diff --git a/test/unit/face-index.test.ts b/test/unit/face-index.test.ts
index 1f3aa19e..1b2ed8d9 100644
--- a/test/unit/face-index.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/face-index.test.ts
@@ -2135,7 +2135,19 @@ test("aborting during add --all backpressure stops before the next wave", async
       input: "add", rest: [], opts: { all: true, to: "col_abort", batch: 1 },
       case: openCase(cdir), profile, signal: controller.signal,
     });
-    setTimeout(() => controller.abort(new Error("test abort")), 100);
+    // Abort only once wave 0's membership is visibly written: the run is then
+    // guaranteed to be inside the 60s between-wave settle sleep, whose abort
+    // path rejects with signal.reason. A wall-clock timer races the wave-0
+    // child processes under suite load — the abort can land mid-spawn, where
+    // node throws its own generic AbortError (reason demoted to `cause`).
+    let runSettled = false;
+    void run.catch(() => {}).finally(() => { runSettled = true; });
+    const deadline = Date.now() + 30_000;
+    while (!runSettled && (findIndex(openCase(cdir), "col_abort")?.members.length ?? 0) < 1) {
+      assert.ok(Date.now() < deadline, "wave 0 never registered its member");
+      await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 10));
+    }
+    controller.abort(new Error("test abort"));
     await assert.rejects(run, /test abort/);
     assert.equal(findIndex(openCase(cdir), "col_abort")!.members.length, 1, "second wave was never submitted");
   } finally {
diff --git a/vscode/package-lock.json b/vscode/package-lock.json
index b34849a9..4ed3afa2 100644
--- a/vscode/package-lock.json
+++ b/vscode/package-lock.json
@@ -2554,9 +2554,9 @@
       "license": "BSD-2-Clause"
     },
     "node_modules/brace-expansion": {
-      "version": "5.0.8",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/brace-expansion/-/brace-expansion-5.0.8.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-JZyDyq3D4AUifKTPOB7DELf6XsB3WdPuNxCtob1vFXPsSXhdAiHBWJ/tJ8HAc9aH84BK+5JFZLNkJKx3G9kzQg==",
+      "version": "5.0.9",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/brace-expansion/-/brace-expansion-5.0.9.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-ScQ4IuvIEF1TMlP7Zt+vjJ//9zlPb2SDcxWxM3bk8s6t6GGdJ7KO1dCcTidOPJKePW30LE/2cT7wCyPho9/Wxg==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
@@ -4958,9 +4958,9 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/postcss": {
-      "version": "8.5.19",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/postcss/-/postcss-8.5.19.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-Mz8SaolMd8nB+G13WkORcxQKHZ/NE4xXevtkJHVuG+guo9/wYKlIMTKAqGdEmYOXR2ijPjTYNHssizdaVSUNdQ==",
+      "version": "8.5.25",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/postcss/-/postcss-8.5.25.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-DTPx3RWSSnWyzLxQnlH0rJP+EW5ekl16ZU4/psbIhA0e53kJfdgaN5vKM+xP7yJtXVu+nfdVFmlgFDEKAe4Pyw==",
       "dev": true,
       "funding": [
         {
@@ -4978,7 +4978,7 @@
       ],
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
-        "nanoid": "^3.3.12",
+        "nanoid": "^3.3.16",
         "picocolors": "^1.1.1",
         "source-map-js": "^1.2.1"
       },