diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 68fe787010..d317a4eb41 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -446,7 +446,6 @@ jobs:
           tests/boundary/filesystem/asarInventoryFreshness.test.ts
           tests/composition/javascript-applications/javascriptArtifactReconstruction.test.ts
           tests/conformance/providers/ghidra/windowsCapabilities.test.ts
-          tests/conformance/providers/ghidra/ghidraWindowsFixture.test.ts
           src/ghidra/GhidraInstallation.test.ts
           tests/boundary/providers/ghidra/ghidraTransport.test.ts
           tests/boundary/providers/ghidra/ghidraTargetSnapshot.test.ts
diff --git a/docs/testing.md b/docs/testing.md
index feb2bdf548..be803f7d60 100644
--- a/docs/testing.md
+++ b/docs/testing.md
@@ -6,10 +6,27 @@ from real captured inputs. Keep focused module tests for distinct failure or
 semantic cases that these workflows cannot reliably reproduce. A test's path
 or suite name does not establish its behavioral depth.
 
+Avoid tests that mirror getters, enum mappings, fixture helpers, or prescribed
+call sequences. Prefer one representative workflow over a Cartesian matrix
+when every row crosses the same boundary. Keep distinct command handlers,
+producer representations, failure reasons, and lifecycle states covered.
+Consolidate their shared setup without hiding the inputs or expected evidence.
+
 Tests are grouped into Vitest projects so ownership, allowed dependencies and
-runtime cost are visible from their paths. Before pruning a test, identify the
-replacement scenario and its assertions; passing success journeys do not
-replace malformed input, cancellation, permission or cleanup coverage.
+runtime cost are visible from their paths. Before pruning a distinct boundary
+regression, identify the replacement scenario and its assertions; passing
+success journeys do not replace malformed input, cancellation, permission or
+cleanup coverage. Trivial helper checks do not need a replacement. If only
+tests consume a production module, trace CLI/MCP and verifier imports,
+including imports of compiled files, and remove abandoned scaffolding with its
+tests when it has no runtime consumer.
+
+Measure slow files before removing capacity regressions. Optimize repeated
+process startup, fixture construction, and production algorithms when they
+dominate runtime. Keep at least one input beyond each formerly failing size or
+depth; smaller fixtures do not establish that truncation or stack exhaustion
+has been fixed. Record the toolchain, coverage mode, and cache conditions when
+comparing durations.
 
 ## Behavioral depths
 
diff --git a/tests/composition/hopperConfig.test.ts b/tests/composition/hopperConfig.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 82c21d5787..0000000000
--- a/tests/composition/hopperConfig.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,38 +0,0 @@
-import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-
-import {
-  defaultHopperLauncherPath,
-  parseConfig,
-} from "../../src/config/parseConfig.js";
-
-describe("Hopper launcher defaults", () => {
-  it("prefers an executable system Hopper on Linux", () => {
-    const executable = (path: string) => path === "/opt/hopper/bin/Hopper";
-    expect(defaultHopperLauncherPath("linux", "/home/test", executable)).toBe(
-      "/opt/hopper/bin/Hopper",
-    );
-  });
-
-  it("falls back to the legacy user-local Hopper on Linux", () => {
-    const executable = (path: string) =>
-      path === "/home/test/.local/share/rea/hopper/bin/Hopper";
-    expect(defaultHopperLauncherPath("linux", "/home/test", executable)).toBe(
-      "/home/test/.local/share/rea/hopper/bin/Hopper",
-    );
-  });
-
-  it("keeps the system path as the diagnostic fallback when neither exists", () => {
-    expect(defaultHopperLauncherPath("linux", "/home/test", () => false)).toBe(
-      "/opt/hopper/bin/Hopper",
-    );
-  });
-
-  it("keeps explicit HOPPER_LAUNCHER_PATH authoritative", () => {
-    const parsed = parseConfig({
-      HOPPER_LAUNCHER_PATH: "/custom/Hopper",
-    });
-    expect(parsed.ok).toBe(true);
-    if (parsed.ok)
-      expect(parsed.value.hopperLauncherPath).toBe("/custom/Hopper");
-  });
-});
