diff --git a/.claude/settings.json b/.claude/settings.json
index 84e9bf7..97a6779 100644
--- a/.claude/settings.json
+++ b/.claude/settings.json
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 {
   "env": {
-    "BENCH_PROVIDER": "claude_code"
+    "BENCH_PROVIDER": "claude_code",
+    "BENCH_CLAUDE_TIMEOUT": "300"
   },
   "hooks": {
     "PreToolUse": [
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index fb8dfb3..c322a7b 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -281,7 +281,11 @@ client = openai.OpenAI(
 # The child is spawned with BENCH_SUBPROCESS=1 so Bench's own PreToolUse hook
 # fails open instead of recursing. subprocess/shutil are stdlib, so this path
 # adds no dependency. Per-stage timeout is BENCH_CLAUDE_TIMEOUT seconds
-# (default 120).
+# (library default 120). This repo sets 300 in .claude/settings.json: at 120
+# the Oracle timed out on constitutionally heavy diffs, and because a timeout
+# fails closed it surfaced as a VETO carrying pipeline_error, which reads like
+# a ruling but is a pipeline failure. Raising the ceiling does not weaken
+# enforcement; it stops a slow judge from being mistaken for a strict one.
 
 # Model strings live in utils/api.py as CHALLENGER_MODEL, DEFENDER_MODEL,
 # ORACLE_MODEL, and UTILITY_MODEL (the single source of truth). This section