diff --git a/run/critic.go b/run/critic.go
index d5eafdd..49c1a05 100644
--- a/run/critic.go
+++ b/run/critic.go
@@ -44,18 +44,15 @@ func (e *Executor) criticOwnsDeadline(ra RunnableAgent) bool {
 // is the soft wake (mort's two-tier semantics — the critic first reviews once the
 // run exceeds its nominal budget, and its backstop = softTrigger × multiplier).
 // The caller (Run) always passes the resolved MaxRuntime, which withFallbacks
-// guarantees is > 0; the 90s floor below is purely a defensive guard for a
-// hypothetical caller that passes a non-positive value.
+// guarantees is > 0, so no fallback is needed here. (A non-positive soft would make
+// the host Monitor return no handle, and Run's unsupervised-run failsafe then bounds
+// the run at MaxRuntime — so even that impossible case stays bounded.)
 func (e *Executor) startCritic(runCtx context.Context, cancelCause context.CancelCauseFunc, ra RunnableAgent, info RunInfo, softTrigger time.Duration) (*criticBinding, func()) {
 	noop := func() {}
 	if !e.criticOwnsDeadline(ra) {
 		return nil, noop
 	}
-	soft := softTrigger
-	if soft <= 0 {
-		soft = 90 * time.Second // defensive only; the sole caller passes MaxRuntime (>0)
-	}
-	h := e.cfg.Ports.Critic.Monitor(runCtx, info, soft)
+	h := e.cfg.Ports.Critic.Monitor(runCtx, info, softTrigger)
 	if h == nil {
 		return nil, noop
 	}
diff --git a/run/executor.go b/run/executor.go
index 4b75010..7a3ffb3 100644
--- a/run/executor.go
+++ b/run/executor.go
@@ -35,11 +35,10 @@ type Defaults struct {
 	// deadline. This ceiling exists ONLY to stop a critic that never advances its
 	// deadline (a broken host handle) from running forever, so it is deliberately
 	// set FAR beyond any realistic backstop (default 24h): the host clamps its own
-	// backstop to a much smaller absolute max (e.g. mort's agents.critic.
-	// absolute_max_seconds = 6h), so the ceiling never pre-empts a healthy
-	// supervised run. Keep it well above the host's absolute max. Never shorter than
-	// the run's MaxRuntime. Non-critic runs ignore it (they keep the literal
-	// MaxRuntime kill).
+	// backstop to a much smaller absolute max (e.g. a 6h host convar), so the ceiling
+	// never pre-empts a healthy supervised run. Keep it well above the host's
+	// absolute max. Never shorter than the run's MaxRuntime. Non-critic runs ignore
+	// it (they keep the literal MaxRuntime kill).
 	CriticAbsoluteMax time.Duration
 }
 
@@ -294,7 +293,7 @@ func (e *Executor) Run(ctx context.Context, ra RunnableAgent, inv tool.Invocatio
 	//     gets a WithTimeout at CriticAbsoluteMax (default 24h) purely as a RUNAWAY
 	//     guard for a critic that never advances its deadline: it is set FAR beyond
 	//     any realistic backstop (the host clamps its own backstop to a much smaller
-	//     absolute max, e.g. mort's 6h convar), so it does NOT pre-empt a healthy
+	//     absolute max, e.g. a 6h host convar), so it does NOT pre-empt a healthy
 	//     supervised run. If the host critic fails to ARM (nil handle), the run is
 	//     unsupervised and we tighten the cap back down to MaxRuntime below.
 	// A NESTED cause-carrying layer (cancelCause) lets a critic kill surface as a
@@ -305,12 +304,9 @@ func (e *Executor) Run(ctx context.Context, ra RunnableAgent, inv tool.Invocatio
 	hardCap := maxRuntime
 	if criticOwns {
 		// Runaway guard only — the critic's own (extendable) deadline-watch is the
-		// normal cap. Never shorter than the nominal budget, in case an operator
-		// sets MaxRuntime above the runaway ceiling (a degenerate config).
-		hardCap = e.cfg.Defaults.CriticAbsoluteMax
-		if hardCap < maxRuntime {
-			hardCap = maxRuntime
-		}
+		// normal cap. max() keeps it from being shorter than the nominal budget if an
+		// operator sets MaxRuntime above the runaway ceiling (a degenerate config).
+		hardCap = max(e.cfg.Defaults.CriticAbsoluteMax, maxRuntime)
 	}
 	timeoutCtx, cancelTimeout := context.WithTimeout(context.WithoutCancel(ctx), hardCap)
 	defer cancelTimeout()