diff --git a/src/gateway/server/readiness.test.ts b/src/gateway/server/readiness.test.ts
index 2ad29d3655a..b333277f158 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server/readiness.test.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server/readiness.test.ts
@@ -46,172 +46,188 @@ function createHealthyDiscordManager(startedAt: number, lastEventAt: number): Ch
   );
 }
 
+function withReadinessClock(run: () => void) {
+  vi.useFakeTimers();
+  vi.setSystemTime(new Date("2026-03-06T12:00:00Z"));
+  try {
+    run();
+  } finally {
+    vi.useRealTimers();
+  }
+}
+
+function createReadinessHarness(params: {
+  startedAgoMs: number;
+  accounts: Record<string, Partial<ChannelAccountSnapshot>>;
+  cacheTtlMs?: number;
+}) {
+  const startedAt = Date.now() - params.startedAgoMs;
+  const manager = createManager(snapshotWith(params.accounts));
+  return {
+    manager,
+    readiness: createReadinessChecker({
+      channelManager: manager,
+      startedAt,
+      cacheTtlMs: params.cacheTtlMs,
+    }),
+  };
+}
+
 describe("createReadinessChecker", () => {
   it("reports ready when all managed channels are healthy", () => {
-    vi.useFakeTimers();
-    vi.setSystemTime(new Date("2026-03-06T12:00:00Z"));
-    const startedAt = Date.now() - 5 * 60_000;
-    const manager = createHealthyDiscordManager(startedAt, Date.now() - 1_000);
+    withReadinessClock(() => {
+      const startedAt = Date.now() - 5 * 60_000;
+      const manager = createHealthyDiscordManager(startedAt, Date.now() - 1_000);
 
-    const readiness = createReadinessChecker({ channelManager: manager, startedAt });
-    expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 300_000 });
-    vi.useRealTimers();
+      const readiness = createReadinessChecker({ channelManager: manager, startedAt });
+      expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 300_000 });
+    });
   });
 
   it("ignores disabled and unconfigured channels", () => {
-    vi.useFakeTimers();
-    vi.setSystemTime(new Date("2026-03-06T12:00:00Z"));
-    const startedAt = Date.now() - 5 * 60_000;
-    const manager = createManager(
-      snapshotWith({
-        discord: {
-          running: false,
-          enabled: false,
-          configured: true,
-          lastStartAt: startedAt,
+    withReadinessClock(() => {
+      const { readiness } = createReadinessHarness({
+        startedAgoMs: 5 * 60_000,
+        accounts: {
+          discord: {
+            running: false,
+            enabled: false,
+            configured: true,
+            lastStartAt: Date.now() - 5 * 60_000,
+          },
+          telegram: {
+            running: false,
+            enabled: true,
+            configured: false,
+            lastStartAt: Date.now() - 5 * 60_000,
+          },
         },
-        telegram: {
-          running: false,
-          enabled: true,
-          configured: false,
-          lastStartAt: startedAt,
-        },
-      }),
-    );
-
-    const readiness = createReadinessChecker({ channelManager: manager, startedAt });
-    expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 300_000 });
-    vi.useRealTimers();
+      });
+      expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 300_000 });
+    });
   });
 
   it("uses startup grace before marking disconnected channels not ready", () => {
-    vi.useFakeTimers();
-    vi.setSystemTime(new Date("2026-03-06T12:00:00Z"));
-    const startedAt = Date.now() - 30_000;
-    const manager = createManager(
-      snapshotWith({
-        discord: {
-          running: true,
-          connected: false,
-          enabled: true,
-          configured: true,
-          lastStartAt: startedAt,
+    withReadinessClock(() => {
+      const { readiness } = createReadinessHarness({
+        startedAgoMs: 30_000,
+        accounts: {
+          discord: {
+            running: true,
+            connected: false,
+            enabled: true,
+            configured: true,
+            lastStartAt: Date.now() - 30_000,
+          },
         },
-      }),
-    );
-
-    const readiness = createReadinessChecker({ channelManager: manager, startedAt });
-    expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 30_000 });
-    vi.useRealTimers();
+      });
+      expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 30_000 });
+    });
   });
 
   it("reports disconnected managed channels after startup grace", () => {
-    vi.useFakeTimers();
-    vi.setSystemTime(new Date("2026-03-06T12:00:00Z"));
-    const startedAt = Date.now() - 5 * 60_000;
-    const manager = createManager(
-      snapshotWith({
-        discord: {
-          running: true,
-          connected: false,
-          enabled: true,
-          configured: true,
-          lastStartAt: startedAt,
+    withReadinessClock(() => {
+      const { readiness } = createReadinessHarness({
+        startedAgoMs: 5 * 60_000,
+        accounts: {
+          discord: {
+            running: true,
+            connected: false,
+            enabled: true,
+            configured: true,
+            lastStartAt: Date.now() - 5 * 60_000,
+          },
         },
-      }),
-    );
-
-    const readiness = createReadinessChecker({ channelManager: manager, startedAt });
-    expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: false, failing: ["discord"], uptimeMs: 300_000 });
-    vi.useRealTimers();
+      });
+      expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: false, failing: ["discord"], uptimeMs: 300_000 });
+    });
   });
 
