diff --git a/test/progress.test.ts b/test/progress.test.ts
index 0e70e0d6f..29d5dddf6 100644
--- a/test/progress.test.ts
+++ b/test/progress.test.ts
@@ -218,15 +218,21 @@ describe('progress reporter', () => {
   test('only one process-level signal handler installed across many reporters', () => {
     // Baseline: one handler already installed by prior tests in this file.
     const installedBefore = __signalHandlerInstalledForTest();
+    // liveReporters is process-global: earlier test files in the same shard
+    // can leave a live entry behind (e.g. a production path that skips
+    // finish() on an error branch). Assert NET-zero leak from THIS test's
+    // lifecycles, not an absolute zero we don't control — same tolerance
+    // the handler assertion below already applies via `installedBefore`.
+    const liveBefore = __liveReporterCountForTest();
     const { stream } = sink(false);
     for (let i = 0; i < 50; i++) {
       const p = createProgress({ mode: 'json', stream, minIntervalMs: 0, minItems: 1 });
       p.start(`phase_${i}`, 1);
       p.finish();
     }
-    // After 50 reporter lifecycles, still exactly one handler and zero leaked live entries.
+    // After 50 reporter lifecycles, still exactly one handler and zero NEWLY leaked live entries.
     expect(__signalHandlerInstalledForTest()).toBe(installedBefore || true);
-    expect(__liveReporterCountForTest()).toBe(0);
+    expect(__liveReporterCountForTest()).toBe(liveBefore);
   });
 
   test('startHeartbeat() fires heartbeats and stop() clears', async () => {