diff --git a/apps/server/src/provider/GrokProvider.test.ts b/apps/server/src/provider/GrokProvider.test.ts
index 4ecc0ad28971b..96771b3e46699 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/provider/GrokProvider.test.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/provider/GrokProvider.test.ts
@@ -5,9 +5,16 @@ import * as NodeURL from "node:url";
 import * as NodeServices from "@effect/platform-node/NodeServices";
 import { describe, expect, it } from "@effect/vitest";
 import * as Effect from "effect/Effect";
+import * as Fiber from "effect/Fiber";
 import * as FileSystem from "effect/FileSystem";
+import * as PlatformError from "effect/PlatformError";
 import * as Schema from "effect/Schema";
+import * as Sink from "effect/Sink";
+import * as Stream from "effect/Stream";
 import { HttpClient, HttpClientResponse } from "effect/http";
+import * as ChildProcess from "effect/process/ChildProcess";
+import * as ChildProcessSpawner from "effect/process/ChildProcessSpawner";
+import * as TestClock from "effect/testing/TestClock";
 import { GrokSettings } from "@t3tools/provider-grok/settings";
 
 import {
@@ -221,6 +228,68 @@ it.layer(NodeServices.layer)("checkGrokProviderStatus", (it) => {
     }),
   );
 
+  it.effect.each([
+    {
+      label: "answers after 6 s",
+      versionDelay: "6 seconds",
+      version: "1.0.52",
+      message: "Grok CLI is installed but ACP initialize failed. Model options may be incomplete.",
+      probesAfterVersion: true,
+    },
+    {
+      label: "never answers",
+      versionDelay: "Infinity",
+      version: null,
+      message: "Grok CLI is installed but timed out while running `grok --version`.",
+      probesAfterVersion: false,
+    },
+  ] as const)("gives `grok --version` 10 s when it $label", (row) =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      // A fake CLI runs on wall time, so a stub answers `--version` on the test clock.
+      const spawned: Array<string> = [];
+      const spawner = ChildProcessSpawner.make((command) => {
+        const args = ChildProcess.isStandardCommand(command) ? command.args : [];
+        spawned.push(args.join(" "));
+        if (!args.includes("--version")) {
+          return Effect.fail(
+            PlatformError.systemError({
+              _tag: "PermissionDenied",
+              module: "ChildProcess",
+              method: "spawn",
+              description: "Only `grok --version` is stubbed.",
+            }),
+          );
+        }
+        const handle = ChildProcessSpawner.makeHandle({
+          pid: ChildProcessSpawner.ProcessId(900_000_201),
+          exitCode: Effect.delay(Effect.succeed(ChildProcessSpawner.ExitCode(0)), row.versionDelay),
+          isRunning: Effect.succeed(true),
+          kill: () => Effect.void,
+          unref: Effect.succeed(Effect.void),
+          stdin: Sink.drain,
+          stdout: Stream.encodeText(
+            Stream.fromEffect(Effect.delay(Effect.succeed("grok 1.0.52\n"), row.versionDelay)),
+          ),
+          stderr: Stream.empty,
+          all: Stream.empty,
+          getInputFd: () => Sink.drain,
+          getOutputFd: () => Stream.empty,
+        });
+        return Effect.succeed(handle);
+      });
+      const fiber = yield* checkGrokProviderStatus(decodeGrokSettings({ enabled: true }), {}).pipe(
+        Effect.provideService(ChildProcessSpawner.ChildProcessSpawner, spawner),
+        Effect.forkChild,
+      );
+      yield* TestClock.adjust("10 seconds");
+      const snapshot = yield* Fiber.join(fiber);
+      expect(snapshot.installed).toBe(true);
+      expect(snapshot.version).toBe(row.version);
+      expect(snapshot.message).toBe(row.message);
+      expect(spawned.length > 1).toBe(row.probesAfterVersion);
+    }),
+  );
+
   // A stand-in for the Grok CLI: `--version` and `models` print canned text,
   // and `agent stdio` execs the mock ACP agent so `initialize` returns model metadata.
   // A list of `models` outputs is served in call order, repeating the last one.
diff --git a/packages/provider-fx/src/server/status.test.ts b/packages/provider-fx/src/server/status.test.ts
index a235340a49e21..3f9ae01ae969a 100644
--- a/packages/provider-fx/src/server/status.test.ts
+++ b/packages/provider-fx/src/server/status.test.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
 import * as NodeServices from "@effect/platform-node/NodeServices";
 import { assert, describe, it } from "@effect/vitest";
+import type * as Duration from "effect/Duration";
 import * as Effect from "effect/Effect";
+import * as Fiber from "effect/Fiber";
 import * as Schema from "effect/Schema";
 import * as Sink from "effect/Sink";
 import * as Stream from "effect/Stream";
 import * as ChildProcess from "effect/process/ChildProcess";
 import * as ChildProcessSpawner from "effect/process/ChildProcessSpawner";
+import * as TestClock from "effect/testing/TestClock";
 
