diff --git a/tests/bottom-auto-terminal.spec.tsx b/tests/bottom-auto-terminal.spec.tsx
index dfba81d..e9d4a5a 100644
--- a/tests/bottom-auto-terminal.spec.tsx
+++ b/tests/bottom-auto-terminal.spec.tsx
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@ interface MountedSidebar {
 }
 
 /** Mount the real Sidebar shell against a minimal context (real store + service). */
+/** Unique per-test session ids (see the comment inside). */
+let sessionSeq = 0
+
 function mountSidebar(): MountedSidebar {
   vi.stubGlobal('WebSocket', FakeWebSocket)
   const container = document.createElement('div')
@@ -52,14 +55,18 @@ function mountSidebar(): MountedSidebar {
   const service = createBetterSidebarService(store)
   // Fresh-session seed: the right panel starts OPEN, the bottom panel closed
   // (bottomOpen false → the first expansion is a false→true TRANSITION).
-  store.setSession('s1')
+  // Unique session per test — the store persists per-session state to
+  // localStorage (200ms debounce); a shared id lets a previous test's late
+  // write leak into this store's setSession restore.
+  const sessionId = `s1-${++sessionSeq}`
+  store.setSession(sessionId)
   // useSyncExternalStore requires STABLE snapshots across calls (the real DSH
   // services return stable objects) — a fresh object per call loops forever.
   const localeSnapshot = { active: 'en' }
   const sessionsSnapshot = {
-    current: 's1',
+    current: sessionId,
     // cwd present → api.sessionCwd is never called in these tests.
-    byId: { s1: { cwd: '/tmp' } },
+    byId: { [sessionId]: { cwd: '/tmp' } },
   }
   const ctx = {
     locale: { subscribe: () => () => {}, getSnapshot: () => localeSnapshot },
@@ -81,6 +88,9 @@ function mountSidebar(): MountedSidebar {
 
 afterEach(() => {
   document.body.innerHTML = ''
+  // Belt and braces: drop any persisted layout a pending 200ms debounce
+  // write left behind between tests (unique session ids already isolate).
+  localStorage.clear()
   vi.unstubAllGlobals()
 })
 
diff --git a/tests/free-window.spec.tsx b/tests/free-window.spec.tsx
index c90d498..568bfe2 100644
--- a/tests/free-window.spec.tsx
+++ b/tests/free-window.spec.tsx
@@ -60,7 +60,10 @@ interface Mounted {
   unmount: () => void
 }
 
-function mountSidebar(): Mounted {
+/** Unique per-test session ids (see the comment inside). */
+let sessionSeq = 0
+
+function mountSidebar(sessionId: string = `s1-${++sessionSeq}`): Mounted {
   vi.stubGlobal('WebSocket', FakeWebSocket)
   if (!('ResizeObserver' in globalThis)) {
     vi.stubGlobal('ResizeObserver', class {
@@ -83,9 +86,15 @@ function mountSidebar(): Mounted {
     component: ({ visible }) => createElement('div', { 'data-visible': String(visible) }, 'notes body'),
   })
   store.setPrefs({ ...store.getPrefs(), openByDefault: true })
-  store.setSession('s1')
+  // The default session id is unique per test: the store persists
+  // per-session state to localStorage on a 200ms debounce, and a shared id
+  // let a PREVIOUS test's late timer write leak into this store's
+  // setSession restore (the portaled-menu/resize flakes — a stale float at
+  // the old drop point won the querySelector race on slow runners). The
+  // persistence round-trip test passes its own fixed id instead.
+  store.setSession(sessionId)
   const localeSnapshot = { active: 'en' }
-  const sessionsSnapshot = { current: 's1', byId: { s1: { cwd: '/tmp' } } }
+  const sessionsSnapshot = { current: sessionId, byId: { [sessionId]: { cwd: '/tmp' } } }
   const ctx = {
     locale: { subscribe: () => () => {}, getSnapshot: () => localeSnapshot },
     sessions: { list: { subscribe: () => () => {}, getSnapshot: () => sessionsSnapshot } },
@@ -132,6 +141,10 @@ afterEach(() => {
   document.body.innerHTML = ''
   document.documentElement.style.cssText = ''
   vi.unstubAllGlobals()
+  // Belt and braces (after unstub, so a test's storage stub never sees it):
+  // drop any persisted layout a pending 200ms debounce write left behind
+  // between tests — unique session ids already isolate the stores.
+  localStorage.clear()
 })
 
