diff --git a/tests/e2e/conftest.py b/tests/e2e/conftest.py
index 577d0c13e2..bcfe192751 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/e2e/conftest.py
@@ -12,19 +12,16 @@ No LLM, no real platform connections.
 import asyncio
 import sys
 import uuid
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 from datetime import datetime, timezone
 from types import SimpleNamespace
 from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock, patch
 
 import pytest
 
-if TYPE_CHECKING:
-    from gateway.run import GatewayRunner
-
 from gateway.config import GatewayConfig, Platform, PlatformConfig
 from gateway.platforms.base import SendResult
 from gateway.platforms.event import MessageEvent
+from gateway.run import GatewayRunner
 from gateway.session import SessionEntry, SessionSource, build_session_key
 
 E2E_MESSAGE_SETTLE_DELAY = 0.3
@@ -169,13 +166,11 @@ def make_event(
     )
 
 
-def make_runner(platform: Platform, session_entry: SessionEntry = None) -> "GatewayRunner":
+def make_runner(platform: Platform, session_entry: SessionEntry = None) -> GatewayRunner:
     """Create a GatewayRunner with mocked internals for e2e testing.
 
     Skips __init__ to avoid filesystem/network side effects.
     """
-    from gateway.run import GatewayRunner
-
     if session_entry is None:
         session_entry = make_session_entry(platform)
 
diff --git a/tests/tools/test_mcp_elicitation.py b/tests/tools/test_mcp_elicitation.py
index edc05bb4da..1177c0f5fd 100644
--- a/tests/tools/test_mcp_elicitation.py
+++ b/tests/tools/test_mcp_elicitation.py
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ class TestElicitationHandlerContextBridge:
         )
 
     def test_missing_captured_context_falls_back_to_direct_call(self):
-        """Without a call_context (or one whose task hasn't entered a tool
+        """With the default call_context (or one whose task has not entered a tool
         call) the handler must still invoke the consent router -- just
         without the contextvar replay. Otherwise CLI/TUI sessions, which
         don't set HERMES_SESSION_PLATFORM, would break."""