diff --git a/tests/restart-chaos/scheduler.test.ts b/tests/restart-chaos/scheduler.test.ts
index b55c309adde..5cdcb40f39b 100644
--- a/tests/restart-chaos/scheduler.test.ts
+++ b/tests/restart-chaos/scheduler.test.ts
@@ -265,8 +265,8 @@ describe("Daytona options", () => {
     const wave = (...extra: string[]) => parseCommand(["--env", "daytona", "--daytona-image", image, "--tasks", "20", "--concurrency", "4", ...extra]);
     expect(() => wave("--daytona-warm")).toThrow(/--daytona-warm keeps each task's sandbox.*20 tasks/);
     expect(() => wave("--daytona-inherit", "--lifecycle", "warm")).toThrow(/--daytona-inherit with --lifecycle warm keeps each task's sandbox/);
-    // --lifecycle default leaves the lifecycle unset everywhere, and a remote run then stays per-turn.
-    expect(wave("--daytona-inherit", "--lifecycle", "default")).toMatchObject({ mode: "wave" });
+    // --lifecycle default leaves the lifecycle unset everywhere; Daytona keeps reusable leases, so the run defaults to warm.
+    expect(() => wave("--daytona-inherit", "--lifecycle", "default")).toThrow(/--daytona-inherit with --lifecycle default keeps each task's sandbox/);
     // The catalog agents pin per-turn, so an inheriting environment alone releases each sandbox after its turn.
     expect(wave("--daytona-inherit")).toMatchObject({ mode: "wave", options: { daytonaInherit: true, tasks: 20 } });
     expect(wave("--daytona-inherit", "--lifecycle", "per_turn")).toMatchObject({ mode: "wave" });
diff --git a/tests/restart-chaos/ttft-baseline-stats.test.ts b/tests/restart-chaos/ttft-baseline-stats.test.ts
index c999d46b833..e2d7d7bdbc2 100644
--- a/tests/restart-chaos/ttft-baseline-stats.test.ts
+++ b/tests/restart-chaos/ttft-baseline-stats.test.ts
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ describe("ttft baseline statistics", () => {
     expect(daytonaRetainsSandboxes({ warmEnvironment: true, inheritEnvironment: false, lifecycle: undefined })).toBe(true);
     expect(daytonaRetainsSandboxes({ warmEnvironment: false, inheritEnvironment: true, lifecycle: undefined })).toBe(false);
     expect(daytonaRetainsSandboxes({ warmEnvironment: false, inheritEnvironment: true, lifecycle: "per_turn" })).toBe(false);
-    expect(daytonaRetainsSandboxes({ warmEnvironment: false, inheritEnvironment: true, lifecycle: "default" })).toBe(false);
+    expect(daytonaRetainsSandboxes({ warmEnvironment: false, inheritEnvironment: true, lifecycle: "default" })).toBe(true);
     expect(daytonaRetainsSandboxes({ warmEnvironment: false, inheritEnvironment: true, lifecycle: "warm" })).toBe(true);
     expect(daytonaRetainsSandboxes({ warmEnvironment: false, inheritEnvironment: false, lifecycle: "warm" })).toBe(false);
   });
diff --git a/tests/restart-chaos/ttft-baseline-stats.ts b/tests/restart-chaos/ttft-baseline-stats.ts
index 118aa477dff..14a2ce1266a 100644
--- a/tests/restart-chaos/ttft-baseline-stats.ts
+++ b/tests/restart-chaos/ttft-baseline-stats.ts
@@ -314,11 +314,12 @@ export function openShellExecutions(events: readonly BaselineEvent[], marker?: s
  * Whether finished tasks keep their Daytona sandbox for the idle window. The warm
  * fixture always does. An inheriting environment defers to the agent, whose catalog
  * profile pins per_turn unless --lifecycle warm replaces it. --lifecycle default
- * leaves the agent unset, and a remote run with no lifecycle anywhere is per-turn.
+ * leaves the agent unset; on Daytona, which keeps reusable leases, a measured
+ * harness with no lifecycle anywhere then defaults to warm.
  */
 export function daytonaRetainsSandboxes(input: { warmEnvironment: boolean; inheritEnvironment: boolean; lifecycle: string | undefined }): boolean {
   if (input.warmEnvironment) return true;
-  return input.inheritEnvironment && input.lifecycle === "warm";
+  return input.inheritEnvironment && (input.lifecycle === "warm" || input.lifecycle === "default");
 }
 
 /** Daytona sandboxes a TTFT baseline can hold at once, for the vCPU budget check. */