diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/state/host.test.ts b/apps/desktop/src/state/host.test.ts
index 411d0a31a..c4fe1730b 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/state/host.test.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/state/host.test.ts
@@ -1,20 +1,31 @@
 import { expect, test } from "bun:test";
-import { type JsonObject, obj, str } from "../acp/jsonrpc";
+import type { JsonObject } from "../acp/jsonrpc";
 import { mergeResultNotice, noProviderPullList } from "./host";
 import { isContinueMessage, noticeLine } from "./thread";
 
 test("background merge results are durable notices with the complete outcome for the agent", () => {
-  const results: JsonObject[] = [
-    { state: "merged", merged: true, detail: "Squash-merged and the remote branch was deleted" },
-    { state: "failing", merged: false, failing: ["Desktop"], detail: "Checks failed" },
-    { error: { code: "failed", message: "The engine did not answer" } },
+  // Each result and the line a person reads for it, written out: the detail, then the error's
+  // message, then the bare state, then a fallback for a result that says nothing.
+  const cases: [JsonObject, string][] = [
+    [
+      { state: "merged", merged: true, detail: "Squash-merged and the remote branch was deleted" },
+      "Pull request #3792: Squash-merged and the remote branch was deleted",
+    ],
+    [
+      { state: "failing", merged: false, failing: ["Desktop"], detail: "Checks failed" },
+      "Pull request #3792: Checks failed",
+    ],
+    [
+      { error: { code: "failed", message: "The engine did not answer" } },
+      "Pull request #3792: The engine did not answer",
+    ],
+    [{ state: "timed_out", merged: false }, "Pull request #3792: timed_out"],
+    [{}, "Pull request #3792: Merge failed"],
   ];
-  for (const result of results) {
+  for (const [result, line] of cases) {
     const text = mergeResultNotice(3792, result);
     expect(isContinueMessage(text)).toBe(true);
-    expect(noticeLine(text)).toBe(
-      `Pull request #3792: ${str(result.detail) || str(obj(result.error)?.message)}`,
-    );
+    expect(noticeLine(text)).toBe(line);
     expect(text).toContain(JSON.stringify(result));
   }
 });
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/state/host.ts b/apps/desktop/src/state/host.ts
index e08d15361..e923b224d 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/state/host.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/state/host.ts
@@ -306,6 +306,17 @@ function scheduleSave() {
   saveTimer = setTimeout(() => void flushSave(), SAVE_DEBOUNCE_MS);
 }
 
+/**
+ * Forgets the engine's copy of the book and drops a save still waiting to go: a test's debounced
+ * save otherwise fires after the next test has no engine and prints "the link book was not saved".
+ */
+export function resetLinkBook(): void {
+  clearTimeout(saveTimer);
+  saveTimer = undefined;
+  engineLinks = undefined;
+  savedText = undefined;
+}
+
 /** Sends the book now, if it differs from what the store already has. */
 async function flushSave(): Promise<void> {
   clearTimeout(saveTimer);
diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/state/store.ts b/apps/desktop/src/state/store.ts
index fb0508502..46b8399c4 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/state/store.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/state/store.ts
@@ -182,6 +182,7 @@ import {
   reconcileLinks,
   releaseLimitWaitsFrom,
   requeueUnreadSteers,
+  resetLinkBook,
   resetWaits,
   restoreQueuedThreads,
   stateOf,
@@ -8515,6 +8516,7 @@ export function resetForTests() {
   clearPageCache();
   stopPlanPolling();
   resetWaits();
+  resetLinkBook();
   keptUnlistedThreads.clear();
   deletedThreads.clear();
   deferredAnnouncements.length = 0;