diff --git a/config/vitest.ci.config.ts b/config/vitest.ci.config.ts
index 0305838c..e0490680 100644
--- a/config/vitest.ci.config.ts
+++ b/config/vitest.ci.config.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,13 @@ export default defineConfig({
     include: ['test/**/*.test.ts'],
     exclude: [...configDefaults.exclude, ...NON_CI_TEST_GLOBS],
     setupFiles: ['./test/setup.ts'],
+    // SAFETY: force every worker's data dir away from prod `~/.codeman`. Route
+    // tests (e.g. session-routes-workspace-hooks) write remote-hosts.json into
+    // `getDataDir()`; without this a bare run clobbers the production host
+    // registry (found 2026-08-29). `/tmp` is fine here — the tree is throwaway.
+    env: {
+      CODEMAN_DATA_DIR: '/tmp/codeman-vitest-data',
+    },
     fileParallelism: false,
     testTimeout: 30000,
     teardownTimeout: 60000,
diff --git a/config/vitest.config.ts b/config/vitest.config.ts
index 578e6c4a..7b1317d4 100644
--- a/config/vitest.config.ts
+++ b/config/vitest.config.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,13 @@ export default defineConfig({
     environment: 'node',
     include: ['test/**/*.test.ts'],
     setupFiles: ['./test/setup.ts'],
+    // SAFETY: force every worker's data dir away from prod `~/.codeman`. Route
+    // tests (e.g. session-routes-workspace-hooks) write remote-hosts.json into
+    // `getDataDir()`; without this a bare run clobbers the production host
+    // registry (found 2026-08-29). `/tmp` is fine here — the tree is throwaway.
+    env: {
+      CODEMAN_DATA_DIR: '/tmp/codeman-vitest-data',
+    },
     // Run test files sequentially to respect mux session limits
     // Individual tests within files still run in parallel where safe
     fileParallelism: false,
diff --git a/test/cli-skill-target.test.ts b/test/cli-skill-target.test.ts
index f3135116..66e720b2 100644
--- a/test/cli-skill-target.test.ts
+++ b/test/cli-skill-target.test.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import { mkdirSync, rmSync, writeFileSync, existsSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { homedir } from 'node:os';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { dataPath } from '../src/config/instance.js';
+import { safeRmHomeTree } from './mocks/index.js';
 import { program, resolveCliCasePath, resolveSkillTargetPath } from '../src/cli.js';
 import { getCasesDir } from '../src/config/cases-dir.js';
 
@@ -37,14 +38,18 @@ function writeLinkedCases(content: string): void {
 
 beforeEach(() => {
   rmSync(LINKED_CASES_FILE, { force: true });
-  rmSync(CASES_DIR, { recursive: true, force: true });
-  rmSync(LINKED_ROOT, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  safeRmHomeTree(CASES_DIR);
+  safeRmHomeTree(LINKED_ROOT);
 });
 
 afterEach(() => {
+  // LINKED_CASES_FILE is dataPath('linked-cases.json') → CODEMAN_DATA_DIR,
+  // which test/setup.ts points at a throwaway /tmp dir, so a plain delete is
+  // safe here. Only homedir()-derived paths (CASES_DIR/LINKED_ROOT) need the
+  // containment gate.
   rmSync(LINKED_CASES_FILE, { force: true });
-  rmSync(CASES_DIR, { recursive: true, force: true });
-  rmSync(LINKED_ROOT, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  safeRmHomeTree(CASES_DIR);
+  safeRmHomeTree(LINKED_ROOT);
 });
 
 describe('resolveSkillTargetPath (global)', () => {
diff --git a/test/edge-cases.test.ts b/test/edge-cases.test.ts
index 8ceec2ae..576b442a 100644
--- a/test/edge-cases.test.ts
+++ b/test/edge-cases.test.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll, afterEach } from 'vitest';
 import { WebServer } from '../src/web/server.js';
-import { existsSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { homedir } from 'node:os';
+import { safeRmHomeTree } from './mocks/index.js';
 
