diff --git a/tests/gateway/test_approve_deny_commands.py b/tests/gateway/test_approve_deny_commands.py
index 7976838ef..18eef7b65 100644
--- a/tests/gateway/test_approve_deny_commands.py
+++ b/tests/gateway/test_approve_deny_commands.py
@@ -421,6 +421,18 @@ class TestBlockingApprovalE2E:
         os.environ.pop("HERMES_GATEWAY_SESSION", None)
         os.environ.pop("HERMES_EXEC_ASK", None)
         os.environ.pop("HERMES_SESSION_KEY", None)
+        # Force manual approval mode — these tests exercise the blocking
+        # gateway flow, not smart approval. The default became "smart"
+        # (#62661), which routes through _smart_approve() first and
+        # delays the notify callback past the test's wait window.
+        self._approval_mode_patch = patch(
+            "tools.approval._get_approval_config",
+            return_value={"mode": "manual"},
+        )
+        self._approval_mode_patch.start()
+
+    def teardown_method(self):
+        self._approval_mode_patch.stop()
 
     def test_blocking_approval_approve_once(self):
         """check_all_command_guards blocks until resolve_gateway_approval is called."""