diff --git a/src/features/background-agent/manager.test.ts b/src/features/background-agent/manager.test.ts
index 67b584d4b..5a3a430e6 100644
--- a/src/features/background-agent/manager.test.ts
+++ b/src/features/background-agent/manager.test.ts
@@ -1063,18 +1063,7 @@ describe("BackgroundManager.notifyParentSession - aborted parent", () => {
         prompt: promptMock,
         promptAsync: promptMock,
         abort: async () => ({}),
-        messages: async () => ({
-          data: [{
-            info: {
-              agent: "explore",
-              model: {
-                providerID: "anthropic",
-                modelID: "claude-opus-4-6",
-                variant: "high",
-              },
-            },
-          }],
-        }),
+        messages: async () => ({ data: [] }),
       },
     }
     const manager = new BackgroundManager({ client, directory: tmpdir() } as unknown as PluginInput)
@@ -1159,7 +1148,18 @@ describe("BackgroundManager.notifyParentSession - notifications toggle", () => {
         prompt: promptMock,
         promptAsync: promptMock,
         abort: async () => ({}),
-        messages: async () => ({ data: [] }),
+        messages: async () => ({
+          data: [{
+            info: {
+              agent: "explore",
+              model: {
+                providerID: "anthropic",
+                modelID: "claude-opus-4-6",
+                variant: "high",
+              },
+            },
+          }],
+        }),
       },
     }
     const manager = new BackgroundManager(
@@ -1193,47 +1193,6 @@ describe("BackgroundManager.notifyParentSession - notifications toggle", () => {
 })
 
 describe("BackgroundManager.notifyParentSession - variant propagation", () => {
-  test("should propagate variant in parent notification promptAsync body", async () => {
-    //#given
-    const promptCalls: Array<{ body: Record<string, unknown> }> = []
-    const client = {
-      session: {
-        prompt: async () => ({}),
-        promptAsync: async (args: { path: { id: string }; body: Record<string, unknown> }) => {
-          promptCalls.push({ body: args.body })
-          return {}
-        },
-        abort: async () => ({}),
-        messages: async () => ({ data: [] }),
-      },
-    }
-    const manager = new BackgroundManager({ client, directory: tmpdir() } as unknown as PluginInput)
-    const task: BackgroundTask = {
-      id: "task-variant-test",
-      sessionID: "session-child",
-      parentSessionID: "session-parent",
-      parentMessageID: "msg-parent",
-      description: "task with variant",
-      prompt: "test",
-      agent: "explore",
-      status: "completed",
-      startedAt: new Date(),
-      completedAt: new Date(),
-      model: { providerID: "anthropic", modelID: "claude-opus-4-6", variant: "high" },
-    }
-    getPendingByParent(manager).set("session-parent", new Set([task.id]))
-
-    //#when
-    await (manager as unknown as { notifyParentSession: (task: BackgroundTask) => Promise<void> })
-      .notifyParentSession(task)
-
-    //#then
-    expect(promptCalls).toHaveLength(1)
-    expect(promptCalls[0].body.variant).toBe("high")
-
-    manager.shutdown()
-  })
-
   test("should prefer parent session variant over child task variant in parent notification promptAsync body", async () => {
     //#given
     const promptCalls: Array<{ body: Record<string, unknown> }> = []
@@ -1588,6 +1547,7 @@ describe("BackgroundManager.tryCompleteTask", () => {
 
     const task = createMockTask({
       id: "task-zombie-session",
+      sessionID: "session-zombie-placeholder",
       parentSessionID: "parent-zombie",
       status: "pending",
       agent: "explore",