diff --git a/src/mcplocal/tests/smoke/security.test.ts b/src/mcplocal/tests/smoke/security.test.ts
index 19a4848..e19f6cd 100644
--- a/src/mcplocal/tests/smoke/security.test.ts
+++ b/src/mcplocal/tests/smoke/security.test.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,16 @@ function httpRequest(opts: {
   headers?: Record<string, string>;
   body?: string;
   timeout?: number;
+  /**
+   * Resolve as soon as response headers arrive, without waiting for the body
+   * to end. Required for endpoints that never end: an SSE stream's socket only
+   * goes idle when nothing else is talking to mcplocal, so waiting for the
+   * inactivity timeout made this depend on whether other smoke files happened
+   * to be generating traffic concurrently. Resolving on headers is also a
+   * STRONGER assertion — the caller sees the real status instead of inferring
+   * "reachable" from a timeout, which would pass just as happily on a slow 401.
+   */
+  resolveOnHeaders?: boolean;
 }): Promise<{ status: number; headers: http.IncomingHttpHeaders; body: string }> {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
     const parsed = new URL(opts.url);
@@ -46,6 +56,12 @@ function httpRequest(opts: {
         timeout: opts.timeout ?? 10_000,
       },
       (res) => {
+        if (opts.resolveOnHeaders === true) {
+          resolve({ status: res.statusCode ?? 0, headers: res.headers, body: '' });
+          res.destroy();
+          req.destroy();
+          return;
+        }
         const chunks: Buffer[] = [];
         res.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => chunks.push(chunk));
         res.on('end', () => {
@@ -92,22 +108,19 @@ describe('Smoke: Security — mcplocal unauthenticated endpoints', () => {
     if (!available) return;
 
     // /inspect streams ALL MCP traffic (tool calls, arguments, responses)
-    // for ALL projects to any unauthenticated local client
+    // for ALL projects to any unauthenticated local client. The stream never
+    // ends, so take the status off the response headers and hang up.
     const res = await httpRequest({
       url: `${MCPLOCAL_URL}/inspect`,
       method: 'GET',
       headers: { 'Accept': 'text/event-stream' },
-      timeout: 3_000,
-    }).catch((err) => {
-      // Timeout is expected (SSE keeps connection open) — still means endpoint is accessible
-      if ((err as Error).message.includes('timed out')) {
-        return { status: 200, headers: {} as http.IncomingHttpHeaders, body: '' };
-      }
-      throw err;
+      timeout: 5_000,
+      resolveOnHeaders: true,
     });
 
     // Should be accessible without auth (documenting the vulnerability)
     expect(res.status).toBeLessThan(400);
+    expect(res.headers['content-type']).toContain('text/event-stream');
     console.log(`    ⚠ /inspect accessible without auth (status ${res.status})`);
   }, 10_000);