diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/ask-user-questions.ts b/src/resources/extensions/ask-user-questions.ts
index ab7ff280a..3cb7e2ae1 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/ask-user-questions.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/ask-user-questions.ts
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ export default function AskUserQuestions(pi: ExtensionAPI) {
 
 				const raceResult = await raceRemoteAndLocal(
 					() => tryRemoteQuestions(params.questions, raceSignal),
-					() => showInterviewRound(params.questions, {}, ctx as any),
+					() => showInterviewRound(params.questions, { signal: raceSignal }, ctx as any),
 					raceController,
 					params.questions,
 				);
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/phases.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/phases.ts
index f9ff192fe..d313053fe 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/phases.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/phases.ts
@@ -1309,8 +1309,8 @@ export async function runUnitPhase(
       return { action: "break", reason: "provider-pause" };
     }
     // Session creation timeout (not a structural error): pause auto-mode
-    // and let the provider-error-resume timer handle recovery. This matches
-    // the provider-pause path — break out cleanly, don't hard-stop.
+    // and let the provider-error-resume timer handle recovery (#3767). This
+    // matches the provider-pause path — break out cleanly, don't hard-stop.
     // Structural errors (TypeError, is not a function) are NOT transient
     // and must hard-stop to avoid infinite retry loops.
     if (
@@ -1318,7 +1318,7 @@ export async function runUnitPhase(
       unitResult.errorContext?.category === "timeout"
     ) {
       ctx.ui.notify(
-        `Session creation timed out for ${unitType} ${unitId}. Will retry.`,
+        `Session creation timed out for ${unitType} ${unitId}. Pausing auto-mode (recoverable).`,
         "warning",
       );
       debugLog("autoLoop", { phase: "session-timeout-pause", unitType, unitId });
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/session.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/session.ts
index b191d8591..5f822a51f 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/session.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/session.ts
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ export interface SidecarItem {
 export const MAX_UNIT_DISPATCHES = 3;
 export const STUB_RECOVERY_THRESHOLD = 2;
 export const MAX_LIFETIME_DISPATCHES = 6;
-export const NEW_SESSION_TIMEOUT_MS = 30_000;
+export const NEW_SESSION_TIMEOUT_MS = 120_000;
 
 // ─── AutoSession ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/integration/state-machine-runtime-failures.test.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/integration/state-machine-runtime-failures.test.ts
index 1c0eadf49..beba08221 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/integration/state-machine-runtime-failures.test.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/integration/state-machine-runtime-failures.test.ts
@@ -360,8 +360,8 @@ describe("session management", () => {
     assert.equal(s.unitRecoveryCount.size, 0, "recovery counts cleared");
   });
 
-  test("NEW_SESSION_TIMEOUT_MS is 30 seconds", () => {
-    assert.equal(NEW_SESSION_TIMEOUT_MS, 30_000, "session timeout should be 30s");
+  test("NEW_SESSION_TIMEOUT_MS is 120 seconds", () => {
+    assert.equal(NEW_SESSION_TIMEOUT_MS, 120_000, "session timeout should be 120s");
   });
 
   test("MAX_UNIT_DISPATCHES limits retries for a single unit", () => {
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/shared/interview-ui.ts b/src/resources/extensions/shared/interview-ui.ts
index c38833761..66771bc84 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/shared/interview-ui.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/shared/interview-ui.ts
@@ -80,6 +80,12 @@ export interface InterviewRoundOptions {
 	 * Label for the Esc-confirm overlay header. Defaults to "End interview?".
 	 */
 	exitHeadline?: string;
+	/**
+	 * Optional AbortSignal to cancel the interview externally (e.g. when racing
+	 * against a remote question channel). When aborted, the TUI closes and the
+	 * promise resolves with an empty answers object.
+	 */
+	signal?: AbortSignal;
 	/**
 	 * Text for the "exit" hint shown in the review screen footer and exit confirm overlay.
 	 * Defaults to "end interview".
@@ -207,6 +213,13 @@ export async function showInterviewRound(
 		let exitCursor = 0; // 0 = keep going (default), 1 = end interview
 		let cachedLines: string[] | undefined;
 
+		// External cancellation (e.g. remote channel won the race)
+		if (opts.signal) {
+			const onAbort = () => done({ endInterview: false, answers: {} });
+			if (opts.signal.aborted) { onAbort(); }
+			else { opts.signal.addEventListener("abort", onAbort, { once: true }); }
+		}
+
 		// Editor is created once; editorTheme comes from the design system
 		const editorRef = { current: null as Editor | null };