diff --git a/.claude/skills/typescript-lsp/SKILL.md b/.claude/skills/typescript-lsp/SKILL.md
index 803294d5f..31f864791 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/typescript-lsp/SKILL.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/typescript-lsp/SKILL.md
@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@ description: >
 `npm install` (see the `setup` skill) it is available via `npx` and uses the
 workspace-local `typescript` (6.x) compiler, matching CI exactly.
 
+The server (6.x) requires Node.js >= 22.22.2, newer than the repository's
+Node 20 minimum; on Node 20 `npm install` only warns, but the server isn't supported there.
+
 ## Starting the server
 
 From the repo root:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/bench-skill-rowbinary.yml b/.github/workflows/bench-skill-rowbinary.yml
index e6640a320..b34a2bd88 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/bench-skill-rowbinary.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/bench-skill-rowbinary.yml
@@ -64,8 +64,8 @@ jobs:
           grep -m1 'model name' /proc/cpuinfo || true
           # The server may still be starting; poll briefly so the version is captured.
           for _ in $(seq 1 30); do
-            chv=$(curl -s 'http://localhost:8123/?query=SELECT%20version()')
-            [ -n "$chv" ] && break
+            if chv=$(curl -sf 'http://localhost:8123/?query=SELECT%20version()') && [ -n "$chv" ]; then break; fi
+            chv=
             sleep 1
           done
           echo "ClickHouse: ${chv:-<unavailable>}"
diff --git a/packages/client-node/__tests__/integration/node_abort_queued_request.test.ts b/packages/client-node/__tests__/integration/node_abort_queued_request.test.ts
index ee8133bdd..4a1f1669c 100644
--- a/packages/client-node/__tests__/integration/node_abort_queued_request.test.ts
+++ b/packages/client-node/__tests__/integration/node_abort_queued_request.test.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import type { ClickHouseClient } from "@clickhouse/client-common";
 import type { ClickHouseClientConfigOptions } from "@clickhouse/client";
 import type Stream from "stream";
 
-// The server answers "SELECT <ms>" after <ms> milliseconds.
+// The server answers "SELECT <ms>" after <ms> milliseconds, capped at 5 seconds.
 describe("[Node.js] Aborting a request queued for a socket", () => {
   let server: http.Server | undefined;
   let client: ClickHouseClient<Stream.Readable> | undefined;
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@ describe("[Node.js] Aborting a request queued for a socket", () => {
       let body = "";
       req.on("data", (chunk) => (body += chunk));
       req.on("end", () => {
-        const delay = Number(/SELECT (\d+)/.exec(body)?.[1] ?? 0);
+        const requested = Number(/SELECT (\d+)/.exec(body)?.[1] ?? 0);
+        const delay = requested <= 5000 ? requested : 5000;
         setTimeout(() => {
           res.write("Ok.");
           res.end();