 const TEST_PORT = 3110;
 const CASES_DIR = join(homedir(), 'codeman-cases');
@@ -19,13 +19,12 @@ describe('Edge Cases and Error Handling', () => {
   });
 
   afterEach(() => {
-    // Clean up cases created during this test
+    // Clean up cases created during this test. SAFETY: CASES_DIR is
+    // homedir()-derived, which on some platforms ignores the test HOME — the
+    // containment gate refuses to delete anything not under the temp HOME.
     while (createdCases.length > 0) {
       const caseName = createdCases.pop()!;
-      const casePath = join(CASES_DIR, caseName);
-      if (existsSync(casePath)) {
-        rmSync(casePath, { recursive: true, force: true });
-      }
+      safeRmHomeTree(join(CASES_DIR, caseName));
     }
   });
 
@@ -349,15 +348,9 @@ describe('Concurrent Session Handling', () => {
       }
     }
 
-    // Cleanup
-    const { rmSync, existsSync } = await import('node:fs');
-    const { join } = await import('node:path');
-    const { homedir } = await import('node:os');
+    // Cleanup (containment-gated: never touch prod ~/codeman-cases)
     for (const name of createdCases) {
-      const path = join(homedir(), 'codeman-cases', name);
-      if (existsSync(path)) {
-        rmSync(path, { recursive: true, force: true });
-      }
+      safeRmHomeTree(join(homedir(), 'codeman-cases', name));
     }
   });
 });
diff --git a/test/integration-flows.test.ts b/test/integration-flows.test.ts
index 727c7ebb..2d38aa89 100644
--- a/test/integration-flows.test.ts
+++ b/test/integration-flows.test.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll, afterEach } from 'vitest';
 import { WebServer } from '../src/web/server.js';
-import { existsSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { homedir } from 'node:os';
+import { safeRmHomeTree } from './mocks/index.js';
 
 const TEST_PORT = 3115;
 const CASES_DIR = join(homedir(), 'codeman-cases');
@@ -24,13 +24,11 @@ describe('Integration Flows', () => {
   });
 
   afterEach(() => {
-    // Clean up cases created during this test
+    // Clean up cases created during this test (containment-gated: never
+    // delete a case dir outside the temp HOME, e.g. prod ~/codeman-cases on
+    // platforms where os.homedir() ignores $HOME).
     while (createdCases.length > 0) {
-      const caseName = createdCases.pop()!;
-      const casePath = join(CASES_DIR, caseName);
-      if (existsSync(casePath)) {
-        rmSync(casePath, { recursive: true, force: true });
-      }
+      safeRmHomeTree(join(CASES_DIR, createdCases.pop()!));
     }
   });
 
@@ -296,10 +294,7 @@ describe('SSE Event Flow', () => {
       } catch {}
     }
     for (const caseName of createdCases) {
-      const casePath = join(CASES_DIR, caseName);
-      if (existsSync(casePath)) {
-        rmSync(casePath, { recursive: true, force: true });
-      }
+      safeRmHomeTree(join(CASES_DIR, caseName));
     }
     await server.stop();
   }, 60000);
diff --git a/test/mocks/index.ts b/test/mocks/index.ts
index 0a17f837..2a696c2d 100644
--- a/test/mocks/index.ts
+++ b/test/mocks/index.ts
@@ -7,5 +7,5 @@
 
 export { MockSession, createMockSession, terminalOutputs } from './mock-session.js';
 export { MockStateStore } from './mock-state-store.js';
-export { waitForEvent, createDeferred } from './test-helpers.js';
+export { waitForEvent, createDeferred, safeRmHomeTree, isUnderTestHome } from './test-helpers.js';
 export { createMockRouteContext, type MockRouteContext } from './mock-route-context.js';
diff --git a/test/mocks/test-helpers.ts b/test/mocks/test-helpers.ts
index cc64a787..6e68f022 100644
--- a/test/mocks/test-helpers.ts
+++ b/test/mocks/test-helpers.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
  * Reusable async test helpers.
  */
 
