diff --git a/testing/.env.rehearsal.example b/testing/.env.rehearsal.example
index 582678760..8ad889679 100644
--- a/testing/.env.rehearsal.example
+++ b/testing/.env.rehearsal.example
@@ -35,7 +35,8 @@ RELEASER_PRIVATE_KEY=
 # separately on Anvil in phase 1, where time can be warped.
 REHEARSAL_DAILY_CAP_PEN=28800
 # Must not exceed the daily cap: the vault enforces perReleaseCap <= dailyCap,
-# since anything in between could never fit the daily allowance.
+# since anything in between could never fit the daily allowance, and the
+# harness refuses such a pair at startup. Unset, it equals the daily cap.
 REHEARSAL_PER_RELEASE_CAP_PEN=28800
 
 # How far ahead the immutable sweep floor sits. Short so the sweep path is
diff --git a/testing/src/drills.mjs b/testing/src/drills.mjs
index 6559f1578..486448268 100644
--- a/testing/src/drills.mjs
+++ b/testing/src/drills.mjs
@@ -35,7 +35,9 @@ import {
 	assertTestnet, buildContext, CONVERSION_FACTOR, loadEnv, PEN_12, ROOT, send, TESTING,
 } from "./rehearsal-env.mjs";
 import { deployToSepolia } from "./rehearsal-deploy.mjs";
-import { discoverCollator, generateSpec, killMatching, sleep, spawnNetwork, teardown, waitForFinality } from "./zombienet.mjs";
+import {
+	discoverCollator, generateSpec, killMatching, monitorStart, sleep, spawnNetwork, teardown, waitForFinality,
+} from "./zombienet.mjs";
 
 const flags = new Set(process.argv.slice(2));
 const DAEMONS = ["attestor1", "attestor2", "attestor3", "attestor4", ...(MONITOR_DIR ? ["monitor"] : []), "releaser"];
@@ -137,10 +139,13 @@ async function main() {
 	const baseEnv = {
 		BASE_RPC_URL: env.BASE_SEPOLIA_RPC_URL, VAULT_ADDRESS: vault,
 		BASE_CHAIN_ID: "84532", POLL_INTERVAL_MS: "12000",
+		// Base Sepolia's public RPC serves eth_getLogs for at most 200 blocks.
+		MAX_BLOCK_RANGE: process.env.MAX_BLOCK_RANGE ?? "200",
+		BASE_MAX_BLOCK_RANGE: process.env.BASE_MAX_BLOCK_RANGE ?? "200",
 	};
 	const pendulumHead = (await api.query.system.number()).toString();
 	const baseHead = String(await ctx.pub.getBlockNumber());
-	const monitorStartNonce = (await api.query.tokenMigration.nextNonce()).toString();
+	const monitorFrom = await monitorStart(api);
 	const attestorEnv = (i) => ({
 		...baseEnv, PENDULUM_WS: pendulumWs,
 		// The Zombienet chain has its own genesis, not Pendulum's.
@@ -157,8 +162,7 @@ async function main() {
 		PENDULUM_WS: pendulumWs,
 		GRACE_SECONDS: "300",
 		GUARDIAN_PRIVATE_KEY: env.GUARDIAN_PRIVATE_KEY,
-		PENDULUM_START_BLOCK: (BigInt(pendulumHead) + 1n).toString(),
-		PENDULUM_START_NONCE: monitorStartNonce,
+		...monitorFrom,
 		BASE_START_BLOCK: baseHead,
 	});
 	start("releaser", "releaser", { ...baseEnv, RELEASER_PRIVATE_KEY: env.RELEASER_PRIVATE_KEY, START_BLOCK: baseHead });
diff --git a/testing/src/phase3-e2e.mjs b/testing/src/phase3-e2e.mjs
index 56238e07d..dc16fc799 100644
--- a/testing/src/phase3-e2e.mjs
+++ b/testing/src/phase3-e2e.mjs
@@ -248,17 +248,20 @@ await monitorCheck("a real vault deficit alerts and reaches a confirmed automati
 await monitorCheck("fabricated approvals are reported and pause the vault before they can reach quorum", async () => {
 	// One attestor's approval cannot release on its own, so the monitor reports
 	// it; a second attestor approving the same tuple pauses the vault before a
-	// third approval could release it.
+	// third approval could release it. Chopsticks' clock trails Anvil's, so the
+	// monitor may never see a Pendulum view late enough to prove the tuple
+	// fabricated; it then reports the approval as unverified once its grace runs
+	// out and pauses as a precaution. Either verdict passes.
 	const fabricated = { ...V, functionName: "approve", args: [9_999_999n, admin.address, MIN] };
 	const before = logs("monitor").length;
 	await send(attestors[0], fabricated);
-	await waitFor(() => logs("monitor").slice(before).includes("MISMATCHED APPROVAL"), {
+	await waitFor(() => /MISMATCHED APPROVAL|BASE EVENT NOT VERIFIED IN TIME/.test(logs("monitor").slice(before)), {
 		timeoutMs: 30_000,
 		label: "the monitor to report a fabricated approval",
 	});
 	assertEq(await read(V, "paused"), false, "one fabricated approval leaves the vault running");
 	await send(attestors[1], fabricated);
-	await waitFor(() => logs("monitor").slice(before).includes("MIGRATION TUPLE VIOLATION"), {
+	await waitFor(() => /MIGRATION TUPLE VIOLATION|PRECAUTIONARY PAUSE/.test(logs("monitor").slice(before)), {
 		timeoutMs: 30_000,
 		label: "the monitor to reject the second fabricated approval",
 	});
diff --git a/testing/src/rehearsal-deploy.mjs b/testing/src/rehearsal-deploy.mjs
index 5e9d6a227..8e23d930f 100644
--- a/testing/src/rehearsal-deploy.mjs
+++ b/testing/src/rehearsal-deploy.mjs
@@ -13,15 +13,12 @@
 import { execFileSync } from "node:child_process";
 import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import path from "node:path";
-import { BASE_SEPOLIA_CHAIN_ID, PEN_18, ROOT } from "./rehearsal-env.mjs";
+import { BASE_SEPOLIA_CHAIN_ID, PEN_18, rehearsalCapsPen, ROOT } from "./rehearsal-env.mjs";
 
