diff --git a/scripts/verify-mission-delivery.sh b/scripts/verify-mission-delivery.sh
index 544ea76..928ca4c 100755
--- a/scripts/verify-mission-delivery.sh
+++ b/scripts/verify-mission-delivery.sh
@@ -1588,12 +1588,23 @@ print("ok")' >/dev/null 2>&1 \
   if [ "${CLAWMATES_SKIP_AUDIO:-0}" = "1" ]; then
     pass "cr: (audio assertion skipped by CLAWMATES_SKIP_AUDIO)"
   else
-    local ep
-    ep=$(ssh "$HOST" "docker exec clawmates_postgres_1 psql -U postgres -d clawmates -tAc \
-      \"select coalesce(rendered_by,'-') || ' ' || coalesce(duration_secs,0)::text \
-          from podcast_episodes where mission_id='$mission';\"" | head -1 | tr -d '\r')
+    # The render is a BACKGROUND sweep (every 2 minutes) followed by a
+    # text-to-speech call that takes minutes on a full dialogue. Checking the
+    # instant the mission completes asserts that the worker is fast, not that
+    # it works — the first run of this scenario failed exactly that way while
+    # the pipeline was fine. Wait for a verdict instead, and say so if none
+    # arrives rather than reporting the timeout as a product defect.
+    local ep waited
+    ep=""; waited=0
+    while [ "$waited" -lt "${CR_EPISODE_TIMEOUT:-900}" ]; do
+      ep=$(ssh "$HOST" "docker exec clawmates_postgres_1 psql -U postgres -d clawmates -tAc \
+        \"select coalesce(rendered_by,'-') || ' ' || coalesce(duration_secs,0)::text \
+            from podcast_episodes where mission_id='$mission';\"" | head -1 | tr -d '\r')
+      [ -n "$ep" ] && break
+      sleep 30; waited=$((waited + 30))
+    done
     case "$ep" in
-      '')              fail "cr: no podcast_episodes row — the render sweep never reached this mission" ;;
+      '')              fail "cr: no episode after ${waited}s — the render sweep never reached this mission" ;;
       unrenderable:no-turns*) fail "cr: the script parsed to zero spoken turns — the writer's format and parse_script disagree" ;;
       unrenderable*)   fail "cr: the episode is a tombstone (unrenderable) — the script was not found in the checkout OR the vault" ;;
       *' 0')           fail "cr: an episode was recorded with zero duration: $ep" ;;