 import { FxSettings } from "../settings.ts";
 import { checkFxProviderStatus } from "./status.ts";
@@ -13,15 +16,21 @@ import { checkFxProviderStatus } from "./status.ts";
 const encoder = new TextEncoder();
 const settings = Schema.decodeSync(FxSettings)({ enabled: true });
 
-function processHandle(stdout: string, code: number) {
+/** Holds stdout and the exit back until `answered` completes, like a CLI slow to answer. */
+function processHandle(stdout: string, code: number, answered: Effect.Effect<void> = Effect.void) {
   return ChildProcessSpawner.makeHandle({
     pid: ChildProcessSpawner.ProcessId(900_000_101),
-    exitCode: Effect.succeed(ChildProcessSpawner.ExitCode(code)),
+    exitCode: Effect.as(answered, ChildProcessSpawner.ExitCode(code)),
     isRunning: Effect.succeed(false),
     kill: () => Effect.void,
     unref: Effect.succeed(Effect.void),
     stdin: Sink.drain,
-    stdout: stdout.length === 0 ? Stream.empty : Stream.succeed(encoder.encode(stdout)),
+    stdout: Stream.unwrap(
+      Effect.as(
+        answered,
+        stdout.length === 0 ? Stream.empty : Stream.succeed(encoder.encode(stdout)),
+      ),
+    ),
     stderr: Stream.empty,
     all: Stream.empty,
     getInputFd: () => Sink.drain,
@@ -30,7 +39,7 @@ function processHandle(stdout: string, code: number) {
 }
 
 /** Answers `fx` invocations by their arguments and records which ran. */
-const check = (statusJson: string) =>
+const check = (statusJson: string, versionDelay: Duration.Input = 0) =>
   Effect.gen(function* () {
     const outputs: Record<string, string> = {
       "--version": "fx 0.0.13\n",
@@ -50,7 +59,13 @@ const check = (statusJson: string) =>
       const args = ChildProcess.isStandardCommand(command) ? command.args.join(" ") : "";
       invoked.push(args);
       const stdout = outputs[args];
-      return Effect.succeed(processHandle(stdout ?? "", stdout === undefined ? 2 : 0));
+      return Effect.succeed(
+        processHandle(
+          stdout ?? "",
+          stdout === undefined ? 2 : 0,
+          args === "--version" ? Effect.sleep(versionDelay) : Effect.void,
+        ),
+      );
     });
     const draft = yield* checkFxProviderStatus(settings, {}).pipe(
       Effect.provideService(ChildProcessSpawner.ChildProcessSpawner, spawner),
@@ -59,6 +74,38 @@ const check = (statusJson: string) =>
   }).pipe(Effect.provide(NodeServices.layer));
 
