diff --git a/.config/nextest.toml b/.config/nextest.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cb03506
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.config/nextest.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+# cargo-nextest configuration.
+#
+# Install: `cargo install --locked cargo-nextest`
+# Run    : `cargo nextest run --workspace`
+#
+# The default profile is what pre-commit / day-to-day runs use. The `slow`
+# profile additionally runs tests marked `#[ignore]` — used in CI and for the
+# periodic local sweep:
+#
+#   cargo nextest run --workspace --profile slow
+
+[profile.default]
+# Show the slowest tests first when something fails — easier triage than the
+# default ordering.
+status-level = "fail"
+failure-output = "immediate-final"
+final-status-level = "slow"
+
+# Tests that legitimately need to spawn real subprocesses can occasionally
+# exceed cargo's default 60s timeout under cold-cache CI. 120s gives headroom
+# without masking a genuine hang.
+slow-timeout = { period = "60s", terminate-after = 2 }
+
+[profile.slow]
+# Inherits from default; the CLI invocation toggles `--run-ignored all`.
+slow-timeout = { period = "90s", terminate-after = 2 }
diff --git a/.githooks/pre-commit b/.githooks/pre-commit
index 01ceeb4..cb87e06 100755
--- a/.githooks/pre-commit
+++ b/.githooks/pre-commit
@@ -63,9 +63,19 @@ echo "pre-commit: cargo clippy --all-targets -- -D warnings"
 cargo clippy --all-targets --quiet -- -D warnings
 
 # Tests are gated separately. CI runs them regardless.
+#
+# Prefer `cargo nextest` when it's on PATH — same coverage, faster wall
+# clock (~17s vs ~26s on this workspace, M-series, warm cache). Falls back
+# to `cargo test --quiet` so contributors without nextest aren't blocked.
+# CONTRIBUTING.md documents how to install it.
 if [[ "${HEW_HOOK_NO_TESTS:-}" != "1" ]]; then
-  echo "pre-commit: cargo test"
-  cargo test --quiet
+  if command -v cargo-nextest >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "pre-commit: cargo nextest run --workspace"
+    cargo nextest run --workspace
+  else
+    echo "pre-commit: cargo test"
+    cargo test --quiet
+  fi
 fi
 
 echo "pre-commit: ok"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 998da2a..71e5a7f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -60,7 +60,10 @@ jobs:
           # actually `rustup-init`). Hit us on macos-latest/1.91 — keep this off.
           cache-bin: "false"
       - run: cargo build --all-targets --locked
-      - run: cargo test --all-targets --locked
+      # `--include-ignored` runs the `#[ignore = "slow"]` tests that the
+      # pre-commit gate and default `cargo test` invocation skip. CI is the
+      # one place that periodic-sweep coverage must never go missing.
+      - run: cargo test --all-targets --locked -- --include-ignored
 
   audit:
     name: cargo-audit
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index a7022c9..6c4a5dd 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -65,11 +65,52 @@ Allowed prefixes: `feat`, `fix`, `chore`, `docs`, `refactor`, `perf`,
 
 ```sh
 cargo build                          # 1.x s incremental, ~30s cold
-cargo test                           # full suite; ~2s after warm cache
+cargo test                           # full suite; ~25s warm cache
 cargo clippy --all-targets -- -D warnings
 cargo fmt --all
 ```
 
+### Faster tests via `cargo-nextest` (recommended)
+
+The default `cargo test` runs each test binary serially and reports
+per-test output. [`cargo-nextest`](https://nexte.st) runs every binary
+in parallel with a tighter scheduler — on this workspace it cuts the
+suite from ~25s to under 20s on warm cache, and the `.githooks/pre-commit`
+hook automatically prefers it when present.
+
+Install once per machine:
+
+```sh
+cargo install --locked cargo-nextest
+```
+
+Then:
+
+```sh
+cargo nextest run --workspace         # default profile — skips #[ignore]d tests
+cargo nextest run --workspace --profile slow --run-ignored all   # periodic full sweep
+```
+
+Plain `cargo test` is still supported (CI keeps it in the matrix to
+guarantee both invocations stay green).
+
+### Slow tests gated behind `#[ignore = "slow"]`
+
+A small set of heavy e2e tests — parallel-loop worktree drivers, the
+real-git merge-conflict simulator — carry `#[ignore = "slow"]` so the
+default `cargo test` / `cargo nextest run` keeps the pre-commit gate fast.
+Run them explicitly before tagging a release or merging anything that
+touches the loop runner:
+
+```sh
+cargo test --workspace -- --include-ignored
+# or
+cargo nextest run --workspace --profile slow --run-ignored all
+```
+
+CI runs the full sweep on every PR, so missing this locally never lands
+silently.
+
 Tests are organised as:
 
 - **Unit tests** alongside each module under `hew-core/src/`.
diff --git a/hew/tests/loop_parallel_e2e.rs b/hew/tests/loop_parallel_e2e.rs
index d225fbe..614a05e 100644
--- a/hew/tests/loop_parallel_e2e.rs
+++ b/hew/tests/loop_parallel_e2e.rs
@@ -343,6 +343,7 @@ fn read_manifest(repo: &Path) -> serde_json::Value {
 }
 
 #[test]
+#[ignore = "slow"]
 fn e2e_parallel_jobs_2_with_mock_spawner() {
     if !git_available() {
         eprintln!("git not on PATH, skipping");
@@ -409,6 +410,7 @@ fn e2e_parallel_jobs_2_with_mock_spawner() {
 }
 
 #[test]
+#[ignore = "slow"]
 fn e2e_parallel_merge_conflict_files_bug_task() {
     if !git_available() {
         eprintln!("git not on PATH, skipping");