diff --git a/conftest.py b/conftest.py
index 6f4fdbd0..2d42eb0a 100644
--- a/conftest.py
+++ b/conftest.py
@@ -12,12 +12,13 @@
 # explicitly via monkeypatch (see tests/test_update_check.py).
 os.environ.setdefault("ENGRAPHIS_UPDATE_CHECK", "0")
 
-# Owner machines may configure ENGRAPHIS_EXTRACTOR=llm (via ~/.engraphis/config.env),
-# which would make every ingest-path test block on live LLM extraction calls. The unit
-# suite is offline-inert by contract (AGENTS.md §1 "primary offline gate"); tests that
-# exercise extraction opt back in explicitly via monkeypatch.setenv. setdefault keeps a
-# real shell override working, matching how config.env itself defers to the environment.
-os.environ.setdefault("ENGRAPHIS_EXTRACTOR", "none")
+# Owner machines may configure ENGRAPHIS_EXTRACTOR=llm_structured (via ~/.engraphis/config.env
+# or an exported shell variable), which would make every ingest-path test block on live LLM
+# extraction calls — and under tests/conftest.py's DNS stub they hang instead of failing
+# fast. The unit suite is offline-inert by contract (AGENTS.md §1 "primary offline gate");
+# tests that exercise extraction opt back in explicitly via monkeypatch.setenv, so this is
+# forced rather than setdefault: no shell export can leak a live LLM into the gate.
+os.environ["ENGRAPHIS_EXTRACTOR"] = "none"
 
 # The legacy scripts/test_*.py files are HTTP smoke tests (need a running server +
 # httpx), not unit tests. Keep pytest focused on the tests/ suite.