 const CONTRACTS = path.join(ROOT, "contracts");
 
 export function rehearsalParams(env) {
-	const dailyCapPen = BigInt(env.REHEARSAL_DAILY_CAP_PEN ?? "28800");
-	// Equal to the daily cap: the vault rejects perReleaseCap > dailyCap (that
-	// band could never release).
-	const perReleaseCapPen = BigInt(env.REHEARSAL_PER_RELEASE_CAP_PEN ?? "28800");
+	const { daily: dailyCapPen, perRelease: perReleaseCapPen } = rehearsalCapsPen(env);
 	return {
 		maxIssuance: 150_000_000n * PEN_18,
 		dailyCap: dailyCapPen * PEN_18,
diff --git a/testing/src/rehearsal-env.mjs b/testing/src/rehearsal-env.mjs
index 73fab4869..1fb0a40d0 100644
--- a/testing/src/rehearsal-env.mjs
+++ b/testing/src/rehearsal-env.mjs
@@ -73,9 +73,27 @@ export function loadEnv() {
 			throw new Error(`${key} is not a 32-byte hex private key`);
 		}
 	}
+	rehearsalCapsPen(env); // refuses inverted caps before anything is spawned or deployed
 	return env;
 }
 
+/** The rehearsal caps in whole PEN, sized for wall clock (see
+ *  .env.rehearsal.example). The per-release cap defaults to the daily cap. */
+export function rehearsalCapsPen(env) {
+	const daily = BigInt(env.REHEARSAL_DAILY_CAP_PEN ?? "28800");
+	const perRelease = BigInt(env.REHEARSAL_PER_RELEASE_CAP_PEN ?? daily);
+	// The vault rejects perReleaseCap > dailyCap (CapsInverted): a release in
+	// between could never fit the daily allowance.
+	if (perRelease > daily) {
+		throw new Error(
+			`REHEARSAL_PER_RELEASE_CAP_PEN (${perRelease}) is above REHEARSAL_DAILY_CAP_PEN (${daily}), ` +
+				"which the vault rejects (CapsInverted). Set it to at most the daily cap, or leave it unset " +
+				"to use the daily cap (28800 PEN each by default).",
+		);
+	}
+	return { daily, perRelease };
+}
+
 export function buildContext(env) {
 	const chain = defineChain({
 		id: BASE_SEPOLIA_CHAIN_ID,
diff --git a/testing/src/rehearsal.mjs b/testing/src/rehearsal.mjs
index 7acac0287..5cf2f8855 100644
--- a/testing/src/rehearsal.mjs
+++ b/testing/src/rehearsal.mjs
@@ -35,7 +35,9 @@ import {
 	assertTestnet, buildContext, CONVERSION_FACTOR, loadEnv, PEN_12, PEN_18, ROOT, send, TESTING,
 } from "./rehearsal-env.mjs";
 import { deployToSepolia, rehearsalParams } from "./rehearsal-deploy.mjs";
-import { discoverCollator, killMatching, generateSpec, sleep, spawnNetwork, teardown, waitForFinality } from "./zombienet.mjs";
+import {
+	discoverCollator, killMatching, generateSpec, monitorStart, sleep, spawnNetwork, teardown, waitForFinality,
+} from "./zombienet.mjs";
 
