diff --git a/test/database/postgres-vector.int.spec.ts b/test/database/postgres-vector.int.spec.ts
index 96621d95613..594e541b1fd 100644
--- a/test/database/postgres-vector.int.spec.ts
+++ b/test/database/postgres-vector.int.spec.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,13 @@ import { test } from '../__helpers/int/vitest.js'
 const filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)
 const dirname = path.dirname(filename)
 
+// Read through the primary. `payload.db.drizzle` is the withReplicas() handle whose reads
+// default to a replica, which races replication lag right after a write.
+const primaryDb = (payload: BasePayload): PostgresDB => {
+  const adapter = payload.db as PostgresAdapter
+  return adapter.primaryDrizzle ?? adapter.drizzle
+}
+
 test.suite({ db: (adapter) => adapter.startsWith('postgres') })(
   'postgres vector custom column',
   () => {
@@ -112,7 +119,7 @@ test.suite({ db: (adapter) => adapter.startsWith('postgres') })(
 
       const similarity = sql<number>`1 - (${cosineDistance(payload.db.tables.posts.embedding, catEmbedding)})`
 
-      const db = payload.db.drizzle as PostgresDB
+      const db = primaryDb(payload)
 
       const res = await db
         .select()
@@ -234,7 +241,7 @@ test.suite({ db: (adapter) => adapter.startsWith('postgres') })(
 
       const distance = sql<number>`(${l2Distance(payload.db.tables.posts.embedding, catEmbedding)})`
 
-      const db = payload.db.drizzle as PostgresDB
+      const db = primaryDb(payload)
 
       const res = await db
         .select()
@@ -346,7 +353,7 @@ test.suite({ db: (adapter) => adapter.startsWith('postgres') })(
 
       const similarity = sql<number>`1 - (${jaccardDistance(payload.db.tables.posts.embedding, catEmbedding)})`
 
-      const db = payload.db.drizzle as PostgresDB
+      const db = primaryDb(payload)
 
       const res = await db
         .select()
diff --git a/test/queues/int.spec.ts b/test/queues/int.spec.ts
index e60fde15471..5f5748abcc5 100644
--- a/test/queues/int.spec.ts
+++ b/test/queues/int.spec.ts
@@ -1464,8 +1464,8 @@ test.suite({ config: './config.ts' })('Queues - Payload', () => {
       expect(payload.config.jobs.processingLease.duration).toBe(20 * 60 * 1000)
       expect(payload.config.jobs.processingLease.safetyBuffer).toBe(30_000)
       payload.config.jobs.deleteJobOnComplete = false
-      payload.config.jobs.processingLease.duration = 600
-      payload.config.jobs.processingLease.safetyBuffer = 50
+      payload.config.jobs.processingLease.duration = 5000
+      payload.config.jobs.processingLease.safetyBuffer = 300
 
       const postTitle = 'created by the healthy worker'
       const job = await payload.jobs.queue({
@@ -1486,7 +1486,7 @@ test.suite({ config: './config.ts' })('Queues - Payload', () => {
         )
         .toBeTruthy()
       // Wait longer than the original lease. Heartbeats must keep the first worker active.
-      await wait(900)
+      await wait(6000)
 
       const secondWorkerResult = await payload.jobs.run({ silent: true })
       const firstWorkerResult = await firstWorker