+import { rmSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { resolve } from 'node:path';
+
 /** Wait for an EventEmitter to emit a specific event, with timeout */
 export function waitForEvent(
   emitter: { once: (event: string, listener: (...args: unknown[]) => void) => void },
@@ -34,3 +37,39 @@ export function createDeferred<T = void>(): {
   });
   return { promise, resolve, reject };
 }
+
+/**
+ * Delete a directory tree, but ONLY when it lives inside the test HOME.
+ *
+ * SAFETY (2026-08-29): `test/setup.ts` redirects `process.env.HOME` to a
+ * throwaway dir, but code that resolves paths via `os.homedir()` does NOT
+ * follow that redirect on every Linux build/Node version — some read
+ * /etc/passwd instead of $HOME. A test that `rmSync(CASES_DIR, recursive)` can
+ * therefore delete the PRODUCTION `~/codeman-cases` (or any home-anchored
+ * tree) on those platforms. This gate refuses to delete anything not under the
+ * (redirected) `process.env.HOME`. Lexical `resolve()` is used because the leaf
+ * often does not exist and `realpathSync` would throw.
+ */
+export function safeRmHomeTree(path: string): void {
+  const home = process.env.HOME;
+  if (!home) return;
+  const target = resolve(path);
+  const root = resolve(home);
+  if (target === root || target.startsWith(root + '/')) {
+    rmSync(target, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * True when `path` resolves strictly inside `process.env.HOME` (or to it).
+ * Same rationale as `safeRmHomeTree`; use for guarded non-recursive deletes
+ * (single files like `linked-cases.json`) so they never touch prod state on
+ * platforms where `os.homedir()` ignores `$HOME`.
+ */
+export function isUnderTestHome(path: string): boolean {
+  const home = process.env.HOME;
+  if (!home) return false;
+  const target = resolve(path);
+  const root = resolve(home);
+  return target === root || target.startsWith(root + '/');
+}
diff --git a/test/operation-lightspeed.test.ts b/test/operation-lightspeed.test.ts
index 34056cb4..2f59cdb1 100644
--- a/test/operation-lightspeed.test.ts
+++ b/test/operation-lightspeed.test.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@
  */
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll, beforeEach } from 'vitest';
 import { WebServer } from '../src/web/server.js';
-
+import { safeRmHomeTree } from './mocks/index.js';
+import { homedir } from 'node:os';
+import { join } from 'node:path';
 const TEST_PORT = 3215;
 
 // Helper to parse SSE events from raw text
@@ -1043,15 +1045,8 @@ describe('Operation Lightspeed', () => {
       const caseEvent = events.find((e) => e.event === 'case:created');
       expect(caseEvent).toBeDefined();
 
-      // Cleanup
-      const { rmSync } = await import('node:fs');
-      const { join } = await import('node:path');
-      const { homedir } = await import('node:os');
-      try {
-        rmSync(join(homedir(), 'codeman-cases', caseName), { recursive: true });
-      } catch {
-        /* may not exist */
-      }
+      // Cleanup (containment-gated: never touch prod ~/codeman-cases)
+      safeRmHomeTree(join(homedir(), 'codeman-cases', caseName));
     });
 
     it('should deliver session:created to every client, even those with a mismatched filter', async () => {
diff --git a/test/ralph-integration.test.ts b/test/ralph-integration.test.ts
index 46316339..597c03e0 100644
--- a/test/ralph-integration.test.ts
+++ b/test/ralph-integration.test.ts
@@ -13,9 +13,9 @@
 
