fix(evals): keep deadline boundary timeout strictly positive

tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/privileged-budget.test.ts

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ function context(settlesAt = 180_000, deadline = 390_000): ChatCatalogContext {
   observed.load.mockImplementation(async () => ({ runs: [{ status: Date.now() >= settlesAt ? "succeeded" : "running" }], reply: Date.now() >= settlesAt ? "Use the operator experimental settings." : "" }));
   return ctx;
 }
-afterEach(() => { vi.useRealTimers(); vi.clearAllMocks(); });
+afterEach(() => { vi.useRealTimers(); vi.clearAllMocks(); vi.restoreAllMocks(); });
 describe("instance settings consume the original observation clock", () => {
   it("waits beyond the incidental150s only for a genuinely settled reply", async () => {
     vi.useFakeTimers(); vi.setSystemTime(0); const ctx = context(); let done = false;
@@ -65,6 +65,11 @@ describe("instance settings consume the original observation clock", () => {
     await expect(privilegedConfigurationCases[0]!.act!(ctx, {})).rejects.toThrow(/exhausted/);
     expect(goto).toHaveBeenCalledOnce(); expect(click).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
+  it("never returns Playwright's unlimited zero timeout at the deadline boundary", () => {
+    const now = vi.spyOn(Date, "now").mockReturnValueOnce(389_999).mockReturnValueOnce(390_000);
+    expect(remainingPrivilegedObservationBudget({ observationDeadlineAt: 390_000 } as ChatCatalogContext)).toBe(1);
+    expect(now).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+  });
   it("missing, expired and nonfinite original deadlines fail before any UI action", async () => {
     vi.useFakeTimers(); vi.setSystemTime(0);
     for (const deadline of [undefined, NaN, Infinity, 0, -1]) {

tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/privileged-support.ts

@@ -11,8 +11,9 @@ export function privilegedDefinition(scenarioId: string, module: string, extra:
 }
 export function remainingPrivilegedObservationBudget(ctx: ChatCatalogContext): number {
   const deadline = ctx.observationDeadlineAt;
-  if (!Number.isFinite(deadline) || deadline! <= Date.now()) throw new Error("Original privileged observation budget exhausted or missing");
-  return deadline! - Date.now();
+  const now = Date.now();
+  if (!Number.isFinite(deadline) || deadline! <= now) throw new Error("Original privileged observation budget exhausted or missing");
+  return deadline! - now;
 }
 export async function settlePrivilegedChat(ctx: ChatCatalogContext, observationDeadlineAt?: number): Promise<InternalObservation> {
   return pollUntil({ label: "Canonical privileged guidance settled", deadlineAt: observationDeadlineAt ?? Date.now() + 150_000,