diff --git a/.devcontainer/Dockerfile b/.devcontainer/Dockerfile
index aad8448..7b23d1e 100644
--- a/.devcontainer/Dockerfile
+++ b/.devcontainer/Dockerfile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-FROM denoland/deno:2.8.1
+FROM denoland/deno:2.9.4
 
 # Install tools
 RUN apt-get update && \
diff --git a/.github/workflows/master.yml b/.github/workflows/master.yml
index f1f76f0..f06fd3a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/master.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/master.yml
@@ -17,10 +17,10 @@ jobs:
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
 
-      - name: Setup Deno v2.8.1
+      - name: Setup Deno v2.9.4
         uses: denoland/setup-deno@v2
         with:
-          deno-version: v2.8.1
+          deno-version: v2.9.4
 
       - name: Setup LCOV        
         run: sudo apt install -y lcov
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
-        deno-version: [v1.46.3, v2.8.1]
+        deno-version: [v1.46.3, v2.9.4]
         os: [ ubuntu-latest, windows-latest ]
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/sonar.yml b/.github/workflows/sonar.yml
index 2f8f471..11985cb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/sonar.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/sonar.yml
@@ -33,10 +33,10 @@ jobs:
           ref: ${{ steps.pr.outputs.head_sha }}
           fetch-depth: 0
 
-      - name: Setup Deno v2.8.1
+      - name: Setup Deno v2.9.4
         uses: denoland/setup-deno@v2
         with:
-          deno-version: v2.8.1
+          deno-version: v2.9.4
 
       - name: Setup LCOV        
         run: sudo apt install -y lcov
diff --git a/tests/deps.ts b/tests/deps.ts
index b68c6a3..4a2d8a8 100644
--- a/tests/deps.ts
+++ b/tests/deps.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,6 @@ export {
     beforeAll, 
     afterEach 
 } from 'jsr:@std/testing@1.0.19/bdd';
-export { delay } from 'jsr:@std/async@1.4.0/delay';
+export { delay } from 'jsr:@std/async@1.5.0/delay';
 export { load } from 'jsr:@std/dotenv@0.225.7';
 export * as mf from 'https://deno.land/x/mock_fetch@0.3.0/mod.ts';
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/utils/timed-match.test.ts b/tests/utils/timed-match.test.ts
index 1000528..dd1ca01 100644
--- a/tests/utils/timed-match.test.ts
+++ b/tests/utils/timed-match.test.ts
@@ -7,9 +7,36 @@ const okInput = "a";
 const nokRE = "^(([a-z])+.)+[A-Z]([a-z])+$";
 const nokInput = "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa";
 
-const COLD_TIME = 500;
-const WARM_TIME = 50;
-const TIMEOUT = 950; // 50ms margin for worker thread to finish
+const COLD_TIME = 900;
+const WARM_TIME = 150;
+const TIMEOUT = 900; // margin for worker thread to finish
+
+// TimedMatch.setMaxTimeLimit has no getter; track the value tests intend to
+// use so warmUpWorker() can restore it after temporarily raising it.
+let intendedMaxTimeLimit = 1000;
+const setMaxTimeLimit = (value: number) => {
+    intendedMaxTimeLimit = value;
+    TimedMatch.setMaxTimeLimit(value);
+};
+
+// A freshly (re)created worker pays a one-time JIT/module-instrumentation
+// cost on its FIRST real regex dispatch (much larger under `deno test
+// --coverage`, which also instruments the worker module). Calls after that
+// on the same worker are fast (see the warm loop below). Issue a cheap
+// throwaway match right after the worker is (re)created so that cost is
+// paid during warm-up instead of during a timing-sensitive assertion.
+//
+// The warm-up dispatch itself must not be allowed to exceed the *current*
+// maxTimeLimit: doing so would make TimedMatch treat the warm-up call as a
+// timeout, recreate the worker again, and add an entry to the blacklist -
+// potentially evicting the entry a test just set up (maxBlackListed is set
+// to 1 in several tests). Temporarily raise the limit for the warm-up call
+// only, then restore whatever the test currently expects.
+const warmUpWorker = () => {
+    TimedMatch.setMaxTimeLimit(5000);
+    TimedMatch.tryMatch([okRE], okInput);
+    TimedMatch.setMaxTimeLimit(intendedMaxTimeLimit);
+};
 
 const getTimer = (timer: number) => (timer - Date.now()) * -1;
 
@@ -21,7 +48,8 @@ describe("Timed-Match tests:", function () {
     beforeEach(() => {
         TimedMatch.clearBlackList();
         TimedMatch.setMaxBlackListed(50);
-        TimedMatch.setMaxTimeLimit(1000);
+        setMaxTimeLimit(1000);
+        warmUpWorker();
     });
     
     afterAll(() => {
@@ -48,6 +76,7 @@ describe("Timed-Match tests:", function () {
         timer = Date.now();
         TimedMatch.tryMatch([nokRE], nokInput);
         assertTrue(getTimer(timer) > TIMEOUT);
+        warmUpWorker();
 
         timer = Date.now();
         TimedMatch.tryMatch([okRE], okInput);