diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway.py
index 91f09ab84d..b1c84b1463 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway.py
@@ -849,65 +849,37 @@ class TestReapUnsupervisedGatewayOrphansWindows:
 
 
 class TestReaperStartupGrace:
-    """``min_age_s`` spares a gateway that is still claiming its identity (#122533).
+    """``min_age_s`` spares a gateway still claiming gateway.pid/lock (#122533).
 
-    A gateway claims ``gateway.pid``/``gateway.lock`` only after imports and runner
-    setup, so for the first seconds of its life it is visible to the argv sweep but
-    not to the record-based exclusions. Reaping it writes a planned-stop marker the
-    booting gateway consumes as soon as it finishes starting — a clean exit 0 with no
-    supervisor to revive it, so a Desktop-launched bot goes silent until a manual
-    start. The grace applies only at the Desktop boot sweep; stop/restart keep the
-    immediate reap (#75936).
+    A booting gateway is argv-visible before it is record-visible; reaping it writes
+    a planned-stop marker it consumes on startup and exits 0 with no supervisor. An
+    undeterminable age must read as too young, never widen the reap.
     """
 
-    @staticmethod
-    def _isolate_reaper(monkeypatch, candidates, ages):
-        killed = []
+    def test_grace_spares_booting_and_unknown_age_but_reaps_stale_orphan(self, monkeypatch):
+        booting, unknown, stale = 55501, 55502, 99998
+        ages = {booting: 2.0, stale: 900.0}
+
+        def _age(pid):
+            if pid not in ages:
+                raise RuntimeError("probe failed")
+            return ages[pid]
+
         monkeypatch.setattr(gateway, "supports_systemd_services", lambda: False)
         monkeypatch.setattr("gateway.status.get_running_pid", lambda cleanup_stale=True: None)
         monkeypatch.setattr(
-            gateway,
-            "find_gateway_pids",
-            lambda exclude_pids=None: [p for p in candidates if p not in (exclude_pids or set())],
+            gateway, "find_gateway_pids",
+            lambda exclude_pids=None: [p for p in (booting, unknown, stale) if p not in (exclude_pids or set())],
         )
-        monkeypatch.setattr(gateway, "_gateway_process_age_s", lambda pid: ages[pid])
-        monkeypatch.setattr(gateway.os, "kill", lambda pid, sig: killed.append(pid))
+        monkeypatch.setattr("hermes_cli.dashboard_procs._process_age_seconds", _age)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(gateway.os, "kill", lambda pid, sig: None)
         monkeypatch.setattr("gateway.status._pid_exists", lambda pid: False)
         monkeypatch.setattr("time.sleep", lambda _: None)
-        monkeypatch.setattr("time.monotonic", lambda: 1.0)
-        return killed
-
-    def test_grace_spares_a_booting_gateway_but_still_reaps_a_stale_orphan(self, monkeypatch):
-        booting_pid, stale_orphan_pid = 55501, 99998
-        self._isolate_reaper(
-            monkeypatch,
-            [booting_pid, stale_orphan_pid],
-            {booting_pid: 2.0, stale_orphan_pid: 900.0},
-        )
-        marked_pids = []
-        monkeypatch.setattr("gateway.status.write_planned_stop_marker", marked_pids.append)
+        marked = []
+        monkeypatch.setattr("gateway.status.write_planned_stop_marker", marked.append)
 
         assert gateway._reap_unsupervised_gateway_orphans(min_age_s=180.0) is True
-        assert marked_pids == [stale_orphan_pid]
-
-    def test_no_grace_keeps_reaping_a_booting_gateway(self, monkeypatch):
-        booting_pid = 55501
-        self._isolate_reaper(monkeypatch, [booting_pid], {booting_pid: 0.0})
-        marked_pids = []
-        monkeypatch.setattr("gateway.status.write_planned_stop_marker", marked_pids.append)
-
-        assert gateway._reap_unsupervised_gateway_orphans() is True
-        assert marked_pids == [booting_pid]
-
-    def test_undeterminable_age_is_spared_under_a_grace(self, monkeypatch):
-        """A failed age probe must never widen a reap: unknown reads as too young."""
-        booting_pid = 55501
-        self._isolate_reaper(monkeypatch, [booting_pid], {booting_pid: 0.0})
-        marked_pids = []
-        monkeypatch.setattr("gateway.status.write_planned_stop_marker", marked_pids.append)
-
-        assert gateway._reap_unsupervised_gateway_orphans(min_age_s=180.0) is False
-        assert marked_pids == []
+        assert marked == [stale]
 
 
 class TestReaperCandidateIsSupervisorOwned: