diff --git a/tests/test-deployment-support.sh b/tests/test-deployment-support.sh
index 5796b2a..8d8c74c 100755
--- a/tests/test-deployment-support.sh
+++ b/tests/test-deployment-support.sh
@@ -207,8 +207,28 @@ check("there is no minimise button", "ButtonsOnRight=FX" in
 
 print()
 print("5. bounded Trixie validation")
-check("container has an outer deadline", "720s" in validation_script)
-check("package installs have deadlines", "candidate-install 360" in validation_script)
+# THE PROPERTY, NOT THE NUMBER.
+#
+# These used to pin "720s" and "candidate-install 360" exactly. When
+# 0.2.6 added LibreOffice the budgets had to grow, and the outer-deadline
+# check went on passing anyway — because the commit message explaining
+# the change still contained the string "720s" in a comment. A test that
+# a comment can satisfy is not testing anything. What matters is that
+# nothing in the gate runs unbounded.
+import re as _re
+
+outer = _re.search(r"timeout --signal=TERM --kill-after=\S+ (\d+)s", validation_script)
+check("container has an outer deadline", outer is not None)
+check("and it is a real one, not a token",
+      outer is not None and int(outer.group(1)) >= 600)
+
+installs = _re.findall(r"run_logged (\S+-install\S*) (\d+) ", validation_script)
+check("every package install has a deadline", len(installs) >= 2)
+check("and each is long enough to install a desktop",
+      all(int(seconds) >= 600 for _name, seconds in installs))
+check("nothing in the gate runs unbounded",
+      "run_logged" in validation_script
+      and validation_script.count("run_logged") >= 4)
 check("container service startup is suppressed", "/usr/sbin/policy-rc.d" in validation_script and "exit 101" in validation_script)
 
 print()