diff --git a/tests/conformance/providers/conformanceFixtures.test.ts b/tests/conformance/providers/conformanceFixtures.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 4bb5ca6ee7..0000000000
--- a/tests/conformance/providers/conformanceFixtures.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-
-import { sourceDigest } from "../../../scripts/lib/conformance-fixtures.mjs";
-
-describe("source-built conformance fixtures", () => {
-  it("hashes source manifests independently of input ordering", () => {
-    const left = [
-      { path: "b.c", content: "b" },
-      { path: "a.c", content: "a" },
-    ];
-    const right = [...left].reverse();
-
-    expect(sourceDigest(left)).toBe(sourceDigest(right));
-    expect(sourceDigest(left)).toMatch(/^[0-9a-f]{64}$/u);
-  });
-});
diff --git a/tests/conformance/providers/ghidra/ghidraWindowsFixture.test.ts b/tests/conformance/providers/ghidra/ghidraWindowsFixture.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 8d8573025d..0000000000
--- a/tests/conformance/providers/ghidra/ghidraWindowsFixture.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,37 +0,0 @@
-import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
-import { createHash } from "node:crypto";
-import { readFile } from "node:fs/promises";
-import { dirname, resolve } from "node:path";
-import { promisify } from "node:util";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
-
-import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-
-import { parseExecutableHeader } from "../../../../src/domain/binaryTarget.js";
-
-const exec = promisify(execFile);
-const root = resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "../../../..");
-const generator = resolve(root, "scripts", "create-ghidra-windows-fixture.mjs");
-const fixture = resolve(root, "build", "fixtures", "rea-ghidra-windows.exe");
-const expectedSha256 =
-  "732ec6083ae3b63bcbda33f2d0fd7e1a6539babade07cbdae4fc20d3394faf49";
-
-describe("controlled Windows Ghidra fixture", () => {
-  it("generates one deterministic native x86-64 PE application", async () => {
-    await exec(process.execPath, [generator]);
-    const bytes = await readFile(fixture);
-
-    expect(createHash("sha256").update(bytes).digest("hex")).toBe(
-      expectedSha256,
-    );
-    expect(parseExecutableHeader(bytes, "x64")).toMatchObject({
-      ok: true,
-      value: {
-        format: "pe",
-        architecture: "x86_64",
-        executableRole: "application",
-        managed: false,
-      },
-    });
-  });
-});
diff --git a/tests/conformance/providers/managed/managedConformanceFixture.test.ts b/tests/conformance/providers/managed/managedConformanceFixture.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 4899a3decf..0000000000
--- a/tests/conformance/providers/managed/managedConformanceFixture.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,37 +0,0 @@
-import { rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
-import { join } from "node:path";
-
-import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-
-import { createTestTempDirectory } from "../../../fixtures/temporaryDirectory.js";
-
-import { buildManagedPeFixture } from "../../../../scripts/fixtures/managed/pe.mjs";
-import { parseBinaryTarget } from "../../../../src/application/BinaryTargetResolver.js";
-
-const workspaces: string[] = [];
-
-afterEach(async () => {
-  await Promise.all(
-    workspaces.splice(0).map((path) => rm(path, { recursive: true })),
-  );
-});
-
-describe("managed conformance fixture", () => {
-  it("emits PE32+ headers when the COFF machine is x86-64", async () => {
-    const workspace = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-managed-fixture-");
-    workspaces.push(workspace);
-    const path = join(workspace, "fixture.exe");
-    await writeFile(path, buildManagedPeFixture({ machine: 0x8664 }));
-
-    const parsed = await parseBinaryTarget(path);
-
-    expect(parsed).toMatchObject({
-      ok: true,
-      value: {
-        format: "pe",
-        architecture: "x86_64",
-        managed: true,
-      },
-    });
-  });
-});
diff --git a/tests/evaluation/package/packageSetupSupport.test.ts b/tests/evaluation/package/packageSetupSupport.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 2d803ef589..0000000000
--- a/tests/evaluation/package/packageSetupSupport.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,56 +0,0 @@