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll, afterEach } from 'vitest';
 import { WebServer } from '../src/web/server.js';
-import { existsSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { homedir } from 'node:os';
+import { safeRmHomeTree } from './mocks/index.js';
 
 const TEST_PORT = 3125;
 const CASES_DIR = join(homedir(), 'codeman-cases');
@@ -33,13 +33,10 @@ describe('Ralph Integration Tests', () => {
   });
 
   afterEach(() => {
-    // Clean up cases created during this test
+    // Clean up cases created during this test (containment-gated: never
+    // delete a case dir outside the temp HOME).
     while (createdCases.length > 0) {
-      const caseName = createdCases.pop()!;
-      const casePath = join(CASES_DIR, caseName);
-      if (existsSync(casePath)) {
-        rmSync(casePath, { recursive: true, force: true });
-      }
+      safeRmHomeTree(join(CASES_DIR, createdCases.pop()!));
     }
   });
 
diff --git a/test/routes/case-clone-routes.test.ts b/test/routes/case-clone-routes.test.ts
index 6cb7e7a8..4d200003 100644
--- a/test/routes/case-clone-routes.test.ts
+++ b/test/routes/case-clone-routes.test.ts
@@ -9,8 +9,10 @@
  * working tree in the case directory, that scaffolding does not overwrite the
  * repository's own files, and that a rejected URL never reaches git.
  *
- * `test/setup.ts` points HOME at a per-file temp dir, so CASES_DIR resolves
- * inside the fixture and nothing touches the developer's real ~/codeman-cases.
+ * `test/setup.ts` points HOME at a per-file temp dir, but CASES_DIR is
+ * `join(homedir(), 'codeman-cases')` and `os.homedir()` ignores the HOME
+ * override on some platforms/Node builds — so cleanup below goes through
+ * `safeRmHomeTree`, which refuses to delete anything outside the temp HOME.
  *
  * Port: N/A (app.inject).
  */
@@ -31,7 +33,7 @@ import {
 } from 'node:fs';
 import { homedir, tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
-import { createMockRouteContext, type MockRouteContext } from '../mocks/index.js';
+import { createMockRouteContext, safeRmHomeTree, type MockRouteContext } from '../mocks/index.js';
 import { installRouteErrorHandler } from '../../src/web/route-error-handler.js';
 import { ApiErrorCode, httpStatusForErrorCode } from '../../src/types.js';
 import { registerCaseRoutes } from '../../src/web/routes/case-routes.js';
@@ -147,7 +149,7 @@ describe('POST /api/cases/clone — input rejection', () => {
       expect(res.statusCode).toBe(httpStatusForErrorCode(ApiErrorCode.ALREADY_EXISTS));
       expect(JSON.parse(res.body).error).toMatch(/already exists/i);
     } finally {
-      rmSync(join(CASES_DIR, 'taken'), { recursive: true, force: true });
+      safeRmHomeTree(join(CASES_DIR, 'taken'));
     }
   });
 });
@@ -217,7 +219,7 @@ describe.skipIf(!gitPresent)('POST /api/cases/clone — real clone', () => {
 
   afterAll(() => {
     rmSync(root, { recursive: true, force: true });
-    for (const name of created) rmSync(join(CASES_DIR, name), { recursive: true, force: true });
+    for (const name of created) safeRmHomeTree(join(CASES_DIR, name));
   });
 
   beforeEach(buildApp);
diff --git a/test/routes/session-routes-workspace-hooks.test.ts b/test/routes/session-routes-workspace-hooks.test.ts
index 4957226d..94f0a7fb 100644
--- a/test/routes/session-routes-workspace-hooks.test.ts
+++ b/test/routes/session-routes-workspace-hooks.test.ts
@@ -19,14 +19,14 @@
  * including the sweep's deleted-workspace guard.
  */
 
