diff --git a/.github/workflows/deps.yml b/.github/workflows/deps.yml
index 80742e64..b599c6bb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/deps.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/deps.yml
@@ -237,9 +237,20 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           gh label create deps-ready --color 0E8A16 --description 'Green; a runtime minor or a Playwright bump waiting for the deps lane' 2>/dev/null || true
           gh pr edit "${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}" --add-label deps-ready
+
+  # its own job: turning auto-merge on needs contents: write, which the gate (it checks out and runs the PR's
+  # code) should not hold. No checkout here; it only runs after a green deps-gate.
+  automerge:
+    needs: [scope, gate]
+    if: needs.scope.outputs.cls == 'auto' && github.base_ref == 'deps'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+      pull-requests: write
+    steps:
       - name: auto-merge
-        if: needs.scope.outputs.cls == 'auto' && github.base_ref == 'deps'
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+          GH_REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
         # waits for whatever the ruleset still wants (pc-battery from the desktop for a runtime patch)
         run: gh pr merge "${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}" --auto --squash
diff --git a/scripts/ci/battery.cjs b/scripts/ci/battery.cjs
index 9dda2ec7..15767f9d 100755
--- a/scripts/ci/battery.cjs
+++ b/scripts/ci/battery.cjs
@@ -231,7 +231,8 @@ async function run(argv) {
 	// loaded shard fails the same suite twice), and a shard without retries stays inside its estimate
 	const retry = set === 'confirm' || argv.includes('--retry');
 	// past the deadline no suite starts: the rest report `notrun` instead of the job being killed with nothing said
-	const deadline = Date.now() + Number(opt(argv, '--deadline') || 0) * 60000 || Infinity;
+	const dl = Number(opt(argv, '--deadline') || 0);
+	const deadline = dl ? Date.now() + dl * 60000 : Infinity;
 	const save = () => fs.writeFileSync(path.join(out, `${set === 'confirm' ? 'confirm' : 'results'}-${shard}.json`), JSON.stringify({ shard, of, set, results }, null, 1));
 	console.log(`shard ${shard}/${of}: ${mine.length} suites, est ${Math.round(mine.reduce((t, s) => t + (b.suites[s] || 60), 0) / 60)} min, ${par} at a time`);
 	/** @type {Promise<any> | null} */
diff --git a/tests/e2e/battery.json b/tests/e2e/battery.json
index 2a5046bf..1c251560 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/battery.json
+++ b/tests/e2e/battery.json
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@
 		"drawer-layering": "red on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader, no retry) with unchanged code: deps-auto run 5, 2026-10-24",
 		"edit-move-games": "red on the unchanged base too (deps-1 A/B on 1f3b9dd5, 2026-10-23)",
 		"editor-modes": "red on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader, no retry) with unchanged code: deps-auto run 5, 2026-10-24",
+		"env-preset-broadcast": "flaky on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader): red on its shard in deps-auto runs 10, 12 and 13 (green on confirm), 2026-10-25; a two-peer broadcast check like knock-physics",
 		"environment": "red on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader, no retry) with unchanged code: deps-auto run 5, 2026-10-24",
 		"explorer-drop": "flaky on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader): red or green-on-retry in deps-auto run 5 or 6 with unchanged code, 2026-10-24",
 		"explorer-header-panels": "red on the GitHub runner in deps-auto run 7 or 8 after a retry / the fresh-runner confirm, unchanged code (two-peer replication stalls on SwiftShader), 2026-10-24",
@@ -105,6 +106,7 @@
 		"kit-core": "red on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader, no retry) with unchanged code: deps-auto run 5, 2026-10-24",
 		"kit-instancing": "red on the unchanged base too (deps-1 A/B on 1f3b9dd5, 2026-10-23)",
 		"knock-node": "red on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader, no retry) with unchanged code: deps-auto run 5, 2026-10-24",
+		"knock-physics": "flaky on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader), about half its shards red since deps-auto run 8 (8, 9, 12, 14, 17), red on both confirm tries in run 17, 2026-10-25: \"2.3 (premise) B sees the ball parked\"",
 		"lock-dragrow": "red on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader, no retry) with unchanged code: deps-auto run 5, 2026-10-24",
 		"lock-dragrow-sync": "red on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader, no retry) with unchanged code: deps-auto run 5, 2026-10-24",
 		"lock-panels": "red on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader, no retry) with unchanged code: deps-auto run 5, 2026-10-24",
@@ -163,6 +165,7 @@
 		"scatter-edit": "red on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader) on released 1.43.2 code: deps-auto run 12 (shard; green on confirm) and run 13 (shard + both confirm tries), 2026-10-25 (peer B never gets the terrain)",
 		"scatter-select": "red on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader) twice, its shard + a fresh confirm runner, on released 1.43.2 code: deps-auto run 12, 2026-10-25 (peer B never gets the terrain)",
 		"scatter-sources": "red on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader) twice, its shard + a fresh confirm runner, on released 1.43.2 code: deps-auto run 12, 2026-10-25 (600 s suite timeout, all checks reached green)",
+		"scatter-surface": "red on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader) on its shard in deps-auto runs 13, 14 and 16 (green on confirm in 13/14, red on both confirm tries in 16), 2026-10-25: the Add scatter click times out (locator.click 30 s), not the terrain race",
 		"scene-budget": "red on the unchanged base too (deps-1 A/B on 1f3b9dd5, 2026-10-23)",
 		"scene-open-guard": "flaky on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader): red or green-on-retry in deps-auto run 5 or 6 with unchanged code, 2026-10-24",
 		"scene-physics-state": "red on the GitHub runner (SwiftShader, no retry) with unchanged code: deps-auto run 5, 2026-10-24",