diff --git a/tools/e2e/34-sound.mjs b/tools/e2e/34-sound.mjs
index 4fb3a695..3e12186c 100644
--- a/tools/e2e/34-sound.mjs
+++ b/tools/e2e/34-sound.mjs
@@ -3964,9 +3964,23 @@ export async function sound(t) {
   // counted once it is there, so the pause is judged by what it adds. The wait after it lets the
   // worklet report how far it has read: until then a stretch sent counts as ahead.
   const headsOnly = statsBefore.streaming.held;
-  await waitFor(stats, (s) => s.streaming.held - headsOnly >= STREAM_SECOND_BYTES, 40);
+  const aheadStreamed = await waitFor(stats, (s) => s.streaming.held - headsOnly >= STREAM_SECOND_BYTES, 40);
   await sleep(500);
   const heldStreamed = await stats();
+  // A runner too slow to decode never gets the second ahead and skips from the start (CI task 750,
+  // 0.04 s ahead, 1.1 s skipped before the pause): that is told here, not blamed on the pause.
+  const streamAhead =
+    aheadStreamed.streaming.held - headsOnly >= STREAM_SECOND_BYTES &&
+    heldStreamed.streaming.skipped === statsBefore.streaming.skipped;
+  check(
+    'before the pause the stream runs a second ahead, not a sample skipped',
+    streamAhead,
+    JSON.stringify({
+      before: statsBefore.streaming,
+      ahead: aheadStreamed.streaming,
+      held: heldStreamed.streaming,
+    }),
+  );
   await t.clickToolbar('pause');
   await sleep(500);
   const paused = { clock: await json('__gm.sound.clock()'), state: await json('__gm.sound.clockState()') };
@@ -3988,12 +4002,15 @@ export async function sound(t) {
       Math.max(...(heardLong?.mix ?? [0])) > 0.01,
     JSON.stringify({ streaming, heardLong }),
   );
+  // Behind before it, the pause cannot be judged by what it skips: the clock and stopping still are.
   check(
-    'the pause holds the stream where it is, it plays on after it without a sample lost, and stopping ends it',
+    streamAhead
+      ? 'the pause holds the stream where it is, it plays on after it without a sample lost, and stopping ends it'
+      : 'the pause holds the clock and stopping ends it (samples not judged: the stream was behind before the pause)',
     paused.state === 'suspended' &&
       pausedLater === paused.clock &&
       resumedLong.streaming.playing === 1 &&
-      resumedLong.streaming.skipped === heldStreamed.streaming.skipped &&
+      (!streamAhead || resumedLong.streaming.skipped === heldStreamed.streaming.skipped) &&
       stoppedLong.streaming.playing === 0 &&
       stoppedLong.playing === 0,
     // Held before the pause too: it tells a stream that fell behind from the start from one the