 describe('free windows: drag-out detection', () => {
@@ -380,7 +393,7 @@ describe('free windows: the window', () => {
     const getItem = vi.fn((key: string): string | null => saved.get(key) ?? null)
     const setItem = vi.fn((key: string, value: string): void => { saved.set(key, value) })
     vi.stubGlobal('localStorage', { getItem, setItem, removeItem: () => {} })
-    const first = mountSidebar()
+    const first = mountSidebar('s1')
     try {
       act(() => { first.service.openTab({ type: 'notes', title: 'Notes' }) })
       act(() => { first.store.reduce(s => floatTabReducer(s, 'notes', 512, 384)) })
@@ -390,7 +403,7 @@ describe('free windows: the window', () => {
     } finally {
       first.unmount()
     }
-    const second = mountSidebar()
+    const second = mountSidebar('s1')
     try {
       const state = second.store.getSnapshot().state!
       expect(state.floats).toHaveLength(1)
diff --git a/tests/git-worktree.spec.ts b/tests/git-worktree.spec.ts
index b92c6fd..2f4aca3 100644
--- a/tests/git-worktree.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/git-worktree.spec.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
 import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { mkdtempSync, realpathSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
 import { join, resolve } from 'node:path'
 import { parseWorktreeList, resolveWorktree, status, worktrees } from '../src/git.ts'
@@ -67,13 +67,16 @@ describe('linked Git worktrees', () => {
       git(main, ['commit', '-q', '-m', 'base'])
       git(main, ['worktree', 'add', '-q', '-b', 'agent', agent])
       writeFileSync(join(agent, 'tracked.txt'), 'changed by agent\n')
+      // macOS tmpdir() keeps the /var symlink while git reports the resolved
+      // /private/var prefix — canonicalize every path handed to git APIs.
+      const agentPath = realpathSync(agent)
 
       const listed = await worktrees(main)
       expect(listed).toHaveLength(2)
       expect(listed.find(entry => entry.current)).toMatchObject({ branch: 'main', changes: 0 })
       expect(listed.find(entry => !entry.current)).toMatchObject({ branch: 'agent', changes: 1 })
-      expect(resolve(await resolveWorktree(main, agent))).toBe(resolve(agent))
-      expect((await status(await resolveWorktree(main, agent))).entries).toEqual([
+      expect(resolve(await resolveWorktree(main, agentPath))).toBe(resolve(agentPath))
+      expect((await status(await resolveWorktree(main, agentPath))).entries).toEqual([
         { path: 'tracked.txt', xy: ' M' },
       ])
       await expect(resolveWorktree(main, root)).rejects.toThrow('unknown linked worktree')
@@ -84,9 +87,9 @@ describe('linked Git worktrees', () => {
       rmSync(agent, { recursive: true, force: true })
       const remaining = await worktrees(main)
       expect(remaining).toHaveLength(1)
-      expect(resolve(remaining[0]!.path)).toBe(resolve(main))
+      expect(resolve(remaining[0]!.path)).toBe(resolve(realpathSync(main)))
       expect(remaining[0]!.current).toBe(true)
-      await expect(resolveWorktree(main, agent)).rejects.toThrow('unknown linked worktree')
+      await expect(resolveWorktree(main, agentPath)).rejects.toThrow('unknown linked worktree')
     } finally {
       try { git(main, ['worktree', 'remove', '--force', agent]) } catch { /* fixture may not be fully initialized */ }
       rmSync(root, { recursive: true, force: true })
diff --git a/tests/git.spec.ts b/tests/git.spec.ts
index 655bde4..7d6e02d 100644
--- a/tests/git.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/git.spec.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { execFile, execFileSync } from 'node:child_process'
-import { mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, realpathSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
 import { mkdir, mkdtemp, rm } from 'node:fs/promises'
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
 import { join } from 'node:path'
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@ import { parseLogLines, parsePorcelainZ, repoRoots, status } from '../src/git.ts
 
