diff --git a/internal/mcp/explore_divergent_default_owner.go b/internal/mcp/explore_divergent_default_owner.go
index d2b020c4..6140a5cc 100644
--- a/internal/mcp/explore_divergent_default_owner.go
+++ b/internal/mcp/explore_divergent_default_owner.go
@@ -20,6 +20,19 @@ const (
 	exploreDefaultOwnerFileCap     = 3
 	exploreDefaultOwnerFileNodeCap = 64
 	exploreDefaultOwnerTotalCap    = 96
+	// exploreDefaultOwnerFallbackSLO bounds the ranked-callable fallback that
+	// runs when no base constructor/type pair was already ranked. It is a
+	// SILENT bound: every check inside
+	// exploreDivergentDefaultBasesFromRankedCallables returns "no bases" on
+	// expiry, so the caller simply promotes nothing and the response is a
+	// smaller symbol set with no error and no warning.
+	//
+	// 25ms is ample for the batched inbound lookup + node hydration on an idle
+	// machine and is routinely exceeded on a loaded one, where those SQLite
+	// reads are descheduled. That makes WHICH owner gets promoted a function
+	// of machine load — fine for production (the fallback is best-effort by
+	// design) and fatal for a test that asserts the promoted identity, which
+	// is why promoteExploreDivergentDefaultOwner takes an overridable slice.
 	exploreDefaultOwnerFallbackSLO = 25 * time.Millisecond
 )
 
@@ -62,7 +75,13 @@ type exploreDivergentDefaultProjection struct {
 // lookup and one batched node hydration, and fails closed at every cap. A unique
 // match replaces its represented base pair before being moved to the head, so
 // promotion never evicts an unrelated protected candidate.
-func promoteExploreDivergentDefaultOwner(task string, targets []exploreTarget, store graph.Store, maxSymbols int, readSource func(*graph.Node) string) []exploreTarget {
+// The optional fallbackSLO overrides the wall-clock slice the ranked-callable
+// fallback may spend. Omitted (or zero) means the production default. Only a
+// caller that ASSERTS which owner gets promoted passes one, so its answer
+// cannot depend on machine load — see the note on
+// exploreDefaultOwnerFallbackSLO. Left variadic so the fifteen call sites that
+// never reach the fallback stay untouched.
+func promoteExploreDivergentDefaultOwner(task string, targets []exploreTarget, store graph.Store, maxSymbols int, readSource func(*graph.Node) string, fallbackSLO ...time.Duration) []exploreTarget {
 	if store == nil || readSource == nil || len(targets) == 0 || !exploreQueryIsConceptTask(task) {
 		return targets
 	}
@@ -72,7 +91,11 @@ func promoteExploreDivergentDefaultOwner(task string, targets []exploreTarget, s
 		return targets
 	}
 	if len(bases) == 0 {
-		deadline := time.Now().Add(exploreDefaultOwnerFallbackSLO)
+		slo := exploreDefaultOwnerFallbackSLO
+		if len(fallbackSLO) > 0 && fallbackSLO[0] > 0 {
+			slo = fallbackSLO[0]
+		}
+		deadline := time.Now().Add(slo)
 		bases, ok = exploreDivergentDefaultBasesFromRankedCallables(taskTerms, targets, store, deadline)
 		if !ok || len(bases) == 0 {
 			return targets
diff --git a/internal/mcp/explore_divergent_default_owner_test.go b/internal/mcp/explore_divergent_default_owner_test.go
index dc6c9da7..ba06f023 100644
--- a/internal/mcp/explore_divergent_default_owner_test.go
+++ b/internal/mcp/explore_divergent_default_owner_test.go
@@ -408,11 +408,16 @@ func TestHandleExplorePromotesDivergentDefaultOwnerFromSQLitePHPIndex(t *testing
 	task := `StreamHandler::write reports "could not be opened: Permission denied" after a rotating handler applies chmod; find the divergent filePermission default and owning type`
 	direct := promoteExploreDivergentDefaultOwner(task, []exploreTarget{{node: write}, {node: baseType}, {node: baseCtor}}, store, 3, func(node *graph.Node) string {
 		return server.manifestSymbolSource(context.Background(), node)
-	})
+	}, pinnedDivergentDefaultFallbackSLO)
 	require.Equal(t, childCtor.ID, direct[0].node.ID, "real store projection did not promote child constructor")
+	// The fallback path is the one bounded by exploreDefaultOwnerFallbackSLO:
+	// with only `write` ranked there is no base constructor/type pair, so the
+	// ranked-callable projection runs and its batched SQLite reads must finish
+	// inside the slice. This assertion is about WHICH owner is promoted, not
+	// about how fast the machine is, so the slice is pinned.
 	fallback := promoteExploreDivergentDefaultOwner(task, []exploreTarget{{node: write}}, store, 3, func(node *graph.Node) string {
 		return server.manifestSymbolSource(context.Background(), node)
-	})
+	}, pinnedDivergentDefaultFallbackSLO)
 	require.Equal(t, childCtor.ID, fallback[0].node.ID, "real store callable-owner fallback did not promote child constructor")
 