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest';
 import Fastify, { type FastifyInstance } from 'fastify';
 import fastifyCookie from '@fastify/cookie';
 import { mkdtemp, rm, readFile, mkdir, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
 import { existsSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
-import { createMockRouteContext, type MockRouteContext } from '../mocks/index.js';
+import { createMockRouteContext, safeRmHomeTree, type MockRouteContext } from '../mocks/index.js';
 import { installRouteErrorHandler } from '../../src/web/route-error-handler.js';
 import { registerSessionRoutes } from '../../src/web/routes/session-routes.js';
 import { generateHooksConfig, applyWorkspaceHooks } from '../../src/hooks-config.js';
@@ -168,6 +168,16 @@ describe('POST /api/sessions workspace hooks', () => {
     // `user@host:session` — locally a RELATIVE path, so a mkdir would create it
     // as a junk directory under the server cwd. statusLineTelemetry rides along:
     // applyStatusLineConfig mkdirs the same way and used to run for remote attaches.
+    // SAFETY (2026-08-29): write straight to `getDataDir()` — `test/setup.ts`
+    // already sandboxes CODEMAN_DATA_DIR for the whole file (same convention as
+    // the docker-hosts fixtures below). A prior version of this test stubbed
+    // CODEMAN_DATA_DIR to a SEPARATE throwaway dir for just this write, but
+    // `session-routes.ts`'s `CODEMAN_CONFIG_DIR` is a module-load-time constant
+    // (frozen at the sandboxed dir before this test ever runs), so that fixture
+    // landed somewhere the route handler could never read it — the remote host
+    // lookup silently failed and the test passed for the wrong reason (Fastify
+    // defaults an unset reply code to 200, so the NOT_FOUND branch and the
+    // intended success branch were indistinguishable by status code alone).
     await mkdir(getDataDir(), { recursive: true });
     await writeFile(
       join(getDataDir(), 'remote-hosts.json'),
@@ -248,7 +258,11 @@ describe('POST /api/quick-start workspace hooks', () => {
     // Docker fixtures + case dirs must not leak into the next test.
     await rm(join(getDataDir(), 'docker-hosts.json'), { force: true });
     await rm(join(getDataDir(), 'docker-cases.json'), { force: true });
-    await rm(CASES_DIR, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    // SAFETY (2026-08-29): CASES_DIR is `join(homedir(), 'codeman-cases')`, and
+    // on environments where `os.homedir()` ignores `$HOME` it resolves to the
+    // PROD case tree. `safeRmHomeTree` refuses to delete anything not under the
+    // redirected test HOME, so a run can never nuke the real `~/codeman-cases`.
+    safeRmHomeTree(CASES_DIR);
   });
 
   it('installs hooks into an EXISTING case directory (a linked case / cloned repo)', async () => {
diff --git a/test/routes/voice-routes.test.ts b/test/routes/voice-routes.test.ts
index d29c2a5a..c2475bab 100644
--- a/test/routes/voice-routes.test.ts
+++ b/test/routes/voice-routes.test.ts
@@ -19,12 +19,33 @@ import Fastify, { type FastifyInstance } from 'fastify';
 import fastifyWebsocket from '@fastify/websocket';
 import WebSocket, { WebSocketServer } from 'ws';
 import { mkdirSync, writeFileSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
-import { homedir } from 'node:os';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { createMockRouteContext, type MockRouteContext } from '../mocks/index.js';
 import { registerVoiceRoutes, _resetVoiceStreamCountForTesting } from '../../src/web/routes/voice-routes.js';
 import { MAX_CONCURRENT_STREAMS } from '../../src/config/voice.js';
 
+// SAFETY (2026-08-29): anchor on the REDIRECTED test HOME (process.env.HOME,
+// which test/setup.ts points at a throwaway dir) instead of os.homedir().
+// On some Linux builds os.homedir() reads /etc/passwd and would resolve to the
+// REAL home, clobbering the user's ~/.claude/.credentials.json.
+function testHome(): string {
+  if (!process.env.HOME) throw new Error('process.env.HOME unset — test/setup.ts must run first');
+  return process.env.HOME;
+}
+
+function writeCredentials(expiresAt: number | undefined): void {
+  const dir = join(testHome(), '.claude');
+  mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true });
+  writeFileSync(
+    join(dir, '.credentials.json'),
+    JSON.stringify({ claudeAiOauth: { accessToken: TOKEN, expiresAt, subscriptionType: 'max' } })
+  );
+}
+
+function removeCredentials(): void {
+  rmSync(join(testHome(), '.claude', '.credentials.json'), { force: true });
+}
+
 const PORT = 3230;
 const UPSTREAM_PORT = 3231;
 const TOKEN = 'sk-ant-oat01-voice-route-test';
@@ -38,19 +59,6 @@ interface UpstreamCapture {
   socket: WebSocket | null;
 }
 
