diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
index 9340e8d353..81a20eb2a9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
@@ -1057,10 +1057,12 @@ jobs:
         with:
           username: ${{ vars.AIRE_DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}
           password: ${{ secrets.AIRE_DOCKERHUB_ACCESS_TOKEN }}
-      - name: Pull mock base images
+      - name: Pull integration Docker images
         run: |
           docker pull nginx:1.29.4-alpine-slim
           docker pull alpine:3.23
+          clickhouse_version="$(tr -d '[:space:]' < services/intake/.clickhouse-version)"
+          docker pull "clickhouse/clickhouse-server:${clickhouse_version}"
         shell: bash
       - name: Run integration tests
         run: make test-integration-ci
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 3d263f30f5..674b704861 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -377,10 +377,11 @@ test: test-unit  ## Run all Python unit tests (fast tests without infrastructure
 PYTEST_VERBOSITY := $(if $(filter true,$(CI)),-q,-v)
 PYTEST_WORKERS ?= auto
 PYTEST_MAX_WORKERS ?= 16
+PYTEST_MAX_WORKER_RESTART ?= 2
 PYTEST_DIST ?= loadscope
 PYTEST_CMD = env PYTHONWARNINGS="ignore::UserWarning:pytest_only.version" $(UV) run --frozen \
 	pytest \
-	-n $(PYTEST_WORKERS) --maxprocesses=$(PYTEST_MAX_WORKERS) --max-worker-restart=2 \
+	-n $(PYTEST_WORKERS) --maxprocesses=$(PYTEST_MAX_WORKERS) --max-worker-restart=$(PYTEST_MAX_WORKER_RESTART) \
 	--dist $(PYTEST_DIST) --timeout=120 $(PYTEST_VERBOSITY) $(PYTEST_EXTRA)
 
 PYTEST_CI_OPTS := --cov=src --cov=packages \
@@ -403,6 +404,7 @@ PYTEST_CI_CMD = timeout --kill-after=60s $(PYTEST_CI_TIMEOUT)s $(PYTEST_CMD)
 # CI integration runs therefore use ``loadgroup`` while unit runs keep
 # ``loadscope``.
 test-integration test-integration-ci: PYTEST_DIST := loadgroup
+test-integration-ci: PYTEST_MAX_WORKER_RESTART := 0
 
 .PHONY: test-unit
 test-unit: ## Run Python unit tests across all packages and services
diff --git a/plugins/nemo-evaluator/tests/integration/conftest.py b/plugins/nemo-evaluator/tests/integration/conftest.py
index 35741ad639..2ae6eaf1c7 100644
--- a/plugins/nemo-evaluator/tests/integration/conftest.py
+++ b/plugins/nemo-evaluator/tests/integration/conftest.py
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 MOCK_PROVIDER_PREFIX_ENVVAR = "NMP_INFERENCE_GATEWAY_MOCK_PROVIDER_PREFIX"
 CLICKHOUSE_XDIST_GROUP = "nmp_intake_clickhouse"
 CLICKHOUSE_XDIST_FIXTURE = "_clickhouse"
+CLICKHOUSE_TIMEOUT_SECONDS = 600
 
 #: Base URL (and therefore port) for the agent-eval subprocess-backend platform. Distinct from
 #: other integration platforms so both can run in the same session without a port clash.
@@ -87,6 +88,7 @@ def pytest_collection_modifyitems(items: list[pytest.Item]) -> None:
     for item in items:
         if CLICKHOUSE_XDIST_FIXTURE in item.fixturenames:
             item.add_marker(pytest.mark.xdist_group(CLICKHOUSE_XDIST_GROUP))
+            item.add_marker(pytest.mark.timeout(CLICKHOUSE_TIMEOUT_SECONDS))
 
 
 @contextmanager
diff --git a/plugins/nemo-evaluator/tests/integration/test_publish_to_intake.py b/plugins/nemo-evaluator/tests/integration/test_publish_to_intake.py
index e5da9b3b92..13d6093700 100644
--- a/plugins/nemo-evaluator/tests/integration/test_publish_to_intake.py
+++ b/plugins/nemo-evaluator/tests/integration/test_publish_to_intake.py
@@ -91,9 +91,11 @@ def _wait_for_tcp(host: str, port: int, *, timeout: float) -> None:
     raise RuntimeError(f"{host}:{port} not reachable within {timeout}s")
 
 
-def _wait_for_ready(base_url: str, *, timeout: float) -> None:
+def _wait_for_ready(base_url: str, *, timeout: float, process: subprocess.Popen[bytes]) -> None:
     deadline = time.monotonic() + timeout
     while time.monotonic() < deadline:
+        if process.poll() is not None:
+            raise RuntimeError(f"platform at {base_url} exited early (code {process.returncode}) before ready")
         try:
             with urllib.request.urlopen(f"{base_url}/health/ready", timeout=2) as response:  # noqa: S310
                 if response.status == 200:
@@ -104,6 +106,12 @@ def _wait_for_ready(base_url: str, *, timeout: float) -> None:
     raise RuntimeError(f"platform at {base_url} not ready within {timeout}s")
 
 
+def _port_in_use(host: str, port: int) -> bool:
+    with socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM) as sock:
+        sock.settimeout(1)
+        return sock.connect_ex((host, port)) == 0
+
+
 @pytest.fixture(scope="session")
 def _clickhouse(tmp_path_factory: pytest.TempPathFactory) -> Iterator[None]:
     if not _docker_available():
@@ -136,7 +144,11 @@ def platform_base_url(_clickhouse: None) -> Iterator[str]:
     # NMP_BASE_URL is client-side only, so without this the suite silently requires 8080 to be free
     # and cannot run alongside a local dev platform. Mirrors the sibling fixtures in conftest, which
     # each take their own port for the same reason.
-    port = urlsplit(BASE_URL).port or 8080
+    split = urlsplit(BASE_URL)
+    host = split.hostname or "localhost"
+    port = split.port or 8080
+    if _port_in_use(host, port):
+        raise RuntimeError(f"{host}:{port} is already in use; stop other platform instances before running this test")
     process = subprocess.Popen(
         ["uv", "run", "nemo", "services", "run", "--services", "auth,entities,intake", "--port", str(port)],
         cwd=REPO_ROOT,
@@ -147,7 +159,7 @@ def platform_base_url(_clickhouse: None) -> Iterator[str]:
         },
     )
     try:
-        _wait_for_ready(BASE_URL, timeout=180)
+        _wait_for_ready(BASE_URL, timeout=180, process=process)
         yield BASE_URL
     finally:
         process.terminate()
diff --git a/services/intake/tests/integration/test_local_clickhouse_provisioning.py b/services/intake/tests/integration/test_local_clickhouse_provisioning.py
index 0d098394e4..51be9e23bf 100644
--- a/services/intake/tests/integration/test_local_clickhouse_provisioning.py
+++ b/services/intake/tests/integration/test_local_clickhouse_provisioning.py
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ def _docker_is_available() -> bool:
 @pytest.mark.integration
 # Serialize with evaluator integration tests that own the legacy fixed-port container.
 @pytest.mark.xdist_group("nmp_intake_clickhouse")
+@pytest.mark.timeout(600)
 def test_data_directory_owned_container_uses_dynamic_loopback_port_and_is_reused(
     tmp_path: Path,
 ) -> None: