diff --git a/src/agents/models-config.uses-first-github-copilot-profile-env-tokens.test.ts b/src/agents/models-config.uses-first-github-copilot-profile-env-tokens.test.ts
index 23297695f78..ac73a827e78 100644
--- a/src/agents/models-config.uses-first-github-copilot-profile-env-tokens.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/models-config.uses-first-github-copilot-profile-env-tokens.test.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ vi.mock("../plugins/provider-runtime.js", () => ({
 vi.mock("./models-config.providers.js", () => ({
   applyNativeStreamingUsageCompat: (providers: unknown) => providers,
   enforceSourceManagedProviderSecrets: ({ providers }: { providers: unknown }) => providers,
+  normalizeProviderCatalogModelsForConfig: (providers: unknown) => providers,
   normalizeProviders: ({ providers }: { providers: unknown }) => providers,
   resolveImplicitProviders: async ({
     explicitProviders,
@@ -272,8 +273,6 @@ function expectCopilotProviderFromPlan(
       ? (JSON.parse(plan.contents) as { providers?: Record<string, unknown> })
       : {};
   const provider = parsed.providers?.["github-copilot"];
-  expect(provider).not.toBeNull();
-  expect(typeof provider).toBe("object");
   if (provider === null || typeof provider !== "object") {
     throw new Error("Expected GitHub Copilot provider config");
   }
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/google-prompt-cache.test.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/google-prompt-cache.test.ts
index 80d86b62b10..8b9472c9417 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/google-prompt-cache.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/google-prompt-cache.test.ts
@@ -93,8 +93,9 @@ function callArg(mock: { mock: { calls: unknown[][] } }, callIndex: number, argI
 
 function fetchInit(fetchMock: { mock: { calls: unknown[][] } }, callIndex = 0): RequestInit {
   const init = callArg(fetchMock, callIndex, 1);
-  expect(typeof init).toBe("object");
-  expect(init).not.toBeNull();
+  if (!init || typeof init !== "object") {
+    throw new Error(`expected fetch init for call ${callIndex}`);
+  }
   return init as RequestInit;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.spawn-workspace.context-engine.test.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.spawn-workspace.context-engine.test.ts
index c0e16d5ea0e..ec90e0cee6d 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.spawn-workspace.context-engine.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.spawn-workspace.context-engine.test.ts
@@ -52,8 +52,9 @@ type MockCallSource = {
 };
 
 function requireRecord(value: unknown, label: string): Record<string, unknown> {
-  expect(value, label).toBeTypeOf("object");
-  expect(value, label).not.toBeNull();
+  if (!value || typeof value !== "object") {
+    throw new Error(`expected ${label}`);
+  }
   return value as Record<string, unknown>;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.test.ts b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.test.ts
index 34e5c59b5a3..6000573ff6d 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-embedded-runner/run/attempt.test.ts
@@ -74,8 +74,9 @@ async function invokeWrappedTestStream(
 }
 
 function requireRecord(value: unknown, label: string): Record<string, unknown> {
-  expect(value, label).toBeTypeOf("object");
-  expect(value, label).not.toBeNull();
+  if (!value || typeof value !== "object") {
+    throw new Error(`expected ${label}`);
+  }
   return value as Record<string, unknown>;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/agents/pi-tools.before-tool-call.e2e.test.ts b/src/agents/pi-tools.before-tool-call.e2e.test.ts
index 94486c85172..6486a0487e0 100644
--- a/src/agents/pi-tools.before-tool-call.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/pi-tools.before-tool-call.e2e.test.ts
@@ -209,8 +209,6 @@ describe("before_tool_call loop detection behavior", () => {
   }
 
   function requireRecord(value: unknown, label: string): Record<string, unknown> {
-    expect(typeof value).toBe("object");
-    expect(value).not.toBeNull();
     if (typeof value !== "object" || value === null) {
       throw new Error(`${label} was not an object`);
     }
@@ -649,8 +647,6 @@ describe("before_tool_call requireApproval handling", () => {
   const mockCallGateway = vi.mocked(callGatewayTool);
 
   function requireRecord(value: unknown, label: string): Record<string, unknown> {
-    expect(typeof value).toBe("object");
-    expect(value).not.toBeNull();
     if (typeof value !== "object" || value === null) {
       throw new Error(`${label} was not an object`);
     }
diff --git a/src/agents/skills.compact-skill-paths.test.ts b/src/agents/skills.compact-skill-paths.test.ts
index 8017ef1339e..e63af08a9c6 100644
--- a/src/agents/skills.compact-skill-paths.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/skills.compact-skill-paths.test.ts
@@ -75,9 +75,11 @@ describe("compactSkillPaths", () => {
     });
 
     const locationMatch = prompt.match(/<location>([^<]+)<\/location>/);
-    expect(locationMatch).not.toBeNull();
-    expect(locationMatch![1]).toContain("~/");
-    expect(locationMatch![1]).toContain("\\literal-skill");
+    if (!locationMatch) {
+      throw new Error("expected prompt location tag");
+    }
+    expect(locationMatch[1]).toContain("~/");
+    expect(locationMatch[1]).toContain("\\literal-skill");
   });
 
   it("preserves paths outside home directory", () => {