-function writeCredentials(expiresAt: number | undefined): void {
-  const dir = join(homedir(), '.claude');
-  mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true });
-  writeFileSync(
-    join(dir, '.credentials.json'),
-    JSON.stringify({ claudeAiOauth: { accessToken: TOKEN, expiresAt, subscriptionType: 'max' } })
-  );
-}
-
-function removeCredentials(): void {
-  rmSync(join(homedir(), '.claude', '.credentials.json'), { force: true });
-}
-
 function waitForClose(ws: WebSocket, timeoutMs = 3000): Promise<{ code: number; reason: string }> {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
     const timer = setTimeout(() => reject(new Error('WS close timeout')), timeoutMs);
diff --git a/test/session-cleanup.test.ts b/test/session-cleanup.test.ts
index 73e40c06..e7676729 100644
--- a/test/session-cleanup.test.ts
+++ b/test/session-cleanup.test.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll, afterEach, vi } from 'vitest';
 import { WebServer } from '../src/web/server.js';
-import { existsSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { homedir, tmpdir } from 'node:os';
+import { safeRmHomeTree } from './mocks/index.js';
 
 const TEST_PORT = 3120;
 const CASES_DIR = join(homedir(), 'codeman-cases');
@@ -27,13 +28,9 @@ describe('Session Cleanup', () => {
   });
 
   afterEach(() => {
-    // Clean up cases created during this test
+    // Clean up cases created during this test (containment-gated).
     while (createdCases.length > 0) {
-      const caseName = createdCases.pop()!;
-      const casePath = join(CASES_DIR, caseName);
-      if (existsSync(casePath)) {
-        rmSync(casePath, { recursive: true, force: true });
-      }
+      safeRmHomeTree(join(CASES_DIR, createdCases.pop()!));
     }
   });
 
@@ -228,10 +225,7 @@ describe('Resource Management', () => {
 
   afterAll(async () => {
     for (const caseName of createdCases) {
-      const casePath = join(CASES_DIR, caseName);
-      if (existsSync(casePath)) {
-        rmSync(casePath, { recursive: true, force: true });
-      }
+      safeRmHomeTree(join(CASES_DIR, caseName));
     }
     await server.stop();
   }, 60000);
diff --git a/test/setup.ts b/test/setup.ts
index edd11f51..1b24e5ee 100644
--- a/test/setup.ts
+++ b/test/setup.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,9 @@ const originalHome = process.env.HOME;
 const originalUserProfile = process.env.USERPROFILE;
 const originalVitest = process.env.VITEST;
 const originalPlaywrightBrowsersPath = process.env.PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH;
+const originalCodemanDataDir = process.env.CODEMAN_DATA_DIR;
 const testHome = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'codeman-vitest-'));
+const testDataDir = join(tmpdir(), `codeman-vitest-data-${process.pid}`);
 
 if (originalPlaywrightBrowsersPath === undefined && originalHome) {
   process.env.PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH =
@@ -32,6 +34,16 @@ process.env.HOME = testHome;
 process.env.USERPROFILE = testHome;
 process.env.VITEST = 'true';
 
