diff --git a/.changeset/flaky-chrome-launch.md b/.changeset/flaky-chrome-launch.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..faa6810b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/flaky-chrome-launch.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@cloudhal/cli": patch
+---
+
+`render_page` on Node: a Chrome that hangs or crashes on a cold start is launched once more with a fresh profile instead of failing the render.
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/render-chrome.ts b/packages/cli/src/render-chrome.ts
index f9f72bc0..b464d07a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/render-chrome.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/render-chrome.ts
@@ -90,8 +90,9 @@ export function chromeRenderer(
     );
     const endpoint = new Promise<string>((resolve, reject) => {
       let err = "";
-      // A cold start on a busy CI runner can take well over 10 s; a warm one is under a second.
-      const timer = setTimeout(() => reject(new Error("Chrome did not start")), 30_000);
+      // A warm start is under a second, a cold one on a busy CI runner can take over 10 s; one that
+      // hangs past this is killed and launched once more (session()).
+      const timer = setTimeout(() => reject(new Error("Chrome did not start")), 20_000);
       child.stderr?.on("data", (chunk: Buffer) => {
         err += chunk.toString();
         const m = /DevTools listening on (ws:\/\/\S+)/.exec(err);
@@ -108,15 +109,24 @@ export function chromeRenderer(
     });
     endpoint.catch(() => {});
     chrome = { process: child, endpoint, dir };
-    process.once("exit", () => child.kill());
+    const killOnExit = () => child.kill();
+    process.once("exit", killOnExit);
+    child.once("exit", () => process.off("exit", killOnExit));
     return chrome;
   };
 
   return {
     async session() {
       clearTimeout(idle);
-      const { endpoint } = chrome ?? start();
-      const ws = new WebSocket(await endpoint);
+      let url: string;
+      try {
+        url = await (chrome ?? start()).endpoint;
+      } catch {
+        // A stuck or crashed cold start: one fresh launch with a new profile.
+        stop();
+        url = await start().endpoint;
+      }
+      const ws = new WebSocket(url);
       await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
         ws.addEventListener("open", () => resolve(), { once: true });
         ws.addEventListener("error", () => reject(new Error("could not reach Chrome")), {
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/render-chrome.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/render-chrome.test.ts
index 8ef7a9f4..df3fabc3 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/render-chrome.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/render-chrome.test.ts
@@ -72,7 +72,8 @@ describe.skipIf(!chrome)("render_page checks in Chrome", () => {
     expect(check("landmarks")?.examples).toEqual(
       expect.arrayContaining(["@1440: the page — 0 page headers (one is right)"]),
     );
-  }, 60_000);
+    // The first test starts Chrome: up to two 20 s launch attempts (render-chrome.ts) plus the render.
+  }, 120_000);
 
   it("checks the chrome: skip link, landmarks, a transparent header's contrast, focus under it", async () => {
     dir ??= await mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "cloudhal-render-test-"));
@@ -280,3 +281,24 @@ describe("localRender", () => {
     expect(localRender({ CHROME_PATH: "/nonexistent/chrome" })).toBeUndefined();
   });
 });
+
+describe("chromeRenderer", () => {
+  it.skipIf(process.platform === "win32")(
+    "launches a Chrome that fails to start once more, with a new profile",
+    async () => {
+      const tmp = await mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "cloudhal-render-retry-"));
+      const log = path.join(tmp, "launches");
+      const fake = path.join(tmp, "chrome");
+      await writeFile(fake, `#!/bin/sh\necho "$@" >> "${log}"\nexit 1\n`, { mode: 0o755 });
+      try {
+        await expect(chromeRenderer(fake).session()).rejects.toThrow("Chrome exited");
+        const launches = (await readFile(log, "utf8")).trim().split("\n");
+        expect(launches).toHaveLength(2);
+        const profile = (line?: string) => /--user-data-dir=(\S+)/.exec(line ?? "")?.[1];
+        expect(profile(launches[0])).not.toBe(profile(launches[1]));
+      } finally {
+        await rm(tmp, { recursive: true, force: true });
+      }
+    },
+  );
+});
diff --git a/packages/ui/vitest.config.ts b/packages/ui/vitest.config.ts
index d8ceec21..0a3099bd 100644
--- a/packages/ui/vitest.config.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/vitest.config.ts
@@ -11,5 +11,8 @@ export default defineConfig({
     environmentOptions: { happyDOM: { settings: { disableIframePageLoading: true } } },
     include: ["test/**/*.test.tsx"],
     setupFiles: ["./test/setup.ts"],
+    // The first test to open a lazy kit (the calendar, charts) pays its cold import; on a CI runner
+    // shared with the heavy suites that went past Vitest's 5 s default. Same limit as Studio.
+    testTimeout: 20_000,
   },
 });