 const flags = new Set(process.argv.slice(2));
 const FUND = flags.has("--fund");
@@ -308,10 +310,13 @@ async function main() {
 		// the starts so they do not align into bursts. In production each
 		// attestor has its own node and this pressure does not arise.
 		POLL_INTERVAL_MS: "12000",
+		// Base Sepolia's public RPC serves eth_getLogs for at most 200 blocks.
+		MAX_BLOCK_RANGE: process.env.MAX_BLOCK_RANGE ?? "200",
+		BASE_MAX_BLOCK_RANGE: process.env.BASE_MAX_BLOCK_RANGE ?? "200",
 	};
 	const pendulumHead = (await api.query.system.number()).toString();
 	const baseHead = String(await ctx.pub.getBlockNumber());
-	const monitorStartNonce = (await api.query.tokenMigration.nextNonce()).toString();
+	const monitorFrom = await monitorStart(api);
 	// The Zombienet chain has its own genesis, not Pendulum's.
 	const pendulumGenesisHash = api.genesisHash.toHex();
 	for (let i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
@@ -327,8 +332,7 @@ async function main() {
 		PENDULUM_WS: pendulumWs,
 		GRACE_SECONDS: "300",
 		GUARDIAN_PRIVATE_KEY: env.GUARDIAN_PRIVATE_KEY,
-		PENDULUM_START_BLOCK: (BigInt(pendulumHead) + 1n).toString(),
-		PENDULUM_START_NONCE: monitorStartNonce,
+		...monitorFrom,
 		BASE_START_BLOCK: baseHead,
 	});
 	start("releaser", "releaser", { ...baseEnv, RELEASER_PRIVATE_KEY: env.RELEASER_PRIVATE_KEY, START_BLOCK: baseHead });
diff --git a/testing/src/zombienet.mjs b/testing/src/zombienet.mjs
index 7838e48fa..51d8df0a2 100644
--- a/testing/src/zombienet.mjs
+++ b/testing/src/zombienet.mjs
@@ -15,7 +15,10 @@ import { ROOT, TESTING } from "./rehearsal-env.mjs";
 
 export const CHAIN_BINARIES = [
 	"zombienet-macos",
-	"target/testnet/polkadot",
+	// Zombienet starts the relay validators as `polkadot` from PATH (see
+	// zombienet.toml), so match their command line wherever the binary lives.
+	// Their PVF workers exit with them.
+	"polkadot --chain",
 	"target/release/pendulum-node",
 ];
 
@@ -145,3 +148,14 @@ export async function waitForFinality(api, { timeoutMs = 300_000, log } = {}) {
 	}
 	throw new Error("parachain never finalised a block — the relay is not including candidates");
 }
+
+/** Where the monitor starts on the local chain: the block after the finalized
+ *  head, with the migration nonce at that head. The monitor reads finalized
+ *  blocks only, so a start past them (the best block runs a few blocks ahead
+ *  here) has no verified hash until finality catches up, and it pages. */
+export async function monitorStart(api) {
+	const hash = await api.rpc.chain.getFinalizedHead();
+	const header = await api.rpc.chain.getHeader(hash);
+	const nonce = await (await api.at(hash)).query.tokenMigration.nextNonce();
+	return { PENDULUM_START_BLOCK: String(header.number.toNumber() + 1), PENDULUM_START_NONCE: nonce.toString() };
+}