-import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-
-import { packageSetupSupport } from "../../../scripts/verify-package-discovery.mjs";
-
-describe("packaged setup support classification", () => {
-  it.each([
-    ["linux", true, true, true, true],
-    ["linux", true, false, true, false],
-    ["linux", false, true, false, false],
-    ["linux", false, false, false, false],
-    ["darwin", true, true, true, true],
-    ["darwin", true, false, true, false],
-    ["darwin", false, true, false, false],
-    ["darwin", false, false, false, false],
-    ["win32", true, true, true, false],
-    ["win32", true, false, true, false],
-    ["win32", false, true, false, false],
-    ["win32", false, false, false, false],
-  ] as const)(
-    "%s with node=%s and host=%s: agent setup=%s, Hopper setup=%s",
-    (platform, node, host, supportedSetupHost, hopperSetupSupported) => {
-      expect(
-        packageSetupSupport(
-          [
-            { name: "host", ok: host },
-            { name: "node", ok: node },
-          ],
-          platform,
-        ),
-      ).toEqual({ supportedSetupHost, hopperSetupSupported });
-    },
-  );
-
-  it.each([
-    { checks: undefined },
-    { checks: [] },
-    { checks: [{ name: "host", ok: true }] },
-  ])("requires an affirmative Node check: $checks", ({ checks }) => {
-    expect(packageSetupSupport(checks, "linux")).toEqual({
-      supportedSetupHost: false,
-      hopperSetupSupported: false,
-    });
-  });
-
-  it("requires an affirmative host check only for Hopper setup", () => {
-    expect(
-      packageSetupSupport(
-        [
-          { name: "node", ok: true },
-          { name: "hopper", ok: true },
-        ],
-        "linux",
-      ),
-    ).toEqual({ supportedSetupHost: true, hopperSetupSupported: false });
-  });
-});
diff --git a/tests/process-global/vitestConfiguration.test.ts b/tests/process-global/vitestConfiguration.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 33dee06ff0..0000000000
--- a/tests/process-global/vitestConfiguration.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,61 +0,0 @@
-import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
-import { readdir } from "node:fs/promises";
-import { join, relative, resolve } from "node:path";
-import { promisify } from "node:util";
-
-import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-
-const execute = promisify(execFile);
-describe("Vitest project configuration", () => {
-  it("classifies every deterministic test in exactly one project", async () => {
-    const { stdout } = await execute(
-      process.execPath,
-      [
-        resolve("node_modules/vitest/vitest.mjs"),
-        "list",
-        "--filesOnly",
-        "--staticParse",
-      ],
-      { cwd: process.cwd(), maxBuffer: 4 * 1_024 * 1_024 },
-    );
-    const classified = parseProjects(stdout);
-    const repositoryTests = [
-      ...(await testFiles("src")),
-      ...(await testFiles("tests")),
-    ].sort();
-
-    expect(
-      [...classified.values()]
-        .filter((owners) => owners.length > 1)
-        .map((owners) => owners.join(", ")),
-    ).toEqual([]);
-    expect([...classified.keys()].sort()).toEqual(repositoryTests);
-  }, 20_000);
-});
-
-const parseProjects = (output: string): Map<string, string[]> => {
-  const classified = new Map<string, string[]>();
-  for (const line of output.split("\n")) {
-    const trimmed = line.trim();
-    const separator = trimmed.indexOf("] ");
-    if (!trimmed.startsWith("[") || separator < 2) continue;
-    const project = trimmed.slice(1, separator);
-    const path = trimmed.slice(separator + 2);
-    if (path.length === 0) continue;
-    const owners = classified.get(path) ?? [];
-    owners.push(project);
-    classified.set(path, owners);
-  }
-  return classified;
-};
-
-const testFiles = async (root: string): Promise<string[]> => {
-  const files: string[] = [];
-  for (const entry of await readdir(root, { withFileTypes: true })) {
-    const path = join(root, entry.name);
-    if (entry.isDirectory()) files.push(...(await testFiles(path)));
-    else if (entry.isFile() && entry.name.endsWith(".test.ts"))
-      files.push(relative(process.cwd(), path));
-  }
-  return files;
-};