 	req := mcpgo.CallToolRequest{}
@@ -515,7 +520,21 @@ class RotatingFileHandler extends StreamHandler {
 	_, err = idx.Index(root)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	server := NewServer(query.NewEngine(store), store, idx, nil, zap.NewNop(), nil)
-	return server, store
+	return pinExploreDivergentDefaultFallbackSLO(server), store
+}
+
+// pinnedDivergentDefaultFallbackSLO is the wall-clock slice tests give the
+// divergent-default-owner fallback. Generous on purpose: these tests assert
+// WHICH owner is promoted, and the production 25ms default makes that a
+// function of machine load rather than of the ranking under test.
+const pinnedDivergentDefaultFallbackSLO = 30 * time.Second
+
+// pinExploreDivergentDefaultFallbackSLO widens the fallback slice for a server
+// whose explore responses are asserted symbol-by-symbol. Mirrors
+// pinExploreSourceLiteralRecallBudget, for the same reason.
+func pinExploreDivergentDefaultFallbackSLO(s *Server) *Server {
+	s.divergentDefaultFallbackSLOOverride = pinnedDivergentDefaultFallbackSLO
+	return s
 }
 
 func requirePHPFixtureNode(t *testing.T, store graph.Store, fileSuffix, name string, kind graph.NodeKind) *graph.Node {
diff --git a/internal/mcp/server.go b/internal/mcp/server.go
index 790dd194..5897119a 100644
--- a/internal/mcp/server.go
+++ b/internal/mcp/server.go
@@ -465,6 +465,15 @@ type Server struct {
 	// pinExploreSourceLiteralRecallBudget.
 	sourceLiteralRecallBudgetOverride time.Duration
 
+	// divergentDefaultFallbackSLOOverride replaces the wall-clock slice
+	// explore's divergent-default-owner fallback may spend. Test-only, same
+	// contract as sourceLiteralRecallBudgetOverride above: production leaves
+	// it zero and gets exploreDefaultOwnerFallbackSLO. A test that asserts
+	// WHICH owner the fallback promotes widens the slice so the answer cannot
+	// depend on how loaded the machine is. See
+	// pinExploreDivergentDefaultFallbackSLO.
+	divergentDefaultFallbackSLOOverride time.Duration
+
 	// critiqueLLMGenOverride substitutes the critique_review tool's LLM seam.
 	// Test-only: production leaves it nil and the handler builds the closure
 	// over llmService.Generate. A non-nil override stands in for the real
diff --git a/internal/mcp/tools_explore.go b/internal/mcp/tools_explore.go
index f98651ed..f5ca0f2b 100644
--- a/internal/mcp/tools_explore.go
+++ b/internal/mcp/tools_explore.go
@@ -2571,7 +2571,7 @@ func (s *Server) handleExplore(ctx context.Context, req mcp.CallToolRequest) (*m
 	if exploreQueryIsConceptTask(task) && len(targets) > len(artifactTargets) {
 		symbolTargets := promoteExploreDivergentDefaultOwner(task, targets[len(artifactTargets):], s.graph, maxSymbols, func(node *graph.Node) string {
 			return s.manifestSymbolSource(ctx, node)
-		})
+		}, s.divergentDefaultFallbackSLOOverride)
 		targets = append(targets[:len(artifactTargets):len(artifactTargets)], symbolTargets...)
 	}
 	// Direct retrieval owns the ranked head. Once graph promotion has selected