diff --git a/internal/config/uploads_local_test.go b/internal/config/uploads_local_test.go
index af6a0ba..de594c9 100644
--- a/internal/config/uploads_local_test.go
+++ b/internal/config/uploads_local_test.go
@@ -76,14 +76,14 @@ func TestLoad_ALocalUploadChatModelIsAccepted(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestLoad_TheEngineTimeoutDefaultsToTwentyFiveMinutesAndMustBePositive(t *testing.T) {
+func TestLoad_TheEngineTimeoutDefaultsToTwentyMinutesAndMustBePositive(t *testing.T) {
 	clearUploadEnv(t)
 	cfg, err := Load()
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Load: %v", err)
 	}
-	if cfg.TranscribeEngineTimeout != 25*time.Minute {
-		t.Errorf("TranscribeEngineTimeout = %v, want 25m: a 90-minute recording takes about 8 minutes on kb-whisper", cfg.TranscribeEngineTimeout)
+	if cfg.TranscribeEngineTimeout != 20*time.Minute {
+		t.Errorf("TranscribeEngineTimeout = %v, want 20m: a 90-minute recording takes about 8 minutes on kb-whisper, and two wedged engines in sequence must leave the job time to reach a fallback", cfg.TranscribeEngineTimeout)
 	}
 
 	setEnv(t, map[string]string{"TAPIR_TRANSCRIBE_ENGINE_TIMEOUT": "7m"})