, { deadline: NaN }, { deadline: Infinity }, { deadline: 44_999 }])("owning act refuses unavailable or expired originalclock before native reads %j", async options => {
+  const f = fixture(options as Options);
+  await expect(runtimePrimaryCases[0]!.act!(f.ctx, {})).rejects.toThrow();
+  expect(f.ctx.allRuns).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  expect(f.get).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+});
+it.each([{ terminal: "running" }, { terminal: "failed" }, { terminal: "cancelled" }, { noWork: true }, { extraRun: true }, { lateLoad: true }, { readyAt: 300_001 }])("owning act rejects unfinished, invalid or late work before human state changes %j", async options => {
+  const f = fixture(options as Options);
+  await expect(runtimePrimaryCases[0]!.act!(f.ctx, {})).rejects.toThrow();
+  expect(f.get).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  expect(port.deadlines).toEqual([300_000]);
+});
diff --git a/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/runtime-primary.ts b/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/runtime-primary.ts
index 94bcc24a689..33548506b00 100644
--- a/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/runtime-primary.ts
+++ b/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/runtime-primary.ts
@@ -88,7 +88,10 @@ export const runtimePrimaryCases = [runtimeDefinition("agents.choose-primary", a
   authentication: "human-session",
   sourceFiles: ["chat-catalog-domains/runtime-primary.ts", "chat-catalog-domains/runtime-support.ts", "chat-catalog-domains/identity-support.ts", "chat-scenarios/agents.yaml"],
   async act(ctx, state) {
-    await waitForReply(ctx); const worker = state.worker as RuntimeAgent;
+    remainingIdentityObservationBudget(ctx);
+    await waitForReply(ctx, ctx.observationDeadlineAt);
+    remainingIdentityObservationBudget(ctx);
+    const worker = state.worker as RuntimeAgent;
     state.beforeHumanPrimary = (await ctx.input.api.get<Primary>(endpoint(ctx.input.fixtures.company.id))).primaryAgentId;
     state.agentWriteStatus = await probeAgentPermission(ctx, endpoint(ctx.input.fixtures.company.id), "PUT", { primaryAgentId: worker.id });
     const o = await observeRuntime(ctx, state);