   it("keeps restart-pending channels ready during reconnect backoff", () => {
-    vi.useFakeTimers();
-    vi.setSystemTime(new Date("2026-03-06T12:00:00Z"));
-    const startedAt = Date.now() - 5 * 60_000;
-    const manager = createManager(
-      snapshotWith({
-        discord: {
-          running: false,
-          restartPending: true,
-          reconnectAttempts: 3,
-          enabled: true,
-          configured: true,
-          lastStartAt: startedAt - 30_000,
-          lastStopAt: Date.now() - 5_000,
+    withReadinessClock(() => {
+      const startedAt = Date.now() - 5 * 60_000;
+      const { readiness } = createReadinessHarness({
+        startedAgoMs: 5 * 60_000,
+        accounts: {
+          discord: {
+            running: false,
+            restartPending: true,
+            reconnectAttempts: 3,
+            enabled: true,
+            configured: true,
+            lastStartAt: startedAt - 30_000,
+            lastStopAt: Date.now() - 5_000,
+          },
         },
-      }),
-    );
-
-    const readiness = createReadinessChecker({ channelManager: manager, startedAt });
-    expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 300_000 });
-    vi.useRealTimers();
+      });
+      expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 300_000 });
+    });
   });
 
   it("treats stale-socket channels as ready to avoid pulling healthy idle pods", () => {
-    vi.useFakeTimers();
-    vi.setSystemTime(new Date("2026-03-06T12:00:00Z"));
-    const startedAt = Date.now() - 31 * 60_000;
-    const manager = createManager(
-      snapshotWith({
-        discord: {
-          running: true,
-          connected: true,
-          enabled: true,
-          configured: true,
-          lastStartAt: startedAt,
-          lastEventAt: Date.now() - 31 * 60_000,
+    withReadinessClock(() => {
+      const startedAt = Date.now() - 31 * 60_000;
+      const { readiness } = createReadinessHarness({
+        startedAgoMs: 31 * 60_000,
+        accounts: {
+          discord: {
+            running: true,
+            connected: true,
+            enabled: true,
+            configured: true,
+            lastStartAt: startedAt,
+            lastEventAt: Date.now() - 31 * 60_000,
+          },
         },
-      }),
-    );
-
-    const readiness = createReadinessChecker({ channelManager: manager, startedAt });
-    expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 1_860_000 });
-    vi.useRealTimers();
+      });
+      expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 1_860_000 });
+    });
   });
 
   it("keeps telegram long-polling channels ready without stale-socket classification", () => {
-    vi.useFakeTimers();
-    vi.setSystemTime(new Date("2026-03-06T12:00:00Z"));
-    const startedAt = Date.now() - 31 * 60_000;
-    const manager = createManager(
-      snapshotWith({
-        telegram: {
-          running: true,
-          connected: true,
-          enabled: true,
-          configured: true,
-          lastStartAt: startedAt,
-          lastEventAt: null,
+    withReadinessClock(() => {
+      const startedAt = Date.now() - 31 * 60_000;
+      const { readiness } = createReadinessHarness({
+        startedAgoMs: 31 * 60_000,
+        accounts: {
+          telegram: {
+            running: true,
+            connected: true,
+            enabled: true,
+            configured: true,
+            lastStartAt: startedAt,
+            lastEventAt: null,
+          },
         },
-      }),
-    );
-
-    const readiness = createReadinessChecker({ channelManager: manager, startedAt });
-    expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 1_860_000 });
-    vi.useRealTimers();
+      });
+      expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 1_860_000 });
+    });
   });
 
   it("caches readiness snapshots briefly to keep repeated probes cheap", () => {
-    vi.useFakeTimers();
-    vi.setSystemTime(new Date("2026-03-06T12:00:00Z"));
-    const startedAt = Date.now() - 5 * 60_000;
-    const manager = createHealthyDiscordManager(startedAt, Date.now() - 1_000);
+    withReadinessClock(() => {
+      const { manager, readiness } = createReadinessHarness({
+        startedAgoMs: 5 * 60_000,
+        accounts: {
+          discord: {
+            running: true,
+            connected: true,
+            enabled: true,
+            configured: true,
+            lastStartAt: Date.now() - 5 * 60_000,
+            lastEventAt: Date.now() - 1_000,
+          },
+        },
+        cacheTtlMs: 1_000,
+      });
+      expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 300_000 });
+      vi.advanceTimersByTime(500);
+      expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 300_500 });
+      expect(manager.getRuntimeSnapshot).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
 
-    const readiness = createReadinessChecker({
-      channelManager: manager,
-      startedAt,
-      cacheTtlMs: 1_000,
+      vi.advanceTimersByTime(600);
+      expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 301_100 });
+      expect(manager.getRuntimeSnapshot).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
     });
-    expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 300_000 });
-    vi.advanceTimersByTime(500);
-    expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 300_500 });
-    expect(manager.getRuntimeSnapshot).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
-
-    vi.advanceTimersByTime(600);
-    expect(readiness()).toEqual({ ready: true, failing: [], uptimeMs: 301_100 });
-    expect(manager.getRuntimeSnapshot).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
-    vi.useRealTimers();
   });
 });