@@ -604,18 +604,28 @@ test('prepare ios-runner starts the XCTest runner on an explicit iOS selector',
     expect.objectContaining({ platform: 'apple', id: 'sim-1' }),
     expect.objectContaining({
       cleanStaleBundles: true,
-      buildTimeoutMs: 240000,
-      healthTimeoutMs: 240000,
       logPath: expect.stringMatching(/runner\.log$/),
       prepareDeadline: expect.objectContaining({
         elapsedMs: expect.any(Function),
         isExpired: expect.any(Function),
         remainingMs: expect.any(Function),
       }),
       requestId: 'prepare-request',
-      startupTimeoutMs: 240000,
     }),
   );
+  // `prepareAppleRunner` spends one budget across the boot wait and the runner, so what reaches
+  // the runner is `--timeout` minus whatever readiness already used. Asserting the exact request
+  // asserts that zero wall-clock time passed, which is an accident of scheduling rather than a
+  // property of the system; the guarantee is that each budget is wired and never re-spent.
+  const [, prepareOptions] = mockPrepareIosRunner.mock.calls[0]!;
+  for (const field of ['buildTimeoutMs', 'healthTimeoutMs', 'startupTimeoutMs'] as const) {
+    expect
+      .soft(prepareOptions[field], `${field} carries the unspent remainder of --timeout`)
+      .toBeGreaterThan(239_000);
+    expect
+      .soft(prepareOptions[field], `${field} never exceeds --timeout`)
+      .toBeLessThanOrEqual(240_000);
+  }
   if (response.ok) {
     expect(response.data).toMatchObject({
       action: 'ios-runner',