diff --git a/tools/e2e/18-pause.mjs b/tools/e2e/18-pause.mjs
index e6a9bce3..de384902 100644
--- a/tools/e2e/18-pause.mjs
+++ b/tools/e2e/18-pause.mjs
@@ -209,9 +209,11 @@ export async function pause(t) {
     (await json('__gm.graph.beads()')).filter((b) => b.edgeId === edgeId).map((b) => b.progress);
   const chain = await beadsOn('p-e1');
   const gaps = chain.slice(1).map((p, i) => chain[i] - p);
+  // A bead leaves on the first frame at least 0.15 s of game time after the one before (0.5 of a
+  // 0.3 s trip), so a gap is that plus up to one frame – CI task 261 had a 33 ms frame: 0.611.
   check(
     'an exec edge firing every frame carries an evenly spaced chain of beads',
-    chain.length >= 1 && chain.length <= 3 && gaps.every((g) => Math.abs(g - 0.5) < 0.1),
+    chain.length >= 1 && chain.length <= 3 && gaps.every((g) => g > 0.49 && g < 0.5 + 0.05 / 0.3),
     JSON.stringify(chain),
   );
   check(