diff --git a/tests/ci-plan.test.ts b/tests/ci-plan.test.ts
index d6e7def..451fc33 100644
--- a/tests/ci-plan.test.ts
+++ b/tests/ci-plan.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,14 @@
 import { describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test';
-import { balance, depsOf, GLOBAL, HEAVY, junitTimes, listTests, mergeTimings, relatedTests, rustNeeded, shardCount } from '../tools/ci-plan';
+import { balance, deferBrowser, depsOf, GLOBAL, HEAVY, junitTimes, listTests, mergeTimings, relatedTests, rustNeeded, shardCount } from '../tools/ci-plan';
+
+describe('tools/ci-plan: browser suites deferred on a busy machine', () => {
+  test('deferred only when the 1-minute load is above 2x the cores, never with CI=full', () => {
+    expect(deferBrowser({}, 21, 10)).toBe(true);
+    expect(deferBrowser({}, 20, 10)).toBe(false);
+    expect(deferBrowser({ CI: 'full' }, 500, 10)).toBe(false);
+    expect(deferBrowser({ CI: 'true' }, 500, 10)).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
 
 describe('tools/ci-plan: test shards', () => {
   test('shard count: cores - 1, between 1 and 8, env override', () => {
diff --git a/tools/ci-plan.ts b/tools/ci-plan.ts
index d7c7f8c..0707d4b 100644
--- a/tools/ci-plan.ts
+++ b/tools/ci-plan.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 // touches (ci:quick) and whether the desktop Rust host needs to run. Pure functions plus small file / git reads;
 // tests/ci-plan.test.ts covers them.
 import { mkdirSync, readdirSync, readFileSync, statSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs';
-import { cpus } from 'node:os';
+import { cpus, loadavg } from 'node:os';
 import { dirname, join, normalize, relative } from 'node:path';
 
 export const ROOT = join(import.meta.dir, '..');
@@ -28,6 +28,15 @@ export function browserShardCount(env = process.env): number {
   return Number.isInteger(n) && n > 0 ? n : 1;
 }
 
+/**
+ * The local pre-push gate on a busy shared machine: with the 1-minute load average above 2x the cores, the browser
+ * suites (HEAVY) and the desktop boot check (real Chrome) are deferred to the Forgejo CI on the VDS, which always runs
+ * them (CI=full; a red Forgejo CI on main stops releases). CI=full forces them locally.
+ */
+export function deferBrowser(env = process.env, load1 = loadavg()[0] ?? 0, cores = cpus().length): boolean {
+  return env.CI !== 'full' && load1 > 2 * cores;
+}
+
 /** Changes that can affect every test: run the whole suite. */
 export const GLOBAL = /^(package\.json|bun\.lock|bunfig\.toml|tsconfig\.json|tests\/helpers\/preload\.ts)$/;
 
diff --git a/tools/ci.ts b/tools/ci.ts
index c801bf6..7625857 100644
--- a/tools/ci.ts
+++ b/tools/ci.ts
@@ -18,11 +18,11 @@
 // apps/desktop/src-tauri or the sidecar build changed against origin/main, or always with CI=full;
 // STOREBOUND_CI_RUST=0 skips it on a machine without Rust.
 import { existsSync, mkdtempSync, readFileSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs';
-import { homedir, tmpdir } from 'node:os';
+import { cpus, homedir, loadavg, tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { hostTarget, OUT_DIR, outName } from './build-sidecars';
 import { loadFactor, loadNote, RETRY_MARK, scaled } from '../tests/helpers/load';
-import { BROWSER_CONCURRENCY, changedFiles, HEAVY, junitTimes, listTests, mergeTimings, planShards, readTimings, relatedTests, ROOT, rustNeeded, writeTimings } from './ci-plan';
+import { BROWSER_CONCURRENCY, changedFiles, deferBrowser, HEAVY, junitTimes, listTests, mergeTimings, planShards, readTimings, relatedTests, ROOT, rustNeeded, writeTimings } from './ci-plan';
 
 interface Task { name: string; cmd: string[]; cwd?: string; env?: Record<string, string>; after?: string[]; junit?: string }
 
@@ -30,7 +30,10 @@ const quick = process.argv.includes('--quick');
 const tauri = join(ROOT, 'apps/desktop/src-tauri');
 const cache = join(ROOT, 'node_modules/.cache/storebound-ci');
 const changed = changedFiles();
-const tests = listTests();
+const deferred = deferBrowser();
+const allTests = listTests();
+const tests = deferred ? allTests.filter(f => !HEAVY.includes(f)) : allTests;
+if (deferred) console.log(`ci: browser suites deferred to Forgejo CI (load ${loadavg()[0]!.toFixed(0)} > 2 x ${cpus().length} cores): ${allTests.filter(f => HEAVY.includes(f)).join(' ')} and the desktop boot check. CI=full runs them here.`);
 const touches = (re: RegExp) => changed === null || changed.some(f => re.test(f));
 const tasks: Task[] = [];
 const add = (t: Task) => tasks.push(t);
@@ -99,7 +102,7 @@ if (quick) {
   add({ name: 'desktop bundle check', cmd: ['bun', 'test', './apps/desktop/tests/webview.test.ts'], after: ['desktop build'] });
   // the built window boots (release CSP, Tauri's frozen Object.prototype, mocked host + real sidecar) on an empty, a
   // D1 (folders gone) and a full D3 saved state, through every screen: no uncaught error, never an empty window
-  add({ name: 'desktop boot check', cmd: ['bun', 'tools/desktop-boot-check.ts'], after: ['desktop build'] });
+  if (!deferred) add({ name: 'desktop boot check', cmd: ['bun', 'tools/desktop-boot-check.ts'], after: ['desktop build'] });
   // the CLI compiled into the desktop sidecar (bun build --compile, scanned for this machine's paths): rebuilt when
   // its inputs changed, with CI=full, or when missing; tauri's build script needs it for cargo test / clippy
   const hostBin = join(OUT_DIR, outName(hostTarget()));
@@ -196,5 +199,6 @@ for (const r of [...runs.values()].sort((a, b) => a.start - b.start)) {
 }
 for (const t of pending) console.log(`  ${t.name.padEnd(width)}      -   not started`);
 if (retried.length) console.log(`\nretried under load (${retried.length}; each timed out once while load ÷ cores was above 2, then ran again):\n${retried.map(r => `  ${r}`).join('\n')}`);
+if (deferred) console.log(`\nci: browser suites deferred to Forgejo CI (load ${loadavg()[0]!.toFixed(0)}); check its run on main`);
 if (failed) { console.error(`\nci: ${failed} failed`); process.exit(1); }
 console.log(`\n${quick ? 'ci:quick' : 'ci'}: all green`);