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile)
 const normalizePath = (path: string): string => path.replaceAll('\\', '/')
+// macOS tmpdir() is the /var symlink while git reports the resolved
+// /private/var prefix — canonicalize both sides before comparing.
+const canonical = (path: string): string => normalizePath(realpathSync(path))
 
 describe('git parsing', () => {
   it('discovers and selects direct child repositories under a workspace directory', async () => {
@@ -23,11 +26,11 @@ describe('git parsing', () => {
         execFileAsync('git', ['-C', second, 'init']),
       ])
 
-      await expect(repoRoots(workspace)).resolves.toEqual([normalizePath(first), normalizePath(second)])
-      await expect(status(workspace, normalizePath(second))).resolves.toMatchObject({
+      await expect(repoRoots(workspace)).resolves.toEqual([canonical(first), canonical(second)])
+      await expect(status(workspace, canonical(second))).resolves.toMatchObject({
         isRepo: true,
-        root: normalizePath(second),
-        repositories: [normalizePath(first), normalizePath(second)],
+        root: canonical(second),
+        repositories: [canonical(first), canonical(second)],
       })
     } finally {
       await rm(workspace, { recursive: true, force: true })
diff --git a/tests/sidebar-crash.spec.tsx b/tests/sidebar-crash.spec.tsx
index 095ef86..6e47654 100644
--- a/tests/sidebar-crash.spec.tsx
+++ b/tests/sidebar-crash.spec.tsx
@@ -47,6 +47,9 @@ interface MountedSidebar {
 }
 
 /** Mount the real Sidebar shell against a minimal context (real store + service). */
+/** Unique per-test session ids (see the comment inside). */
+let sessionSeq = 0
+
 function mountSidebar(): MountedSidebar {
   vi.stubGlobal('WebSocket', FakeWebSocket)
   const container = document.createElement('div')
@@ -55,14 +58,18 @@ function mountSidebar(): MountedSidebar {
   const service = createBetterSidebarService(store)
   // Fresh-session seed: open the panel explicitly (openByDefault defaults off).
   store.setPrefs({ ...store.getPrefs(), openByDefault: true })
-  store.setSession('s1')
+  // Unique session per test — the store persists per-session state to
+  // localStorage (200ms debounce); a shared id lets a previous test's late
+  // write leak into this store's setSession restore.
+  const sessionId = `s1-${++sessionSeq}`
+  store.setSession(sessionId)
   // useSyncExternalStore requires STABLE snapshots across calls (the real DSH
   // services return stable objects) — a fresh object per call loops forever.
   const localeSnapshot = { active: 'en' }
   const sessionsSnapshot = {
-    current: 's1',
+    current: sessionId,
     // cwd present → api.sessionCwd is never called in these tests.
-    byId: { s1: { cwd: '/tmp' } },
+    byId: { [sessionId]: { cwd: '/tmp' } },
   }
   const ctx = {
     locale: { subscribe: () => () => {}, getSnapshot: () => localeSnapshot },
@@ -84,6 +91,9 @@ function mountSidebar(): MountedSidebar {
 
 afterEach(() => {
   document.body.innerHTML = ''
+  // Belt and braces: drop any persisted layout a pending 200ms debounce
+  // write left behind between tests (unique session ids already isolate).
+  localStorage.clear()
   vi.unstubAllGlobals()
 })