diff --git a/src/cron/service/timer.regression.test.ts b/src/cron/service/timer.regression.test.ts
index c52535ccd17..11b31d5df19 100644
--- a/src/cron/service/timer.regression.test.ts
+++ b/src/cron/service/timer.regression.test.ts
@@ -49,6 +49,19 @@ function requireTimestamp(value: number | undefined, label: string): number {
   return value;
 }
 
+function requireRecord(value: unknown): Record<string, unknown> {
+  expect(value).toBeTruthy();
+  expect(typeof value).toBe("object");
+  expect(Array.isArray(value)).toBe(false);
+  return value as Record<string, unknown>;
+}
+
+function firstMockArg(mock: unknown): unknown {
+  const calls = (mock as { mock: { calls: readonly (readonly unknown[])[] } }).mock.calls;
+  expect(calls[0]).toBeTruthy();
+  return calls[0]?.[0];
+}
+
 describe("cron service timer regressions", () => {
   it("caps timer delay to 60s for far-future schedules", async () => {
     const timeoutSpy = vi.spyOn(globalThis, "setTimeout");
@@ -101,7 +114,7 @@ describe("cron service timer regressions", () => {
     await onTimer(state);
 
     expect(timeoutSpy).toHaveBeenCalled();
-    expect(state.timer).toEqual(expect.anything());
+    expect(state.timer).toBeTruthy();
     const delays = timeoutSpy.mock.calls
       .map(([, delay]) => delay)
       .filter((d): d is number => typeof d === "number");
@@ -1124,24 +1137,26 @@ describe("cron service timer regressions", () => {
     await onTimer(state);
 
     expect(state.store?.jobs).toStrictEqual([]);
-    expect(log.warn).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-      expect.anything(),
-      "cron: applyOutcomeToStoredJob — job not found after forceReload, result discarded",
-    );
+    expect(
+      log.warn.mock.calls.some(
+        ([, message]) =>
+          message ===
+          "cron: applyOutcomeToStoredJob — job not found after forceReload, result discarded",
+      ),
+    ).toBe(false);
     expect(log.info).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       { jobId: selfRemovingJob.id },
       "cron: finalized successful run after job was removed during execution",
     );
-    expect(events).toContainEqual(
-      expect.objectContaining({
-        jobId: selfRemovingJob.id,
-        action: "finished",
-        status: "ok",
-        summary: `finished ${selfRemovingJob.id}`,
-        delivered: true,
-        deliveryStatus: "delivered",
-      }),
+    const event = events.find(
+      (candidate) => candidate.jobId === selfRemovingJob.id && candidate.action === "finished",
     );
+    expect(event).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(event?.action).toBe("finished");
+    expect(event?.status).toBe("ok");
+    expect(event?.summary).toBe(`finished ${selfRemovingJob.id}`);
+    expect(event?.delivered).toBe(true);
+    expect(event?.deliveryStatus).toBe("delivered");
   });
 
   it("keeps missing-job discard semantics for failed isolated outcomes", async () => {
@@ -1335,15 +1350,15 @@ describe("cron service timer regressions", () => {
       await timerPromise;
 
       expect(abortObserved).toBe(true);
-      expect(cleanupTimedOutAgentRun).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
-        job: expect.objectContaining({ id: "timeout-cleanup-stuck-run" }),
-        timeoutMs: 1_000,
-        execution: {
-          jobId: "timeout-cleanup-stuck-run",
-          agentId: "main",
-          sessionId: "cron-run-session",
-          sessionKey: "agent:main:cron:timeout-cleanup-stuck-run:run:cron-run-session",
-        },
+      expect(cleanupTimedOutAgentRun).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      const cleanupArgs = requireRecord(firstMockArg(cleanupTimedOutAgentRun));
+      expect(requireRecord(cleanupArgs.job).id).toBe("timeout-cleanup-stuck-run");
+      expect(cleanupArgs.timeoutMs).toBe(1_000);
+      expect(cleanupArgs.execution).toEqual({
+        jobId: "timeout-cleanup-stuck-run",
+        agentId: "main",
+        sessionId: "cron-run-session",
+        sessionKey: "agent:main:cron:timeout-cleanup-stuck-run:run:cron-run-session",
       });
       const job = state.store?.jobs.find((entry) => entry.id === "timeout-cleanup-stuck-run");
       expect(job?.state.lastStatus).toBe("error");
@@ -1404,11 +1419,11 @@ describe("cron service timer regressions", () => {
       expect(abortObserved).toBe(true);
       expect(job.state.lastStatus).toBe("error");
       expect(job.state.lastError).toContain("setup timed out before runner start");
-      expect(cleanupTimedOutAgentRun).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
-        job: expect.objectContaining({ id: "isolated-setup-timeout-74803" }),
-        timeoutMs: 120_000,
-        execution: undefined,
-      });
+      expect(cleanupTimedOutAgentRun).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      const cleanupArgs = requireRecord(firstMockArg(cleanupTimedOutAgentRun));
+      expect(requireRecord(cleanupArgs.job).id).toBe("isolated-setup-timeout-74803");
+      expect(cleanupArgs.timeoutMs).toBe(120_000);
+      expect(cleanupArgs.execution).toBeUndefined();
     } finally {
       vi.useRealTimers();
     }
@@ -1490,14 +1505,13 @@ describe("cron service timer regressions", () => {
       expect(job.state.lastStatus).toBe("error");
       expect(job.state.lastError).toContain("stalled before first model call");
       expect(job.state.lastError).toContain("context-engine");
-      expect(cleanupTimedOutAgentRun).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
-        job: expect.objectContaining({ id: "isolated-pre-model-timeout-74803" }),
-        timeoutMs: 1_200_000,
-        execution: expect.objectContaining({
-          jobId: "isolated-pre-model-timeout-74803",
-          phase: "context_engine",
-        }),
-      });
+      expect(cleanupTimedOutAgentRun).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      const cleanupArgs = requireRecord(firstMockArg(cleanupTimedOutAgentRun));
+      expect(requireRecord(cleanupArgs.job).id).toBe("isolated-pre-model-timeout-74803");
+      expect(cleanupArgs.timeoutMs).toBe(1_200_000);
+      const execution = requireRecord(cleanupArgs.execution);
+      expect(execution.jobId).toBe("isolated-pre-model-timeout-74803");
+      expect(execution.phase).toBe("context_engine");
     } finally {
       vi.useRealTimers();
     }
@@ -1741,10 +1755,16 @@ describe("cron service timer regressions", () => {
       endedAt,
     });
 
-    expect(job.state.lastDiagnostics).toMatchObject({
-      summary: "exec stderr tail",
-      entries: [{ source: "exec", severity: "error", message: "exec stderr tail", exitCode: 1 }],
-    });
+    expect(job.state.lastDiagnostics?.summary).toBe("exec stderr tail");
+    expect(job.state.lastDiagnostics?.entries).toEqual([
+      {
+        ts: startedAt,
+        source: "exec",
+        severity: "error",
+        message: "exec stderr tail",
+        exitCode: 1,
+      },
+    ]);
     expect(job.state.lastDiagnosticSummary).toBe("exec stderr tail");
     expect(log.warn).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       {