diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 8f810009..d14c2588 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -37,9 +37,14 @@ jobs:
           # Isolate every home-relative write (kit.json, CLAUDE.md, settings).
           HOME: ${{ runner.temp }}/kit-home
           USERPROFILE: ${{ runner.temp }}\kit-home
+          XDG_CONFIG_HOME: ${{ runner.temp }}/kit-home/.config
           APPDATA: ${{ runner.temp }}\kit-home\AppData\Roaming
         run: |
           mkdir -p "$HOME"
+          # The smoke test proves local CLI behavior, not npm reachability.
+          # Seed a fresh empty drift cache so an offline Windows runner does
+          # not pay four sequential 20s `npm view` timeouts inside status.
+          node -e 'const fs=require("node:fs"),p=require("node:path"),base=process.platform==="win32"?process.env.APPDATA:process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME,dir=p.join(base,"agentic-kit"),last=Date.now();fs.mkdirSync(dir,{recursive:true});fs.writeFileSync(p.join(dir,"kit.json"),JSON.stringify({versionCheck:{last,seen:{},self:{last,best:null}}}))'
           node bin/agentic-kit.mjs --version
           node bin/agentic-kit.mjs --help --all > /dev/null
           # status must emit valid JSON and exit deterministically even on a
diff --git a/tests/kit/dual-cli.test.mjs b/tests/kit/dual-cli.test.mjs
index 4103b1be..4e97d29e 100644
--- a/tests/kit/dual-cli.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/kit/dual-cli.test.mjs
@@ -15,8 +15,13 @@ function sandbox({ dualRouting }) {
   const home = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'kit-dual-home-'));
   const cfgDir = path.join(home, '.config', 'agentic-kit');
   fs.mkdirSync(cfgDir, { recursive: true });
+  const last = Date.now();
   fs.writeFileSync(path.join(cfgDir, 'kit.json'),
-    JSON.stringify({ providers: { hosts: { claude: true, codex: true }, dualRouting } }));
+    JSON.stringify({
+      providers: { hosts: { claude: true, codex: true }, dualRouting },
+      // Real CLI spawns must not turn an isolated unit test into an npm network probe.
+      versionCheck: { last, seen: {}, self: { last, best: null } },
+    }));
   const project = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'kit-dual-proj-'));
   fs.mkdirSync(path.join(project, '.git'));
   return { home, project };
diff --git a/tests/kit/provider-cli.test.mjs b/tests/kit/provider-cli.test.mjs
index 3e79632c..252c7684 100644
--- a/tests/kit/provider-cli.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/kit/provider-cli.test.mjs
@@ -20,7 +20,12 @@ function sandbox({ hosts }) {
   const home = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'kit-prov-cli-home-'));
   const cfgDir = path.join(home, '.config', 'agentic-kit');
   fs.mkdirSync(cfgDir, { recursive: true });
-  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(cfgDir, 'kit.json'), JSON.stringify({ providers: { hosts } }));
+  const last = Date.now();
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(cfgDir, 'kit.json'), JSON.stringify({
+    providers: { hosts },
+    // Real CLI spawns must not turn an isolated unit test into an npm network probe.
+    versionCheck: { last, seen: {}, self: { last, best: null } },
+  }));
   const project = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'kit-prov-cli-proj-'));
   fs.mkdirSync(path.join(project, '.git'));
   return { home, project };
diff --git a/tests/kit/provider-refresh-cli.test.mjs b/tests/kit/provider-refresh-cli.test.mjs
index 083e5bf6..55099b9a 100644
--- a/tests/kit/provider-refresh-cli.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/kit/provider-refresh-cli.test.mjs
@@ -27,7 +27,16 @@ function sandbox(providers) {
   const home = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'kit-refresh-home-'));
   const cfgDir = path.join(home, '.config', 'agentic-kit');
   fs.mkdirSync(cfgDir, { recursive: true });
-  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(cfgDir, 'kit.json'), JSON.stringify({ providers }));
+  // These tests exercise provider output and persistence, not version egress.
+  // A fresh sandbox otherwise makes every real CLI spawn run two sequential
+  // `npm view` probes; an unreachable Windows runner pays both 20s timeouts
+  // for every test in this file. Seed the same honest "checked, no answer"
+  // cache shape a completed drift probe would persist.
+  const last = Date.now();
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(cfgDir, 'kit.json'), JSON.stringify({
+    providers,
+    versionCheck: { last, seen: {}, self: { last, best: null } },
+  }));
   const project = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'kit-refresh-proj-'));
   fs.mkdirSync(path.join(project, '.git'));
   return { home, project };