 describe("checkFxProviderStatus", () => {
+  it.effect.each([
+    {
+      label: "answers after 6 s",
+      versionDelay: "6 seconds",
+      status: "ready",
+      version: "0.0.13",
+      message: undefined,
+      invoked: ["--version", "status --json", "models --json"],
+    },
+    {
+      label: "never answers",
+      versionDelay: "Infinity",
+      status: "error",
+      version: null,
+      message: "Failed to run `fx --version`.",
+      invoked: ["--version"],
+    },
+  ] as const)("gives `fx --version` 10 s when it $label", (row) =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const fiber = yield* check(
+        JSON.stringify({ kind: "status", model: "anthropic/claude-opus-5.5", auth: "fx login" }),
+        row.versionDelay,
+      ).pipe(Effect.forkChild);
+      yield* TestClock.adjust("10 seconds");
+      const { draft, invoked } = yield* Fiber.join(fiber);
+      assert.equal(draft.status, row.status);
+      assert.equal(draft.version, row.version);
+      assert.equal(draft.message, row.message);
+      assert.deepEqual(invoked, [...row.invoked]);
+    }),
+  );
+
   // `fx status --json` from fx 0.0.13, trimmed to the fields T3 reads plus a few it ignores.
   it.effect("reports sign-in from `fx status` without opening an ACP session", () =>
     Effect.gen(function* () {
diff --git a/packages/provider-fx/src/server/status.ts b/packages/provider-fx/src/server/status.ts
index ec8ad5bce9f8e..c71e909197df2 100644
--- a/packages/provider-fx/src/server/status.ts
+++ b/packages/provider-fx/src/server/status.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ import {
 import {
   AUTH_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS,
   buildServerProvider,
-  DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS,
   isCommandMissingCause,
   nonEmptyTrimmed,
   parseGenericCliVersion,
@@ -135,6 +134,8 @@ const FxModels = Schema.fromJsonString(
 );
 const decodeFxModels = Schema.decodeUnknownOption(FxModels);
 
+const VERSION_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS = 10_000;
+
 function fxAuth(auth: string | undefined): ServerProviderAuth {
   const method = nonEmptyTrimmed(auth);
   if (method === undefined) return { status: "unknown" };
@@ -163,7 +164,7 @@ export const checkFxProviderStatus = Effect.fn("checkFxProviderStatus")(function
   }
 
   const versionResult = yield* runFxCli(settings, ["--version"], environment).pipe(
-    Effect.timeoutOption(DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS),
+    Effect.timeoutOption(VERSION_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS),
     Effect.result,
   );
   if (Result.isFailure(versionResult) || Option.isNone(versionResult.success)) {
diff --git a/packages/provider-grok/src/server/status.ts b/packages/provider-grok/src/server/status.ts
index c634c5b80c74e..cd6e4f3b4fe48 100644
--- a/packages/provider-grok/src/server/status.ts
+++ b/packages/provider-grok/src/server/status.ts
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ const EMPTY_CAPABILITIES: ModelCapabilities = createModelCapabilities({
   optionDescriptors: [],
 });
 
-const VERSION_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS = 4_000;
+const VERSION_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS = 10_000;
 // Grok writes the initialize result only after startup work (settings,
 // skill discovery, file watching). From a home directory that work measured
 // 9-14s on CLI 1.0.52, so an 8s cap records a healthy CLI as a failed probe.
diff --git a/packages/provider-pi/src/server/status.test.ts b/packages/provider-pi/src/server/status.test.ts
index b8559d1ab7d8a..55caff62eac86 100644
--- a/packages/provider-pi/src/server/status.test.ts
+++ b/packages/provider-pi/src/server/status.test.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ import * as Sink from "effect/Sink";
 import * as Stream from "effect/Stream";
 import * as ChildProcess from "effect/process/ChildProcess";
 import * as ChildProcessSpawner from "effect/process/ChildProcessSpawner";
+import * as Fiber from "effect/Fiber";
+import * as TestClock from "effect/testing/TestClock";
 
 import { checkPiProviderStatus, MINIMUM_PI_VERSION } from "./status.ts";
 