+// SAFETY: `getDataDir()` resolves via `homedir()` → `~/.codeman<INSTANCE_SUFFIX>`.
+// Overriding HOME above is NOT enough: on Linux `os.homedir()` reads /etc/passwd,
+// not $HOME, so without this a route test that writes `remote-hosts.json` (or
+// any state file) into `getDataDir()` silently clobbers the PRODUCTION
+// `~/.codeman` tree (found 2026-08-29: `session-routes-workspace-hooks.test.ts`
+// overwrote prod `remote-hosts.json` with an `h1/box/10.0.0.5` fixture during a
+// bare full-suite run, wiping every user-defined remote host and emptying the
+// launch case dropdown). Point every test at a throwaway data dir instead.
+process.env.CODEMAN_DATA_DIR = testDataDir;
+
 delete process.env.CODEMAN_PASSWORD;
 delete process.env.CODEMAN_USERNAME;
 // Gesture availability changes renderIndexHtml output (injects the
@@ -50,7 +62,9 @@ afterAll(async () => {
   // "onUserConsoleLog" call is still pending, and that single unhandled
   // EnvironmentTeardownError fails the run after every test has passed
   // (observed twice on the PR #175/#176 merge commit; never locally).
-  await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 50));
+  const { promise: drained, resolve: drainDone } = Promise.withResolvers<void>();
+  setTimeout(drainDone, 50);
+  await drained;
 
   if (originalHome === undefined) delete process.env.HOME;
   else process.env.HOME = originalHome;
@@ -64,7 +78,11 @@ afterAll(async () => {
   if (originalPlaywrightBrowsersPath === undefined) delete process.env.PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH;
   else process.env.PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH = originalPlaywrightBrowsersPath;
 
+  if (originalCodemanDataDir === undefined) delete process.env.CODEMAN_DATA_DIR;
+  else process.env.CODEMAN_DATA_DIR = originalCodemanDataDir;
+
   rmSync(testHome, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  rmSync(testDataDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
 });
 
 // afterAll never fires for a fully-skipped test file (no tests execute), which
@@ -72,4 +90,5 @@ afterAll(async () => {
 // with force is a no-op when afterAll already removed it.
 process.on('exit', () => {
   rmSync(testHome, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  rmSync(testDataDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
 });
diff --git a/test/sse-events.test.ts b/test/sse-events.test.ts
index ea3b1573..d602880e 100644
--- a/test/sse-events.test.ts
+++ b/test/sse-events.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll } from 'vitest';
 import { WebServer } from '../src/web/server.js';
 import { EventEmitter } from 'node:events';
+import { safeRmHomeTree } from './mocks/index.js';
+import { homedir } from 'node:os';
+import { join } from 'node:path';
 
 const TEST_PORT = 3107;
 
@@ -295,13 +298,8 @@ describe('SSE Event Types', () => {
       expect(caseCreated).toBeDefined();
       expect((caseCreated?.data as any).name).toBe(caseName);
 
-      // Cleanup
-      const { rmSync } = await import('node:fs');
-      const { join } = await import('node:path');
-      const { homedir } = await import('node:os');
-      try {
-        rmSync(join(homedir(), 'codeman-cases', caseName), { recursive: true });
-      } catch {}
+      // Cleanup (containment-gated)
+      safeRmHomeTree(join(homedir(), 'codeman-cases', caseName));
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/test/sse-subscription-filter.test.ts b/test/sse-subscription-filter.test.ts
index 59511d92..54514785 100644
--- a/test/sse-subscription-filter.test.ts
+++ b/test/sse-subscription-filter.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll } from 'vitest';
 import { WebServer } from '../src/web/server.js';
+import { safeRmHomeTree } from './mocks/index.js';
+import { homedir } from 'node:os';
+import { join } from 'node:path';
 
 const TEST_PORT = 3212;
 
@@ -437,14 +440,7 @@ describe('SSE Subscription Filtering', () => {
     expect(caseCreated).toBeDefined();
     expect((caseCreated?.data as any).name).toBe(caseName);
 
-    // Cleanup
-    const { rmSync } = await import('node:fs');
-    const { join } = await import('node:path');
-    const { homedir } = await import('node:os');
-    try {
-      rmSync(join(homedir(), 'codeman-cases', caseName), { recursive: true });
-    } catch {
-      /* may not exist */
-    }
+    // Cleanup (containment-gated)
+    safeRmHomeTree(join(homedir(), 'codeman-cases', caseName));
   });
 });