@@ -21,19 +23,22 @@ function processHandle(input: {
   readonly stdout?: string;
   readonly stderr?: string;
   readonly exitCode?: number;
+  /** Holds stdout and the exit back until it completes, like a CLI slow to answer. */
+  readonly answered?: Effect.Effect<void>;
 }) {
+  const answered = input.answered ?? Effect.void;
   const bytes = (value: string | undefined) =>
     value === undefined || value.length === 0
       ? Stream.empty
       : Stream.succeed(encoder.encode(value));
   return ChildProcessSpawner.makeHandle({
     pid: ChildProcessSpawner.ProcessId(900_000_001),
-    exitCode: Effect.succeed(ChildProcessSpawner.ExitCode(input.exitCode ?? 0)),
+    exitCode: Effect.as(answered, ChildProcessSpawner.ExitCode(input.exitCode ?? 0)),
     isRunning: Effect.succeed(false),
     kill: () => Effect.void,
     unref: Effect.succeed(Effect.void),
     stdin: Sink.drain,
-    stdout: bytes(input.stdout),
+    stdout: Stream.unwrap(Effect.as(answered, bytes(input.stdout))),
     stderr: bytes(input.stderr),
     all: Stream.empty,
     getInputFd: () => Sink.drain,
@@ -148,6 +153,48 @@ describe("PiProvider", () => {
     }).pipe(Effect.provide(NodeServices.layer)),
   );
 
+  it.effect.each([
+    {
+      label: "answers after 6 s",
+      versionDelay: "6 seconds",
+      status: "ready",
+      version: "0.84.3",
+      message: "could not refresh its models and commands",
+      probesAfterVersion: true,
+    },
+    {
+      label: "never answers",
+      versionDelay: "Infinity",
+      status: "error",
+      version: null,
+      message: "Pi CLI is installed but timed out while running `pi --version`.",
+      probesAfterVersion: false,
+    },
+  ] as const)("gives `pi --version` 10 s when it $label", (row) =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const spawned: Array<string> = [];
+      const spawner = ChildProcessSpawner.make((command) => {
+        const args = ChildProcess.isStandardCommand(command) ? command.args : [];
+        spawned.push(args.join(" "));
+        return Effect.succeed(
+          args.includes("--version")
+            ? processHandle({ stdout: "pi 0.84.3\n", answered: Effect.sleep(row.versionDelay) })
+            : processHandle({ stderr: "RPC startup failed", exitCode: 1 }),
+        );
+      });
+      const fiber = yield* checkPiProviderStatus(settings).pipe(
+        Effect.provideService(ChildProcessSpawner.ChildProcessSpawner, spawner),
+        Effect.forkChild,
+      );
+      yield* TestClock.adjust("10 seconds");
+      const snapshot = yield* Fiber.join(fiber);
+      assert.equal(snapshot.status, row.status);
+      assert.equal(snapshot.version, row.version);
+      assert.include(snapshot.message ?? "", row.message);
+      assert.equal(spawned.length > 1, row.probesAfterVersion);
+    }).pipe(Effect.provide(NodeServices.layer)),
+  );
+
   it.effect("reports a known unauthenticated inventory when Pi returns no usable models", () =>
     Effect.gen(function* () {
       const spawner = yield* piDiscoverySpawner({ models: [] });
diff --git a/packages/provider-pi/src/server/status.ts b/packages/provider-pi/src/server/status.ts
index a180ab9c41a3b..dfafa75ccd579 100644
--- a/packages/provider-pi/src/server/status.ts
+++ b/packages/provider-pi/src/server/status.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import {
 import * as ProviderLatestVersions from "@t3tools/provider-core/server/ProviderLatestVersions";
 import {
   buildServerProvider,
+  DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS,
   isCommandMissingCause,
   parseGenericCliVersion,
   providerModelsFromSettings,
@@ -56,7 +57,7 @@ const PI_PRESENTATION = {
   reportsContextWindow: true,
 } as const;
 
-const VERSION_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS = 4_000;
+const VERSION_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS = 10_000;
 const PI_RPC_DISCOVERY_TIMEOUT_MS = 30_000;
 /**
  * get_entries arrived in 0.80.3 and agent_settled landed in source at 0.80.4.
@@ -278,7 +279,7 @@ const describeUnavailablePiModel = Effect.fn("PiProviderStatus.describeUnavailab
           }),
         ),
       ),
-      Effect.timeout(VERSION_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS),
+      Effect.timeout(DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS),
       Effect.option,
     );
     const missingCredentials = Option.exists(